30 minutes · Week 5: Teamwork
Teamwork with Annie
Teamwork is helping others and finishing challenges as a group. Ninjas succeed together.
Brown StripeAnnie's page
Growing Ninjas · 3–6 years. Same 30 minutes, told as an animal story. Partners, 2–3 step directions, and a stripe they can name.
- 5
Warm-up
Ant Colony
Move as one group with a shared job.
- All ants follow the queen (instructor) around the mat.
- On Food find! gather to a hoop without bumping.
- Pass a lightweight object down the ant line, no throwing.
- 10
Skill of the week
Developing Teamwork
Teamwork is helping others and finishing challenges as a group. Ninjas succeed together.
- Ant Line — Hold shoulders. Walk as one line without breaking.
- Colony Pass — Pass a beanbag hand to hand down the line.
- Team Freeze — The group freezes together on cue and cheers a teammate.
- 10
Ninja challenge
Team Ninja Bridge
Cross the mat using teammates as support.
- Setup: Soft mats optional. Clear start and finish.
- Build a bridge with bodies or hands so friends can cross.
- Every ninja must cross. No one is left behind.
- Celebrate as a colony, not as first-across.
- 5
Cool-down + stripe
Ant Rest
Award the Brown Stripe. Ask what they learned about teamwork.
- Curl into a tiny ant ball, then slowly uncurl.
- Partner palm-to-palm stretch.
- Group sit, one quiet thank-you to a teammate.
- Breathe in together. Breathe out together. The colony rests as one.
Fun fact
A single ant can carry many times its own weight, but a colony can move things no ant could move alone. Weaver ants even sew leaves together with silk.
3–6 years
How to teach this age
- Use the character: “Move like Bella,” not a lecture.
- Partner work and cooperative challenges, not races that shame.
- Name effort and persistence, not only a perfect rep.
- Add simple martial arts words a little at a time.