Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play 6 word memoir

This is a challenging exercise that is good for creativity as well as getting more personal. To complete it, have each person use six words to describe their life up until this point, then share it with the group. They can pick six random words that describe their life, or they can create a sort of title based on experiences. It will be interesting to see the different approaches people take to this.

Ever thought puns could be more than just a groan-inducing joke? Enter the Pun Battle, where quick wit and humor go head-to-head in a hilarious showdown. It's the ultimate test of pun prowess!

How to play

1. Assemble your colleagues who are up for a punny challenge. Make sure you have a clear space for the contest.
2. Participants pair off for 1v1 battles. Decide who goes first, perhaps with a coin toss.
3. The first punster delivers their pun, aiming to make their opponent laugh. The opponent must maintain a poker face.
4. The puns can be on any topic or theme (within reason), and the goal is to be as clever and funny as possible. There's no room for mercy in this pun war!
5. If the opponent laughs, even just a giggle, the punster who made them crack up wins the round.
6. The victor stays in the ring for the next challenger. Keep the laughter going until you have a reigning pun champion.
7. After the contest, discuss the power of puns in breaking the ice and improving active listening.

Not something that can be played as a group, but something that can really help with setting goals. Habitica is an online platform and mobile app that gamifies goal-setting and task management. It transforms your goals and habits into a role-playing game where you create a character, set goals, and earn rewards for completing tasks.

In this game, you begin by crafting a character to embody you. Input your tasks, habits, and daily goals, each linked to a specific achievement. Successfully completing these earns in-game rewards, like experience points and virtual currency, allowing your character to level up, unlock new features, and face challenges. Neglecting tasks or failing incurs consequences for your in-game character.

This game shows the person first-hand what it’s like to set a clear goal and how it feels to reap the rewards. It also shows the person that not meeting your goal will result in consequences. In theory, this can be then applied in real-life work!

Top Tip: Set this as homework for all the group!

If your team members work with each other daily, they probably already have a good system of teamwork. However, crafting a relay activity can really amplify and broaden the way teams function together. A cross-team relay involves “handing off” completed stages of a larger project. Here’s how to set it up:

Set up:

Create teams of 5 or 6 members. Each team member needs one hypothetical role in a shared project. An example could be designing a product feature. Introduce or reinforce the concept of a “sprint,” which is extremely important to agile working. Use a timer for this “short sprint” period, where each person completes their segment, then “hands off” their work to the next member. After a few rounds, bring everyone together to review the finished product, and reflect on each step of the handover. The aim is for seamless collaboration between each handover.

Some of the best improv games for team collaboration are also the simplest. Here’s one that falls into this category, while still helping to a) lighten the mood and b) build the connections that are so fundamental to successful teamwork.

How to play Near and far

Near and Far asks participants to do 3 things:

1. Stay as close as possible to one person of their choice
2. Stay as far as possible from someone else of their choice
3. Stay silent throughout the game

They decide in secret who they’ll be sticking close to and who they’ll be avoiding, then set to work! What follows is a fun and fascinating process of trying to accomplish these 2 competing tasks.

The office becomes an ant’s nest, with employees in constant motion, weaving around the room in a bid to dodge some people and stay next to others.

For example, what happens if Person A has picked Person B to stay close to, but Person B chose them as the employee they have to stay away from? A chase ensues! The fact nobody can talk adds another fun element to proceedings.

Near and Far doesn’t just force teammates to adopt creative systems and behaviors to achieve their goals, but it also opens up interesting conversations about group dynamics. Consider debriefing at the end of the task to see how everyone felt about it. What was it like to have to do both things at once? What were their takeaways?

Imagine your team venturing into the wilderness, not just for a casual hike, but for an exhilarating Outdoor Survival Race. You'll rely on each other's skills to navigate the wilds, decode puzzles, and conquer challenges. This is more than teamwork; it's about trust, communication, and strategizing under pressure. As you tackle Mother Nature's obstacles together, you'll find yourselves delegating tasks, sharing ideas, and building unbreakable bonds.

