Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Can your team protect an egg from a high drop using only a few materials? In the egg armor challenge, small teams work together to design a structure that keeps an egg intact when dropped from a height. Limited resources mean creativity is key!

This challenge brings out everyone's engineering skills, teamwork, and a bit of friendly competition. Plus, it’s always entertaining to see the wild contraptions people come up with. A little messy, but a lot of fun—and a great way to boost problem-solving skills in the office.

How to play:

• Split into teams and provide each with limited materials (e.g., paper, tape, straws).
• Teams design a structure to protect an egg.
• Drop the egg from a height and see whose egg survives!

How to play:

Gather musical instruments or use online platforms for virtual collaboration. Start with a simple melody or rhythm. Allow each team member to add their unique musical contribution to create a collaborative piece.

Materials needed: Musical instruments or virtual collaboration platforms

Benefits:

• Celebration of diversity: Let the rhythms of diversity fill the air! Embrace the unique musical backgrounds and influences of your team members as they unite to create a harmonious and vibrant musical piece. Like a global fusion of melodies, it celebrates the richness of individual perspectives, fostering an inclusive and creatively harmonious work environment.

How to play “I expect”

You can kick off a training session and spur engagement with this simple exercise. You’ll need a blank wall and a few colored post-it notes. Break the white board or chalkboard into 4 quadrants and label them “the training”, “the trainer”, “from myself”, and “from attendees”. Each participant should take a turn filling out 4 post-its that begin “I expect”. For example, “I expect from the training to learn how to better resolve customer conflicts.” Everyone should place their sticky notes in the appropriate quadrant. Then the moderator should go through and read them, highlighting which ones are repeated often.

How to implement insights (following event)

If you want to go beyond recall, have each person describe how they will implement what they learned in their daily lives and tasks. Hearing important concepts is one thing; knowing how you can practically apply them is something else!

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How to play Postcard drawing

Sometimes also called “doodling together”, this activity is a fun and creative one where the group works collaboratively together to draw using postcards started by others. Have everyone get a blank postcard and then the moderator should give some direction about what to draw. Then, they lay the postcard down and the next person adds their postcard, continuing whatever pattern or drawing was started by the previous person. The process keeps going until a large drawing is completed using the postcards. You’ll need to do this in a very large room or outdoors, and have plenty of postcard-size paper and markers or crayons available.

How to play Three-line scene

Anyone who’s played beginner improv games before may have encountered a game called “Yes, and”. In it, people work together to build an increasingly ridiculous story. For example:

• Person 1: “I went to the gym this morning.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and your arms look fantastic.”
• Person 3: “Yes, and they’d be perfect for arm wrestling.”
• Person 1: “Yes, and I want to tattoo my partner’s name on them.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and they’ll probably want to marry you after.”

Three-Line Scene takes that concept and simplifies it. This time, pairs of colleagues work together to say one line each, using “yes, and” to build on whatever the previous person said. Heads up, it works best when you say statements vs questions. For example:

• Person 1: “I went to the gym this morning.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and you’re making me feel guilty about eating this cake.”
• Person 1: “Yes, and I’m not going to stop until you become my gym partner.”

The aim is to move fast, think quickly, and not worry about saying the ‘right thing’. The game works well because it rewards creativity and is inherently positive. Those enthusiastic “yes, and” responses embolden new improvisers and make them feel comfortable thinking on their feet and contributing to the task.

We don’t have to explain how helpful that is to team collaboration! The fact teammates practice the art of agreeing with their colleagues (vs dismissing their suggestions) is useful too. With any luck, it’ll transfer into everyday conversations.

You know that friend who's always got your back? Consistency is like that—being reliable, so colleagues know they can count on you. It's the secret ingredient for building trust and teamwork.

Consistency activity - Recognition raffle:

• Establish a recognition program that rewards consistent behaviors and contributions.
• Introduce a system where colleagues can earn tickets or tokens for displaying consistent positive actions, such as punctuality, collaboration, or going the extra mile.
• Collect the earned tickets and hold regular raffle drawings where participants have a chance to win small rewards or incentives.
• Celebrate the winners and highlight their consistent efforts to reinforce a culture of reliability and teamwork.
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This activity motivates colleagues to maintain a high standard of performance and contributes to a harmonious and supportive work environment.

How to play Top Five

In this game, you’ll ask players to come up with their five favorites across several categories. Each player can make a list and then share with the larger group. The options for categories are nearly limitless and you should try to cater them to your audience. Try creating “best-of” lists for these categories:

• Movies
• TV shows
• Books
• Songs
• Vacations
• Desserts
• Websites
• Celebrities
• Blogs
• Animals
• Brands
• Apps

Explanation:

‍Teams are given a random office scenario—like a virtual meeting gone wrong—and have to respond using only GIFs. The most creative and funny response wins the round.

