Bridge Over Water is a team building activity that can be carried out in the gym and it doesn't require many materials and supplies. The object of the game is for all middle-school students to get from one end of the gymnasium to the other without ever touching the floor, according to the book, "Team Building Through Physical Challenges," published by Daniel Midura and Donald Glover. Students must pretend the gym floor is a rushing river. Using four automobile tires, two eight-foot-long narrow boards and a jump rope for pulling their peers, students should cross the water by jumping from one object to another. When one student falls into the water, the entire team must start from the beginning. Students should work together, communicate and encourage each other for the entirety of the game.
A way to enhance the students' trust relationships with classmates is to lead a trust fall activity. This activity requires students taking turns to fall into the arms of their peers. A group of students should stand behind one blindfolded student. The blindfolded student falls straight back, and the group of students is responsible for catching him.
Minefield is an indoor activity that helps middle-school students learn to communicate and increase their problem-solving skills. Have students spread out throughout the gymnasium floor. Assign two students to be partners and blindfold one of the students. The team's job is to maneuver from one point of the gym to the other without touching any dispersed students. The student who isn't blindfolded should provide details as to where the blindfolded student should step and move.
On the gym floor, lay a few long and relatively wide planks or boards side by side, so that it resembles a balance beam, suggests the book, "Team Building Through Physical Challenges." The students begin in random order but must line up on the boards alphabetically by their first or last name. The students must stay positioned on the beam, and if one student falls off, they must start over.