Community building activities can be very valuable for young people, but it’s not always easy to take advantage of them. That’s why it’s important to know what these activities are and what building community means. If you’re just starting the process, the following list will have something for you.
There Are So Many Different Types of Community-Building Activities
Before you start, it’s important to know exactly what you want to accomplish.
Communities are the foundation of society, and the younger students get to know them, the more they can contribute to your local community in the future, and eventually to the global community.
Every community has a culture and values that make it unique. Communities also have their own rules and norms about how people in them should behave.
By understanding these things at a young age, you can better understand what it means to be part of a community and how we fit into its culture and values, and you can better motivate them to learn and work together, which will help them greatly in life and in their careers.
Community-Building for Children and Students
Different Activities for Different Age Groups
Team building games are a great way for students to learn to work together, listen carefully, communicate clearly, and think creatively. The following team-building games help students make connections, build trust, and foster collaboration with the classroom community.
Younger Students
Younger children usually enjoy some of the simpler community-building activities and can easily be engaged in them.
For example, a picnic where students sit together in small groups on blankets can foster a sense of togetherness. Music is also something they can be receptive to at an early age.
Put together a playlist for the class. Music has been shown to improve memory, mood, and creativity, so why not use it in your classroom? Ask each student to bring in a song they like on CD or a thumb drive that you can load onto your computer. Throughout the day, take turns playing songs as students work and see what new favorite songs come up. Maybe even put together a playlist and sing along!
Elementary Students
Team building activities for elementary students come in many different forms.
You can use classroom games and activities to help kids get to know each other better and grow together as a group. For example, the “human knot” is a great way to practice teamwork while having fun.
Play a Team Building Game With Questionnaires
One way to do community-building activities for elementary school students is to have them answer questions about themselves on paper. The questions can be general or specific, depending on what your goals are for this activity, and should be aimed at getting kids to talk about their lives outside of school. For example, you could ask students what their favorite book is, what they like to do on the weekends, or what they want to be when they grow up.
Older Students
Older children and teens may prefer less strictly structured activities that allow for more independence.
- Community service projects. Volunteering as a small group can help thinking outside of just their school year and classroom rules, and teach them kindness while building their community-building circle of friends. For example organizing a food drive, cleaning up trash at a park or beach, or collecting items to donate to a local animal shelter.
Incorporating cultural activities into community-building events provides an opportunity to learn about the diverse backgrounds of each community member and create an atmosphere of cultural appreciation.
Examples include:
- Create artwork that reflects different ethnicities to teach them to be inclusive, as well as to improve their creative thinking. Have students create collages with pictures that show different cultural backgrounds or countries they’ve visited or would like to visit. You can also have them write about what they learned about other cultures through their artwork. It’s a great team-building exercise!
- Cook ethnic dishes or try ethnic restaurants in the community. Have students bring traditional dishes from different cultures and taste each other’s dishes as they talk about their experiences with different cuisines. You can also ask students to bring menus from local restaurants that serve dishes from different cultures for you to try.
- These activities can be beneficial for all types of classrooms. Whether you’re teaching online or in person, across the street from another teacher or on the other side of the world on Zoom, these activities will help foster connections between members of your community.
You Can Do the Following Activities With High School Students to Improve Your Community
- Collect food, clothing, or other items for those in need.
- Take them on an educational field trip if the school allows it.
- Help the elderly.
- Plant a community garden or other green space.
- Organize a community event with food and music.
Prepare Adapted Activities
For community-building activity planning: It’s important to pay attention to the group members of the classroom at the beginning of each year to prepare adapted activities that will be a success story because you found a shared goal for the group.
Community building means establishing a set of interactions between students and allowing them to work together so that everyone feels welcome and safe in the classroom. It’s important to think about classroom community building at the beginning of each year and throughout the year as people come and go (class changes) and students go through different developmental stages.
It’s important to build community at school so that students have a sense of belonging within the class that allows them to participate in learning.
When students have meaningful relationships with each other, they’re more engaged in assignments. That’s when you create learning tasks where each team member can collaborate and reinforce concepts because they’re helping each other or sharing their thoughts aloud.
These Activities Also Promote Your Role as Facilitator Rather Than Teacher, Which Gives Kids More Responsibility for Their Own Learning
It’s important to remember that these activities work best when teachers make a genuine connection with students, make a sincere effort themselves, and show an interest in what’s going on in their students’ lives.
How Do We Implement Community-Building Activities?
It’s important to remember that these activities work best when teachers truly connect with students, make a sincere effort themselves, and show an interest in what’s going on in their students’ lives. This may not be as difficult as it seems, because most teachers are naturally interested in their students. Once they’ve formed a close bond with their students, they may also find it easier to reveal personal information about themselves.
Team-Building Activity Types Take on a Whole Different Dimension When College Begins
There are two types of activities you can get involved in while in college. One is community building and the other is professional development. Both are equally important, but community building takes on a whole different dimension when college begins.
College Life Is About Meeting New People and Learning New Things
You may meet someone who’s the same interests as you or who does the same things as you, and that kind of friendship can last for many years once it’s formed. It also gives you something interesting to talk about with other people on campus.
It’s Also About Career Development Because It’s The Last Step Before You Enter the Real World
After you graduate, you probably won’t have much time to work on your resume or meet with recruiters, so now is a great time to connect with professionals in your industry or with companies you’d like to work for someday.
- You’ll find community-building activities, especially in student organizations, while you can develop professionally through volunteering.
- Volunteering – is in many ways a form of free labor, since you don’t get paid for it. However, the benefit isn’t only to the organization or people you’re helping, but also to yourself. Volunteering allows you to:
- Contribute to society – the feeling of having helped someone or made the world a better place, even if it’s only a small contribution, can be very rewarding.
- Develop new skills – whether it’s caring for people with disabilities or raising funds by organizing events. Many organizations value your time and effort more than your experience, so they can gain new skills with them, for example, in my organization, many want to gain communication skills.
- Make new friends – Meeting like-minded people who’re committed to social justice and fairness can be great. And if you’re looking for a partner, this is one of the easiest ways to meet them! It also helps them improve their social skills.
- Improve employability – social responsibility is high on many employers’ agendas, and volunteering can show that you’re willing and able to commit to something beyond your own interests. Volunteering can also show skills that employers value, such as teamwork and leadership. You can put these experiences to good use in your CV.