Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

We love improv games that are lively, dramatic, and force you out of your shell. But not everybody does! In fact, for employees who are less confident in nature, these types of activities can be downright stressful.

That’s where a game like Quick-Fire Questions comes in. Not only is it well-suited to remote teams, but it’s also a great introduction to improv. Nobody’s singled out, there’s no miming/acting, and you don’t even have to turn your webcam on.

How to play Quick-fire questions

To play, all participants must do is have a conversation – taking turns to contribute a line at a time. The twist?

Anything and everything they say has to be a question!

For instance, Dave might start by asking Sally, “What type of music do you enjoy listening to?” And Sally could reply, “Where shall we go to rave this weekend?” To which Joe might ask, “What’s the name of the forest just outside town?” And Dave might respond with, “How many forests are there in this part of the country?”

Easy, right? Wrong! You have to think on your feet, be creative with your answers, and frame your reply in the correct format. If someone hesitates, asks something unrelated, or doesn’t ask a question at all, then they’re out.

You can play a round-robin tournament, with one person facing off against another. Or you could try to play all together, asking one question at a time. Whatever the case, the “conversation” should help energize the virtual room, generate lots of laughs, and boost team spirit to boot.

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How to play Growing sentence

In this game, everyone in the room contributes one word to a growing sentence. You can have everyone stand in a group or in a line, as long as everyone can hear each other properly. Pick one word to begin the sentence and have everyone add one more word to keep the sentence going. Have someone write it down on paper or a chalkboard so you can all get a laugh at the final result.

This fun and interactive game helps employees to collaborate and polish their problem-solving skills. If you want to make it even more challenging, then you can set up obstacles or choose materials that will be tricky to pick up.

Here’s how to play the game:

1. Break a larger group into smaller teams of 3.
2. Hand each team a bucket of water filled with small objects (to represent radioactive waste). Grab things like tennis balls, blocks, clips, etc.
3. Put a smaller bucket on a table a few feet away from each team.
4. Participants need to use a rope with a square knot (or whatever other method they work out) to transfer the “waste” from the larger bucket into the smaller one.
5. The team that moves all of their waste first, wins. If everyone is moving at about the same pace, then the winner will be the group who moved the most in the amount of time you allocated.

We’ve likely all played a game of Bingo at one time or another. Take the well-known teambuilding activity and infuse it with agile principles. It’s a fantastic way to keep reflection engaging and lively. Retrospectively looking at completed projects is putting the key in the door to iterative progression. It relies on honest reflection and communication. Here’s how to set it up:

Set up:

Create a 5x5 Bingo card with “What went well?” and future-focused questions in each square. Send cards to remote participants and, during the session, have everyone ask questions. They mark off squares as topics are brought up. The first to complete a line shouts “BINGO,” and recurring themes can be explored.

Example retrospective questions:

a. Which team member made this sprint easier for you?

b. Did anything go better than expected?

c. What should we replicate in future projects?

d. What’s one small improvement you’d suggest?

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This game is perfect for groups that don’t yet know each other very well.

How to play Two truths, one lie

Each person will take a turn at having their colleagues guess which of the three statements is the lie. The more believable the lie, the harder it is for the guessing team!

Not only will the team get to know one another better, but there will certainly be some big laughs and surprising moments along the way.

Get ready for a wild ride as your team navigates public transport to conquer checkpoints. It's not just about reaching your destination; it's about making quick decisions and adapting on the fly. You'll need to work together to figure out the best routes and timings. This challenge sharpens your problem-solving skills and shows you the power of collaboration. Plus, you're in for a fun-filled adventure that will leave you with unforgettable memories.

Instructions

• Create teams and assign a starting point.
• Provide a list of checkpoints around the city.
• Teams use public transport to reach checkpoints in a set order.
• They must decide on routes and timings.
• Time penalties for missed checkpoints.
• First team to finish or most checkpoints in time wins.
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Bonus Tip!

You won't believe the transport paradise that London is – metros, taxis, the iconic underground, and buses galore, making it an absolute dream for the Transportation Challenge. It's the ultimate playground for this adventure!

How to play the ball point game

The Ball Point Game is a simple way to visualize agile and scrum concepts in action. It starts out easy enough, teams just stand in a circle and pass a ball to one another. Complexity can be ramped up over time, like introducing more balls so that your teams rethink their layout. Here’s a breakdown of the rules:

Teams start in a circle, pass a ball so each member catches it once (no adjacent passes allowed). Over time, add more balls, requiring teams to rethink their layout. The game involves three planning sessions and three 2-minute sprints, where each round starts with the "Starter" and ends with the "Finisher" for points.

Explanation:

‍One team writes the first half of a story, and the second team finishes it—often leading to hilarious and unpredictable twists.

