Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Put strategic thinking to the test with the Strategy Showdown: Board Game Bonanza challenge. Teams will face off in a series of classic board games that require cunning tactics and clever maneuvers. From chess to Uno, participants will showcase their ability to strategize and outwit opponents. This challenge highlights the importance of strategic collaboration in achieving collective goals.

Instructions

• Select a variety of strategic board games.
• Divide participants into teams and assign each team to a different board game.
• Teams compete in rounds of board games, earning points based on their performance.
• Declare the team with the most points the ‘Board Game Bonanza’ champions.

How to play Competitive Human knots

Human knot is a popular team-building activity that requires at least 6 people. To play, everyone stands in a circle, puts their hands into the center, and grabs somebody else’s hands with their own (ensuring they’re holding 1 hand from 2 different people).

The group then attempts to untangle themselves without letting go – ducking, twisting, and climbing over each other as they go. It’s fun, chaotic, difficult, and great for uniting teams, having fun, improving communication, and honing leadership skills.

In Competitive Human Knots, we take things to a new level.

This time, you separate your large group into separate teams of 6+ people and pit them against each other! The first team to untangle themselves wins. Alternatively, you could set a time limit to stop the activity from taking too long. The team that’s made the most progress by the end, wins.

Looking for a quick team-building activity to refine your group‘s listening skills before a meeting? Then Stop-Walk is the game for you!

Great for: Listening skills

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 8+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Stop-Walk

Setup: Find a large room and delegate one person to be the “leader.”

To play: The game starts simply. The leader introduces two basic instructions: “stop” and “walk.” When the leader says “walk,” everybody starts walking around, and when he/she says “stop,” everybody stops. Then, the leader announces that the meanings of these phrases have now been reversed, so “stop” means “walk” and “walk” now means “stop.” Once the group has got to grips with these commands, the leader can slowly introduce new pairs of commands such as “clap” and “jump,” now and again reversing the meanings. Whenever somebody performs the wrong action, they are eliminated from the game.

How to play Pick an accomplishment

For most people, it feels really awkward to share their successes. For your next meeting, break the ice by having everyone on the call share their latest accomplishment. Whether that’s a work related achievement or a personal goal like their best time in a 10k, you can create a safe space for people to brag and learn more about what their co-workers care about.

Got You! is a rapid icebreaker designed to lighten the mood for the day ahead. The idea behind the game is simple, catch the other person finger while avoiding the other person from catching yours.

How to play Got You!

To play the game, arrange your group into a circle with a little space between each player. Next, ask each player to stick out their left palm towards the player to their left with the palm face up. Then, ask the players to rest the index finger of their right hand onto the palm of the player to their right. When the moderator shouts “Go!” the players must attempt to catch the index finger of the player to their left while avoiding the player to their right from catching theirs.

After gathering everyone together in a remote arena, a game of Emoji Communication is a great way to get teams working together. This game highlights how easy it is to misinterpret digital messages and the importance of thoughtful communication. It helps members build agile skills where tone and context need extra clarification.

Set up:

One person in the remote meeting is chosen as the messenger. They create a message, a clear and cohesive sentence using only emojis. No words allowed! Everyone else works by a timer and writes down their guesses. Dish out points for correct guesses and rotate the messenger. Some example sentences to start you off could be:

"Let’s grab coffee and chat" ☕👫💬
"Team celebration tonight!" 🎉🍻🎶🕺
"Emergency! Need a quick solution" 🚨🧠⚙️⏳

Here’s another awesome improv game that hones team collaboration through group interaction and shared contribution. This time, though, it involves storytelling.

Have you ever reminisced about a past event with a close friend or family member? Feels good, right? It sparks nostalgia, puts a smile on your face, and solidifies your bond with whoever you’re talking to in the process.

Remember When takes that idea and puts a new spin on it…

How to play Remember when

Sitting as a team, you go around the group “remembering” an event that you’re actually making up on the spot! Begin the game by introducing a make-believe memory that the team experienced together. For instance, “Remember when we went to see the Super Bowl together?”

