Do it yourself teambuilding: Lily Pads

Activity Name: Lily Pads

Materials: Hula Hoops (1 per person)

Setup: Start by scattering 1 hula hoop per person around your entire playing area.  A 25’ by 25’ room is great, but this game can be played in different sized spaces.

Goal: To get everyone safely on a Lily Pad (in a hula hoop), even as Lily Pads disappear!

How to play:
Call out different ways for the group to move about the open space (e.g. walking, skipping, marching, running, chicken dance, etc.).  When you call “Jump on a Lily Pad!” everyone must run to a hula hoop and jump into it.  More than one player can share a hoop. After each round, you can take one (or several) hula hoop away.  As you eliminate more hoops it will require your group to cooperate by sharing hoops and including others.

Discussion:
- Did the activity get easier or harder as Lily Pads were removed?
- What did you do to overcome that challenge?
- What does it mean to include someone? How was that important in this activity?
- Where else could we try to do a better job of including others?

Learning to Lead: Practicing Leadership Through Gameplay

We often think of leaders as naturally assertive and charismatic people. We envision Presidents, Generals, and CEOs as born leaders, destined to be in charge. By cultivating the myth that leaders are born, not made, our kids develop a narrow impression of who can be a leader in their own world. Perhaps it is the person who speaks the loudest or the one with a Captain’s “C” on their jersey. Children who fall outside of these categories become hesitant to take on leadership roles and so do not develop their leadership skills, reconfirming their belief that they are not fit to lead.

We must teach our kids that leadership is not an inherited ability, but rather a skill that takes practice to master. At Dynamix, we believe that learning and fun should go hand in hand. So, here are three simple games that each offer a different leadership learning opportunity for your group:

1. Call and Follow - Rotate Responsibilities

GOAL: To have multiple children practice leadership through communication. 

SET-UP: Blindfold all but one player. Have the blindfolded children form a train with their hands on each other's shoulders. Have the non-blindfolded player, the "Caller," stand on a chair.

GAME: The Caller guides the blindfolded train around the room using only their voice. To increase the challenge, scatter obstacles, like pylons, around the room for the group to avoid. 

LEADERSHIP LEARNING OPPORTUNITY: Have children take turns being the Caller. This will give multiple children the chance to practice their communication skills and feel in charge of the group. It will also allow everyone else to practice following different people's directions. 

2. Blind Crossing - Creative Twists

GOAL: To give less assertive children the chance to lead.

SET-UP: Scatter a few hula-hoops around the room. Have the whole group hold onto one long rope.

GAME: The entire group must cross from one end of the room to the other by only stepping inside the hula-hoops and never letting go of the rope. 

LEADERSHIP LEARNING OPPORTUNITY: Add a twist by blindfolding a few of the more assertive group members. For an extra challenge, you can also tell the blindfolded people they are not allowed to talk. By limiting the influence of the group's natural leaders, other children will have the opportunity to step up and fill the leadership void. In addition, it will give your traditional leaders the chance to practice listening to others. 

3. Find the Leader - Leadership by Example

GOAL: To demonstrate the power of leading by example. 

SET-UP: Have the group sit in a circle. Pick one child to be the “Detective” and have them wait outside of the room. Pick one person in the circle to be the “Leader.”

GAME: The group must watch the leader and copy whatever action they are doing at the time. The Leader must switch the action frequently. The detective must reenter the room and try to guess which person is the leader by watching the group. 

LEADERSHIP LEARNING OPPORTUNITY: After the game, discuss what it means to lead by example – through our actions, not our words. Have the group think about the power of our actions and how positive and negative choices may influence other people. 

Written by: Shira Lurie, Dynamix Toronto lead facilitator

Dynamix: Team-building for Kids and Teens, since 2002.

Image source: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/DM-Resize/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/18/101/78181969.jpg?w=600&h=600&keep_ratio=1

Building Relationships in Teams: Self-Disclosure and Trust

When people work in teams, they build relationships. Strong relationships allow for more productive and meaningful teamwork and collaboration. This cycle highlights the importance of relationships in teamwork. Relationships develop through working in teams and relationships enable individuals to work together in meaningful ways.

