SURVIVAL FILES | Engaging Community & Team Building Challenge [Middle & High]

Looking for an engaging team building activity that hooks even your hardest-to-engage students? Survival Files is a high-energy, collaborative classroom challenge where students must communicate, problem-solve, and make decisions together. It’s designed to pull students in, build teamwork naturally, and get real conversations happening, even in tricky classes.

Can your students survive… together?

How the survival files works:

Students are given a survival scenario and a 20-item supply list.

Working in small groups, they must:

👉 Choose only FIVE items to survive

👉 Justify every choice

👉 Create a survival action plan

There are no “right” answers. Only reasoning, discussion, and collaboration.

What's included inside The Survival Files: Engaging Community & Team Building Challenge [Middle & High]

✔ 7 printable engaging survival scenarios

✔ Full 20-item supply lists (unique to each survival scenario)

✔ Clickable slide versions (paper-free option)

✔ Survival Action Plan template

✔ Teamwork reflection slip

Run it printed. Run it digital. Your choice.

Why you'll absolutely love using The Survival Files for your next team building & collaboration activity

✔ Students will be genuinely engaged

✔ Teamwork happens naturally and effortlessly because they will LOVE talking about the 5 items they will choose

✔ The scenarios build communication + problem solving

✔ The activity build skills in respectful disagreement

✔ It's super low-prep - just print and go, or project up the slides!

✔ High buy-in for students (even the toughest to engage will love working through the scenario and supplies)

Your students will absolutely LOVE it too! Here's why:

✔ It feels like a game, not a worksheet

✔ They get to work together

✔ They make interesting decisions

✔ There are no “wrong” answers

✔ They get to debate and justify their thinking

✔ It’s challenging in a fun way

✔ It feels different to normal classwork

The Survival Files are perfect for:

✔ Team building days

✔ Wellbeing / advisory

✔ Relief lessons

✔ End-of-term activities

✔ Classroom culture resets or a boost for your class community

✔ Early finisher extensions

✔ Any time you want meaningful collaboration or want to bring a bit of fun or joy into your room!

If you’re trying to build a connected classroom, Survival Files gives students the chance to practise crucial skills such as:

• listening to others
• explaining their thinking
• negotiating decisions
• contributing to a team
• reflecting on how they work together

All while having an absolute blast! [Win, win, win!!]