Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play Ring Toss

Remember the ring toss idea we talked about in the Hula Hoop Games section above? Well, another option for your Field Day would be to forget the hula hoops and do it the old-fashioned way, with actual rings or loops of rope.

You can buy ready-made ring toss sets online. But if you want to save money without sacrificing fun, why not create a DIY version? Things like bottles with rice inside make great targets. And Frisbees, self-tied loops of rope, or paper plates with the middle cut out can work as rings.

Whatever setup you choose, ring toss is always an engaging and accessible activity. Lay out the targets, assign point values, split into teams, and then see who can “ring up” the biggest score. We recommend making it a tournament. Give everyone a chance to play each other before moving into knock-out rounds and an eventual final! Award prizes to the winners.

Want to do something totally different? Play rounds of Human Ring Toss. In this version, one member of the team becomes the target, and their teammates attempt to throw inflatable pool/swimming rings over their heads! Whoever’s the target needs to be slim for it to work, but it’s definitely a novel twist on a classic game.

How to play Failing success

Sometimes the best way to learn how to be successful is to fully understand what not to do. For this game, have everyone right down their goals, and then write several ways they could not reach them. For instance, you might have people list their goals for this particular training. Then have them write down a few things that would ensure they don’t meet those objectives, like not paying attention or skipping note-taking.

The Human Spring teaches participants the value of trust, cooperation, and interdependence – three core qualities of effective teams. If your workforce appears divided, there’s been recent conflict, or levels of collaboration seem to be dwindling, then we highly recommend it!

Here’s how to play:

Divide the team into pairs (consider doing this for them in order to break up the usual cliques and encourage mingling), ensuring that partners are of a similar size.

Next, ask the pairs to face each other and put their hands up, with their elbows bent, and palms facing the other person. They then have to put their palms together (i.e. person A’s palms should be touching person B’s) and lean towards each other, bit by bit, until they’re holding one another up.

That’s the easy bit! The real challenge comes next, when they have to start moving their feet further and further back, while keeping their palms together.

The beauty of this exercise is that each rearward shuffle makes it harder to stay upright without the support of their partner.

Eventually, their feet should be so far back that they’re relying solely on their teammate to stay upright. The pair with the greatest distance between their feet is the winner. They should then swap partners and do it all again!

What you need:

• N/A

Archery is a classic game that also can be a little dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Luckily, there is a way to play the game, office style, using a common stationary material: the rubber band.

How to play Rubber band archery

Instead of a bow and arrow, players use their fingers to pull back the band and shoot it at the target. Marking out a spot on the floor with packing tape, team members all shoot from the same location at the target, which can be anything that makes it evident that it was hit, like a bell or bowling pin.

How to play Cold call bingo

A light-hearted game that can help with dreaded cold calling skills is bingo. For this activity, you need to break up more senior sales people from less experienced ones. You’ll have two groups (senior and junior). Give each junior participant a bingo card with 24 sales-related prompts. Have the junior reps listen to the more senior ones make calls and fill in their bingo cards accordingly. Once they have filled in their card - like in normal bingo - they win. Some of the prompts to add to the card could include:

1. “Call back tomorrow”
2. “We’re not interested”
3. “You need to talk to someone else”
4. “You’re too pricey”
5. “I’m not sure”
6. Whatever pertains to your business

On the subject of intimate activities, here’s another quick trust-building exercise that packs a punch. This time, all each team member has to do is maintain eye contact with a colleague for 60 seconds.

Give it a shot! Although it can feel a little awkward in the beginning, the simple act of looking into someone’s eyes can have profound effects. According to Healthline, for example, eye gazing has been shown to:

• Evoke feelings of love between strangers
• Increase the sense of connection between people (lifting the boundaries of “self” and “other”)
• Build trust between people (you’re more likely to believe someone who’s looking straight at you)

How to play Eye contact

This exercise could also be useful – not to mention challenging – for team members who are shy and struggle to hold people’s gaze. They should start to feel more comfortable making eye contact, which is a surefire sign of confidence.

At the end of the 60 seconds, follow the activity up with a discussion about the experience. What thoughts were they having throughout it? How did people feel? And how did they feel about the person they were looking at? Can they take anything from it to apply in the workplace?

