Team Building Exercises For A Group Of Six

Team-building activities challenge participants to work together to complete a shared goal. Successfully achieving the goal usually requires clear communication, group planning, discussion of options, creative thinking, emergent leadership, group cooperation and a sense of shared responsibility. Many team-building exercises work well with small groups, such as a group of six. A group of six is also perfect for team-building exercises that require pairs.

Group Jump

For this activity, you will need a rope about 20-feet long. Tie the rope to a pole or tree, and volunteer to turn the other end. Alternatively, ask one group member to help turn the rope; this is an easy way to include a participant who may not be able to jump. Start swinging the rope and keep it at a steady pace. Challenge the group to get each member from one side of the rope to the other, through the swinging rope. If you wish, ask them to jump a certain number of times before exiting to the opposite side. If anyone touches the rope, the group must start over. If the group is exceptionally fit or coordinated, challenge them to all jump rope simultaneously.

Teach Me How

Give each participant a pen and index card. Ask the group to write a teaching plan for a learning task familiar to most people, such as riding a bicycle, swimming, making pancakes or tying shoes. Next, provide a brief outline of at least four major learning styles. A good set to use includes watchers, doers, thinkers and feelers. Ask participants to group together according to their self-identified primary learning style. Participants will then compare their teaching plans with each other and analyze similarities and differences. Discuss the results by considering the common claim that an individual's teaching style often matches his learning style. Discuss how this habit might influence communication and delegation of tasks.

Blind Walk

Ask participants to pair up. Have each pair decide who will be blindfolded first. Tell the sighted person that he is responsible for helping the blindfolded person. Lead the group along a pre-selected path that includes interesting obstacles, such as steps, hills, holes, tree branches and scattered debris. Allow each person to play both roles before opening a discussion. During the discussion, ask participants what they did, what they could have done better, and what it felt like to be blind. Ask participants to evaluate their communication and care for each other. The concept of trust will likely come up. Discuss also differences and similarities in leadership styles. Question if anyone thought to ask the blindfolded person how she would like to be led. If not, bring this to the attention of the participants. To emphasize the communication aspect of this activity, set up a simpler course and ask the sighted person to direct the blindfolded person from afar, using only verbal instructions