The remote team kicks things off by writing the beginning of a story. It can be anything—an adventurous quest, a mystery, or even a funny office tale. Once they’re done, they hand it off to the in-office team, who has to pick up where they left off and complete the story. The catch? The teams can’t collaborate, so the second half is entirely up to the in-office group’s imagination.

Both teams come together to share the full story, often leading to laughs over the unexpected direction it took.

It's a creative way to bring different perspectives together while keeping things fun and engaging for everyone!

When the whole gang's aiming for the same bullseye, see it as though it’s a motivational magnet. Shared goals keep everyone on track, turning coworkers into the dream team who want to see the best in you.

Shared goals activity - Vision board creation:

• Set up a creative station with magazines, newspapers, scissors, glue and large poster boards.
• Instruct colleagues to create individual vision boards by cutting out images, words and phrases that represent their career goals, aspirations and values.
• Encourage participants to share their completed vision boards with the group and explain their choices.
• Discuss common themes and goals that emerge, showcasing the team's shared aspirations.
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This visually engaging activity strengthens the sense of unity and purpose among colleagues.

How to play 3-Question mingle

This is a bit like the previous game, but also a different game in its own right. For this one, every participant should write down 3 separate questions on 3 pieces of paper. The questions should be thoughtful and meant to engage in real conversation, not just things like “where do you live?”

Then, have everyone begin to mingle around the room and start to engage in discussions in pairs. People will ask their questions and get answers. The trick is, after asking a question and getting the answer, you hand over that piece of paper to the person you’ve spoken to. They’ll do the same. This way, in your next conversation, you’ll have new questions to ask your next partner. On and on the game goes until everyone has paired off or the timer that you set goes off. Many people find this is ideal for a large group of over 50 or 60 people, and is good for encouraging participation among even your quietest team members.

How to play Salt and pepper pairs

In this activity, you’ll break everyone into pairs of 2. Each group is labeled with one side of a pairing - salt and pepper, macaroni and cheese, Batman and Robin, etc. Each team member should have their item name taped to their back. Have everyone scatter, and then start asking questions of their colleagues to figure out what each one is. Only then can they figure out what they might be and who they belong with. When everyone is properly grouped into their pairs, the exercise is over.

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)

Some of the best energizers are also the simplest. Case in point? Exercise. Well-known to perk you up, improve your mood, and make you feel more alert, getting the body moving can work wonders in the workplace. There are all sorts of ways to use exercise to your advantage too.

How to do group exercise

• Go for a short walk as a team each afternoon
• Encourage everyone to do some simple stretches/exercises at their desk
• Go into the hallway and run relay races together
• Clear a space and run around the office for 5 minutes, dropping to the floor to do certain exercises (e.g. push-ups, squats, or burpees) every 20 seconds

However you incorporate exercise into the workday, it’s almost guaranteed to have positive effects on people’s energy levels. Stress relief, improved physical health, and stronger social ties are a few other benefits to look forward to.

How to host a Wine (or whiskey) tasting

If you’ve ever attended a wine tasting, then you know it’s a much bigger experience than just sipping on some wine. Having a sommelier (or mixologist or curator for other types of alcohol) can be really beneficial in learning about different types of drinks, what foods go with them, best practices for serving, etc. A good wine tasting will include 6 different versions ranging from white to red, as well as a palette cleanser and a few light snacks. If your team favors whiskey, you can research the best ways to serve and pair samples. Performing a quick Google search will help you learn the best ways to execute a tasting, but we suggest just reaching out to a local winery or distillery and setting up a group tasting.

Note: You may also want to arrange safe transportation, since the alcohol can really add up in tasting situations.

How to play Workplace trivia

You can’t go wrong with workplace trivia, because it’s a great way to reiterate facts while having some fun. You can even bring out peoples’ competitive side which can be extra entertaining. Workplace trivia is especially helpful for new team members or as part of an onboarding process. Prior to your training session, come up with a list of questions to use in a trivia game. They should relate to the training material, your company, or your industry. You can also use trivia games in virtual training sessions.

You may have played Word Association to pass the time on long journies. Well, funnily enough, it also works brilliantly as a quick team-building game!

Great for: Quick thinking, communication

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 4+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Word Association

Setup: Position your group in a circle facing inwards. Players can be sitting or standing.

To play: To start the game, somebody starts with a one-word prompt. Then, play moves around the circle as each player replies with a word they strongly associate with the previous word. For example, if player one starts with the word “tree,” player two might say “leaves” and player three might follow up with “autumn.” Play moves around the circle until the time runs out.

How to play How Well Do You Know Me

Here’s a brilliant question game for a) testing how well you know your teammates and b) helping everyone learn more about each other.

