Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play Inspirational quotes

For a faster paced activity, prepare a set of inspirational quotes before the session. Grab as many quotes as there are participants and write them individually on pieces of paper. Put the pile of papers in the center of the room and let everyone pick one quote. They should share with the group what the quote means to them and how it is meaningful. This process should continue until everyone has had a chance to read and discuss a quote.

How to play Air balloons

Air balloons is an energetic team-building game that encourages teamwork. It’s a fantastic way to build energy in the room and loosen everybody up for the coming activities.

To play air balloons, you’ll need at least one balloon for each team, a paper or plastic fan or a sheet that’s capable of wafting air and a stopwatch. This game is best played with groups of at least 8+ players.

Once the groups have been organised and handed the necessary materials, one person from each group must be designated as the timekeeper and is handed the stopwatch. When the timer starts, the timekeeper from each team tosses their balloon into the air and it’s now the task of the other players to keep their balloon from touching the floor for as long as possible.

But there’s a catch. Players are NOT allowed to touch the ball at any time. Players can only use air to keep the ball afloat. This means they can either waft the balloon or blow at it with their mouths. The moment a team’s balloon touches the floor, the timekeeper stops the watch and makes a note of the time. The team that managed to keep the balloon in the air for the longest is the winner.

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.
  ‍

This icebreaker activity promotes open conversations about boundaries and encourages mutual respect.

How to host Creativity contest

If you really want to encourage creativity, pick a theme and ask everyone to make something related to it. There’s so many directions people can go in, which makes this extra fun! You may decide to give people supplies in advance or pick one type of material for them to use. If you have a large group, perhaps you want to take a team-based approach to increase collaboration and bonding. Allow everyone to come up with their own work of art, and have a panel of judges pick the one that is most creative.

This simple game needs little material and is a perfect icebreaker—a perfect in-person game for company retreats and onboarding events.

How to play:  

‍One person from the group, ideally a team leader, calls out the facts or questions that team members just asked one another. Individuals have to make teams as quickly as possible based on the call-outs, like” people with one cat” or “people who play video games.”

Individuals must quickly figure out who meets the criteria and form a team. This exercise can be repeated with as many questions as you like.

Materials you’ll need Just yourselves and some places to sit. If you have a large team, ensure enough space to play.

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

How to play Catch-All

For this group, have everyone stand in a circle and begin with a ball. Share which topic the exercise will be based on, and then let everyone know that they will be stating something they have previously learned about the topic. Then, throw the ball to the next person. If, for instance, your topic is accounting, then when one person has the ball, they might say something like “I learned that most tax issues come down to manual accounting errors.” Then they’ll toss the ball to the next person, who will share another bit of information they know or have learned previously. This makes training a lot more interactive, as everyone gets the chance to contribute and learn from a variety of perspectives.

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.

How to play Sound and movement

Have everyone stand in a circle. One volunteer should go into the middle of the circle and make a sound and a motion. For example, they might stop their feet and say “clomp, clomp”. That particular sound and movement should be repeated by everyone in the circle. Then a new person should enter the circle and do the same thing, until everyone has had a chance to come up with their own sound and motion for people to repeat. It’s usually easiest to go in a clockwise order, but you can also have people volunteer for a turn at random.

We all fall on hard times. But victimising ourselves and dwelling on the negatives can lead us to overlook growth opportunities. Silver Linings alters perspectives of apparent failures and misfortunes.

Great for: Mindset development, positivity

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Silver Linings

Setup: Divide your group into pairs. You might wish to pair employees together who don’t often have the opportunity to interact.

To play: The first partner starts by sharing a negative experience. This could be something from their personal or professional life, as long as it’s true. Upon hearing the experience, the second partner attempts to reframe the story in a positive light. Then, the first partner retells their story, highlighting silver linings they may have missed the first time around. The players then switch roles and start again.

How to play Dance-freeze

A very popular high-energy game, this one is great for students and teams. You’ll need music that you can dance to and participants that aren’t too shy about dancing. The concept is simple: everyone must dance when music is playing. When the music stops, everyone must freeze just as they were when they were in motion. Anyone who keeps dancing is out of the game and it continues until there is a single winner.

How to play River crossing

This game involves solving a hypothetical challenge. For this game, two teams work together to collect planks and get everyone in their group across a river. The trick is that the planks are magic and sink when not in contact with a person. This is a good way to facilitate critical thinking and work together as a team.

How to play Count to 20

Truly one of the simplest and fastest team-building games to play. This exercise doesn’t require any planning and can be done completely spur of the moment. Have everyone sit or stand in a circle together. Start the game by saying “one”. Next, another player will say “two” and so on. The goal is to make it to 20 without two people saying the same number at once. This requires observing your colleagues and predicting when they will speak up. If two people say the same number, the game starts over. Make sure to review our list of minute to win it games, too.

How to play Blind square-build

This is a fun, problem-solving game that’s often used in business environments to support teamwork and critical thinking. To begin, tie a long piece of rope into a circle. Let attendees know that their job is to turn the circle into a square - while blindfolded. Break the session up into two, 15-minute sessions. In the first session, they can plot and plan but must not touch the rope. In the second session, they can work together moving the rope. This game is simple and effective and has materials that are easy to come across and cheap to buy.

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.

How to play Wordle

Another word game great for a motivational boost is Wordle. It can be played individually or with teams. Wordle is a letter-based guessing game, in which players need to guess a five-letter word within six attempts. Teams need to use letters of the alphabet to figure out what the chosen word is. Every guess needs to count!

There is usually a category to make things a little easier, like “films” “sports” or “animals.” A team chooses 5 letters from the alphabet, and the game host lets them know if they’re right or wrong.