Instructions

• Create diverse teams for varied perspectives.
• Equip each team with maps and survival tools.
• Progress by solving puzzles at checkpoints.
• Delegate tasks based on strengths and communicate clearly.
• Prioritize safety by sharing essential survival tips before setting off.

With digital playbook, employees create short user manuals or intro videos explaining how they work best—whether it’s preferred meeting times, communication styles, or favorite work snacks. It’s like a cheat sheet for collaborating effectively!

This activity helps teams understand each other’s work preferences and habits, which can make remote teamwork smoother and more enjoyable.

How to play:

• Each team member creates a short video or document explaining how they work best.
• Share the playbooks with the team so everyone can reference them.
• Use the playbooks to understand teammates' work habits and collaborate better!

For more fun team-building activities for work that strengthen communication and connection, explore our full guide.

Recurring group activities like after-work running clubs are a great way of making team-building a regular feature in your team’s schedule.

What’s more, healthy activities like jogging and yoga boost employee well-being, job satisfaction and company culture while giving employees a chance to bond outside of the office.

Great for: Company culture, job satisfaction, employee well-being, interpersonal relationships

Duration: 30 minutes

You’ll need: N/A

How to start:

• Arrange a regular running schedule for your employees to register. It’s wise to create multiple groups for different fitness levels.
• Pin a running calendar to the staff room wall, detailing the different group times.

Explanation:

‍Teams create a movie poster that represents their remote work experience using an online design tool like Canva. The poster can be as funny, creative, or wild as the team wants.

For the hybrid version, remote workers and in-office teams collaborate to create a movie poster that captures the essence of remote or hybrid work life. Everyone can contribute ideas through online brainstorming, and both remote and in-office team members use design tools like Canva to put it all together. Maybe it’s a comedy about juggling work and life or an action-packed poster showcasing the chaos of virtual meetings. It’s a fun, collaborative way for employees to show off their creativity and storytelling skills.

Everybody knows how to build a paper plane, but who can do it the best? In this creative team game, employees go head to head to build the best paper plane!

Great for: Teamwork, creative thinking

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 4+

You’ll need: Various stationery supplies including paper, sticky tape and scissors

How to play Paper Plane Parade

Setup: Divide your group into even teams and hand each team a matching set of stationery supplies. Each set should include paper, sticky tape and scissors, but feel free to add other items such as glitter, googly eyes, etc.

To play: When the timer starts, the teams have five minutes to construct a paper plane using the supplies they were given. When the time is up, position the teams behind a line and ask them to throw their creations, one by one. The planes will be judged on three criteria: the plane that travelled the furthest, the plane that flew for the longest and the plane that looked the best. It’s up to you whether you inform your group of these criteria before or after the creation process.

How to play What’s new (in my office)?

If you have a lot of virtual meetings with the same people, it can be a fun idea to throw in some changes now and then. For this game, send out a note prior to the meeting instructing everyone to add one new thing to their normal working space or background. Then, during the meeting, everyone should take turns observing the work space of their colleagues and seeing if they can point out what’s new.

The new item can be anything from a plant on the desk to a silly poster on the wall. Obviously, this game only works well for people who are used to being in virtual events in the same space with their camera on. For that reason, it’s a nice way to mix up daily status meetings or weekly department meetings.

John: Hey, what’s your favourite superhero movie?

Jane: 🕷👨

John: Really? Batman’s my favourite too!

Jane: 🤦

If you’re like John, you won’t be any good at the Emoji Quiz. But if you’re like the other 99% of the population, capable of deciphering emojis without a second thought, then we have the perfect game for you!

