Team Building & Energizers: Not Just for Kids Anymore!
Before joining Agility, I taught elementary school for ten years. Midway through my career I learned first-hand team building and energizing activities were instrumental in the success of our classroom. They allowed for us all to take a break from rigorous academics, have fun, and recharge our brains. All the while, building positive, productive relationships.
It is my belief the same is true for adults, even in the business/corporate world.
Dr. Spencer Kagan is an “internationally acclaimed researcher, presenter and author of over 100 books, chapters, and scientific journal articles. He is a former clinical psychologist and full-time professor of psychology and education at the University of California,” (Kagan Training Team). I had the honor of attending one of Dr. Kagan’s weeklong Professional Development Workshops where I learned the importance of incorporating team building and energizing exercises in our classroom. In an article titled, “Silly Sports and Goofy Games: The Tenth Reason to Play: Brain-Friendly Instruction,” Kagan writes:
My goal was to share with teachers things they could do “drop of the hat,” with no special preparation, to increase the energy level in their classrooms, to have students cooperate, to provide challenges, and more than anything else, to simply make classrooms fun. I knew that when students had fun in class, the class tone shifted in a positive direction and the positive tone transferred to academics. Where there was no fun, there was less learning.
As students play, even if it is only for a two or three-minute game of quick tag, their heart rate and volume increases, pumping more oxygen and glucose to the brain. Their respiratory rate and volume increase as well, oxygenating the blood. With more oxygen and glucose pumped to the brain, students are more alert. Thus, Silly Sports and Goofy Games actually nourish the brain, aligning our classroom practices with how the brain best learns. The increased nourishment is not just a temporary effect. Recent research has shown long-term effects of exercise: Students who engage in regular exercise actually grow an improved circulatory system in the brain; this increased circulatory capacity actually nourishes their brains better on an ongoing basis, (Kagan, S., 2004).
Why am I telling you all of this? Let me answer that by posing this question, do you think team building and energizing activities have a place in your workplace? I do! Adults can benefit from them, just like children. Creating a fun, collaborative, safe learning environment increases productivity for all ages.
Team building creates relaxed alertness, the ideal state for learning. When students meet their needs for security and belonging, they are free to engage in higher-level learning. Disruptions and discipline problems decrease, speeding up student learning. When students feel safe, known, respected, and appreciated they enjoy school more, like their teacher more, and are more prepared to learn and work hard, (Kagan Online).
With that said, I would like to share two activities, one team building and one energizing, that are appropriate for the workplace and take no more than 3-5 minutes. These are physical in nature in an effort to waken the body and stimulate the brain. Begin by incorporating one per week.
Memory Lane
Rules/Directions: 1. Leader calls out one task at a time and partners complete that task. 2. Tasks should be called out in the order provided.
- High five right
- High five left
- Low five right
- Low five left
- High ten
- Low ten
- Backwards ten high
- Backwards ten low
- Tunnel ten (feet apart, back to back, reach between legs and hit low ten)
- Sole of shoes right
- Sole of shoes left
- Elbow right
- Elbow left
- Both elbows
3. Partners repeat the tasks beginning with the first task each time. 4. Have participants repeat sequence as fast as they can with accuracy.
The 12 Days of Fitness
Rules/Directions: Use the holiday tune, “The 12 Days of Christmas.” 1. Participants will act out the following fitness song. 2. “On the first day of fitness, my trainer gave to me,”
- 12 jumping jacks
- 11 raise the roofs
- 10 knee lifts
- 9 side stretches
- 8 jogs in place
- 7 jabs/punches
- 6 kicks to the front
- 5 hula hoops
- 4 jumping ropes (imaginary rope)
- 3 muscle poses
- 2 scissors (feet apart then cross in front, feet apart then cross in back)
- 1 stork stand (balance on one foot)
Suggestion: 1. Write the activities on the board or poster board to make them easier for participants to follow and to sing along. 2. Fitness activities can be sung straight through as written for a shorter activity or repeated as in the original song.
I recognize such activities are outside of the box and most likely uncommon in the business/corporate world. However, they are research-based and have been shown to improve morale, energize participants, and nourish the brain. Will you feel a bit silly and goofy the first time? Probably. But each next time I bet you will have more and more fun.
In conclusion, just like a classroom, the workplace should also be a learning community where people are productive, feel safe, cooperate, collaborate, and have fun. Setting aside a small amount of time each week to team build and energize will improve morale and increase energy and productivity.
If you are interested in learning about more energizers and team building activities, email me!
-Macaire Eidson
meidson@agility-grp.com
Silly Sports and Goofy Games, Kagan, Spencer
Dr. Jean Cheers
1-8
9-18
17-24
25-32
Works Cited
Jones, A. (1998). 104 activities that build: self-esteem, teamwork, communication, anger management, self-discovery, and coping skills. Richland, WA: Rec Room Pub..
Kagan Publishing & Professional Development. (n.d.). Kagan Training Team. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.kaganonline.com/workshops/trainers/
Kagan, S. Silly Sports and Goofy Games – The Tenth Reason to Play: Brain-Friendly Instruction. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Kagan Online Magazine, Winter 2004. www.KaganOnline.com
