Team Building Activities for Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders work together as a team every time they step foot on the floor or field. The best teams are the ones who know how to anticipate the moves of their teammates and move together fluidly. It takes time for a team to reach this point and it usually involves frequent practicing and spending time together away from school. Cheerleading camps often use team-building activities, but coaches also use the games as a way to get the girls----and guys----used to working around each other.

  1. Animal Sounds

    • Delta Epsilon Chi offers an activity known as Animal Sounds or Blindfolded Animals. Start by dividing the girls into at least two groups and more smaller groups, depending on the number of girls involved. Assign each group a different type of animal, including pigs, horses, sheep, dogs, cats or chickens. Then, blindfold each girl and move them around so that the groups are equally spaced out. The cheerleaders make the sound of their animal, as a way of alerting the rest of the group to their whereabouts. The point of the game is for the girls to rely on their sense of sound to find the rest of their group and assemble together before any of the other groups.

    Relay Race

    • Use scarves to tie together two girls, by either the leg or the arm or both the arm and leg. Oak Harbor Cheer claims this game results in lots of laughter and fun among the teams. Clearly mark a finish line in your practice area and have all the girls start at the same spot. The girls must work together to get from the starting line to the finish line, in the fastest way possible, while still being attached to one of their teammates. It helps build camaraderie between the cheerleaders and lets them relax in a safe environment.

    Shoe Mix Up

    • For Shoe Mix Up, you want to arrange the girls into two groups and have everyone take off their shoes. Then, mix up the shoes into one large pile in the middle of the gym. Alternatively, send the girls out of the practice area to hide the shoes around the area. The girls work together to try and find their shoes and put them back on before the other team finds and wears all of their shoes. Once a girl finds her shoes, she helps her teammates locate their missing pairs.