This book can be a great resource for you, if you are an individual that manages groups of people (and what teacher doesn't do this). This book was brought to my attention when I was in the process of facilitating a two-day staff orientation for college aged fitness instructors. I wanted to bring these individuals together as a team; and instead of just talking about the importance of teamwork, we learned this concept by doing various activities. This book provided the how-to of these activities.

The authors state the purpose of this book in the title; Teamwork and Teamplay. This book provides several situations that challenge the abilities of individuals and groups. By active participation during these situations individuals learn to work as a group, effectively communicate, solve problems, gain of sense of empathy and respect for team members, provide honest and useful feedback, and resolve conflicts. All of these traits are learned during the process of the activity and individuals have fun while doing it.

The book is arranged in an easy to follow format. It is a book that you do not sit and read through its entirety, but rather read through the first 3 chapters and then skim through the rest. The authors note that if this book is used successfully there will be tabbed pages, folded corners and notes written on pages the reader finds useful. The first three chapters (that should be read) discuss the purpose of the book, how to plan for these activities, and warm-up games that can be used as individuals arrive (using things like playing cards and film canisters to get individuals into groups and activity quickly). Chapters 4 and 5 provide 83 different activities and the "how-to" to implement them. These activities vary in skills learned, intensity level (how much activity needed), complexity (how much is needed to implement), and preparation, so there is a lot to choose from. Chapter 4 discusses each activity in detail, describing the purpose of the activity, equipment needed, a description of the challenge, points of discussion, ways of presenting the activity, variations to the activity, and sequencing. Each activity is very detailed in the way it is presented, so that anyone can follow what needs to be done to present this to a group. Chapter 5 goes into detail on how and where to get certain props for each activity. If a prop needs assembly, this chapter explains exactly what to do. This is followed by a list of manufacturers of where to purchase certain items for props, which can be very helpful for someone that does not have time to research where to find things.

Overall, I think this book was a huge resource for anyone bringing individuals together to form a group and use teamwork. The only concern that I had with this book was that it is geared primarily for young-adults or adults. Most of the games cannot (or would have to be modified) be used for children, but if you are working with high-school or college ages students (as in my case) this book is very effective.

Rating - 5 stars

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