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Exercises/Reflection and Learning/Team Problem Solving Challenge Builds Trust - Popsicle Push-Up
Team Reflection ยท Reflection and Learning

Team Problem Solving Challenge Builds Trust - Popsicle Push-Up

Team Problem Solving Challenge Builds Trust - Popsicle Push-Up is a team reflection exercise for reflection and learning: it helps participants reflect on experience and turn observations into learning.

15 to 30 minutesTIME
Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Learning Transfer This reflection and learning exercise strengthens Learning Transfer, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Gather your group on an open, flat and dry surface.
  2. Challenge your group to elevate the bodies of every individual off the ground for a period of five seconds, with only their hands touching the ground during this time.
  3. Every person must be physically connected to the group for (at least) five seconds simultaneously.
  4. No equipment or physical aids are permitted to solve the problem.
  5. Allow ample time for planning, problem-solving & trial-and-error.
  6. Encourage creativity, as there are many solutions.
  7. Popsicle Push-Up Team problem solving challenge to build creativity & trust.
  8. Popsicle Push-Up is a team problem-solving challenge that encourages risk-taking and collaborative experimentation in a safe environment.
  9. It demonstrates that creative challenges often have unexpected answers when teams combine diverse perspectives and collective support.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Challenge your group to elevate the bodies of every individual off the ground for a period of five seconds, with only their hands touching the ground during this time.

Every person must be physically connected to the group for (at least) five seconds simultaneously.

Popsicle Push-Up Team problem solving challenge to build creativity & trust.

It demonstrates that creative challenges often have unexpected answers when teams combine diverse perspectives and collective support.

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Team Problem Solving Challenge Builds Trust - Popsicle Push-Up. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Challenge your group to elevate the bodies of every individual off the ground for a period of five seconds, with only their hands touching the ground during this time.; Every person must be physically connected to the group for (at least) five seconds simultaneously.; ; Popsicle Push-Up Team problem solving challenge to build creativity & trust.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Playmeo; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Playmeo.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with