Each person then adds another detail, creating a story of your time together as you go. The more creative, random, or outrageous the details, the better! Taking left turns and adding funny nuances to the “memory” helps bring out people’s personalities, sparks giggles, and brings the team closer together.

Want to add a twist to this improv game? Why not make a rule that you have to keep a straight face throughout it? If you smile, laugh, or even chortle to yourself – whether you’re adding the detail or hearing someone else’s – then you’re out!

As you’d expect, adding this competitive element invites employees to say funnier and more outrageous things in a bid to up the ante and make their colleagues giggle. It should also lead to greater engagement and a more enjoyable experience overall.

How to play Suggestion box raffle

If you’re looking for ways to improve morale and enhance communication, try having everyone write down some thoughts. Many times, people don’t want to take the time to do so (or they’re nervous to share their real opinions). Incentivize idea-sharing by holding raffles on various entries. Have everyone write their idea, question, or discussion item down on a piece of paper and put them all in a box. Pick a few entries at random and hand out prizes accordingly.

How to play Blind square

Working through a common challenge is an excellent way to engage large teams. This is an outdoor-friendly activity that you begin by telling the team that their job is to make a single length of rope into a perfect square. Sounds easy enough, but the catch is that they must do so blind-folded. Before being blindfolded, give everyone about 15 minutes to make a plan. Then, blindfolds go on and the teams get to work! First team to achieve a perfect square is the winner. Remember to bring enough blindfolds for everyone.

How to play Egg and Spoon Race

An egg and spoon race is another game that’s as fun for adults as it is for children! It’s also incredibly simple. As the name suggests, all you need is an egg and spoon for each participant. From there, you set a start and end point, line everyone up with the egg balanced on their spoon, and blow a whistle for the race to begin!

The first person to cross the finish line with their egg still intact wins. If someone drops their egg on the way, they must stop and pick it back up using only their spoon (no hands allowed!) before continuing.

Want to make the game less messy? Consider boiling the eggs beforehand. It’ll stop them from cracking when dropped, reducing the amount of cleaning up you’ll do when everyone’s ready to go home. You’ll be able to re-use the eggs, too – a bonus if you’re running multiple egg-and-spoon races throughout the day.

Oh, and don’t hesitate to combine this Field game for adults with the three-legged race we mentioned earlier! Making participants balance an egg on a spoon while their leg’s also joined to a teammate’s is a recipe for fun.

How to play Pirate ship exercise

This icebreaker is a unique way to learn everyone’s different perceptions and what they bring to the table. Start by drawing a large pirate ship on a chalk or white board. Then go around the room and have each person describe who they would be on the ship, and why. For example, someone might say they would be the cook, because they love to provide for others.

Someone else might say they would be the first mate, because they like to be in charge without being an authority figure. This is a fun way to learn about how people see themselves, which can help you to work with them better in the future.

For this game, you need a large space to accommodate everyone.

Here is what to do:

1. Have all players get together and form a circle.
2. Choose a random item within your reach and give each player up to 60 seconds to pitch to other participants.
3. Have everyone focus on the notable features and try not to repeat a sellable attribute that another participant mentions.
4. Any player who cannot remember a feature within 60 seconds leaves the game.
5. The last standing player is the winner.

No list of Field Day games for adults would be complete without tug-of-war. A classic team-building activity, it’s suitable for both small and large teams (although having an even number of people helps) and always goes down a treat!

How to play Tug of War

To play, you’ll need a long, thick rope with a piece of material tied at the center and two equal teams of roughly the same strength. From there, you:

• Mark a centreline on the ground
• Lay the rope in a straight line so the flag/material is next to it
• Get each team to stand in a row next to one half of the rope, facing the opposite team. The centreline should be equidistant between them
• Get the players to pick up the rope and prepare to pull
• Blow a whistle so the teams start pulling (or “tugging”) against each other.

