Five More Great Activities for Your Student Leader Induction Program
Add some team-building fun to your student Leaders Induction Propgram
Dear Teacher,
This week I follow up on from last week’s newsletter -The Critical 7: Preparing Next Year’s Student Leaders for Real-World Impact.
I’ve shared five more activities to include in your induction or training program for your new leadership team.
As a reminder, an effective induction is the vital bridge between election and action, specifically designed to familiarise leaders with their roles and responsibilities, equip them with core skills such as a clear public speaking method, and provide the dedicated time they need to collaboratively determine their shared legacy and vision for the school year ahead.
A team-building day in November or December for your incoming student leaders is the perfect way to build rapport, establish trust, and introduce essential leadership skills before the busy school year begins.
The Young Leaders team has developed these low-cost, low-resource activities focusing on communication, cooperation, and problem-solving.
Communication & Trust Builders
These activities ensure the new team learns to listen, trust each other, and communicate clearly.
Activity 1: The Human Knot (20 Minutes)
Goal: Collaboration, communication under pressure, and problem-solving.
How it Works: Have the entire team stand in a circle, facing inwards. Tell everyone to reach across the circle with their right hand and grab a different person’s hand. Then, they reach across with their left hand and grab the hand of a different person (not the one they are already holding). The team must now work together to untangle the knot without ever letting go of hands, until they form one large circle (or two smaller interlocking circles).
Discussion Prompt: “Which leader’s instructions were the clearest? When did we need to pause and rethink our strategy?”
Activity 2: Back-to-Back Drawing (15 Minutes)
Goal: Clear instruction and active listening.
Materials: Two chairs, a clipboard/paper, and a pen for each pair.
How it Works: Leaders work in pairs, sitting back-to-back. One person (the “Speaker”) has a picture of a simple, abstract design (e.g., three overlapping squares and a star). The other person (the “Drawer”) has blank paper. The Speaker must describe the picture without using the names of shapes (e.g., say “draw a box” instead of “draw a square”). The Drawer cannot speak or ask questions.
Discussion Prompt: “How did it feel when you couldn’t ask a question? What specific words made the instructions easy to follow?”
Problem-Solving & Shared Vision
These challenges require the team to agree on a strategy and work towards a common goal.
Activity 3: The Marshmallow Challenge (30 Minutes)
Goal: Planning, rapid prototyping, and working under a deadline.
Materials: 20 sticks of spaghetti, 1 metre of string, masking tape, and 1 marshmallow per group (teams of 4-5 are ideal).
How it Works: The team has 18 minutes to build the tallest free-standing structure that can support the marshmallow at the very top.
Discussion Prompt: “Did we spend too much time planning, or did we just start building? Who emerged as the natural time-keeper or strategist?” (This is an effective challenge for leaders).
Activity 4: Blindfolded Obstacle Course (30 Minutes)
Goal: Trust, reliance on verbal guidance, and positional leadership.
Materials: Blindfolds, cones, and simple objects (e.g., a chair, a skipping rope laid on the floor).
How it Works: Set up a simple course. Divide the team into groups of 3-4. Each leader takes a turn being blindfolded, while the others must use only verbal instructions to guide them safely and efficiently through the course.
Discussion Prompt: “How did it feel to be completely reliant on someone else’s voice? What made you feel safe or unsafe about the instructions you were given?”
Vision & Role Clarification
This actvity anchors the team’s purpose and helps them clarify their shared goals for the next year. It complements the Legacy activities in the Young Leaders Program Induction Program.
Activity 5: The Ideal School (30 Minutes)
Goal: Uniting the team around a shared vision for their leadership term
Materials: Large paper/butcher’s paper, coloured markers.
How it Works: Ask the team to imagine they are a group of architects/designers. Their task is to design “The Ideal Primary School.” They must draw or list the key features—not just physical things, but the feelings, values, and traditions that would exist. They must then present their final vision to the rest of the group.
Discussion Prompt: “Which of these ideal features is something we, as the leadership team, can actually influence next year?” (This helps transition abstract ideas into concrete leadership goals).
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Focused Support for Formal Roles: Features a dedicated Induction Program for your student council, prefects, and captains, plus ongoing support modules to ensure their success throughout the year.
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