Level Up Your Team-Building Skills with Make a Shape!

What is Make a Shape?

Make a Shape is a light-hearted and fun team-building activity that is all about teamwork and cooperation. In this game, participants work together to form different shapes using only their bodies. It's not as simple as it sounds! Each team is given a shape to form and they have to figure out how to arrange themselves to recreate the shape accurately. It's a test of problem-solving, creativity, and communication!

This activity is also highly adaptable. Teams could be tasked with making anything from simple geometric shapes to intricate patterns. The level of difficulty can be adjusted according to the team's size, abilities, or the desired complexity of the activity. Make a Shape is a versatile game that shows that when we work together, we can achieve things that are far beyond what we could achieve individually.

Materials needed for Make a Shape

Make a Shape requires no materials or tools to play. Just bring yourself and a few others and you'll have a great time!

How to play Make a Shape

• Gather the group: Bring the participants together in a circle or a comfortable area where everyone can see each other.
• Explain the rules: Tell the group that you will start by making a shape with your body using your hands and arms. Then, the person next to you will try to recreate the shape using their own body. The next person in line will imitate the second person's shape, and so on.
• Start the game: Begin by making a simple shape with your hands and arms. It can be anything like a triangle, square, or even a letter of the alphabet. Make sure to hold the shape for a few seconds to give the next person a chance to observe.
• Pass the shape: Once you've held the shape, the person beside you will start imitating it. They will hold their recreated shape for a few seconds, allowing the next person in line to observe and imitate it.
• Continue the pattern: Keep passing the shape around the circle, with each person imitating the shape of the person before them. Encourage participants to be creative and add their own twist to the shapes.
• Add complexity: As the game progresses, you can increase the difficulty by making more complex shapes or using both hands and arms simultaneously. This will challenge the participants and make the game more exciting.
• Keep going: Continue passing the shapes until everyone in the group has had a turn. You can also play multiple rounds, allowing each person to start a new shape and keeping the game engaging.
• Reflect and discuss: After the game, take a moment to discuss how the activity made everyone feel. Ask if anyone found it challenging or enjoyable, and encourage participants to share their experiences.

Benefits of Make a Shape

Icebreakers and team-building activities are vital tools for creating a more cohesive and effective team. They boost communication, enhance cooperation, and help develop a sense of trust among team members. Make a Shape is one such activity that offers all these benefits and more. By working together to create shapes, team members learn to communicate their ideas clearly, trust each other's judgment and put their heads together to solve a complex problem. The game also encourages creativity as teams brainstorm different ways to form a shape using only their bodies.

Some of the benefits of Make a Shape include:

• Enhances Communication: Team members must discuss and coordinate their moves to form the required shape successfully.
• Promotes Teamwork: Each participant depends on the others to achieve the common goal.
• Builds Trust: Team members must rely on each other's judgment and abilities to form the required shape.
• Sparks Creativity: Thinking out of the box is required to figure out how to create the shape using only human bodies.
• Improves Problem-solving Skills: The team has to collectively decide how to represent the given shape most accurately.

Why we like Make a Shape

We love Make a Shape because it's not only fun but also a potent tool for team building. It's great to see how each team functions and communicates to complete the task. The game lightens the mood, breaks down barriers, and fosters a sense of camaraderie among participants. Plus, it's always hilarious to see the creative (and sometimes absurd) solutions teams come up with to form their shapes. The laughter, fun, and shared success that Make a Shape generates make it an instant hit.

Reflection questions for Make a Shape

Reflection is an integral part of the Make a Shape activity. After all the fun and laughter, taking the time to reflect deepens learning and helps turn this simple game into an opportunity for growth. The participants discuss their experiences, what worked well, and what they found challenging.

The reflection questions aren't just for retrospective analysis, they serve to facilitate this conversation. They transform participants' raw experiences into valuable lessons and actionable insights. By asking these questions, you challenge the team to examine their interactions, problem-solving approaches, and how they can work more effectively together.

Try to keep the mood light and open during this part. Encourage all participants to share their views, even if their experiences differ. You'll be surprised at what you may learn about your team during this reflection time.

1. What were the challenges in achieving the target shape? - This question helps identify the difficulties that the team faced during the activity and encourages them to discuss solutions for improvement.
2. How was effective communication utilized in this activity? - The purpose for this is to analyse the importance of communication within the team and how it influenced the result.
3. What role did collaboration play in this activity? - This promotes understanding of the value of teamwork in achieving a common goal.
4. How could the coordination have been better? - This will help the team reflect on ways to enhance coordination and come up with effective strategies for future team activities.

Which skills does Make a Shape build?

• Teamwork - Teamwork skills are crucial for icebreakers and team building because they foster effective communication, encourage collaboration, and promote a sense of unity among team members, leading to better problem-solving and increased productivity.
• Non-verbal communication - Non-verbal communication skills are key in icebreakers and team building because they help create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere, making it easier for team members to connect and build rapport effortlessly.
• Problem-solving - Problem-solving skills are essential for icebreakers and team building as they help break down barriers, foster creativity, and encourage collaboration, resulting in stronger relationships and more effective problem-solving within the team.
• Creativity - Creativity skills can greatly enhance icebreakers and team building by allowing participants to think outside the box and come up with unique solutions and ideas. This promotes collaboration, boosts morale, and fosters a positive and innovative environment within a team.

Tips for inclusivity

Inclusion in the Make a Shape activity encourages diverse perspectives and abilities coming together to create something unique. It helps build greater empathy and cooperation among team members, enhancing overall group dynamic and work productivity. Everyone feels important when they know they're valued for who they are and what they bring to the game. So let's make this activity fun and welcoming for everyone.

• Always speak clearly and loudly enough for everyone to hear you.
• For those with movement limitations, consider increasing the time limit, or allow them to be the 'director' guiding the others.
• If there are participants with visual impairments, consider using tactile feedback or verbal directions.
• Ensure the space is large enough for all participants and is wheelchair accessible if necessary.
• Use a judgement-free zone where any shape, no matter how perfect or imperfect, is celebrated.