Top tip: if you want to stretch this exercise out, you could have people repeat the process with a few additional teammates!

What you need:

• Stopwatch

Everybody likes to draw! This game is a fun opportunity for colleagues to relax and have some fun. The game is very simple, and it goes like this…

How to play Forensic artists

Step 1: Split the group into teams, you can have as many teams as you like, with a minimum of two per group.

Step 2: Explain that a crime has been committed, but fortunately one person from each team spotted the suspect.

Step 3: Using a random face generator, create a face for the witnesses to describe.

Step 4: The witnesses must try their best to describe the face they are seeing to their team members.

Step 5: The other members of the teams must try to draw the face as accurately as possible based upon the descriptions.

Step 6: The team with the most accurate sketch wins!

Squirt gun water races are an exciting alternative to traditional water fights. To play, you’ll need plastic cups (one per team of two people), string, scissors, duct tape, and enough squirt guns for every second person in the group (i.e., 10 people will need at least 5 squirt guns).

How to play Squirt Gun Water Races

Set up for the game by:

• Making a small hole at the bottom of each cup, close to the edge
• Threading a long line of string (e.g., 15 feet long) through each cup
• Use duct tape to suspend the string between two fixed points that are slightly closer together than the length of the string (e.g., a tree and fence about 12 feet away from each other). The cups should be facing the same direction

Play the game by:

• Dividing into pairs and blindfolding one member of each
• Giving the blindfolded members a squirt gun
• Ensuring the cup starts at the end of the string, closest to the teams
• Pitting pairs against each other to see who can squirt water into their cup fastest, pushing it to the other end of the string

The first pair to get their cup to the other end wins. Of course, only one member can see what’s happening! The sighted person must communicate effectively to guide their partner in the right direction.

Squirt gun water races are unique, exciting, and awesome for team-building. Yet another benefit is that they’re accessible to everyone. Unlike other Field Day games for adults that involve physical activity, you only need the ability to fire a water gun!

Sharpen deductive skills! In Secret Noun, one person selects a noun, and the rest of the team uses questions to guess the word.

Instructions on how to play:

1. Choose one person to be the secret noun selector.
2. This person picks a secret noun and keeps it hidden.
3. The rest of the team takes turns asking yes/no questions to narrow down and eventually guess the secret noun.
4. Set a time limit for each round to keep the game dynamic.

Why it's a great team building game:

• Communication skills: Enhances the team's ability to ask strategic questions and deduce information.
• Team engagement: Fosters a collaborative environment as everyone works together to solve the mystery.
• Critical thinking: Challenges participants to think creatively and strategically.

Top tip to help the game run smoothly: Encourage the person with the secret noun to think creatively and choose a word that allows for diverse questions. After each round, discuss the team's approach and share insights on effective questioning.

How to play Solo pyramid

Have players stack red Solo cups in a pyramid shape without it collapsing. You can kick things up a notch by having them dismantle the stack without knocking any over, all within a minute. A one-hand requirement makes things extra tricky.

How to play Travel back in time…

In this creative exercise, ask everyone to imagine that they are able to travel back in time to a singular event. Where would they go, and why? Most important: what would they change? What would they make sure was done differently? And, with those differences, what would the outcomes be? Would our lives be different today if their version of events had happened?

In business, an important part of strategy is thinking multiple steps ahead, and understanding “if this/then that”. This exercise asks everyone to think ahead about various repercussions of certain events. It’s a great game to play if you want to flex those strategic muscles, and also leads to some really interesting conversations.

How to play Cold call point system

For an ongoing game that will add some fun to the daily routine, start a cold calling point system. Take five minutes out of each day and have employees record their cold calls. It can be really fun to see points add up over time and learn from each other. Keep a whiteboard or other points-tracking system in view so everyone can get a status. Here are some options for tracking points:

1. 30 points for getting the prospect on the phone
2. 20 points for keeping them on for more than a minute
3. 40 points for scheduling a follow up
4. 10 points for getting a new contact from the call

This simple game tests your historical knowledge and is a great way to spark conversation outside the office. While organizing a company retreat that emphasizes relaxation, this game is a great way to get people talking.