Great for: Creative thinking, problem-solving

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 4+

You’ll need: A list of movie, book or song titles written in emojis

How to play Emoji Quiz

Setup: Before playing Emoji Quiz, you need to create a list of movie, song or book titles written in emoji form. Here are a few examples:

• ⚫ 🦅 ⏬ = Black Hawk Down (film)
• 🍍 🚄 = Pineapple Express (film)
• 🐦 🐦 🐦 = Three Little Birds (song)

To play: Separate your group into equal teams. Then, display each title (written in emojis) on a screen and ask the teams to write down the name of the movie, song or book. Once you’ve asked all your questions, go back and reveal the answers. The team with the most correct answers wins!

How to play Name dropping

Players should try to name as many [type of people] as they can in one minute. You might choose celebrities or athletes, or get even more specific by choosing baseball players or eighties bands, for example. Whoever comes up with the most names in 60 seconds wins.

Explanation:

‍Teams compete to create the funniest or most relatable memes about remote work life using online meme generators. Afterwards, everyone votes on the best one.

In the hybrid version, both remote and in-office teams get together to create the most hilarious or relatable meme about their work experience. Using online meme generators, each team collaborates to capture the ups and downs of remote work life—whether it’s Wi-Fi issues, Zoom fatigue, or the joys of working in pyjamas. Once the memes are created, they’re shared with the whole team for a vote. After all, who doesn’t love a good meme to brighten things up?

How to play Breakfast Guessing

This game is super simple and doesn’t require any props. Players simply take turns guessing what other colleagues had for breakfast that morning. To make it more interesting, the team can collectively ask up to three questions to narrow down their options. For example, they might ask if it was a cold item, or whether it was savory or sweet.

Sometimes people get really creative, asking questions like “Did it come from a blender?” or “Would fancy restaurant serve this food?” Warning: this game does tend to get people thinking about food, so make sure you have a plan in place for your next snack or meal.

How to play March madness

Take advantage of a competition that’s already going on! Build off of the energy of March Madness and encourage staff to participate. Have people create brackets and keep track throughout the series. You can take things to a new level by adding in a few other themed challenges like a desk decorating contest or make your own jersey day. If you go this route, you can assign points for each challenge to go along with bracket performance.

Nothing brings people together like food. Feast & connect is all about gathering your team for a casual lunch, giving everyone a chance to chat, relax, and build relationships outside the usual work talk. No pressure, just good food and conversation.

This laid-back team-building activity is perfect for boosting morale, sparking new connections, and strengthening bonds over shared meals. It’s a nice break from the hustle and a great way to show appreciation for your team. Plus, who doesn’t love a good lunch?

How to play:

• Organize a team lunch with a relaxed, casual setting.
• Encourage conversation and bonding over food.
• Use the opportunity to strengthen team connections and morale.

This game is another version of story-telling, but with a few twists that make it a little more involved. This game is really more of an improv exercise.

How to play Late for work

1. Begin by choosing a “stage” where the game will play out - it should be a spot that everyone present has a clear view of.
2. The first person will kick things off by entering the space and pretending to be late for work. They should come up with a funny or outlandish reason why they are late, and elaborate.
3. A second person will play the “boss” and ask why they are late. Here again, the more personality they show, the better. Once those two complete their “scene”, they sit down to observe the others, and the process begins again.
4. Two more volunteers will come up and improv the late to work scene, using a new work venue and new excuses. The game is complete once everyone has had a chance to pair off and do the exercise.

This game takes a little more precision than the others and needs a steady hand. Cup Tower Jenga can be played in teams or as a solo cup game. You’ll need some medium-sized index cards. If you can’t get index cards, try cutting up some A4 paper. Make sure the paper has a similar weight, around 150gsm. If the paper is too light, it won’t support the cups’ weight. Each sheet needs to be big enough to fit an upside-down paper cup. Now let’s set the game up.

Set-up:

1. Stack up a tower: Each participant needs four cups and a table in front of them. On the table, they need to build a tower of upside-down cups, four cups high. Between each upside-down cup should be placed 1 index card.
2. Carefully deconstruct: One at a time, players need to slide out an index card, so that the cup above neatly falls over and contains the cup beneath it. Precision beats strength here. If the construction is rushed, or cards aren’t pulled perfectly, the whole tower is likely to fall down. If the tower falls before the 4 paper cups are perfectly stacked, they need to rebuild and try again.

