Teamwork makes the dream work!Social skills are all about communication and understanding. Being able to express yourself and being able to understand others are the building blocks of any socially adept person, and can have a profound impact on a child’s success later in life.

Sometimes it can be hard for adults to explain the importance of learning how to make friends, how to get along well with others, or how to communicate and compromise, but these are some of the most useful skills we can develop.

Team building teaches social skills by providing opportunities for kids to practice communicating with each other, working together, and sharing accomplishments.

Computers Can’t Make Friends

Working with others can teach you to work as a team!Child development is about more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. Some of life’s most important lessons can’t be taught in a classroom. Many times, there is no substitute for interaction with others.

Adults who don’t have these skills can have trouble finding and keeping jobs, and they tend to make less when they do. Jobs involving little or no social skills are also the jobs most likely to be automated.

Social skills also help teach empathy, which is crucial to maintaining fulfilling personal relationships with others, a key to a longer and happier life.

The Sum of Their Parts

Team building teaches kids the importance of working together, and all successful teams work well together. Teammates who understand their role in the team, and how best to play that role, make better teammates.

In order to understand how best to work together, communication is vital. Social skills are all about communication. Clearly explaining your ideas, listening to and respecting the ideas of others, and knowing how to give constructive criticism are crucial elements of being a good teammate.

Good team building exercises focus on working together as a group to accomplish a goal. An effective team building exercise promotes communication and understanding. A team that communicates effectively and understands each other is much more likely to succeed.

Ways to Promote Teamwork

Ropes-Course---May-18th--24aTeam building doesn’t have to be complicated. Exercises can be simple and fun, with only a few items needed (items you may already have around your home or school). Simple things like the Duct Tape Game can teach kids the usefulness of communication in problem solving.

Games like this are ideal for teaching the importance of coordination, since all teammates must understand when to take action, when to let others take the lead, and how to communicate as a group which circumstance is appropriate at what time.

Other games, like Six Count, use motion to teach coordination. Similar to dancing or flash mobs, kids are asked to perform a choreographed routine in concert with each other. Of course, if any one participant should make a wrong move, the entire team must start over.

Six Count teaches kids the importance of knowing their own role and teaches them to trust each other to work together.

Games like these are simple and effective ways to teach kids how to communicate with each other respectfully, how to work together to accomplish a goal, and can help kids bond together through shared experiences.

All Together Now

Communication, cooperation, and coordination are all necessary in the formation and development of any good team, and any good person. Team building develops these social skills through task-oriented games and activities that can help kids succeed in the classroom, on the field, and throughout their lives.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Group Dynamix can help your group, class or team, one of our workshops might be right for you! Our professionals provide a fun atmosphere where kids can learn how to work together as a team.