Building toys for children is one of those team building ideas for work that will both benefit your team and the children in your community.
Nothing can bring a team together more than serving a common purpose or goal, especially one that is guaranteed to bring joy to a child. There is a wide variety of toys that the team members can craft on their own with a few simple supplies and tools and a room that they can turn into a workshop for a day. Following are a few ideas.
The broomstick horse is a classic toy that can be made by hand. Draw the shape of a horse head on some scrap wood that is about eight square inches, and then cut it out. Attach the head to a broom handle using nails or pre-drilled holes and long screws. You can then paint your horse and add details to the horse’s face.
For the horse’s ear, use some vinyl material that you can form into a pyramid shape that is rounded, folding the bottom over to make a three-dimensional effect and to make the ears stand up. Use a table gun or strong glue to attach the ears. You can also use braided strands of yarn to make the horse’s mane, which you can attach with staples. When the horse is complete, one lucky child will be able to ride away into the sunset!
This is one of those team building ideas for work that requires only a few cheap materials. You will need some tongue depressors, bamboo skewers or chopsticks, an old BIC body pen, some strong thread, a single-edged blade, and some glue. Place a notch approximately an inch long on two tongue depressors so that they can interlock together. These are your blades. Slide the depressors together, making sure you leave a hole in the center for the stick. Ensure that your blades have enough pitch, and then glue them together.
After that step you can place the bamboo skewer or chopstick in the center hole and glue it to the prop, making sure it is at a ninety degree angle with the propeller. The propeller toy is now complete, and all you need to do to power it is place the chopstick between your palms and use a clockwise rubbing motion while you release it.
Team Building Ideas for Work
There is no shortage of team building ideas for work, and if you use an idea such as building toys for children, you also connect your team to your community. When you have finished building a variety of toys, donate them to local clubs and organizations that need toys, particularly during the holiday season.