The Marshmallow Challenge – A team building activity

Activity: The Marshmallow Challenge

Overview: This is a hands-on team-building activity that requires groups to work together to
build the tallest freestanding structure using only spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow. This activity is designed to promote collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

Time: 18 minutes

Tools/Items required: 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of
string, and one marshmallow for each group.

Directions and Set up:

• Divide the participants into groups of four.
• Provide each group with the materials listed above.
• Instruct each group that they have 18 minutes to build the tallest freestanding structure possible using only the materials provided, with the marshmallow placed on top.
• Emphasize that the structure must be freestanding and not be propped against a wall or any other support.
• Give each group a clear signal when there are 5 minutes left and 1 minute left.
• When the time is up, have each group measure the height of their structure and announce it to the rest of the participants.
• Celebrate the winning team with the tallest structure!

Rules:

The marshmallow must be placed on top of the structure.

The structure must be freestanding and cannot be propped against a wall or any other support.

The materials provided are the only ones that can be used.

What’s the point of this activity? Through this activity, participants will experience the impact of
collaboration and communication on group performance. They will learn that working together
towards a common goal can produce better results than working independently. They will also
realize that creativity and innovation are important elements of problem-solving, and that
constraints can sometimes lead to more innovative solutions.