Looking for a way to reconnect your team? We’ve got 35 team building ideas to keep your staff motivated this year. With many companies across the world now offering remote and hybrid working options, it is important for staff to reconnect, recharge and rebuild. This list is going to become your go-to resource for team building activities! We’re giving you some great solutions for all types of teams and groups, whether you’re remote, hybrid, fit and active (or not!), indoorsy, outdoorsy, a large team, a smaller team, or just need a 20-minute recharge, we’ve got you covered.
Why invest in team building?
First and foremost, team building activities are designed to keep employees motivated and engaged. One of the primary purposes of team building is to foster deeper personal relationships between delegates. Did you know that women who strongly agree that they have a best friend at work are more than twice as likely to be engaged at work (63%) compared with the women who say otherwise (29%).
Team building exercises improve communication skills and can develop and help identify leadership skills. All of these activities are designed with skills-building in mind. The majority of team building activities are built for collaboration, communication and teamwork. Often, these activities present opportunities for developing leadership skills in groups, which in turn identifies employees that are comfortable in managerial roles, as well as demonstrating their leadership styles.
Building a strong team doesn’t happen overnight! You may have a team that meshes well organically; however, it is up to team leaders to reinforce relationships with effective strategies. Team building will be one of the most important business investments that you make. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of 35 team activities and games, including some ice-breaker options that are perfect for both small teams and large groups.
Virtual Escape Room
Skills: Problem-solving, communication, strategic thinking
Ideal for: Virtual teams, short team building sessions, cost-effective solutions
Depending on the virtual escape room you choose, team members must pass through different rooms or levels and solve the puzzles and challenges they encounter. This activity is collaborative, builds communication, and is perfect as an alternative icebreaker. Wondering how Eventurous can help? Explore our Virtual Escape Room.
Who am I?
Skills: Communication, critical thinking, listening
Ideal for: Icebreaker, quick breaks, easy to set up
The rules are simple; have everyone write the names of well-known celebrities on a post-it and stick them to someone else’s forehead (or back). They must then walk around the room and ask questions about who they are, such as: Am I popular in the music industry? The first person to guess the name written on their post-it is the winner!
Icebreaker quizzes
Skills: Communication, listening, teamwork
Ideal for: Virtual teams, short team building sessions
Cost-effective Icebreaker quizzes are an exciting way to offer employees a bit of a break. They can be short and be an effective way to bring teams together. Online providers such as Quizbreaker offer new quiz rounds every week. Looking for something more specialised? Eventurous offer a virtual live music quiz.
Scribbl / Pictionary
Skills: Teamwork, non-verbal communication and creativity
Ideal for: Both in-person and virtual options. Cost-effective and easy to set up in the office
Scribbl and Pictionary are excellent tools for activating non-verbal communication. Splitting delegates into teams offers a competitive aspect, whilst remaining light-hearted fun. Scribbl is an excellent virtual solution, and Pictionary is easy to set up in the office to provide some low-key weekly fun for employees to let off steam and get those creative juices flowing. Discover Skribbl today.
Scavenger Hunt / Treasure Hunt
Skills: Teamwork, collaboration, communication, leadership
Ideal for: Leaving the office behind for a while
Break out into teams and have a scavenger hunt around the city. You can organise one yourself or use a professional team building service such as Eventurous, who offer iPad Treasure Hunts. These can be an excellent way for employees to demonstrate leadership and communication skills, as well as a fun way to leave the office and explore the local vicinity outdoors. Delegates will enjoy some healthy competition, and come back to the office motivated and refreshed.
Host a Cook-Off
Skills: Organisation, creativity
Ideal for: Small teams, building relationships,
A culinary team building activity that puts your skills to the test. Creating dishes requires creativity and communication. Divide participants into small teams and pick a culinary challenge. These challenges could include picking a must-use ingredient, shaped items, skills tests or making the best-looking dish. The possibilities are endless, and as an added bonus, you’ll all have something delicious to eat at the end of this activity!