Whether you’re in the office or working remotely, everyone can join in on GIF Wars. Teams are given a relatable scenario (like dealing with a tech glitch during a big meeting), and each person responds with their best GIF via chat or on a video call. Remote workers and in-office folks can jump in together, and everyone votes on the funniest or most fitting GIF. It’s a quick, entertaining way to add some humor to the day!

A quick brainteaser or trivia question is a simple way to engage your team at the start of the week. This is a particularly useful strategy for encouraging engagement in remote teams. You can create a dedicated channel in Slack for employees to discuss the answer.

Great for: Facilitating interaction

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: A thought-provoking riddle, trivia question or brainteaser

How to play Quiz Question of the Week

Setup: Establish a day of the week when you’ll pose a head-scratching question to your team. When the time comes to ask the question, you can display it in any way you see fit. Write it up on a whiteboard in the common area, drop it in an email, or—if you’re working remotely—put it in a dedicated Slack group.

To play: Once you’ve asked the question, allow some time for your employees to wrestle with potential answers/solutions. It’s up to you when you choose to reveal the answer, but the idea is to encourage your employees to engage with the question as a group. If you like, you can start a leaderboard with a prize at the end of the year for the person who answered the most questions correctly.

Sneak-a-peak is a fabulous game for getting everyone involved. The aim of the game is rapid-fire copying of a Lego structure you make. The only prep needed beforehand is to get your Lego set and have a structure in mind that isn’t too easy to replicate.

Set up:

1. Build a simple structure out of Lego pieces. Something not too easily guessable, and keep it hidden!
2. Split everyone into small teams, with one ‘viewer.’
3. Allow the ‘viewer’ a short time (about 30 seconds) to come and observe your hidden structure.
4. Get them to go back to their teams and describe it, in as much detail as they can.
5. Teams are given a 10-minute timer to build the structure. Once complete, compare each team’s attempts.

When words fail us, there are always GIFs. If you’re looking to lighten the mood with a funny icebreaker, The GIF Game is a perfect choice!

Great for: Energisation, communication

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play The GIF Game

Setup: Before you start, prepare a simple statement or question that you can use as a prompt. Something like, “What you’ll find me doing after work on a Friday night…” or “What’s your idea of a relaxation?”

To play: Start the game by asking your team the prompt. Your employees must then provide a reaction to the prompt by posting a GIF to your chosen collaboration tool such as Slack. Whoever posted the best GIF then gets to come up with another prompt question/statement.

How to play Relay Sack Race

Instructions: Divide participants into teams. Each team stands in a line, and the first player in each team gets inside a sack. On "go," they hop to a designated point and back, then pass the sack to the next teammate. The team that finishes first wins.

Materials needed: Sacks or large bags.

Relay Sack Race encourages teamwork, coordination, and builds camaraderie among team members. It adds an element of fun and nostalgia to the picnic while providing an opportunity for participants to cheer on their teammates.

Asking the right questions is a valuable skill. Cutting straight to the core and homing in on what’s important boosts productivity and efficiency. Who am I? Is a well-known party game that encourages employees to consider their questions carefully.

Great for: Communication, problem-solving

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Sticky notes, pens

How to play Who am I?

Setup: Hand out a sticky note and pen to each player and have them write down the name of a famous person, or—if your team is already well acquainted—the name of a colleague. Then, ask the players to swap notes and, without looking, stick them to their foreheads.

To play: The players start to mingle with other players, asking questions that can only be answered with “yes” or “no.” The answers to these questions should help the players to decipher which name is written on their forehead. For example, players might ask things like “Am I a celebrity?” or “Do I wear glasses”? If you want the game to be shorter, try separating players into smaller groups of three to four.

This simple card game is designed to get people talking. Building Blocks is a perfect icebreaker tool or exercise for growing teams.

How to play:

The card game has six categories with questions aimed at “removing personal barriers and creating space for teamwork.” An example of a question in the deck is: What do you wish to spend more time on both in and outside the office”. If your team is remote, this can be played in person or over Zoom. The game is marketed for workshops, and meetings.

Materials you’ll need: Building Blocks card deck.

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

Where Do You Stand? Is a simple energizing game that’s perfect for large groups and easy to set up. All you need is an open space and a handful of ‘this or that’ questions.

