Fraternity and Sorority Team Building Games and Exercises

The activities listed here are actual team builders, and you need to know a little bit about your team members before you can do them. Before you start into these games, you should do some ice breakers to make everyone feel comfortable. Try games that involve names or even simple tag games that you played in elementary school, and then work your way into these tougher team builders.

Blindfolded Walks

Putting blindfolds on people is a really great way to help them build trust, but it can also be a great way to shatter trust within a group. Before you do anything with blindfolds, make sure that A) there are a couple of responsible sighted people around to make sure no one gets hurt and B) the group is actually taking the activity seriously. Of course, everyone should be having fun, but they should also know when to shut up and listen to directions before you can move on with games like these.

There are a lot of things you can do with blindfolded people, but one of the most fun is this:

1. Blindfold the entire group, and tell them you’ll be picking out leaders for them after everyone is blindfolded.

2. Quietly tap two people on the shoulders, and lead them away from the group. Explain that they are the new leaders, and that they’ll have to lead the group from point A to point B without using any words. They can make noises of any sort, as long as they don’t form a recognizable language, and they can’t touch anyone from the group.

3. Tell the group that they will now have to follow the leaders without revealing who the leaders actually are. Give them two minutes to get organized in a way that will make their passage easier, and then signal to the leaders that they are to begin leading.

4. Have the leaders of the group follow you through any number of obstacles – down stairs, up stairs, under a table, between two trees, over a fence, etc. – that you know everyone in the group can handle. Be sure there are a few sighted people around to keep people from getting hurt, but instruct the sighted people that they aren’t to touch a team member unless he is actually on the verge of running into something.

5. When the group finally gets to the end, after you have, most likely, had to stop them and regroup a few times, have them talk about what it was like to be led, and have the leaders talk about what it was like to try to lead.

Building Games

There are tons of different games you can do with basic building materials. If you’re looking for something creative and competitive, this is a great activity to use. Here are a few different materials and goals that you can give a group. Make sure they only use what you give them, and give them a time limit and a goal before you start.

• Build a marble run. Use PVC pipes and connectors and some marbles.

• Build a tower. Use toothpicks and glue.

• Build a catapult. Use PVC pipes, wood blocks, and rubber bands.

• Build a shelter for all the team members. Use paper, tape, and rubber bands.