Puzzle Partners — Teamwork Activity Kit (K–1)

About this resource

Hand a small group one puzzle and you’ll see teamwork, or its absence, within a minute. Puzzle Partners builds a lesson around that moment so kindergarten and first-grade students (Grades K–1) practice taking turns, helping and cheering each other on. It builds cooperation and communication within Relationship Skills, in classroom SEL activities with a timer and a puzzle in every group.

What students practice

• Taking turns and waiting patiently
• Helping teammates kindly
• Sharing ideas to reach one goal
• Naming skills like listening, helping and patience

What’s inside

• A teacher script with timed steps, about 30 minutes, and a flexible outline
• Puzzle Piece Templates: five puzzles to color, cut out and assemble as a team
• Teamwork Reflection Worksheet with four questions, in two versions
• Collaboration Certificate
• Team Game Instruction Sheet with eight cooperative games, from Tug of War to Scavenger Hunt; 25 pages

A look inside

• Ground rules from the script: “Everyone gets a turn.” “Help each other kindly.” “Listen and share ideas.” “Be patient.”
• Teamwork Reflection: “How did it feel to work together on the puzzle?”
• Team games: Relay Race, Caterpillar Walk, Human Knot and Pass the Hula Hoop

How to use this puzzle partners kit

• Start with a circle talk about building something with a friend, then split into groups of three to five with one puzzle each
• Set the ground rules, run a 10–15 minute timer and walk around with corner-piece tips and five- and two-minute warnings
• Have groups show their puzzles and discuss, for example, whether it was hard to share and how they worked it out
• Finish with a Teamwork Stars list on the board of the skills they named

Grade fit

The big, colorful puzzles and open-ended questions suit Grades K–1. The eight team games give you follow-ups for the gym or playground.

Good to know

Store-bought puzzles with large pieces also work in place of the printed ones.

Pairs well with

For older students, Puzzle Pieces of a Bigger Picture turns a shared puzzle into a class display, and Cooperation Collage is another group build, more teamwork activities for kids.