Office Trivia
Skills: Communication, listening, teamwork
Ideal for: Weekly catch-ups, low budget
Office trivia is the perfect way to bring large groups of colleagues together and challenge their knowledge of the company and their colleagues. Break the company into teams, ask fun quick-fire questions, and then offer prizes for the winning team (and perhaps a consolation prize for the losing team).
Escape to the Countryside
Skills: Teamwork, communication
Ideal for: Getting out of the office for a day in the countryside
Escape the city in favour of the great outdoors with a countryside team building activity day. From archery to clay pigeon shooting, axe throwing to duck herding, you’ll be in for a day full of adrenaline and fun. Hitting targets is not just for the office! Participate in unique, diverse, and exciting activities that are sure to leave you wanting more. Discover Country Pursuits with Eventurous.
Themed Happy Hour
Skills: Creative thinking and collaboration
Ideal for: Building strong bonds within a team
Give your happy hour a personality! An interesting theme will give your happy hour a focus, tying all activities, drinks, conversation, snacks, and perhaps even your dress code together to create an engaging, fun, and memorable event. You could even ask the venue to play music or decorate to match the theme! Example themes could include colours, countries or eras (70’s, 80’s, noughties, or even the future!)
Motor Sports Day
Skills: Collaboration, communication and leadership
Ideal for: Friendly competition, one-of-a-kind experience, leaving the office
Adrenaline-inducing motorsports such as go-karting or quad biking can help your team to gain motivation and recharge in an exciting and different way. Consider that most employees rarely participate in motorsports all that often, therefore these team building activities offer an exciting experience. Combine this with a great option to learn some new skills, engage in friendly competition and of course have some FUN! Discover the Eventurous off-road selection.
Laser Tag
Skills: Collaboration, strategic thinking, listening
Ideal for: Icebreakers, building teamwork and communication skills
Another adrenaline-inducing activity for inspiring leadership and teamwork skills. Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting guns to tag designated targets. Work on your own or in teams, the choice is yours. Develop strategy and logic skills, as well as being an excellent icebreaker.
Murder Mystery
Skills: Communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving
Ideal for: Physical, hybrid and virtual workplaces.
There’s been a murder! Divide your delegates into teams of sleuths and solve puzzles, riddles and more. Murder Mysteries offer a thrilling team building experience, your employees will have to be fully engaged to uncover the clues, solve the crime and catch the killer. An interactive and collaborative team building approach that’s bound to make you laugh the whole time. Discover Virtual Murder Mysteries by Eventurous.
Kayaking / Canoeing
Skills: Communication, teamwork
Ideal for: Getting out of the office and connecting in person
Take advantage of the great outdoors with adrenaline-inducing water sports. Work together in small teams to not end up in the water! Socialise outside of the office and in a more relaxed, low pressure setting. For extra points stock up on snacks or you could even bring a picnic! Head down to your local river or lake for a great spring or summer office outing.
Virtual Cocktail Making Class
Skills: Listening and learning new skills
Ideal for: Bringing together virtual teams for a fun and easy-going session
Get boozy with a virtual cocktail making class. Socialise with colleagues from the comfort of your own home, all whilst learning new skills! This team activity is great for building relationships in small groups, as well as improving listening and communication skills in delegates. You’ll also come away armed with some mouth-watering cocktail recipes, making you an instant hit at the next party you attend! Explore the Eventurous Virtual Cocktail Making experience.
Chess Championship
Skills: Strategic-thinking, decision-making, empathy, critical thinking
Ideal for: Quiet time competition
Chess is a perfect game for the office. Get everyone in the team involved in a chess championship over several weeks. Spend quality time with each other whilst playing and observing. Develop skills such as problem-solving, critical and strategic thinking. This activity is perfect for low-key competition.
Retro Sports Day
Skills: Teamwork, leadership, collaboration
Ideal for: Large groups, in-person events
Turn back time and relive fond memories on a retro sports day. We’re talking tug-of-war, three-legged races, egg-and-spoon, beanbag races, high-jumps and so much more! A retro sports day is perfect for capturing the attention of a large group of people whilst giving teams a healthy competition atmosphere. A blast from the past for most, and a guaranteed winner for all. Explore the Eventurous Retro Sports Day solution.
