• Working together is essential for teamwork.team-work computer image by Pali A from Fotolia.com
  
  Team-building activities for seventh graders provide one of the best ways to teach students the fundamentals of working together as a team. Principles such as team communication, teamwork, and critical thinking are addressed through various team-building activities. These activities can be used during gym class, by a sports team, or with the seventh-grade student government to teach and strengthen students' abilities to grow as a team.
  
  

Human Drawing

• Have the team elect a leader in the group. The leader should move away from the group to a place where he/she is unseen but can still hear the team and vice versa. Use a sheet or a small wall to separate the two. Print out basic shapes on sheets of paper and give them to team members. The objective of this activity is for the leader to direct the team to create a shape using their bodies collectively according to the shape provided by the teacher. Begin the activity with an easy shape, such as a square or a circle, and progressively move into more difficult shapes, such as a boat or a house. This activity is used to teach verbal communication and listening skills.
  
  

Distance Challenge

• Line up the students shoulder to shoulder. Instruct the students to organize the team according to the distance they each live from the school, from the closest to the farthest. Instruct the students to organize the line without using words or their voice. This challenges them to work together and find non-verbal ways to communicate and problem-solve collectively. Once the students are in the order they want to be in, determine if they accomplished the task successfully. Discuss the challenges afterwards and talk about the team principles learned and how they can be applied to both school and life.
  
  

Team Stand

• Have the students lock arms while standing in a circle. Instruct them to turn around so that their backs are facing one another. Ask the students to sit down on the ground. Inform them that the objective is for the entire team to stand up together in unison. The students should use verbal communication and teamwork in order to stand up at the same time. If one team member is out of sync with the rest of the team, it will prevent the entire team from standing. This activity is used to demonstrate the team coordination and team unity needed to accomplish a task.