Team Building Activity: Beeping Squares

The Beeping Squares Challenge is synonymous to a lot of other team building activities like minesweeper and labyrinth but the premise is pretty much the same.





If you are not yet familiar with this challenging activity then here’s a simple guide on how to do it.


Beeping squares team building activity
AIM Global PSGW 1, December 2014


Material/s:

Masking tapes. Alternatively, one can use plastic twine, chalk, or anything that can serve as a marker for the boxes or matrix used for the activity.
Beeping squares team building activity
Alain Asia/Akromont, July 2010

Number of participants:

10-20 participants ideally

Objective:

Cross from the start row or Point A to the end row or Point B without stepping on any of the beeping squares.
Beeping squares team building activity
Alain Asia/Akromont, 2010

Instructions:

1. The team is given time to create a strategy for a minute or two and they get to decide how fast they can cross the square field. Facilitator may challenge them to push themselves and not settle for a time within their comfort zone.
2. For every row in the square there is a beeping square, if a team member steps on it the facilitator will say “beep!” or use any other device that sounds like a beep. When this happens, the team has to start over back to square one.
3. Only one team member can cross the square field at any given time.
4. Nobody is allowed to skip a row.
5. Nobody is allowed to coach a team member while they are crossing the field. This rule may be modified depending on the objective of the activity.
6. The challenge ends when everybody has made it to the last row (if there is still time, the team can negotiate another try if they are not satisfied with how fast they did the challenge).


The activity can be productive with or without debriefing questions. To stimulate team learning, you may ask these sample questions after the activity:
  1. What was going through your mind as you were completing the beeping squares challenge?
  2. What strategies did you use to complete the beeping squares challenge?
  3. How did you feel as you were crossing the beeping squares alone while your teammates were watching.

I hope this short instruction guide for beeping squares will help you bring out the best in your team building activities.


Notes:

  • The instructions for this activity was recreated by the Learning and Development Division of the Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network . Led by Philipp Chen Tan, other members of the division are Kevin Johnrey Sosas, Paulo Frangelyco Magallon, and Marc Julius Rizada.
  • CTFN does not claim ownership of this activity. For a list of references used to recreate activity instructions, please visit our Directory of Activities page.

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