Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play:

Divide the team into pairs or small groups and provide them with a random scenario or prompt. The teams must improvise a skit or scene based on the given negative scenario, using their creativity and spontaneity to deal with the issue

For example; the scenario could be “Child screaming in a supermarket”. Teams have 30 seconds to act out deal with their scenario

Materials needed: None

Benefits:

• Quick-thinking superheroes: Tap into your team's mental agility as they come up with witty lines and hilarious improvisations on the spot. It's like a comedy club where your team's creativity takes center stage.
• Teamwork with a twist: Collaborate with your scene partners and build upon each other's ideas, creating a seamless and entertaining performance. It's like a theatrical ensemble where the final act is a testament to your collective genius.

How to play Rock-paper-scissors challenge

Who didn’t play this game as a kid? Give this energizing grown-up version a try. People should play against each other in pairs until the first win. For added fun, have the people who become eliminated in each round stand in a cheering section for their favorite in the next round. Repeat the process until there are only two players, each with a large fan base. Since this game will get loud, it’s best to play outside in a large, open space. It’s a favorite because it requires no supplies and very little preparation, and gets everyone excited right away.

How well do your team really know each other? Team Trivia is a fun and simple game that will put your employee’s relationships to the test.

Great for: Interpersonal bonding

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Team Trivia

Setup: Before you can play Team Trivia, you need to compile interesting facts about your employees. The easiest way to do this is to send out a survey designed to extract as many cool facts as possible.

To play: Team Trivia can be played online or in person, making it a great solution for remote teams. Bring your team together and start asking questions to your team. These can be things that they might already know, like, “Who is the tallest member of the team?” Or things they will need to guess at, like, “Who in the office has eight siblings?” The player with the most correct answers is the winner!

How to play Call a number

This circle game is ideal for warming up and gaining energy. Follow these steps: First, give all of the players ordered numbers (so if there are 15 players there would be numbers 1-15). Players should gather in a circle and then choose someone to go first. The player will mention a random number within the range of numbers you are playing with. The player with the number mentioned must respond by mentioning the number of another player. The game continues with players responding when another player calls their number. If a player doesn’t respond right away when their number is called, they are out.

Anyone with experience in the active world may have encountered this exercise before. A classic improv game that revolves around cooperation, communication, and creative thinking, it’s fast-paced, funny, and full of opportunities to become a tighter-knit team!

How to play “Yes, and?”

You can play “Yes, and” in pairs, but we prefer it in a larger group. Standing in a circle, the basic idea is to work together to create a silly story, one statement at a time, using the words “yes and” to drive the plot forward. The goal is to make each new statement more exaggerated.

One person starts with a simple statement, then makes clear eye contact with whoever they want to continue the tale. For example:

• “The house is built on rock.”
• “Yes, and the rock is starting to crumble.”
• “Yes, and it’s falling down the hillside.”
• “Yes, and the house is tumbling with it.”
• “Yes, and superman is coming to save us.”
• “Yes, and he looks like he got dressed in a hurry.”

The goal is to cultivate a fun and carefree atmosphere and to keep the story moving as quickly as possible. Rather than pausing to think of the “right thing” to say, each person should relate the first “yes, and” phrase that comes to mind.

It doesn’t have to make sense – the sillier, the better!

This game can be a tad daunting at the start. But that’s almost the point. By talking without thinking, each team member opens themselves up to being vulnerable.

Far from being mocked, though, they’re celebrated. They discover they can be themselves around their colleagues, which is a huge boost to morale and levels of trust within the team.

What you need:

• Nothing more than a positive attitude! However, having a few simple statements up your sleeve to get the ball rolling may help.

How to play Balloon stomp

For this game, you’ll need tons of balloons in two different colors. You need to be outside or in a large space, and divide your large group into two smaller groups and assign them each a color. Set a timer for one or two minutes, and the goal of the game is for each team to pop all the balloons of their own color - without accidentally hitting the other color. At the end of the game, the team who popped most of their own color balloons wins.

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.

How to play Bananagrams

A fast-paced board game, this is one you’ll need to purchase in advance. When you have the game in hand, distribute the letter tiles among the players. Every player will flip their tiles and start forming a crossword grid of intersecting words.

Players can rearrange their grid at any time to make new words. Once a player uses all their tiles, they can shout "Peel!" and everyone has to draw an additional tile. The game goes on until there are fewer tiles than players, and the first player to use all their tiles - shouting  "Bananas!" - wins the game.

