Team Building Games: Starting Your School Year Strong

Welcome back to school PE Nation!

I created a new e-book "Team Building Games and Activities in PE," featuring games that help physical education teachers build culture and community in the first weeks of school. The 21-page resource contains engaging activities for grades K-5 that get students moving while developing teamwork skills.

• Getting-to-know-you games like "Pass Your Name" help students and teachers learn names while participating in movement challenges
• Large group team builders such as "Fish Relays" work well under pavilions during hot weather and incorporate passing challenges in different directions
• Small group team builders like "Group Juggle" develop communication as students pass objects in patterns while saying each receiver's name
• The activities are designed to create excitement, build culture, and avoid starting the year with students just sitting around
• These games help establish a solid foundation for the school year through movement and camaraderie

Take care and happy teaching!

Dave

Team Building Games Ebook (with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

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Transcript

Welcome to Super Size Fizz Ad

Speaker 1 0:10

Hello and welcome to the Super Size Fizz Ad podcast . My name is Dave and today I want to talk about the beginning of the school year , weeks one and two , and games you can play to build your teams , to build your culture , to build the community that you want to build . So , without further ado , here we go . Welcome in PE

Team Building Games E-book Introduction

Speaker 1 0:51

Nation . So I wanted to share my exciting news of an ebook that I just created recently and it is called Team Building Games and Activities in PE . It is 21 pages of different games and activities that you can play in your PE classes with grades K through five . There's all sorts of learning , fun and engaging just games and activities that you can play and build that culture , build the excitement and start off the year moving and not just sitting around . So let me go through what this ebook covers so you get a kind of a glimpse of it and there is a preview if you click on the link in the show notes .

Speaker 1 1:25

All right , let's make this a boomer . These are the three categories . Here's the first one . So first we have getting to know

Getting To Know You Games

Speaker 1 1:36

you games , and I'll give you a couple examples of in each category . So the getting to know your games are things like where you pass your name . That's one of the games . You have to get in a circle or down the line , students pass their name instead of passing an object , and they see how fast they can do it , and with accuracy , and even learning each other's names in the process . So it's games like that that just gets to know , they get to know each other and you get to know their names , which is very important . Just gets to know , they get to know each other and you get to know their names , which is very important , as that's probably one of the hardest things for me to do is learn . You know over a hundred kids' names at a time . It's very difficult and I spend a lot of time studying yearbooks and playing games that will incorporate that , especially the younger kids . If they'd been with me for a few years , I think I know most of their names . Not all of them , unfortunately , but these are games that allow you to get to know your students and they get to know

Large Group Team Builders

Speaker 1 2:30

each other . That's a great way to start the school year .

Speaker 1 2:36

So number two of the three categories are large group team builders . Now , I use these quite a bit in the beginning of the school year , especially when it's hot under the pavilion . We'll be in the shade , so we'll spend some time under there and I'll give you a game we use a lot . It's just fish relays . So you don't have to have inflatable fishes , you can use critters or really anything to pass and we get them to pass down the line as fast as they can . And again we time them or just say you know , whichever line comes first wins . But they do need to pass in different ways . So we'll first have them pass just kind of sideways , then they'll have to pass kind of behind them , like over their head and behind them . Then they will do down and back . We will do things like they'll stand up and do it and twist , and so they're adding , you're adding exercise and you know

Small Group Team Building Activities

Speaker 1 3:30

different kinds of movement as well as relay race kind of style , where they're working together for a common goal . So that is one of the large group team builders in the ebook and there's more explanation in there , probably a better job than I just did . So that is number two .

Speaker 1 3:50

All right , number three are the small group team builders . These are actually my favorite because you can do a lot with these . You can and you could add different wrinkles to them . There's all sorts of hula hoop challenges and there's my favorite is group juggle . So group juggle is kind of an oldie but a goodie , where students I have them around hula hoops . Like the hula hoop is set down and then they form a circle around it , and I strive for groups of five , six or seven , and that's doable because you can always rearrange groups . I say five is the best number , seven's , pushing it a little bit , but it's possible .

Speaker 1 4:30

So what they do is you give them an object and they have to pass in a set pattern and they they make the pattern and they have to figure out how . This is another kind of figure out kind of thing , where they have to work together and figure out a pattern where it goes to everybody once but it does not . You do not pass to somebody next to you . So if there's a group of five , that's actually perfect , cause that's like a star pattern . Six is a little tougher and seven is tough as well . It's just a matter of them working together , talking about it and figuring out the pattern , and every time they pass they have to say the person's name and they pass on the object and then it just continues around the circle . If they get that right , we can add another object .

Speaker 1 5:14

Now you can also do questions . Sometimes I'll add questions in there , like , okay , you have to say your name and your favorite I don't know sport or game or activity you like to play , and so I'll say , oh , I'm Dave and I like to golf , and I pass it to the next person , and then they say their name and pass the next person . Eventually , though , though , you can again add another object . So then , if I'm well , I'm Dave , and I'm passing to my daughter's name , savannah , so I'll just say Savannah , I'll pass it , I'll say Savannah , and then she'll pass to her friend , paige , and I'll pass another one . I'll say Savannah , so it'll be like a rubber chicken and a deck ring , something like that , and then it goes around . So that's two objects . Then you can have three .

Speaker 1 5:57

Now the . This is awesome . I do have a video I'll have to find it , maybe post it in here Of my students last year doing four objects . It was amazing , and they really were concentrating . That's a really cool game and really need to see them working together , because that means everybody has to work for the common goal , like if one person's not paying attention , it doesn't work and it's just a lot of fun and it builds that camaraderie and you know just that team building aspect of it . So that is one of the games in the small group team builders . And that is number three .

Cowbell Tip and Closing Thoughts

Speaker 1 6:32

And now it is time for your cowbell tip of the day . All right , so your tip of the day is to check out the e-book . Again , there's a preview in the show notes . If you click on the link you can see the . It's the teachers pay teachers . There is a preview in there .

Speaker 1 6:58

So again , I'm just going to read part of this , where that I wrote this about this e-book . It covers all the basics of building a winning PE culture , from cooperative games to name games to large and small group games . It is everything you need . So my hope is that you get a ton of ideas and value from this book and it sparks joy and laughter in your PE program . Furthermore , I hope you use these games and activities to build the culture you want for your program and I this is I'm going off script here you know I've used these games a lot .

Speaker 1 7:25

It's not like I've used them one time or I just read about them . I've used these games and you know some I use more than others . Some I've used for , you know , the last 10 years and some I just started and some I kind of , you know , phase out here and there and or I bring them back . But it helps you build that solid foundation for your school year of movement and not just sitting there building the culture , you know , getting teams going , getting the camaraderie going , like I said , and so I hope you pick up a copy of that . Again , it's in the show notes , everything's in the show notes . I'll link it up there . So that is it . That is your cowbell tip of the day .

Speaker 1 8:09

Thank you everybody for tuning in today . I really do appreciate it , as always . Go to the show notes or supersciencephysedcom for more information and definitely follow me on Substack or Medium . Those are where my articles are written and then you'll get actually it's two per week if you sign up for the email list two articles a week . Sometimes it's a podcast link , sometimes it's an article , but two things a week just on strategies , tips , inspirational stories , things like that . That'll help you with your PE program . So take care , pe Nation , have a great day , week , weekend , whenever you're listening to this , and let's keep pushing our profession forward . Thank you .