A battle ensues, with each team pulling as hard as they can, slipping and straining with each passing second! The first team to pull each member of the opposition across the centreline wins.

Your employees will work in teams to build the most durable boat using nothing but cardboard, sticky tape and their creativity. Whose will travel the furthest before it sinks?

Great for: Teamwork, creative thinking

Duration: 1–2 hours

You’ll need: Cardboard, tape, table tennis rackets

How to play:

• Find a suitable location to perform the boat races, i.e. a pond or swimming pool.
• Divide your group into teams of about 5–6 players, then give each team some sheets of cardboard and a few rolls of tape.
• Set a time limit for the build. Once the time is up, ask each team to present their creations and explain why theirs is best.
• Finally, ask each team to delegate a captain (it’s best to choose somebody small and light).
• Hand each captain a pair of table tennis rackets (this will help them to propel their vessel) and ask them to take their boats to the water’s edge.
• When the starting pistol fires, the captains will scramble into their vessels and paddle as fast as they can while their teammates cheer them on. The team to paddle the furthest wins.

How to play:

Provide teams with a variety of puzzles, such as jigsaw puzzles, riddles, or brain teasers. Once they finish one puzzle, they progress to the next. The team who can finish the quickest is the winner.

Materials needed: Assorted puzzles

Benefits:

• Stimulated out-of-the-box thinking: Say goodbye to ordinary solutions! This game pushes your team members to think outside the puzzle box and explore unconventional approaches. Witness a creativity explosion as they discover innovative perspectives and solutions.
• Fostered collaborative triumphs: Witness the power of teamwork as your employees join forces to conquer challenging puzzles. It's like a symphony of puzzle-solving brilliance, with each team member adding their unique piece to complete the magnificent masterpiece. Collaboration never felt so victorious!

How to play:

Provide teams with sculpting materials such as clay, Play-Doh, or modeling clay. Challenge them to create sculptures based on given themes or prompts, encouraging imaginative interpretations and creative expression. Select a judge to choose the best one to determine a winner.

Example: The prompt says design a Simpsons character with play-doh (unintentional pun).

Materials needed: Sculpting materials (clay, Play-Doh, modeling clay)

Benefits:

• Tangible manifestation of creativity: Get ready to witness magic in action as your team members mold and shape their creative visions into physical forms. Their sculptures will be concrete proof of their incredible imagination, leaving everyone in awe and inspired.
• Celebration of individuality: Embrace the uniqueness and diversity of interpretations as each team member unveils their extraordinary sculpture. This game creates an environment that celebrates individuality and appreciates the creative expressions of others.

Here’s an improv game for team collaboration that focuses on creativity, attention to detail, and enhancing the connection between colleagues.

How to play Mirrors

As the name suggests, it asks pairs of workmates to team up, face each other, and to imagine they have a double-sided mirror between them. In essence, they pretend the colleague opposite them is their mirror image.

One of them then takes the lead by initiating movements of some sort. They can do anything they want! Raising their hand, bending forwards, crouching down, jumping on the spot…It doesn’t matter. All they have to do is move slowly and in silence.

The other person’s task is to mirror those actions and gestures.

So, if their partner lifts their left hand to the sky, they’d lift their right hand (remember, it’s a mirror image!). And if their partner starts doing star jumps and pretending they’re a 70s aerobics instructor, then they have to do the same!

Be sure to mix things up by changing roles and partners every few minutes. Oh, and try to make the movements more complex, intense, and/or bizarre as time goes by. At the end of the task, you’ll feel energized, positive, and aligned as a team.

How to play Faux job interviews

This is a fun game for anyone who considers themselves a smooth talker. Within your group, pair everyone off into groups of two. Have one person come up with a job, and the other person should share reasons why they are the perfect candidate in a fake interview. The sillier the job title, the more fun the responses.

For example, a job might be “ice cream taster” or “dollhouse interior decorator”. Which traits does the other person have that would make them ideal for that role? This is also a fun way to learn more about your coworkers special talents and characteristics.