Explanation:

Someone in the office describes an abstract design made by remote workers, while those working remotely try to recreate it—without ever seeing the original! The goal is to see how close (or hilariously far) the recreations turn out.

This is a perfect game for connecting the office and remote workers. The in-office person gives a detailed but tricky description of a design that a remote worker has come up with (think: a robot unicorn or a house made of ice cream cones). Remote team members then try to recreate the design based solely on that description using whatever tools they have at home—whether that’s paper and pen or digital drawing software. Everyone compares the original design with the recreations, leading to plenty of laughs as teams see just how different (or spot on) the interpretations are!

This is your opportunity to recreate one of your favourite family game shows, think Family Feud or The Price is Right, to name a few. The idea is simple, create a list of questions, divide players into teams and let the games begin!

How to play Company game show

Company g ame shows are a fantastic opportunity for employees to foster new relationships while enjoying a light-hearted and engaging online game. You can create separate group chats for your teams so they can discuss their answers before giving them.

Here’s a simple game that always goes down well with small groups – especially when it’s a new team that’s still getting to know each other. FYI, Magic box also works well when you need an improv game that’s less daunting or full-on.

How to play Magic box

To play, you’ll first have to assemble a box full of random objects. It doesn’t matter what goes inside! The stranger and more varied, the better. Candy bars, coffee cups, plants, pictures, water bottles, business cards, books…you name it.

With your box ready, the fun can start. Each person sits in a circle and takes turns picking out an item. They then have to tell the group something about themselves that relates to that object.

The trick is to do it without overthinking. Heck, this is improv! They can make something up entirely if they want to. Play it that way and the group could then try to figure out whether it was a true story or not. Bonus points if whoever’s telling the story can link it to a central topic or theme of the workshop.

Whatever version of this game you play demands quick thinking and creativity from participants. It can also showcase their personalities and help the team learn more about each other, becoming a closer group as a result.

As an aside, Magic Box can also be played by remote teams. All you need is a virtual box of items (a web tool like this can be helpful) that people select at random. We’ll go through more examples of remote improv games later.

How to play “Follow the leader” dancing

If your colleagues are comfortable getting a little silly, you can create a fun game using the “follow the leader” format combined with a dance-off. You’ll have to choose one team member as the leader to direct the dancing. Put on some music, and everyone should dance just as the leader is doing. You can make this more competitive by breaking the game into rounds, where the last player to copy the leader is “out” every time.

Spruce things up by having a judge available to watch the dancers and call out the slowest people or those who are missing the mark on the moves. We guarantee you’ll share some laughs.

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 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.

How to play Story challenge

For the language lovers on your team, try this version of an ongoing story icebreaker. To play, each person receives a number of words (a word bank) that they can use to create a story. Then, everyone reads their piece out loud or presents it to the group. To come up with the words available for each person, you can use a random word generator online, or get creative. For example, consider instructing participants that they can only use words from the company website, or from the emails they received in their inbox yesterday.

How to Cup toppers

For this game you’ll need some cups or tumblers and some old compact discs. Place the cup a reasonable amount of space away from the player (such as a few feet, across a table). Have them take a stack of CDs and toss them, one by one, onto the cup. Their goal is to land as many as they can flat onto the top of the cup. Whoever strikes the most landings wins.

An obstacle course is another crowd-pleaser that’s as versatile as relay races! It’s also a fantastic physical team-building activity that gets everyone moving, laughing, and working together.

From crawling under chairs and jumping over cones to walking along zigzagging stretches of rope and squeezing through hula hoops, you can create an endless list of obstacles for participants to navigate, all while racing to the finish. The result is a fun-filled and exciting event with a nice dose of friendly competition thrown in.

Here are a few additional DIY obstacles course ideas to consider:

• Hang inflated balloons at different levels under a table – people must crawl underneath without touching them
• Make a laser-style course out of pieces of string for people to climb through
• Set up cardboard boxes with holes to throw beanbags into
• Create makeshift tunnels to crawl through by hanging old bed sheets and blankets over rows of chairs
• Lay hula hoops along the ground for people to hop between
• Lay rope on the ground in different patterns to walk along and test people’s balance
• Create “stepping stones” using circles of rope and play “the floor is lava” – if they miss a stone and touch the ground outside, they go back to the start

Ever heard of the drinking game 'Categories'? Ever thought it could be adapted to a game that helps with active listening? Well, take a seat, my sober friend, and let's get into this! This version of the game will help promote better communication and listening skills among colleagues.