Great for: Energization, session icebreaker

Duration: 10–15 minutes

You’ll need: Cones to divide the room

How to play:

• Divide the room in half with a line of small cones and then ask your group to stand more or less along the line.
• Ask a ‘this or that’ question to the group such as “pizza or pasta?” and assign an answer to each side of the room. For example, if a player wants to answer “pizza”, they need to run to the left side of the room.
• Keep the energy up by asking questions in quick succession. The idea is to get your group moving and acting impulsively.
• By the end of the game, your employees will know a little bit more about their colleagues’ preferences.

How to play Speed networking

This quick team-building activity breaks large groups into pairs, giving them three minutes to talk about anything other than work. Whether it’s their favorite hobby, vacation plans, or a fun fact about their pet, the goal is to find connections outside the office. After three minutes, everyone rotates to the next partner, continuing until all participants have met.

Speed networking helps people break the ice quickly and can lead to lasting friendships. It’s an excellent way for new hires to get to know their coworkers or for team members who don’t usually interact to find common ground. Since the conversations are short, it keeps things moving and avoids any awkward pauses, making it an easy and effective way to strengthen team bonds.

Top tip: Encourage team members to ask fun questions like “What’s your dream vacation?” to keep the conversation light and engaging. It’s amazing how fast friendships form when you find out someone shares your love of 80s action movies!

The perfect game for future leaders, Perfect Square pushes teams to communicate clearly and establish a leader who will help them complete the game. Another blindfold game that involves teams working together to, you guessed it, form a perfect square.  

How to play:

‍Break up into small teams, around four to six people, and give each group a rope. Team members pick up their rope, which is still a circle, and work together to create a perfect square, which isn’t easy to achieve when you can’t see anything! Teams form a circle with their rope on the floor, and everyone gets blindfolded.

This game encourages teams to establish a leader who can help focus and guide the other players to move in the right direction to achieve some four-sided perfection,

Materials you’ll need: Rope, material/ cloth for blindfolds.

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

Think you know your coworkers' texting habits? In emoji detective, you’ll have to guess which team member’s recently used emoji board is being shown. It's a fun, lighthearted way to test your knowledge of your teammates’ messaging style.

It’s an easy, amusing game to throw into a virtual meeting, and it’s always fun to see who’s been overusing the laughing-crying face.

How to play:

• One team member’s recently used emoji board is shown.
• The group guesses which team member it belongs to.
• Whoever guesses correctly wins the round!

How to play Six thinking hats

If you want your team to focus on coming up with more creative solutions, this activity can help. You’ll need to organize people into groups of no more than 10, and have several different color paper hats. Each hat represents a different perspective. Here are some sample colors and what they correlate to:

• White: Facts and information
• Red: Emotions and feelings
• Black: Critical analysis
• Yellow: Benefits and positives
• Green: Creativity and alternatives
• Blue: Big picture thinking

Give each group a problem to solve and tell them to approach the issue from their unique “hat” perspective. Using these different philosophies, the group should come up with a solution that works for everyone and takes all of these positions into account. You can have a debrief where everyone discusses the process and what they found most challenging. If you have time, you can always add a second or even third round where people switch their hats and approach a new issue from a different perspective. This is also a great exercise for managers to observe closely. It’s a great way of seeing how people think and where their strengths lie.

Teams will channel their inner architects and engineers to construct impressive structures using unconventional materials. From spaghetti and marshmallows to playing cards, the challenge is not just to build a towering masterpiece, but also to do so collaboratively, emphasizing communication, planning, and creative problem-solving.

Instructions

• Gather construction materials such as spaghetti, marshmallows, playing cards, or other unconventional items.
• Divide participants into teams and provide each team with the same materials.
• Set a time limit and a goal height for the structures.
• Teams work together to design and construct their structures.
• Evaluate based on stability, creativity, and teamwork.

Not every team-building activity needs to be carefully choreographed. Sometimes, organic bonding activities like Company Potluck build stronger relationships.

Great for: Interpersonal bonding

Duration: 1–2 hours

You’ll need: N/A

How to organise:

• Set a time and date for your team to come together for a group meal.
• Ask each team member to arrive with a snack or dish which they prepared themselves. For the more culinary inept employees, shop-bought products are also acceptable.
• Everybody arrives at the event with their offerings and spends the afternoon eating and mingling with their colleagues.
• To prevent lots of people from bringing the same product, you can pin a paper to the staffroom wall for people to write down what they intend to bring.

How to play Creative Introductions

A more fun version of “around the horn”, this exercise has everyone introduce themselves to the group, but with a twist. Give people a few moments to prepare their introduction with a unique spin. Perhaps they might compose a short poem or sing their introduction to music. Someone might choose to introduce themselves using their favorite movie character voice. Give people freedom to come up with something fun and enough time to be creative, and this is sure to be an icebreaker that people remember.

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.