EGG-CHICKEN-DINOSAUR-ROCKSTAR - Bonus Team Building Activity

A fun icebreaker I learned comes from Melissa Edsall, activities director at Douglas Middle School in Woodland, CA. It's EGG-CHICKEN-DINOSAUR-ROCKSTAR.

ROUND ONE

Everyone in the group forms the shape of an egg and plays Rock-Paper-Scissors against each other. If you're an egg and you win, you "evolve" to a chicken. The loser of that round remains an egg and must seek out another egg.

Chickens then seek each other out. Again, they go head-to-head playing Rochambeau, the loser remains a chicken, and the winner becomes a dinosaur.

Dinosaurs then seek each other out. Head to head Rochambeau. Loser stays a dinosaur, winner becomes a rock star.

Rock stars seek each other out. LOSER DEVOLVES BACK DOWN TO A CHICKEN. Winner goes on tour again as a rock star.

ROUND TWO

Now everyone is a rock star. Again, head-to-head matches of Rochambeau. This time the loser "plays in the band" of the winning rock star, and gets behind the person he/she lost to and encourages and supports the person who beat him/her. As games are played, larger "conga lines" are formed until there is one last epic Battle of the Bands.

THE LESSON

Sometimes it's about you, and sometimes it's not about you. In the first round, you were working for yourself, hoping to achieve the next level. In Round Two, you were supporting someone else, someone you lost to initially. In leadership, it's not always about us, and we're not always the decision-makers. Still, when called upon, it's important for us to fall into line and be supportive and encouraging of the person assigned to be the leader for this particular task or project. Also in activities, we do for others, not for ourselves. In rallies, class competitions, fashion shows, whatever we put on, it's about highlighting and showcasing others, not about ourselves.

Great job, Melissa!