Co-operation Building

4 examples of 'Co-operation Building' activities

Here are examples of some of the activities we used to help the group build co-operative skills such as turn-taking, listening to each other, and working as a group.

1. Numbers

The group sit round in a circle with the aim of counting aloud from 1-20 (or whatever the number of the group of children), with each person who wants to say the next number standing up, but not knowing who else also wants to stand up next.

The children have to pay close attention to see whether or not any of their colleagues are just about to stand up and say the next number, because if more than 1 of them get up at the same time, the whole group have to go back to the beginning.

2. Pole activity

The group are given a garden cane which they must lower to the floor, working together as a group. Each participant's index fingers must always remain in contact with the underside of the cane throughout the activity.

3. Rabbit Ears

With everyone sitting in a circle, one person starts making rabbit ears (two hands on top of their head). The person on the right has to make one rabbit ear (with their left hand on top of their head) and the person on their left has to make one rabbit ear (with their right hand on top of their head).

The person with rabbit ears then points their ears (hands) at someone else in the circle who then has to make rabbit ears, whilst the two people sitting either side of them have to make single rabbit ears. This is called 'passing the ears', as the person who passed the ears then stops making rabbit ears.

This continues and when this is going well the leader can introduce another set of ears to be passed around.

4. Parachute Game - make a mushroom

Everyone spreads out evenly around the chute and holds the edge. Pull the chute taut and crouch down. On the command MUSHROOM, everyone stands and pulls the chute upwards causing the chute to fill with air and rise like a giant mushroom.