Try this one out in pairs, with one person being the builder and one as the demolition expert. They’ll likely strategize together. The first pair to stack 4 wins!

Think of it as a personal space bubble. Respecting boundaries shows you care about colleagues' comfort and that respect creates a smoother vibe in the office.

Respect boundaries activity - "Personal preferences" icebreaker:

• Prepare a list of thought-provoking questions related to work habits, communication styles and personal preferences.
• Gather colleagues in a relaxed setting and facilitate a group discussion by asking the questions.
• Participants take turns sharing their responses, providing insights into their preferences and boundaries.
• Encourage colleagues to actively listen and engage in discussions to better understand each other's perspectives.
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This icebreaker activity promotes open conversations about boundaries and encourages mutual respect.

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.

Imagine a workplace activity that draws inspiration from the intense suspense of "Squid Game" while honing active listening skills. That's "Green Light, Red Light" – a thrilling and enlightening game that can elevate your workplace communication.

How to play

1. Assemble your colleagues in a designated space where you have room to move.
2. Choose one person to be the "Leader" and the rest as "Followers." The Leader stands at one end, and the Followers form a line facing them.
3. The objective is for the Followers to reach the Leader without being caught moving when the Leader says "Red Light."
4. The Leader begins walking away from the Followers, shouting "Green Light!" This is the signal for Followers to advance towards the Leader.
5. At any point, the Leader can yell "Red Light!" and turn around. When this happens, Followers must freeze immediately. Anyone caught moving is out of the round.
6. The game continues until one of the Followers reaches the Leader without getting caught moving. That person becomes the new Leader.
7. After each round, take a moment to discuss the importance of listening carefully to verbal cues and rotate roles so everyone has a chance to lead.

This guessing game is more than just a fun activity to pass the time; it’s a chance for your colleagues to learn about each other on a personal level.

How to play:

• Make a list of real-life or fictional characters that your employees are familiar with (celebrities, historical figures, or people in your industry).
• Divide employees into teams and assign each team a character.
• Take turns asking yes or no questions about the other teams' characters until you guess who it is.
• Once a team identifies a character, they are eliminated.
• Continue until only one team remains with a character that hasn't been eliminated.

This game promotes teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving skills in a lighthearted way. Additionally, it is a great way to add some fun to the workday while getting to know your employees.

Here’s a fast-paced improv game that encourages creative thinking and imbues energy into the room. It’s ideal for those Monday morning meetings when everyone’s feeling sluggish, or as a warm-up exercise on a team-building retreat!

What Are You Doing revolves around miming – i.e. using gestures, body movements, and facial expressions to act something out. That’s one reason it’s so fun! It’s light-hearted, silly, and gets people moving.

How to play What are you doing?

To play, you get everyone to stand in a circle, then ask one person to imagine a certain action and start miming it. The action itself can be anything they want! Washing the dishes, taking the kids to school, throwing a baseball, brushing their hair, cleaning their teeth…the world is their oyster.

After a short while, someone else steps forward and asks, “What are you doing?”

The twist is that whoever’s miming must say a completely different action to the one they’re doing! Instead of cleaning their teeth, for example, they could say they’re putting their shoes on or amputating someone’s leg. Whoever stepped forward to ask what they were doing must then perform that action.

This process continues until everyone has had a turn miming. Try to keep the game moving and encourage people to be creative with the actions/responses.

Oh, and feel free to add another element to the game, whereby you decide who goes next. Rather than going around the circle or jumping in whenever they want, you could point at the next mime – or make eye contact with them.

Heads up, this game is best for smaller groups if you don’t have much time to spare. You want everyone to have a go miming an action, which can take a while when you have dozens of people on the team!