5 Strategies to Team Bond During Social Distancing

One of the best parts about being on a team is gaining a second family. You spend so much time around your teammates and coaches that you create a bond like any other. As we all know, things look a little different right now. We are unable to practice or hang out as we usually do which makes it tough to create a bond with your new team.

To throw some sparkle on the craziness in this world, we have compiled a list of five ways your new team can bond and get to know each other during these times of social distancing.

Virtual Team Unity Circle

Let’s take the classic team unity circle virtual! Host a team zoom practice to go over your individual and team goals. Start with the first team member pointing at themselves. They will share one individual goal and one team goal they have for the season; they will then point to the next team member (through the screen!) for them to recite their individual and team goals. Once you have gone around the entire “circle” you are done! We recommend writing down these goals and refer to them throughout the season to keep you and your teammates accountable!

Weekly Challenges

Every week have a teammate create a challenge everyone has to complete. The challenges you create should be unique and fun! This could be a new sideline or dance, a crazy workout, a karaoke challenge, etc., just something that shows a little of who you are. This is a great way to get to know one another and create memories for the new season!

Offline Guess Who

This is a fun way to get to know each other without using any technology. Create a list of seven to fourteen questions you must answer throughout the course of a one- or two-week period. You should answer one question a day or every other day. Example questions would be, What is your favorite color? What is your favorite style of dance? How many siblings do you have? Once you have all the questions, have a coach or parent tell each participant a teammate’s name. No one should have themselves and there should be no duplicate names given. How this all ties together: Each day you answer a question about yourself, you send something that represents your answer to the teammate you received. If I answered, What is your favorite color?, I would send my teammate something purple. You can send them these items through the mail, discretely drop it off at their house, or have a team drop off location you all can take and pick up items. Be creative and have fun with it when picking how to best answer the questions! By the last item sent, the other teammate should be able to guess who their secret teammate is.

Scavenger Hunt

Who doesn’t love scavenger hunts? This is a great way for your team to get to know each other with a fun and exciting activity. First, split your team into small groups that follow your local and state guidelines. Within your groups, create a list of places in your city and clues that will help the other group find these locations. Get creative and try to include things about your team in the clues! Then, place clues in small boxes and drive it to their destinations. Finally, designate within your groups who will drive from clue to clue and who will communicate the clues with the team (Helpful hint: you can choose to leave the rest of your group at home to promote social distancing and relay the clues online). Have a prize ready for the group who finishes first!

Video Communication (FaceTime, Zoom, Google Duo, etc.)

Video communication has been everyone’s best friend these days! This is a great way to conduct practices, teach new choreography/combos, discuss important events, hang out, and so much more! While your team cannot all be in one room together at the same time, you still must be able to practice, learn material, and get to know the new members of the team. Video communication allows you to continue your same traditions with just a small twist to it.

BAND App

The BAND App is a great resource for team bonding! You can post polls, questionnaires, videos, pictures, to-do lists, events, and more. Each week assign a dancer or cheerleader of the week and have them post little things about themselves throughout the week. They could do a poll about themselves, post pictures of what they’re doing during social distancing, funny tasks the team must do on a certain day, etc. If used correctly, your team can get to know each member without even seeing them in person!

As we push through these troubling times, it is so important that we virtually lean on one another to get through every day. Team bonding is a crucial part of every team dynamic. Although you may be restricted to see, practice, and hang out with your teammates and coaches now, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at all! We hope you enjoy these 5 strategies to bond with your team virtually and hopefully, we will see you bonding together as a team at a camp this summer!