Who are we kidding? Everybody knows that working from home includes barking dogs, screaming children and make-shift offices. This activity is designed to discover the ‘working environment’ of your colleagues.

How to play ‘Welcome to my crib...‘

Colleagues will take it in turns to give a short tour of their house, showing where they work, where they go for lunch, etc. This builds more human connections between employees.

While not a group activity per se, this technique is great for allowing employees to practice goal setting in their own working time. The Pomodoro Technique is a disciplined time management method that encourages working in focused, concentrated bursts, separated by short breaks. Here's how it works:

• Choose a task you want to work on. Set a timer for 25 minutes (this is one "Pomodoro").
• Focus solely on the task at hand until the timer rings. Avoid any distractions or interruptions during this time.
• After 25 minutes, take a short break of 5 minutes. Use this time to stretch, take a walk, or do something enjoyable.
• Repeat the process. After completing four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes.

The Pomodoro Technique is like your best friend for productivity and discipline. It can start to feel like a game, especially when you’re racing against the clock, meaning that it may not even feel like work sometimes. Plus, it’s a game that gives rewards! Those short breaks are vacations for your brain and great incentive to get work done.  So, if you're aiming for setting and reaching goals at work, Pomodoro is the technique for you!

How to play Bad idea parade

In this activity, teams are tasked with coming up with the worst possible solutions to a business problem. Whether it’s “replace all employees with robots” or “sell ice cream in the middle of winter,” the goal is to think outside the box in the worst possible way. This activity allows people to bond through humor while also getting them to think creatively about real solutions. Reverse engineering these bad ideas often leads to practical and effective ones.

This is a fun twist on the traditional brainstorming session because it encourages people to loosen up and not be afraid of making mistakes. By focusing on what not to do, participants are more willing to take risks, which often leads to the discovery of innovative ideas.

Looking for an energizer that’s great for enhancing the group dynamic as well? This one should do the trick.

How to play Walk and stop in sync

Simple and sweet, start by asking everybody to stand side by side in a line – preferably in a large space – before issuing a simple instruction:

“Walk forward together and then stop at the same time.”

The catch is that they’re not allowed to talk! Whether they communicate through body language, facial expressions, and/or entering some sort of group consciousness, they have to walk and stop in sync, without speaking.

Keep going until they achieve the goal and consider debriefing when they’re done. What did they learn? How did it feel? What lessons will they take forward?

How to play Time capsule sharing

This one requires some preparation, but it pays off when everyone executes it. Prior to your meeting, or whichever event you have organized, ask people to create a small time capsule that would help a stranger understand what their life was like.

The capsule should be no bigger than a shoebox (good options are small boxes, gallon size freezer bags, or brown paper bags). Have them fill it with about 5 things that are representative of them and the life they live. Have them get creative and have fun with it! Then, use the first hour of the event to have everyone share their time capsule and explain their choices. You can also take things a step further.

If this event is an annual one, keep all the time capsules and put them in storage, with a reminder to get them out after 10 years. In the future, it will be fun for employees - both new ones and any who still remain from the original event - to go through the time capsules and learn about what was going on a decade ago.

Paper Chains is a simple game that can be played by small or large groups. The aim of the game is for teams to build the longest paper chain without talking while using ONLY their dominant hand.

Great for: Communication, problem-solving, leadership

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: A4 paper, sticky tape, scissors

How to play Paper Chains

Setup: Separate your group into teams of 4-5 players and hand each team several sheets of A4 paper, a roll of sticky tape and a pair of scissors. Then, ask each team to allocate a team leader.

To play: Escort the team leaders from the room and explain the rules of the game in private. The rules are as follows: Teams must attempt to build the longest paper chain without talking while using only their dominant hand. Once the leaders understand the rules, they have 30 seconds to convey them to their team and devise a quick strategy. Then, teams have just three minutes to start building their paper chains. The team with the longest paper chain at the end of the three minutes wins.