We know the importance of building a strong team. But we also know that there is a lot of advice out there on team building activities that are so lame! It's important for your team to mesh together nicely, but a new season and a new team can be intimidating both for coaches and the team members. To help with transition, we've compiled a list of 9 Team Building Ideas you can implement with your new team this fall!
Pair a veteran with a rookie to be their ‘team sister’. Veterans can be their partner and sounding board for practice, exercises, goal setting, competitions, get-togethers, as well as being a role model.
Veteran "Big Sisters" can explain to their "Little Sister" how events, traditions, and other team activities work, which will help new team members feel more comfortable and included. Example: "On competition day, we all arrive early and have breakfast provided".
The girls can also practice gift exchanges, which is another fun way to get the team involved in something fun together, especially around the holidays!
Do something special with your team, preferably 3 times a year: in the summer months to keep up team camaraderie, during holiday break, and during stressful practice weeks to take the edge off and have a little fun! Some fun activity ideas include:
Have your team take personality quizzes and talk about results. These can help your team learn more about each other and how they can better work together by understanding different working styles. Team members could fill these out at the beginning of the season, and you could pair up team sisters based off the results - either girls who have similar or opposite results!
Compile a team calendar where you can list team birthdays and other memorable days. Celebrate these momentous events on social media to make things personal and fun! Some things to include in your calendar include:
Both individual and team goals are great to motivate your team, and ALWAYS have something to work on and celebrate. Mark goals on your team calendar, and cross them off when they are finished, so the team can have a visual of how far they've come! You can set small goals week by week, and include these in your weekly recaps to your team. Look back on accomplished goals to measure your progress.
Have team goals set to get certain tricks, technique or flexibility down! For example, have everyone try to get their right, left and center splits. Once everyone has accomplished this, throw the ultimate team party as a reward!
Have team members sign up for different committees to disperse workload and responsibilities, and get them working on something together!
With social blogging platforms like Tumblr, team members can all contribute to a private team blog. Compile any funny quotes or share photos from practices, events, or competitions in one central location!
Hopefully this list is a good compilation of fun team activities for you and your new team that aren't too lame! We'd love to hear what sort of team activities do you do with your teams! Let us know in the comments below!