Be a Team Player: Thoughtful Writing Prompts for Upper Primary Students

The ability to be a team player is one of the most valuable skills we can nurture in primary students. Whether they’re working in groups, playing sport at lunchtime or simply trying to navigate the classroom dynamic, students are constantly placed in situations where skills like collaboration, communication and respect are paramount.

To help your students explore what it takes to be a team player, Teach Starter has created this set of 16 open-ended writing prompts. Each prompt is designed to encourage reflection on what teamwork and sportsmanship look like in the real world. 

Example Prompt: Describe a time when you were able to achieve something truly special with others, thanks to great teamwork. What attributes of the team (e.g. cooperation, trust, patience) led to this positive outcome? 

The resource focuses on four key themes:

• Courage and Determination
• Teamwork and Leadership
• Resilience and Overcoming Fear
• Sportsmanship

Using these prompts will enable your students to develop and strengthen their writing skills while also thinking deeply about their own choices and behaviours in team situations.

Teach How to Be a Great Team Player During National Simultaneous Storytime 2026

This year’s book for National Simultaneous Storytime, Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd, touches on themes of determination, teamwork, leadership and sportsmanship. Using these versatile writing prompts, students can explore these themes before, during or after this event. 

Teachers are experts at squeezing maximum value out of a resource, and these task cards were created with exactly that in mind! Here are some ideas for using these task cards beyond writing:

1. Class Discussions – Use the prompts as conversation starters to explore students’ experiences of how to be a great team player.
2. Role Play and Drama – Encourage students to act out short scenes based on the writing prompts, helping them delve deeper into what great sportsmanship looks like.
3. Accompanying Artwork – Once students have completed their writing, have them create an artwork to accompany and complement their text.

Because each prompt is open-ended, teachers can adapt them for literacy, wellbeing, PE or even leadership programs.

Download to Expore Being a Team Player

This resource can be downloaded as a full-colour PDF or editable Google Slides file. Use the Download button above to select your preferred file format.

Print the cards on cardboard to increase the durability of the resource. Place the cards together in a large envelope or ziplock bag for safekeeping.

Further Explore What It Means to Be a Team Player

Click below to access more teacher-created, curriculum-aligned resources to use when exploring teamwork and sportsmanship with your students.

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