In the world of sports, business, education,
and the military, teamwork has long been recognized
as a cornerstone of success. Many of the lessons
learned in these environments can be used
to strengthen families as well.
At their core families
have the same needs as these other types
of organizations,
- Leadership,
- Communication,
- Common Vision,
- Sense of Belonging,
- Contribution to the group
to name a few.
In this section you will
find activities that you can do with your
family that are not only fun
but will help you reinforce these characteristics
in your family team.
Most of these activities can be done with
little or no preparation time and with readily
available items in your home. I also want
to admit up front most of these activities
have been adapted from the work of other
corporate trainers, educators, coaches and
the occasional tavern owner. Where ever
I can I will identify the original source.
So
lets get started building your team and
have some fun along the way.
The
Shape of Things to Come
This activity explores different leadership
styles, communication and empowerment. It
is best when the lead role is filled by
a more experienced member of the family
the first time. Then immediately hand off
to younger less experienced family members.
In this way the process is modeled and then
younger members can exhibit their own style
and skills.
What You Need to Play
1 long piece of rope, string or colored
yarn. Usually about 3 feet in length for
each member of the family will do, so a
family of four would need 12 feet (you can
do the math it isn’t that hard). To
spice it up try connecting different colors
of shoestrings together to make your long
rope.
Several index cards. On each card draw
a single geometric shape, circle, square,
star, etc. You can give each member of the
family a blank card and let them use their
imagination. The more variety of complexity
the better.
How to Play
At the start of the game put all the index
cards in a shopping bag and mix them up.
Present the rope to the family and invite
everyone to connect by holding the rope
in both of their hands. Ask the people standing
near the ends to tie them together with
a knot. (At this point you can talk about
joining together as a team if you wish).
Next have one member of the family draw
a card from the bag and not share it with
any one. After looking at the card their
job is to lead the family to create the
shape using the rope without actually saying
what it is. (No fair saying “ok make
a star”)
As the family creates the shape everyone
can ask questions or try to guess what it
is they are making. After each success repeat
the activity with a different family leader.
Notice how each member handles the role
of leader and follower. After everyone has
had a chance to lead talk about the experience.
What problems in communication were encountered?
What part did complexity of the shape play
in your success? What part did experience
play? How did the different styles of leadership
and communication help or hinder progress?
You get the idea. For more challenge try
adding in your own rules like time limits,
how many times can the rope cross itself
etc. Branch out into three dimensional shapes,
longer rope. Add new family members or friends
and watch how the dynamics change.
Remember the point is to have fun, Talk
to each other and be together as a family
for a while.
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