The best outdoor team building activities for your pupils’ personality types

Teaching children about the importance of team communication enriches their learning experiences and encourages bonding. Going outside helps with this, building pupils’ self-esteem, promoting positive thinking and nurturing verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Even better, according to Natural England, eight in ten (83%) children say that being in nature makes them very happy!

Finding outdoor team building activities that keep children engaged while they’re working on their self-improvement can be tricky. So, we’ve drawn up a list of activities tailored to pupils’ personalities that will get them working together in no time.

Learning and Teaching Scotland report that being outside creates massive potential for learning, improving emotional wellbeing and mental health. Particularly at a time when biodiversity and being environmentally aware is at the forefront of lesson plans, finding things for students to do outside is a hands-on way of making the curriculum come to life.

Bushcraft is an exciting activity where pupils learn how to build shelters in the forest using sustainable resources from the natural environment. This building activity is a great way to encourage students to work as a team while enjoying learning how to live outdoors.

For a more daring wander through nature, gorge walking is a unique alternative experience. Pupils clamber through plunge pools and swim through rocky terrain - all while supporting each other and working as a team. Much like other outdoor team building challenges, gorge walking is a great activity to promote trust and build confidence while making memories pupils will never forget.

There are plenty of outdoor activities to help pupils of all abilities develop problem solving skills. Activities like raft-building are wonderful opportunities to get children thinking mathematically and scientifically about forces and measurements without the need of a textbook.

Warwickshire Council reports that outdoor learning develops trust, care, tolerance, and the willingness to give and accept support; raft building is a brilliant way to develop these skills. By giving pupils charge of their creation, activities like raft building encourage creativity, initiative, communication, and teamwork as they work out the best way to plan, design, build and use their inventions.

To take advantage of the fact that, as reported by The Wildlife Trusts, 79% of children reported better relationships with their classmates after spending time connecting with nature, fun-filled outdoor experiences are a great way to engage even the most energetic of pupils.

For thrill-seeking children, sometimes climbing monkey bars isn’t enough. High ropes are a wonderful option for getting students working together with their friends as they support one another to complete a variety of off-ground challenges. This activity is designed to improve confidence and independence as pupils participate in adrenaline-fuelled adventures.

Scrambling through undergrowth and navigating through woodland is an activity that will make your more adventurous pupils fizz with excitement. While encouraging your students to get intentionally lost in the countryside is not advised, orienteering is a wonderful way to replicate the feeling of discovery in a safe way.

Youth Sports Trust promotes orienteering as an inclusive way to support the development of physical literacy, as it can be adapted to fit pupils’ individual needs. Orienteering also teaches pupils to use maps, compasses, and orientation skills as they navigate using cooperation, communication and teamwork. It’s a great way to encourage self-improvement and support curriculum learning in a practical and fun way.

For older bookworms, camping and residential trips create a peaceful way for them to enjoy their favourite book while they relax outside. Finding a campsite where you can safely encourage bonding through the power of roasted marshmallows and campfire stories is a lovely way to get quieter children to enjoy time outside and get them bonding with their classmates. As the Scottish Book Trust states, enjoying reading outside means that children can make connections between stories and their environment, particularly if they’ve got a supportive adult nearby to help explain things. There really isn’t a better place to get stuck into a good book than in nature!

You can also combine cosy camping activities with more active adventures to get all of your students involved.

Now you’ve had a chance to think about what sort of fun activities would suit your class, it’s time to get outside. We have some wonderful programmes to suit every ability, so why not book a trip to one of our centres today?

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