How to play:

‍Hand out several coins, around five max, to each person. Go around in the group and have them start with one currency and tell a personal story that was meaningful for them.

If they are the only person with that experience, they can place the coin in the center of the table. If another team member shares a similar experience, they must put theirs.

The game is played until someone gets rid of all their coins.

Materials you’ll need A handful of pennies or equivalent coins in whatever currency you use. Just make sure the currency is recent (not older than 20 years old)

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8 to 16 people)

How to play Role reversal

This game is all about understanding conflicts from different perspectives. We're going to act out conflict scenarios and then swap roles to see how the other side feels. It's like stepping into someone else's shoes, but without the actual shoe-swapping part! It's a great way to build empathy and gain fresh insights on how to overcome teamwork challenges in the workplace. Get ready to embrace different perspectives!

A substantial amount of agile principles can be improved by having your team members step into the customer’s shoes. Problem-solving and conflict resolution through role play can yield some creative results. By mapping out a fictional customer’s journey your teams get a better understanding of the company’s goals, so here’s how to set it up:

Set up:

Before you deliver the activity, craft some customer scenarios. They could be scenarios you’ve faced in the past or more challenging hypothetical examples. As a group, map out each step of the customer’s experience, from the purchase to aftercare support. Some example challenges from the customer’s perspective could be:

a. Complex sign-up process

b. Confusing app navigation

c. Slow loading times for features

d. Not enough customer support when calling

Map out the customer’s journey and seek those points where the frustrations could be soothed. Prioritize those changes and explain how agile collaboration can improve the customer experience.

How to play Tug of War Challenge

Instructions: Divide participants into two teams and provide a long rope. Each team holds onto one end of the rope and pulls in opposite directions. The team that successfully pulls the other team over a designated line wins.

Materials needed: Rope.

Tug of War encourages teamwork, communication, and friendly competition. It promotes unity, camaraderie, and creates a sense of strength and determination among team members.

There’s no shortage of reasons to play Pass the clap. A genuine crowd-pleaser, it’ll energize the team, get people into a focused mindset, and put smiles on their faces – all while bringing everyone together without putting too much pressure on any individual. Oh, and it’s so short and sweet that it’s suitable for any occasion!

How to play pass the clap

Start Pass the clap by getting the team into a big circle, facing inward. Their task, as the name suggests, is to “pass the clap” from one member to another.

To do so, whoever begins with the clap (feel free to take this role for yourself or assign it to someone else) must make eye contact with a colleague. When they return it, you both clap your hands at the same time, while maintaining eye contact.

They now have the clap and have to make eye contact with another teammate (clapping as they do so) to pass it on again. And so it continues! Keep going for as long as you want, speeding up the whole time. To make things more interesting, you could also introduce another “clapper” so that 2 separate claps get passed at once.

Now, you might be wondering how standing around and clapping is going to help with team collaboration! But you’d be surprised…

Not only are you making eye contact with each other, which is known to improve relationships, but you’re also staying in sync with the entire group – especially as you speed up. As a result, you’re in tune with each other, communicating non-verbally, and working hard not to make mistakes.

It’s a useful lesson in how to keep up and work together in fast-paced, high-intensity environments.

Nine times out of 10, asking your team “How are you guys doing?” returns this answer: “Good, thanks.” If you’re looking for an alternative way of checking in with your team, Draw Your Mood is a great solution.

Great for: Expressing moods

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Paper, pens

How to play Draw Your Mood

Setup: Draw your mood is another game that can be played in person or online. If you’re playing in person, hand each player a piece of paper and a pen. If you’re playing online, players can use the integrated whiteboard feature on their video conferencing software such as Zoom Whiteboard.

To play: Ask each player to draw a visual representation of their mood. They can use words, images and symbols—you name it! After 5 minutes or so, ask your employees to present their drawings one by one.

How to play Mock commercials

This activity is the opposite of a quick office game. It requires some time and preparation, but is worth it! Have employees choose a product or service and then create a commercial to sell it. You’ll need a space for everyone to act in, plus recording devices and a way for everyone to watch. Some companies add another layer of complexity by using two bowls.