After you guess a word, tile colors provide feedback:

• Green means the letter is correct and in the right spot.
• Yellow means the letter is in the word but in the wrong spot.
• Gray means the letter is not in the word at all.

Keep going for 6 total guesses and strive to find the Wordle of the game!

This game is great for better understanding how your coworkers' minds work. What better way to bond than to create something together - in this case, a story. You can do this with any number in your group. Plus, you can play this game as many times as you want, and the outcome will be different each time.

Here’s how it works.

1. Have everyone stand in a circle or semicircle where the entire group can get a good look at each other.
2. The person who is running the event should decide on a story topic. You can pick anything, but be sure to use your imagination. Something like the middle ages to underwater adventures adds an element of fun (vs. a typical day at work or something more mundane). The more creative you can be, the better it will be for the group.
3. Choose a person to kick things off with a few sentences. Then, they “pass” to the next person to continue the story.
4. The passing continues until everyone has had an opportunity to add to the story. A few lines are sufficient, but encourage people to be creative.
5. The last person to go should wrap up the overall story. It’s a good idea to let them know in advance that this will be their responsibility so they can think of a clever ending.

Ready for a question game with communication at its core? Quick, fun, and energizing, Question Game ticks all the right boxes. Here’s how it works:

Working in pairs, players must bounce rapid-fire questions back and forth for as long as possible. If someone hesitates for too long, says something nonsensical, or makes a statement instead of asking a question, they lose!

Here’s what it might sound like:

• “What’s your biggest fear?””
• “Isn’t that too personal for work?”
• “Are you dodging my question?”
• “What do you think?”
• “Why won’t you tell me what you’re scared of?”
• “Why don’t you just guess what my biggest fear is?”
• “Is it spiders?”
• “Does that mean you don’t like spiders?”
• “Are you turning the question on me?”

Another way to play the Question Game is in a group, where everyone takes turns asking the next question in the sequence. If they mess up, they get eliminated! The winner is the last person standing.

Explanation:

‍Teams are given a random office item and must come up with a full marketing campaign and product launch strategy for it within one hour. It’s fast-paced, creative, and hilarious as teams scramble to sell everyday objects as the next big thing.

In the hybrid version, both remote and in-office teams are handed the same random office item, like a stapler or sticky notes, and they must collaborate to create a complete product launch strategy. Remote workers can handle the digital aspects, like designing an online ad or social media campaign, while in-office workers take on in-person tasks like creating a mock product display or filming a funny promo video.

At the end, each team presents their campaign virtually, showcasing how they turned something ordinary into the next office must-have.

It’s a great way to get everyone thinking on their feet, no matter where they are.

How to play Sneak it in

Here’s a fun word game to get some chuckles around the virtual meeting room. Lifted from the movie Super Troopers, ‘Sneak It In’ involves giving someone the secret task of sneaking a random word into their sentences. In the movie, ‘meow’ is used by the trooper, who needs to say it in his sentences without giving the game away to the listener.

Create a private breakout room, then task someone with adding a word from a random noun generator online to their sentences. Watch the creative ways they can work it into their normal speech, until they’re caught out, then give the task to the next person.

How to play Rolling the dice

You can’t beat this one for simplicity. Have players break into groups of two and provide a set of dice to each pair. The goal is simple: roll the die and try to get the highest total possible in one minute. So, one person should roll and the other can document the number they get. This should go on as many times as they can in one minute. Whoever has the highest number 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.

Regardless of how cohesive your team is, at some point, you’re going to encounter disagreements. Online office debates are a playful way of developing public speaking, communication and listening skills that will come in useful during real-life debates.

How to play Online office debates

To organise an online office debate, select two people to go head-to-head in a meaningless debate. The topic could be silly, such as “No one should ever tell a lie” or “Pineapple belongs on pizza.” One person argues “for” the topic while the other argues “against.”

The two presenters can argue their case using any means necessary, they might want to create a PowerPoint presentation and share their screen or back up their points with YouTube videos. After the presentations have been delivered, it’s time for the audience to decide the winner.

Throwing the discus was one of the first Olympic sports introduced in ancient Greece, so it’s a must-add to your Office Olympics roster. Frisbee is also an easy game to play in and out of the office, should you decide to use a sunny day and have access to outdoor space.

How to play Paper plate frisbee

If you’re stuck inside, there’s no reason to give up the game; instead, get creative, and instead of buying a frisbee, use a paper plate from the office kitchen. There will be less risk of breaking anything in the office, and it’s using materials used, hence being true to the event's purpose.  

Mark off where each team member’s frisbee lands and the team that threw the furthest distance is the winner.

We're gonna dig into past workplace conflicts, learn from them, and maybe even give our past selves a pat on the back. Let's get started!

Materials needed

Not a lot is needed here, just paper and pens!

Instructions:

1. The first goal here is to think back to a workplace conflict you've faced before.
2. It could be a disagreement with a colleague, a tricky project situation, or maybe a frustrating client interaction.
3. Grab a pen and paper or your trusty device—it's time to write a letter to yourself. Pretend you're talking to your past self during the heat of that conflict.
4. Start by describing the conflict. Who was involved? What were you all arguing about? Where and when did it go down?
5. Don't hold back on the emotions. Share how the conflict made you feel, and how you reacted. Were you cool as a cucumber or seeing red?
6. If the conflict got resolved, let yourself know how. If not, explain why it stayed hanging in the air.
7. Here's the meaty part—identify what you could've done differently to handle the conflict better. What strategies or communication skills could've saved the day?
8. Reflect on the lessons you've learned from this experience. How can you use these lessons to face future conflicts like a pro?

Once you're done pouring your heart into your letters, let's gather 'round and chat.

Let's talk about common themes, cool strategies, and any lightbulb moments you had during your reflections.

To wrap things up, think about what you've learned and what you're going to do about it.