Given the importance of building strong relationships, it is essential to consider what skills and behaviors lead to the creation of a strong and fulfilling relationships. By assisting children in developing these skills and behaviors, you are giving them tools to build a successful future that inevitably will require—and be enriched by—creating relationships and working with others. 

Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure is an act of revealing your thoughts and perspective about a present situation, or other relevant and meaningful information, to another person. Sharing personal thoughts is crucial when building relationships in teams. Self-disclosure allows team members to get to know one another better, identify common goals and overlapping values and, once common goals have been identified, allows you to work together toward accomplishing these goals. Just as strong relationships and teams are built through appropriate self-disclosure, the lack of self-disclosure between team members can result in the deterioration of relationships and influence the strength of a team. If an individual keeps quiet about his/her needs, desires and goals, other team members are likely to do the same; people in relationships tend to match the amount of disclosure coming from others. A breakdown in communication can lead to a team where members are not working together or recognizing and valuing one another’s needs and desires.

Trust

It is well known that trust is the foundation for building and maintaining meaningful, productive relationships. This is certainly true of building relationships within a team, and when trust is established, team members are far more likely to take risks, communicate important information, and share personal thoughts and feelings through self-disclosure. Similar to the concept of self-disclosure, levels of trust are matched in relationships, and if one individual takes a risk and trusts others in the group, other team members are more likely to do the same. Feeling as though someone else trusts you makes it easier for you to trust that person in return. Johnson (2014) offers helpful hints about trust, and there are four that I believe are extremely helpful to remember when developing relationships within teams:

1.      Trust is hard to build and easy to destroy: building a high level of trust within relationships can take a long time, and one act of disloyalty can eliminate trust in a relationship.

2.      The key to building and maintaining trust is being trustworthy: as Johnson (2014) says, “when you want to increase trust, increase your trustworthiness” (p. 99).

3.      Trust needs to be appropriate: always trusting and never trusting is inappropriate. Evaluate the situation and trust yourself in knowing when it is important to extend trust to others.

4.      Cooperation increases trust; competition decreases trust: generally, trust develops between individuals who are working with one another rather than against one another.

Self-disclosure and trust are necessary in building relationships in many different contexts, including sports teams, the work environment, friend groups, and families. If adults can model these skills and behaviors, not only will the adults have more fulfilling and meaningful relationships, they will begin to teach their children how to build fulfilling and meaningful relationships in all areas of life.

Reference

Johnson, D. W. (2014). Reaching out: Interpersonal effectiveness and self-actualization (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Picture taken from Google Images: http://georgeclerie.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/kids-on-dock2.jpg

Written by Shea Wood.


Dynamix: Team-building for Kids and Teens, since 2002.

3 out of 4 of you won’t keep your new year’s resolutions, unless...

It’s that time of year again. Everyone you know will start talking about their “New Year’s Resolutions”.  With great intentions, everyone will make a list of what they plan to do that will make this year different than every year before it.  Be careful though, studies have shown that 3 out of every 4 people, yup that’s 75%, give up on their resolutions within three months!  If you don’t want 75% of your group to give up on their resolutions, read on for simple tips to help avoid falling into this trap.
Let me start by saying that I’m just like you.  Every new year I think about what will be different this coming year.  I’m excited by the prospect of positive change.  Sometimes I even write down 3-5 specific things I will do differently.  January is always a refreshing month.  For the first few weeks I make changes, and they work!  I feel great!  But then life catches up.  I fall behind on a project, or I get sick, or I get lazy one day, or I over-commit myself to too many responsibilities.  Ultimately, something happens and old habits start to resurface.  By March, I’m right back to where I started.So, how can we avoid this trap?  Simple, make your New Year’s Resolutions a team effort. Ever notice that going to the gym with a buddy is always more likely to happen?!  When you count on someone else AND someone else counts on you, you are much more likely to follow through! Here’s a simple 5 step process to Team New Year’s Resolutions you can follow:
Step 1: Pick your team

Anywhere from 2-4 people is suggested.  Can be family, co-workers, classmates, etc.