Yoga / Mindfulness Session
Skills: Trust, collaboration, and empathy
Ideal for: Promoting wellbeing within your company and embedding mindfulness practices
During a yoga/mindfulness session, you may not be outwardly collaborating or communicating, but you will be creating a deeper sense of connection. Embedding mindfulness and wellbeing practices within your company have a myriad of benefits; employees will be less stressed and dedicating downtime will be appreciated by all. Sessions do not have to be long, but delegates will feel instant benefits from taking the time to practice mindfulness within their working day.
Soapbox Derby
Skills: Teamwork, collaboration, creative thinking
Ideal for: Indoor and outdoor
Ready, set, GO! Get creative with your team as you build a one-of-a-kind soapbox derby car to race around the track and earn your place on the leader board. Fun and competitive, soapbox derby team building events bring everyone together whilst having a great time. Ask Eventurous, we’re experts!
Paintball
Skills: Teamwork, communication, leadership
Ideal for: Healthy competition whilst relieving stress and boosting morale
Embark on numerous missions such as ‘capture the flag’ and ‘engage the enemy’ in adrenaline fuelled firefights. Paintball is a fantastic way to relieve stress and boost team morale. This high-energy team building activity is suitable for groups of all sizes.
Crystal Clear Challenge
Skills: Teamwork, communication, leadership
Ideal for: A versatile and varied series of activities, indoor and outdoor options available
Split into teams and undertaking a series of challenges, the crystal maze-style fun day is perfect for a mixed experience. From building leadership, to promoting teamwork, there’s something for everyone. Discover the Eventurous Crystal Clear Challenge.
Two Truths and A Lie
Skills: Communication, listening
Ideal for: Breaking the ice, introductory meeting with new employees
This is a classic fun team activity, but it’s also an excellent icebreaker event when bringing together colleagues who do not yet know one another. This is also an engaging way to introduce a new employee to the business. The rules are easy; organise the group and give everyone the opportunity to introduce themselves. In addition to providing their name, they must also say three things about themselves, one of which is a lie. The group then must deduce which of the three ‘facts’ is the lie. A fun way to bring groups together and learn about one another.
Virtual Games Night
Skills: Communication, leadership, teamwork
Ideal for: Bringing together virtual teams for a fun and competitive games session
A blast from the past, a virtual game show is an exciting and fun-filled interactive way to engage your delegates. Featuring a unique mix of activities, participants are split into teams to work through challenges to score points and ultimately win the game. This virtual team building activity is fantastic for engaging every member of your team. Discover the Eventurous Gameshow Mania.
Sales Exercise
Skills: Teamwork, creative thinking
Ideal for: Engaging creative thoughts and encouraging new teams to work together
This activity encourages creative thinking from all teams. In this exercise, each team is given an item. The teams each have 5 minutes to come up with an advertising campaign. The most creative campaign wins the round. This event could be a 5-minute pre-meeting icebreaker, or could become a longer activity with multiple rounds, levels and objects.
A Night at the Races
Skills: Communication, listening, and also luck!
Ideal for: A competitive evening activity to let off steam
Place your bets! Hosting a race night is an excellent way to reconnect and energise delegates. Guaranteed to get your heart racing, virtual race nights bring colleagues together, without the stress of planning a trip to your local racetrack. Discover the Eventurous Virtual Race Night.
Do Something Touristy
Skills: Organisation, timekeeping, communication
Ideal for: Leaving the office behind for a while
Pick a popular tourist destination in your local city and go as a team. You could visit a museum or gallery, experience live music, or tour a local brewery or factory. The possibilities are endless, and you might even learn something new! This activity could be especially exciting for delegates who have recently moved into the area, or for teams who are remote.
Multi-Activity Days
Skills: Organisation, timekeeping, communication
Ideal for: Leaving the office behind for a while, developing teamwork skills beyond daily work constraints
Why not create a custom schedule for your team, with a multi-activity day. This could be either online, indoors or outdoors. With activities for all skill sets and physical capabilities, creating a custom timetable could be the perfect solution for your team. Multi-activity days are especially useful for large groups who are keen to spend a whole day together reconnecting in person and developing relationships. Team building and reconnection in this way is predicted to become extremely important in the next few years. Ask Eventurous to organise your multi-activity day.
