Community Building Activities for Upper Elementary Classrooms
Community building activities are essential to a healthy learning environment. Building classroom community can happen in so many different ways. These hands on, STEM focused community building activities are quick and get students working together as a team as well as learning about each other. They are also great to get your kinesthetic learners up and moving.
Community Building Activity #1–Balloon Tower Challenge
What is it: Students build the tallest, free standing structure using only balloons and tape.
What You Need: Balloons (10 is a good amount), masking tape (each group should get a roll), and a ruler to measure once the teams are finished.
How Many Students: Divide students into groups of 4 or 5 (groups of 3 might work for older students).
How Long Will This Take: 15-30 minutes (this really depends on your students ability to blow up and tie balloons)
How to Play: Students create a free-standing balloon tower. As a group, they try to create the tallest balloon tower of the class. Set an appropriate time limit for students to complete this task, and (if possible) have students work in different spaces to avoid “peeking” at other groups. Students share ideas and listen to each other when building their tower. Emphasize to students the importance of creating a FREE-STANDING structure. Students must understand if they pop a balloon, it will NOT be replaced. This is an age appropriate life lesson—we don’t have an infinite supply of resources.
Community Building Activity #2–Dictionary Platform
What Is It? Students must support a dictionary (or another heavy book like an encyclopedia) using only 4 pieces of paper, tape, and a small white board.
What You Need: 4 pieces of 8.5×11” paper (lined, blank, or construction), a small white board, dictionary
How Many Students: Divide students into groups of 2 or 3.
How Long Will This Take: 15-30 minutes (unless the class gets excited about testing different structures)
How to Play: Students create a way of supporting the weight of a dictionary using only paper. Groups plan HOW they will create their support system (Don’t skip this step!). This strengthens collaboration skills and the materials from being destroyed due to trial and error. If students create columns instead of folding, they will be amazed at the weight their structure can support.
Extension: Give groups 4 extra pieces of paper. Have some groups create 8 columns and some groups reinforce their 4 columns with an extra piece of paper. —I once have a group stack 17 dictionaries on top of their columns!
Community Building Activity #3–The Longest Paper Chain Ever
What is It? Students create the longest paper chain possible using only one piece of paper (you decide on the size) and some glue.
What You Need: scissors, glue stick, paper (1 piece per group)
How Many Students: Pairs
How Long Will This Take: 20 minutes (plus drying time). Allow time for the glue to dry thoroughly before the chains are measured for length. Typically, I make them before lunch and test them before the end of the day.
What to Do: Students use their single piece of paper to make a paper chain. This gets interesting when students realize they need to balance thickness of the chain links verse the weight of the paper. If the chain links are too thin, they won’t support the weight of the paper at the middle of the chain. When the lengths are measured, each partner needs to hold one end of their chain. Another student measures the chains.
Community Building Activity #4–A Great Wind Blew
What is It? An interactive game where students share a fact about themselves.
What You Need: a chair for everyone (minus one), an open space (to form a circle of chairs)
How Many Students: Your whole class
How Long Will This Take: As long as you’d like—typically, this game is best kept to the 10 minute range. It’s fun, but too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.
What to Do: Begin with your entire class sitting on chairs in a circle. Select one student as a the leader or caller (remove their chair). A caller in the centre of the circle says, “A great wind blew everyone with _________.” The caller needs to share a fact about themselves. For example, “A great wind blew everyone with a younger brother.” Everyone with a younger brother needs to get up and change chairs. The last person to grab a chair is now the caller. This game is a great way for students to learn about each other in an informal and safe way.
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