Teamwork activities that emphasize sharing will prepare kindergartners to help others accomplish tasks while meeting their own needs. Help students enhance these skills with engaging lessons. For example, give each student a marker in a unique shade. Tell students that each of them must create a picture using every color of marker in the class. This will require students to borrow and share their materials so they can complete the assignment.
Kindergartners are just beginning to access creative potential and develop their own distinct interests and abilities. Teach them to work with others who complement their strengths by encouraging them to create something collaboratively. For example, students can make a mural together, working collectively to come up with a design and transfer it to a large sheet of paper using class art supplies. Students will be proud of what they create and will develop a sense of camaraderie from working together.
Functional teams rely heavily on trust, regardless of the ages and demographics of the people involved or the tasks the group undertakes. Prepare students to develop trust in future classmates and coworkers through team-building activities that emphasize the importance of good interpersonal relationships. For example, encourage students to ask one another for minor favors, such as saving a place in line or guarding books while using the bathroom. Kindergartners will follow through with what their classmates ask them to do because they won’t want to disappoint their peers, and everyone will learn to establish trust within a team.
One of the most important parts of working on a team is taking care of your own responsibilities so you don’t let others down. Help kindergartners develop this skill at an early age so they will operate well in groups throughout their lives. Create a lesson out of this important skill to help kindergartners practice it and internalize what they have learned. For example, adopt a low maintenance class pet such as a mouse or a goldfish and create a schedule in which each student is assigned to feed the animal for one week. Students will share a mutual love for the pet and will learn to take responsibility for its care, as they will not wish to let their classmates down.