Step 2: Pick your resolutions
We suggest that you pick resolutions that you can all agree on.  We also suggest that you only pick 3-5 resolutions.

Here are some possible team resolutions you might consider:

·         Do something you love every day

·         Give each other positive feedback every day

·         Learn/Try something new together every week

·         Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day

·         Tidy your {home, office, class} for 15 minutes every day

Step 3: Do it!
Once you’ve chosen your team resolutions, make a plan for implementation.  Trying to take on all of your resolutions at once may be too difficult.  Make a schedule and set goals.  Make sure your goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound).

Step 4: Hold each other accountable
This is the key step!  This is why so many people fail with resolutions.  It’s so easy to tell yourself that you will just go to the gym tomorrow instead (which in my experience never happens either!)  If everyone has the schedule and goals documented and you check in with each other regularly, you are far more likely to succeed.

Step 5: Stop waiting for the new year to get better!
Something we say a lot of at the Dynamix office is: “The day we stop trying to get better is the day we start getting worse.”  It always puzzles me that so many people are only going through this process once a year when New Year’s comes around.  It is critical that you and your team evaluate your progress and adjust your goals throughout the year.  What you thought might be best in January may no longer be relevant come May.  Start by setting 4 dates in the year that you will check in with your team and re-evaluate your resolutions.

Good luck to you and your ‘team’ in your quest to achieve excellence!

Written by: Mitch Zeltzer, December 2, 2013


Dynamix: Team-building for Kids and Teens, since 2002.

THE GREATEST holiday gift EVER...read on to find out what it is!

Are you looking for the PERFECT gift this holiday season?  Lately we've been hearing a whole lot about Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc. etc. sale after sale, results in tons of frantic shoppers looking for the BEST gift they can find for their loved ones. The stress of contending with packed shops and malls is nothing compared to the stress we put on ourselves to get our kids an amazing gift.

Well, what would you say if I told you that your efforts, while admirable, will be fruitless?  If you find yourself looking through catalogs or lining up at stores for the “in” toy this holiday season, you are going about it the wrong way!!!

Recently I read and shared a great article that talked about the Gift of Not Giving a Thing.  I loved what this article was all about.  If you haven’t read it yet, you should, but if you don’t have time, here’s a summary:  You don’t need to buy anything to give a great gift. The best gift you can give is your time. Long after your kids forget the stuff you got them, they will remember the stuff you did with them. 
But if you are like me, you also derive great joy in watching the excitement on your children’s faces as they unwrap those gifts!  So, what do we do?! Well, challenge yourself to give your kids gifts that have family time embedded in them.  A great example of this is actually something my mother-in-law did for my son for his recent birthday.  Instead of buying him a toy, she took him to a concert.  He not only loved the concert, but will forever remember that his grandmother was there to share in the experience with him. (Warning: bragging session about to begin) And, it wasn't just any concert it was a reunion concert for Sharon, Lois and Bram, who haven’t performed together in years! (If you’re curious to see what that looks like, have a look at the picture included!)

There are countless ways to embed family time into your gifts. 

Your son wants a new sled... give it to him with coupons he can exchange for rides down the hill with Mom and/or Dad on board.

Your daughter loves cars... get her a model car that you can build and paint together.

Your nephew wants to be a doctor when he grows up... give him a doctor kit and be his first patient.

The point here is that a toy is just stuff. Stuff is never enough, UNLESS you use the stuff to create opportunities to connect with the child. Get on his/her level, play with him/her, this is the GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN EVER GIVE!  Your time. Long after that stuff is broken, lost or forgotten about, the memories you created together will still be there.

Happy Holidays!

Written by: Mitch Zeltzer, December 2, 2013



Dynamix: Team-building for Kids and Teens, since 2002.

