Emotional intelligence activity
Team Challenge
Work together to build something as a team! Take turns adding blocks, help each other with ideas, and celebrate what you created together.
Materials and setup
- building materials
- role cards
- paper
- pencils
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Work together to build something as a team! Take turns adding blocks, help each other with ideas, and celebrate what you created together.
Steps
- Set out building materials: blocks, Legos, or cardboard pieces.
- Choose a goal together: build a tall tower, a bridge, or an animal house.
- Take turns adding one piece at a time. Before adding, say what you are doing and why.
- If something falls or breaks, practice saying: That is okay! Let us try again together.
- When finished, talk about how you worked together: What did each person do? How did it feel to build as a team?
Learning objectives
- Practice taking turns and sharing materials during a group activity
- Communicate ideas and plans to a partner during collaborative work
- Demonstrate resilience when a shared project encounters setbacks
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Complete a team building challenge with assigned roles! One person is the designer, one is the builder, and one is the materials manager. Work together to create something amazing.
Steps
- Assign roles using role cards: Designer (draws the plan), Builder (puts it together), Materials Manager (finds and organizes supplies).
- Choose a challenge: build a bridge that holds a book, a tower taller than a chair, or a marble run.
- Each person does their job: Designer sketches, Materials Manager gathers, Builder constructs following the plan.
- If the team disagrees, practice the rule: listen to the idea, try it, then decide together.
- After building, each person shares: What was my job? What was hard? What am I proud of?
Learning objectives
- Fulfill an assigned role within a team structure
- Communicate and coordinate with team members toward a shared goal
- Reflect on personal contributions and team dynamics
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Tackle a multi-step team challenge with planning, execution, and reflection phases. Assign leadership roles, create a team plan, solve problems together, and evaluate team performance.
Steps
- Form a team and assign rotating roles: Project Leader (keeps team on track), Designer (creates the plan), Builder (constructs), Quality Checker (tests and improves).
- Choose a complex challenge: build a structure that can hold weight, design a Rube Goldberg machine, or create a working catapult.
- As a team, create a plan: sketch the design, list materials needed, and assign tasks.
- Build together, rotating roles halfway through so everyone experiences different responsibilities.
- Test your creation and make at least 2 improvements based on what you observe.
- Hold a team debrief: What worked well? What would we do differently? Rate your teamwork on a scale of 1-5 and explain why.
Learning objectives
- Plan and execute a multi-step collaborative project with assigned roles
- Rotate through different team roles and adapt to new responsibilities
- Evaluate team performance and identify areas for improvement
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Lead a complex team project from start to finish: set goals, delegate tasks, manage conflicts, iterate on designs, and present results. Reflect on leadership and collaboration skills.
Steps
- Form a team and choose an ambitious challenge: build a weight-bearing bridge from specific materials, design a working game, or create a community service project plan.
- Develop a project plan with: goal statement, timeline, task assignments, materials budget, and success criteria.
- Assign roles based on strengths: Project Manager, Lead Designer, Lead Builder, Communications Director. Create job descriptions for each.
- Execute the project in phases: planning, prototyping, testing, revising, and presenting.
- Document the process with photos and notes. If conflicts arise, use the conflict resolution steps from your toolkit.
- Present your finished project to an audience. Each team member explains their role and one lesson they learned about teamwork.
Learning objectives
- Develop and manage a project plan with timeline and task delegation
- Apply conflict resolution skills in real-time team dynamics
- Evaluate personal leadership style and collaborative strengths
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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