Ages 6 - 12

• building group dynamics

• connection with ourselves and others

The activity promotes teamwork, nonverbal communication, spatial awareness, trust, problem-solving, and cooperation under pressure or constraint.

Rope

30 - 40 minutes

One person makes a path with a rope tied between the trees. The objective is to get from one end to another, holding nothing but a rope and/or another participant by his shoulder. The participants stand in a cue and are not allowed to speak. They are all blindfolded (including the leader) and have to get from A to B. The first member is guiding the cue of blindfolded colleagues behind, he/she is holding the rope and the rest of them are holding the one in front by the shoulder.

You can have variations to either make it a bit harder or a bit easier, for example, they can all hold the rope, the guide may see or other variations. You can also add obstacles in the polygon, but perhaps then consider the first member having their eyes open.

After the task, invite participants to step back, take a few breaths, and observe the shape they created together. Encourage them to reflect on how they contributed, how the group functioned, and what helped or hindered collaboration. Allow quiet thinking before opening discussion.

This activity is designed to build trust, enhance communication through non-verbal cues, and foster group cohesion. By removing sight and speech, participants rely entirely on touch, presence, and mutual support, encouraging empathy, patience, and cooperation. The shared challenge of navigating the path together strengthens team bonds and heightens awareness of one’s own and others’ movements. It also brings participants slightly out of their comfort zones, promoting adaptability and resilience in unfamiliar situations.

It is crucial for the reflection to happen after the activity. We want to check in their emotions, learning and release any potential stress. It is also possible to relate these activities to how children feel and see situations and work from there. This is also an opportunity to have variations such as looking at communication (in this case participants speak), team roles etc. 

The teacher can support them with reflective questions such as:

What happened? 

How did that feel? 

What was the hardest thing? 

What made you continue? 

What did you learn?? 

What did you like about the activity? 

How can you apply the learning to your everyday life/work? 

Would you do anything different?