Skills Challenges
Consider the problem: a local charity wishes to organise an event in your local area which people of all ages can join in. The event could be sporting, musical, a fête - whatever you think would attract the most people to it.
Consider:
- Which activity would be best so that everyone could be involved?
- Could you have a range of activities?
- What other problems could arise?
Challenge: Bring this event to life!
Getting Started: What are the instructions?
Intermediate: How can you come up with lots of possible solutions?
Advanced: Why is it important to consider a range of solutions for problems?
Mastery: How might you choose between different solutions to a complex problem?
Organise a game of 'Who am I?' with your family or friends.
Each member of the family writes the name of a famous person and places it in a bowl. Take it in turns to pick a name, describe clearly the person without saying their name and see if your family can guess who it is.
Challenge: Use a timer to see how many names people can guess in one minute.
Getting Started: How do we know if we are speaking clearly?
Intermediate: As you speak how can put your points into a logical order so you can be easily understood?
Advanced: How can you use tone, expression and gesture to make your speaking engaging?
Mastery: How can you adapt the content of what you are saying, in response to listeners?
Ask a family member or friend to read you an interesting news story or tell you about something interesting that has happened.
Your aim is to show you are listening by using eye contact but also be able to summarise the story after they have told you it.
Extension: Switch roles with the person, tell them a news story or something interesting that has happened.
Getting Started: How can you make sure you are listening carefully?
Intermediate: What does it mean to summarise what you have heard?
Advanced: Why is summarising or rephrasing what you have heard useful sometimes?
Mastery: How might changing the language (words) used affect how you feel about something?
Work with members of your family or your friends to create the tallest free-standing tower. This means it can't lean on anything.
You can use anything in your house to create it. You could use cushions, cereal boxes, Lego, cardboard boxes. You could even challenge yourself and others by trying to use unexpected items.
Extension: If and when it falls over, try to make it even taller.
Getting Started: When do you find it easier (or more difficult) to work with others in a positive way?
Intermediate: Have you helped make decisions with others?
Advanced: How can you encourage others to help out too?
Mastery: What is an 'unhelpful conflict'? How can you avoid this when working with others?
Hold a discussion with your family members or a group of friends to decide on an indoor activity that you are going to do together.
Think about how you will include everyone. Think about how you are going to manage a group discussion and come to a shared decision.
Extension: With your family members or a group of friends, give the activity a go.
Getting Started: How can you find out about how others are feeling about something?
Intermediate: How can you find out more about strengths and weaknesses in others?
Advanced: How might you be able to motivate others to improve their weaknesses?
Mastery: What kind of leader would you like to be?
Think about a hobby you practise regularly, like reading or playing a particular game.
Set yourself a new challenge to help you improve at the hobby. This could be learning new words from a book or learning a new skill in a game. Give yourself a deadline to achieve this.
Think about what you might need to do to achieve this goal and then give it a go.
Extension: think about why having goals is important.
Getting Started: How do you know if something is too difficult for you?
Intermediate: Why is it important to be willing to take on new challenges?
Advanced: What resources might you need to achieve your goals?
Mastery: What steps do you need to put in place to make your goals happen?
Get a piece of paper and write down everything that you have done to make yourself feel proud this week.
Think about if you faced any challenges. Think about every time you kept trying. Think about every time you encouraged someone else to keep trying too.
Extension: Do the same activity but for a family member or a friend, show them why they should feel positive and proud as well.
Getting Started: How do you know if something is too difficult for you?
Intermediate: Why is it important to be willing to take on new challenges?
Advanced: What resources might you need to achieve your goals?
Mastery: What steps do you need to put in place to make your goals happen?
Winter is the coldest time of the year. Design a new coat/jacket that could keep anyone warm no matter how cold it gets.
What will the coat look like? What specifically will keep people warm? Could it use technology in some way? How will it be different to a regular winter coat?
Extension: Think about who would most benefit from your newly designed coat.
Getting Started: How can you share what you imagine?
Intermediate: How can you come up with lots of different ideas?
Advanced: How can you combine different ideas to create new ones?
Mastery: How can you help someone else to be creative?