Each bowl has several slips of paper with a word written on it. In one bowl is the style of commercials, such as humorous, scary, or emotional. In the other bowl is an object, such as soda or a copy machine. Have each group pick one paper from each bowl and base their commercial on that. So, you might have one group that creates a scary commercial about a copy machine. Doing it this way necessitates more creativity and often leads to a lot of laughs.

This game is about open and honest communication; even when it’s not an easy topic, teams that work remotely, or have been together for a long time, can take advantage of this game to avoid stagnant communication and encourage growth.

How to play:

‍Leaders hand out a sheet of paper or sticky note for participants to write down one issue, or “elephants in the room.” Those leading the game then ask participants to address their elephants by applying “control, influence and accept” (C, I, A), asking them to decide which method would best approach the problem.

After everyone writes down their elephant and decides how they would address it, the notes are collected and then separated.

• Elephants that are “accepted” are put into one pile and accepted
• The remaining elephants are then discussed in a moderate group discussion to address how they should be dealt with as a team

Team leaders should encourage players to answer questions about the elephants in the room, such as, “why is this an issue, and how can we solve it as a team.”

Materials you’ll need: Sticky notes.

How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)

How to play Try not to laugh

This is another one that’s great for groups. Choose one person to be “invisible”. Everyone should also pretend that the player can’t be seen. They can do anything except interact directly with the invisible player. The entire time, the invisible player should be trying to make them laugh. Any player that does end up laughing must leave the game. Ideally this game goes on until there’s only one player left (the winner).

One of the benefits of working in a team is that you always have someone to offer their support when you need it. Whether you feel down and need an emotional lift or have too much to do and need some practical input, a sympathetic colleague can step in to ease the burden. This is teamwork and collaboration at its finest.

Unfortunately, Fortunately draws on that supportive reality by asking teammates to reframe each other’s problems into something positive.

Here’s how it works:

Ask one person on the video call to say something they’re struggling with. It shouldn’t be too heavy or serious – nothing that’s going to be uncomfortable to disclose. Next, go around the virtual circle, taking turns to reframe their “problem” in a positive light.

For example, Brian might start by saying, “Unfortunately, I’m finding it hard to wake up on time at the moment.” Upon hearing this, Sheryl might say, “Fortunately, you have such a comfortable bed to sleep in!” And Anthony might follow up with, “And fortunately, you need a good night’s rest to perform at your best!”

It continues from there until everyone has disclosed an issue and received a bunch of positive reframes from their colleagues. By the end of the task, everyone will have practiced their listening skills and offered/received support to/from their teammates.

Trusting your colleagues doesn’t just feel good. It also has very practical implications. After all, it means you can count on each other for help; to work together to achieve common goals.

The Perfect Square (otherwise known as the “blind square”) game teaches this lesson to your employees and sets in motion the teamwork that’s so pivotal to a successful working environment.

How to play Perfect/blind square

Here’s how it works:

Get your entire team to stand in a circle and give them a long stretch of rope to hold. Next, put a blindfold on each person. They then have to drop the rope, take a few steps back, and spin around a few times until they’re dizzy.

That’s when the fun really starts!

Their goal is to return to the rope and work together to lay it out in the shape of, you guessed it…a perfect square. You can give them as much time as they need or add some pressure by setting a time limit.

We like this activity for its simplicity, but you can definitely make it harder if your team’s finding it too easy! For example, why not get them to make a star, diamond, or pentagon? It’s sure to keep them occupied a little longer.

What you need:

• Blindfolds
• Rope

High-fives and pats on the back make everyone smile. Positive feedback isn't just about saying "good job," it's a morale booster that powers up motivation and helps colleagues shine even brighter.

Positive feedback activity - Kudos circle:

• Gather participants in a circle.
• Start by tossing a soft ball or object to one person, offering them a specific compliment or recognizing a recent achievement.
• The person who received the compliment then tosses the ball to another colleague, offering their positive feedback.
• Continue until everyone has received and given compliments.
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Kudos Circle generates a positive atmosphere, boosts self-esteem and reinforces a culture of appreciation. Try this team-building activity outdoors for extra enjoyment!