Teamwork And Kids: How to Raise a Team Member
Teamwork is a concept that not only comes up a lot in elementary school but also throughout life. Students who know how to work both on their own and with others are more likely to succeed in their careers, make a stronger friend group, and feel more confident. Yet, many kids today struggle to catch up when it comes to teamwork.
What’s keeping so many kids falling behind? Our society has shifted in the past decade. Kids are spending more time in front of screens than ever before, and there’s less organized activities that provide children an opportunity to focus on teamwork. Luckily, there are so many things you can do to improve your kid’s teamwork availability. Follow these ideas below to raise a team member.
Why Teamwork Matters
First, let’s talk about why teamwork is so important for kids today. Psychologists encourage kids to get along with others because it helps them learn how to create core social skills. They learn how to play with toys in a fair way, share with others, and take turns. These might seem like small things at first, but they’re important building blocks for life.
Regardless of age and personality, learning how to work together early on in life will lead to better opportunities and success. Kids will develop skills like confidence, compromise, empathy, patience, and communication. You can probably think of some adults that struggle with these very things, so why not set your own kids up for success early on?
1. Practice Skills at Home
The first way to build these skills is at school, but you can supplement this learning at home. Teamwork activities will only go so far if all of those ideas are thrown out the window at home. At home, you can play activities and do projects that focus on things like sharing, compromise, and working together.
Some ideas include board games, cooking, art projects, or classic team games like tag or hide-and-seek. Be sure to let your kids take the lead in these activities, and to encourage younger siblings to join in the fun.
2. Structured Activities
Organized activities are perfect for learning teamwork. These activities are anything kids do outside of school that focuses on building positive qualities. The most obvious choice is a sport or athletic activity. Sports always have a foundation of teamwork.
If you choose to dance, for example, you can include your child in the entire process. Getting a new one of your dance shoes can be a good learning experience in compromise. From there, your little one will recognize their role within an entire dance team.
3. Added Boost
Because kids are all different, some might struggle more than others with team building. They might be shy, naturally bossy, or maybe they don’t know how to lose gracefully. You don’t have to accept this when it comes to creating team players.
The first step is to emphasize the importance of teamwork. Kids usually want to help out, and you can leverage this to build teamwork skills. In addition, if your child is shy, building confidence can help by showing your kids you believe in them through an organized activity. Finally, encourage your kid to collaborate with others, whether they help you cook dinner or help a sibling with homework.
Create Well-Rounded Kids
When kids are team players, they’re ready for whatever life throws their way. For kids who play sports, for instance, they’re much less likely to smoke cigarettes and engage in drugs than those who don’t do a team activity. This is a specific example, but it shows just how powerful these skills are when learned early.
Whether your kid plays games, joins a sport, or takes the lead in the classroom, you can create a well-rounded kid that’s ready for anything. It’s time to start playing!