How to play

1. Find a conference room or suitable meeting space to bring your team together.
2. Designate one person to kick off the game as the "Category Caller." This role will rotate as the game progresses.
3. Compile a list of work-related categories. These could range from types of project management software to company department names—whatever suits your workplace.
4. The Category Caller selects a category from the list and announces it to the group. Make sure the chosen category relates to your office environment.
5. Using a timer or smartphone, set a specific time limit (e.g., 15 seconds).
6. The Category Caller begins by naming an item from the chosen category. For instance, if the category is "Types of project management software," they might say "Trello."
7. The person to the right of the Category Caller takes the next turn. They must listen carefully to the previous response and provide another item from the category within the time limit.
8. The game proceeds clockwise. Each participant must actively listen to the previous response and contribute a new item to the category before the timer runs out. If someone repeats an item or fails to provide an appropriate one, they are temporarily out of the round.

The Creative Puzzle Mural challenge is a fusion of artistry and collaboration. Each team is tasked with creating a section of a larger mural, aligning colors, shapes, and themes. As you assemble the puzzle pieces, you'll uncover the beauty of unity in diversity. This activity celebrates the power of collective creativity while highlighting the importance of communication and harmonious teamwork.

Instructions

• Divide participants into teams, ensuring a mix of artistic abilities.
• Assign sections of a mural to each team, providing basic guidelines.
• Teams work collaboratively to design and paint their sections.
• Combine the pieces to reveal the complete mural artwork.
• Reflect on how the different sections symbolize teamwork and collaboration.

Lunch breaks present an excellent team-bonding opportunity that many managers fail to capitalise on. By organising regular lunchtime picnics, you encourage your employees to spend time getting to know each other outside of the office.

Great for: Interpersonal bonding, well-being

Duration: 30 minutes

You’ll need: N/A

How to organise:

• Outdoor company picnics are, of course, weather dependent, so look at the forecast at the start of the week and determine the best day and location for a picnic.
• Mark the chosen day on the calendar in the staff room or send a group email to notify your team.
• On the day of the picnic, provide essential items such as blankets, picnic baskets, sunscreen etc.

Ready to see where your team’s creativity lies? In idea spectrum, everyone writes down ideas related to a topic or challenge on sticky notes. Then, the team arranges them in order from conventional to wild, out-of-the-box thinking.

This exercise is one of those simple yet effective teambuilding activities for work that helps teams explore new perspectives while understanding the balance between practicality and creativity. It’s a fun and collaborative way to get everyone thinking and bouncing ideas off each other - perfect for brainstorming sessions when you need to mix things up.

How to play:

• Give everyone sticky notes and a topic or challenge to brainstorm ideas.
• Write down one idea per note.
• Arrange the notes in order from conventional to out-of-the-box thinking.

How to play 1-2-4 share

Everyone learns differently, and some people learn best by quietly absorbing information, while others need to talk through ideas. For this activity, start by asking a question and having everyone quietly contemplate the answer. Then, have them get into pairs and discuss their answers. Next, have two pairs sit together (forming a group of 4) and talk about their takeaways.

Finally, have each group present their ideas to the larger team as a whole.  This ensures that no matter what type of learning style each attendee has, they get a chance to absorb information in that way.

How to play Backward names

This energizer activity is best for people who have at least some familiarity with each other. It’s a simple format which means it's easy to execute. Divide everyone into groups of less than 20 to make things even easier. Hand each attendee a piece of paper and pen, and they should write their name down. After that the team leader should collect all of the papers, and have each participant draw a slip of paper. That person will read the name on the paper backwards to the entire group. The first person to guess the actual name being said wins. You can keep score and have a winning person or team, or just do open-ended guessing and enjoy the laughter that will ensue.

How to play Survival Plans

Prioritizing is an important mental exercise. You can work on this with a game about survival. Have everyone imagine they are stranded on a desert island, and they must decide the correct order to perform life-saving steps in. Have this list handy, and ask everyone to pair off or get in small groups and number the list according to the best likelihood of survival:

• Rest
• Find water
• Find food
• Set up shelter
• Look around the island
• Signal for help
• Create weapons for self-defense
• Build a raft for water
• Start a fire
• Select a group leader
• Find other survivors
• Anything else you think of!

The catch is that everyone must agree on the order of events!  That will typically involve discussion and coming to some sort of consensus. Once everyone is done with the exercise, have them present to the larger group and explain their reasoning. This exercise is good for team-building, communication, and problem resolution. Plus, you will be better prepared if you ever get stuck on a deserted island!