Go Camping
Skills: Communication, teamwork, life skills
Ideal for: A low-key bonding experience with a small group
Warning: This one won’t be for everyone…
Get away from the chaos of daily life for a while and head out to a local camping hot spot. Bond with colleagues over hot chocolate and smores, tell ghost stories, light a campfire, and let your hair down for a while. You could go for a team walk, take a dip in a lake, build a fort or undertake an ‘I’m a Celeb’ style challenge. The possibilities for fun are endless.
Take a trip
Skills: Communication, teamwork, listening, problem solving
Ideal for: Boosting team morale, rewarding employees’ efforts, and connecting remote workers
Travel the world, virtually of course! Reconnect and reward your team with a memorable virtual trip, all from the comfort of your own homes. Discover new cities and cultures, and enjoy different activities throughout your trip. Discover Eventurous Passport Pursuits, navigate across the globe and solve a series of cunning clue-based challenges.
Idea Workshops
Skills: Communication, listening, collaboration
Ideal for: Encouraging all team members to have their voices heard
Hear us out. Forbes reports that 74% of employees report they are more effective at their job when they feel heard. Encouraging delegates to come together and brainstorm together can be just as important as the more ‘fun’ team building activities. Ideas workshops can encourage great collaboration, active participation, and some really great ideas for the company or department to work on. They can also become a great tool for opening communication in the company, particularly for new employees or those lacking in confidence.
Mini Olympics
Skills: Teamwork, collaboration, communication, listening
Ideal for: Inspiring drive and determination, as well as competitive games.
Go for gold with an Olympic games-style team building solution. Inspire drive and dedication in your team with Olympic sports events. Choosing from a variety of activities, engage your whole team with challenges they can all get stuck into. From retro athletics to Olympiad challenges, see what Eventurous has to offer.
Give Something Back
Skills: Teamwork, collaboration
Ideal for: Low key team building which gives back to your community
No matter where your office is based, there are undoubtedly people in your local community who are less fortunate. We suggest picking a cause and encouraging your team to do some good. This could be raising money for charity, donating old toys, selling lemonade to pay for school supplies, or even something as simple as litter picking. We guarantee that coming together to give back to your community will not only bring your team together but has the potential to bring your community together.
Team Movie Night
Skills: Communication, empathy, listening
Ideal for: A low-key activity, a natural crowd pleaser
A low-key movie night is a perfect way for participants to feel connected. Whether virtual or in person, this solution is sure to go down a treat. Encourage delegates to bring along their favourite snacks and drinks to share with the group. An alternative could be to encourage all employees to watch a specific TV show, which then becomes the focal point for group discussion every week.
Art Class
Skills: Creativity, learning new skills
Ideal for: Learning new skills and connecting in a relaxed setting
If you’re looking for a more laid-back team building activity, taking a group activity like an art class is the perfect solution. Either in person or online, this can be an excellent way to reconnect in a relaxed and low-key environment. Take a painting class, or perhaps a sculpture class to get your creative juices flowing.
Lunchtime / Mental Health Walks
Skills: Creative thinking, teamwork, collaboration
Ideal for: Finding adventure around the office, no cost, great for mental health
Another low-key option for teambuilding could be to encourage delegates to participate in a lunchtime walk once a week. Not only does this encourage your team to up their fitness, but it also gives them the opportunity to form organic relationships with colleagues in a more relaxed setting.
It’s A Knockout!
Skills: Teamwork, communication, collaboration
Ideal for: Maximum engagement in all participants, competitive fun
We may be a little biased on this one, but for a day to go down in company history, this is the best event ever. Based on the popular British TV show, teams go head-to-head in a non-stop frenzy of wacky challenges. Brimming to the edges with fun, this team building activity is our fan favourite in the summer months. Participants will work together to complete challenges designed to break down barriers, build relationships and boost morale. Discover It’s a Knockout.
