Over the course of two lessons, the boys in Year One focused on their teamwork skills as part of their unit of inquiry on relationships and communication.

With a little guidance, the boys were set the challenge of building the tallest tower made from spaghetti and marshmallows in teams. Before starting the boys reflected on what makes a good team player. Although most teams were able to build some sort of structure, many of the boys agreed at the end of the session that there was not much evidence of teamwork throughout!

In the next lesson, the boys identified areas that needed improving with regards to teamwork – choosing a leader, better communication, agreeing on a plan first before building, minimal arguing…! They then tried to build the tallest tower using only paper and masking tape. It proved a lot harder for the boys to build a freestanding structure, but there was much more evidence of better teamwork and the boys working harmoniously.

Explicitly taught ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork and communication are vital areas of importance for good social and emotional development, starting from a young age. The unit has focused heavily on building relationship and communication skills, so it was good for the boys to be able to put what they had learnt into practise, whilst having some fun at the same time!

Sam Watson – Year 1 Teacher