To play, one person acts as the subject while everyone else is a guesser. You then choose questions (that someone has compiled in advance or found on the internet) that both the subject and guessers must answer about the subject. Potential questions include:

• “Where did I grow up?”
• “What’s my favorite food?”
• “What are my current hobbies?”
• “Who is my celebrity crush?”
• “What historical figure do I look up to?”

For example, if Dave from HR was the subject, he’d answer questions about himself; the other players would attempt to answer the questions about him. After writing down their answers, everyone would then compare what they put! You then swap roles so that everyone has a chance to be the subject.

How to play Competitive Human knots

Human knot is a popular team-building activity that requires at least 6 people. To play, everyone stands in a circle, puts their hands into the center, and grabs somebody else’s hands with their own (ensuring they’re holding 1 hand from 2 different people).

The group then attempts to untangle themselves without letting go – ducking, twisting, and climbing over each other as they go. It’s fun, chaotic, difficult, and great for uniting teams, having fun, improving communication, and honing leadership skills.

In Competitive Human Knots, we take things to a new level.

This time, you separate your large group into separate teams of 6+ people and pit them against each other! The first team to untangle themselves wins. Alternatively, you could set a time limit to stop the activity from taking too long. The team that’s made the most progress by the end, wins.

How to play Team story weaving

Start with a random sentence, and each person in the group adds one more, crafting an unpredictable and often hilarious story. The key here is to embrace the absurdity and let creativity flow without overthinking it (or without using any materials!). As the story moves around the room, everyone gets a chance to contribute, which often leads to surprising twists, unexpected endings, and lots of laughter. It’s a great way to loosen up the atmosphere and let everyone feel comfortable being a little silly, which can lead to more open communication down the line.

This is perfect for breaking down communication barriers and showing off everyone’s quirky sense of humor. It’s especially great for larger groups, as it gives everyone a chance to participate, without putting too much pressure on any one person. The beauty of this game is that no one knows where the story will end up, and sometimes it goes in directions no one could’ve predicted!

The classic TV gameshow Jeopardy can be adapted for an office setting with a few simple steps.

How to play:

1. Create categories based on your workplace, such as company history, industry knowledge, culture, and team building.
2. Develop challenging questions for each category and assign point values based on difficulty. Divide employees into teams and play the game.
3. The first team to buzz in and provide the correct answer earns the corresponding points.
4. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Playing Jeopardy in the office is a fun way to test your employees' knowledge and promote teamwork. It's also a great way to inject some fun and excitement into your workday.

Unleash creativity and teamwork by having each team create a story together, one sentence or paragraph at a time.

Materials needed:

• A whiteboard or flipchart
• Markers or a digital platform for recording the story

Instructions on how to play:

1. Start the story with a sentence or paragraph and have the first team member contribute.
2. Continue around the circle, with each team member adding to the story.
3. Aim for a fun and collaborative narrative, encouraging everyone to build on each other's ideas.
4. Once the story is complete, read it aloud and revel in the team's collective storytelling prowess.

Why it's a great team building game:

• Creative synergy: Fosters creativity and cooperation as the team weaves a tale together.
• Communication boost: Enhances communication skills by requiring active listening and contribution.
• Laughs guaranteed: Often results in a hilarious and memorable story that bonds the team.

Top tip to help the game run smoothly: Keep it lighthearted and encourage a "yes, and..." mentality, where each contribution builds on the previous one. The goal is to create a collaborative masterpiece, no matter how silly or unexpected it becomes!

How to play Broom Hockey

Broom Hockey is just what it sounds like! But, instead of playing with a puck and sticks, you grab some brooms from the cleaning closet and make a puck out of paper. Roll it up into a tight ball so that it rolls smoothly in the direction you want.

It’s best to have a designated open area to play this game, so use any break rooms or conference rooms, using the underside of a desk or a trash bin as your goal marker.

Test your team's movie knowledge with virtual movie quiz! Watch a short clip from a popular film, then answer trivia questions about specific details in the scene. It’s a fun way to foster attention to detail, spark discussions about shared movie favorites, and see who’s the ultimate film buff.

Perfect for breaking up the workday with some friendly competition and movie talk.

How to play:

• Watch a short movie clip together as a team.
• Answer trivia questions about details in the scene (e.g., what color was the car?).
• The person with the most correct answers wins!

Many people might remember this game from their childhood. Commonly used as an exercise to get kids to enhance their listening skills, this simple yet effective game still works just as well in adulthood!

How to play:

‍Gather everyone on your team and have them line up or sit in a big circle. There is a group leader who whispers a sentence into the first person’s ear. That next person whispers that same (hopefully) sentence into their neighbor's ear, and the game continues as such.

This is a perfect game for large teams, as not much is needed, and it’s more challenging to get the message across perfectly the more people it goes through.

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and space to the lineup, or sit in a circle.

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