The experience of working together to solve problems in both play and projects creates opportunities for children to learn important cooperation skills. A strong classroom community is one in which students feel empowered and valued, and one in which children will ultimately thrive.

From a business perspective, the purpose of any team–building exercise is to build a stronger unit of employees. Team building has many benefits for businesses. It improves productivity, increases employee motivation, encourages collaboration and builds trust and respect among employees.

Over the course of the next month, I will share an idea each week on a fun, low-cost activity that will help build a great collaborative team in both a classroom and business setting. Here is the first activity:

Activity #1- A Penny for Your Thoughts

For Virtual Instruction Using Jamboard

1. Divide your students or employees into groups of 4 members per Zoom or Google Meets breakout rooms.
2. Access and make a copy of the Jamboard activity templates, Slides 1 & 2, pictured below (duplicate for each breakout room and “share”/allow “editor” access for participants).

1. Jamboard slide #1 includes a set of instructions, “a pile” of color-coded pennies and a sorting chart.
2. Each of the four participants in a breakout room will claim a color penny and begin to drag into the sorting chart as many pennies as they desire, without knowing what they will do with the pennies.
3. Jamboard slide #2 includes the next set of instructions (Hint- Do not let students look at slide #2 until prompted to do so).
4. Once everyone has taken whatever number of their color-coded pennies they desire, you will ask each breakout group to advance the Jamboard to slide #2 and follow the instructions.
5. Each participant will share an interesting fact about themself for each penny they took!
6. Participants will record each interesting fact, separately on an appropriately-colored sticky, for each penny claimed.
7. Provide time for participants in each breakout room to read the color-coded stickies of their partners.
8. Allow each breakout group to access and read stickies from members of other breakout groups.
9. Pose the following two discussion questions:
   • What things do most people have in common?
   • How can we use unique member skills to strengthen our whole team?

For Face-to-Face Instruction

1. Gather your students or employees around a table.
2. Place a pile of pennies in the middle of the table.
3. Each participant will take as many pennies as he/she thinks they will need for the activity without knowing what the activity is or the materials to be used.
4. Once everyone has taken some pennies, you will be asked to share an interesting fact about yourself for each penny you took!
5. Pose the following two discussion questions:
   • What things do most people have in common?
   • How can we use unique member skills to strengthen our whole team?

Enjoy this team-building activity. Stay healthy and safe. Dean