How to Prepare Students for Jobs that Don’t Exist Yet

A recent report by the US Department of Labour revealed a startling statistic for educators and parents: 65% of current students will eventually be employed in jobs that haven’t been created yet. This finding obviously begs the question: how do we prepare our kids for a future we can’t even imagine?

21^st Century Fluencies, a new educational philosophy currently embraced by the TCDSB, suggests that we need to focus on the development of social skills. This paradigm is based on the idea that children need critical and dynamic thinking skills in order to succeed in the new century. We need to ensure that our children are equally as fluent in collaboration and problem-solving as they are in English and Math.

Employers agree on the importance of these fluencies in the ever-changing workplace. The general feeling is that interpersonal skills will become even more important as technology progresses. According to a new study, 98% of employers look for communication skills and 92% look for teamwork skills when hiring new talent for the long-term. These social skills even outranked job-specific knowledge, work experience, and education!

Any language takes training and practice to master, and becoming fluent in these 21^st century skills is no exception. Teambuilding and leadership programs are one of the most impactful and memorable ways to develop these fluencies. Hands-on activities that focus on group dynamics give your students a great opportunity to enhance their social skills in an educational environment. At Dynamix, we believe that the job market will always have room for creative and collaborative thinkers who can work well with others. Let us know how we can help prepare your kids for their future careers!

And please don’t forget to leave a comment below! What do you think of 21^st Century Fluencies? What is most important when preparing our kids for future success?

Written by Shira Lurie, Toronto lead facilitator.

Dynamix: Team-building for Kids and Teens, since 2002.

Image: http://www.superscholar.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/the-future.jpg

R- E - S - P - E - C - T

Respect – An age old term parents and educators beg of children with exhaustive repetition. If only children were respectful, we probably wouldn't need rules. If children were respectful, they would walk in the hallways, be considerate of one another, keep their hands to themselves, listen when spoken to. In fact, if kids were respectful, every decision they make would be in consideration of their peers, adults and environment.

So, how do we get children to just be respectful? Let’s first consider the hours in a day trying to get children to behave the way we expect them to. It often involves bribery, arguments, debates, threats, negotiations and punishments. By doing this, are we, in fact, teaching children how to be respectful? Or are we simply controlling their behaviour and actions? Is a child respectful when they do something nice for someone to avoid punishment? The simplest and most effective way to teach respect is to be respectful. All too often, the very behavior we expect our children not to engage in is the behavior we use to control them. Yelling at a child is only effective if we expect our children to do the same. 

Consider your relationship with a police officer. If an officer stops you for rolling through a stop sign at a snail’s pace and then berates you for the infraction, how would you feel toward the officer? Would you feel respected? Would you feel you deserved to be berated? Now, imagine this happened on a regular basis. Imagine the frustration and sense of hopelessness you would feel in the presence of the very people you thought were there to help and protect you. Now, imagine you are to the kids what the officer is to you.

My grade 9 teacher epitomized what it means to teach respect. He was the only teacher who did not require students to ask permission to go to the washroom. Sounds crazy? Not only did we not require permission, we did not take advantage of his lenient class management style. We would go one at a time and return promptly. So, what was the secret? It’s simple. Respect. He modeled the behavior he expected from us. By respecting us – we, in turn, respected him. And by respecting him, we learned to respect others. So, with all the tricks in the bag, the foremost method of raising respectful and considerate children is by modelling the behaviour. Speak like you would like to be spoken to, when you say no to a child, provide a fair reason and remember to make sure they always know how much you care.

Written by: Corey Szwarcok, Dynamix Co-founder.


Dynamix: Team-building for Kids and Teens, since 2002.

Picture taken from Google Images, source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighjyhsuS6K81zUtjoG6LIx8XgQHCchvj7EZ0N8i-DAgTAkwuWLz9iwGhoUFAehYDw6g3f4nPu1NDlMpdIaawblxHaoY2Gu4sqOIyMyzCjsaXdRsHBf25P4ujwkDd0cqPaRNTNON8sPGjH/s320/parents.jpg