Train up a child…
Teaching Children to Work in a Team
Most of the inventions we enjoy today are a result of teamwork. There was a time when Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison could take credit for inventions, but the day of a person working alone to invent is practically over. Now engineers brainstorm, compare ideas, evaluate plans, and come up with solutions as they work together.
Effective training of children to fit in today’s business world includes the teaching of teamwork. Not only does the business world require teamwork, but teachers work as teams in education. Quite often, a person is hired in a line of work based on whether that person can fit into the team currently working.
For children to become good team workers, they must first understand the importance of doing so. Opportunities need to be given both at home and in school for children to develop skills in teamwork. Sports activities play a huge role in teaching teamwork.
Children need to be told that teamwork is necessary in today’s world. By incorporating the children in the reasons for almost any task, more can be accomplished. The cell phone is a good example to illustrate that inventions are done in a group. No one person takes credit for inventing the cell phone. It is because of the teamwork of NASA that we have many of today’s wonderful technological inventions. The satellites in the sky are necessary for our GPS systems. Those satellites are a result of teamwork. Ask the children if they can imagine one person being able to put a satellite in the sky!
Team activities can be provided in the classroom and at home. The family can work together on projects. A teacher can give an assignment for children to figure out together. It doesn’t take long to discover that some children do not want to work with others. Some children are born as “loners” and some children are simply more social and love to be around others. It takes skillful guidance on the part of parents and teachers to help the “loner” open up and the social person to perhaps stand down. However, it is this very activity that teaches children to work in a group. Some children will not want to share credit for achievements while others will want to sit and let someone else do all the work. Teachers and parents need to stay on top of the activities to make sure all are contributing to the efforts being made.
Sports activities require teamwork for winning. The most successful teams are those whose members have learned to work together. This is one of the best justifications for sports in schools. The peer pressure of other members of a team often works in a positive way when a game is won or lost.
Learning to be a good team worker goes far in making sure a child becomes successful in life. No matter how good an idea an individual may have, it takes more than one person to make that idea marketable. If we can help our children learn to work in a team, our little creative geniuses are more likely to get along well as adults.