not forget: in school nutrition, we are dealing with team members who are used to physically moving day-in and day-out, so sitting in place receiving information is not how they often learn best. Although we can’t avoid sharing information in traditional ways, we can always tell when we are losing the team’s attention simply by their eyes starting to drift shut (no offense taken!). Incorporating play breaks up learning by engaging team members through fun activities and making the learning experience memorable and enjoyable. When adults are having fun, they are more receptive to new ideas and less fearful of making mistakes. This shift from passive reception to active participation ensures that training content is not just heard, but truly absorbed and retained. Furthermore, play is a valuable tool for promoting genuine interpersonal connection. In a playful setting, the hierarchical titles go away and everyone works together on an equal playing field. This temporary equalization of status fosters trust, empathy, and better communication. Activities that incorporate lighthearted competition or creative problem- solving encourage diverse perspectives to emerge and teach team members how to leverage each other's unique strengths. When the pressure to "be professional" is momentarily eased, the brain is freed from rigid patterns, allowing for spontaneous insights. This is often why some of the best ideas happen during informal breaks or brainstorming sessions that feel more like a game than work. By intentionally designing training activities to be playful, organizations are essentially creating safe spaces for innovation to thrive.
A great example of how I personally utilized play in an intentional way, was when I had my department break up into multiple teams to decorate their own individual cake with frosting based on the department’s annual theme. For context, every year our department has a theme to guide us throughout the year; we present the theme at our back-to-school training and explain the “why” behind it. I let each team have full creative control of how the theme would manifest visually; this forced the teams to discuss what the theme meant to them and agree on how it could be creatively expressed through visuals. After a certain amount of time, each time had to present their cake to the other teams and explain their reasoning for their creative choices. This activity encouraged team members to creatively problem solve together while actively engaging with the theme that would drive the department for the entire school year. This activity also showcased the members that had a visually creative nature while also showcasing the members that were better at leading from behind the scenes. Most importantly, everyone had so much FUN decorating their cakes! Although it is crucial for fun to be aligned with learning objectives when focusing on specific training goals, it is important to not minimize the impact of having fun for the sake of having fun! When the daily operations feel heavy or overwhelming, sometimes what is more valuable than training your team, is allowing them to breathe, relax, and have fun as social beings. Different ways you can do this are by playing a variety of music in the kitchen, dressing up for certain holidays, having staff potlucks for
different celebrations, or playing silly games that have no training goal associated with it. A great example of a silly game I played with my team that encouraged team building without a training objective was when I had my team compete against each other in a gift wrapping competition during our winter holiday party. I had everyone break up into two teams and we had three rounds where they had to wrap crazy shaped objects from our central kitchen within 60 seconds and then I would judge who wrapped their objects the “prettiest”. The three items included a 5-gallon water jug, a spoodle, and a wacky-shaped sealing machine. This activity was so simple, but SO much fun! It was hysterical to see everyone work together to quickly wrap these odd-shaped objects, but it was also cool to see their problem- solving skills and creativity come out. This activity is a great example of how team-building does not have to be centered around formalized training, but can be just as effective nonetheless. Ultimately, when leaders implement fun and play in adult team building and training we are recognizing that effective learning is fundamentally human. By embracing playful strategies, leaders are investing in a more engaged, trusting, and innovative workforce. When employees look forward to training and enjoy their interactions with their team members, team morale rises, retention improves, and the team is better equipped to navigate daily operations and missteps with flexible and positive attitudes. It is time to treat play not as a luxury,
but as a strategic imperative for continuous professional development.
Stefanie Giannini, MA, SNS | IVATI, Founder; Director of Food & Nutrition Services (IL) Stefanie Giannini, founder of IVATI, is a speaker, educator, and content creator on a mission to inspire and cultivate every individual’s identity and development as a leader; she holds a fierce passion for personal and professional growth, critical reflection, and building quality relationships. Stefanie holds a Bachelor’s in Food & Nutrition Management from Arizona State University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership and Learning from George Washington University. In addition to her work with IVATI, she works in the school nutrition industry as the Director of Food & Nutrition Services for a K-8 school district in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Powered by FlippingBook