Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Here’s one you may have played with family over Christmas, or as a drinking game with friends at university! This time, though, it’s strictly professional – a trust-building exercise that teaches the virtues of communication and teamwork, while also providing some good light-hearted fun.

Sticky Notes (otherwise known as “Who Am I?”) involves giving each employee a sticky note and pen and asking them to write down the name of a famous person or character. These people can be alive or dead, real or fictitious (e.g. from a movie), but should be a name that everyone in the group will recognize.

How to play Sticky notes/Who am I?

Each team member then takes their sticky note and puts it on a colleague’s forehead – ensuring they don’t see who’s written on it! Their task is to figure out the name on their note by asking “yes/no” questions to their colleagues.

For example:

• “Am I male?”
• “Am I alive now?”
• “Am I on TV?”
• “Am I an historical figure?”

You can play the game in different ways, depending on the size of your team. For smaller groups, it’s fun to sit in a circle and take turns asking questions. For larger teams, it may be easier to walk around as if you’re at a networking event, mingling with others and asking questions as you go.

What you need:

• Sticky notes and pens

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.

In sketch & guess, one person draws a word or phrase on a whiteboard, while their teammates try to guess it within a time limit. The quicker the guesses, the better! It’s like Pictionary, but perfect for office shenanigans.

This game is great for getting the creative juices flowing and injecting some energy into the workday.

How to play:

• One player draws a word or phrase on a whiteboard.
• Teammates guess the word within a set time limit.
• The team with the most correct guesses in the fastest time wins!

Find more team building activities for small groups to bring creativity and collaboration into your office.

Comic craze is a creative and collaborative activity where teams build a comic strip together. Each person draws a panel, passing it along to the next person to continue the story. It’s a fun way to let imaginations run wild and see how a simple idea can evolve into something hilarious.

This game is ideal for encouraging creativity and team bonding, with lots of room for unexpected twists in the storyline.

How to play:

• Provide each team with blank comic strip panels.
• The first person draws a panel, then passes it along for the next person to continue.
• Once complete, the team presents their comic strip for some laughs!

Explore more team building ideas to spark creativity and collaboration within your team.

This game is all about mental energy. Easy to play and can be done anywhere from a break room, to the office common space, mental gymnastics can be any type of quick trivia game, even including Pictionary if you have a lot of artists on your team.

Perfect for teams, trivia encourages employees to work together, relying on their smarts and pop culture knowledge. You can even make the game workplace specific and test how much your team knows about one another, ultimately bringing them closer together.

Bring your team outside for a day of friendly competition with ultimate field frenzy! This is a mix of classic outdoor games like tug-of-war, sack races, and team challenges that will get everyone moving and working together.

It’s the perfect way to boost team spirit and break up the office routine. With a variety of games to suit everyone’s skills, it encourages teamwork, healthy competition, and plenty of laughs. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to get the entire team involved, no matter how large!

How to play:

• Organize outdoor games like tug-of-war, sack races, and obstacle courses.
• Split the group into teams and have them compete in various challenges.
• The team with the most wins at the end of the day is the champion!

How to play Mystery basket

In this game, blindfolded players will try to guess what’s in a basket by feel. To play, gather a bunch of items from around the office. Obviously they should be safe and not have things like sharp ends or spikes. Place everything in a basket or bowl and have blindfolded participants explore the items with their hands and try to guess what they are observing. Keep track of answers with a pencil and paper, and the person with the most correct guesses wins.

Popular in interview settings and among new teams, Pass the ball is an effective ice-breaker that both unites and energizes employees. It couldn’t be simpler to play either.

How to play Pass the ball

Standing in a circle, one person starts by throwing a ball to a colleague and asks them a question as they do so.

The catcher answers, then repeats the process with another teammate. This continues for as long as you wish to play. Potential questions include:

• “What’s your fondest childhood memory?”
• “Where did you grow up?”
• “What was the last movie you watched at the cinema?”
• “If you could have a superpower, what would it be?”
• “Would you rather have legs for arms or arms for legs?”
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To keep people entertained and inject more energy into proceedings, try to pass the ball and ask/answer questions as quickly as possible. You could also set rules (e.g. “if you drop the ball you have to do a dare” or “only open-ended questions allowed”) to add another level of fun to the game.

How to play Group Postcard

For a more creative game, have your team collaboratively use postcards to make a bigger picture. Hand out several blank postcards and have the team work together to determine how they’ll create their picture.

Some people like to have a cohesive image in mind and then discuss how they’ll each do a small part. Other people like to bring up and color the postcards one at a time, adding a small piece to the growing image, and seeing what it becomes. Either way, this is a great way to facilitate teamwork, cooperation, and creativity all at once.

How to play Around the horn

About as simple and traditional as it gets, this icebreaker involves a facilitator simply asking everyone to introduce themselves to the group. Keep things concise by asking everyone to share their name, role, region, and maybe one fun fact or otherwise light-hearted bit of information. Some people have people state what they are excited to learn in the session or what is most on their minds, work-wise.

If your group are struggling to come up with team names, this quick team-building activity might help! Classification encourages players to find common ground and get to know one another quickly.

Great for: Interpersonal bonding

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 8+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Classification

Setup: To prepare for Classification, separate your group into even teams. Before the game starts, make it clear that consolidating people into groups or perpetuating stereotypes isn’t useful. Players should avoid classifications based on gender, race, sexual preferences, or any other theme that could be perceived as prejudicial or discriminatory.

To play: After forming teams and explaining the basic rules, you’re ready to start. When you say “Go!” the players can start to exchange basic information about themselves. Perhaps they like to wake up early? Maybe they like to grab a coffee every morning? Based on these preferences and characteristics, the players will attempt to find common ground and classify themselves. You can expect results such as “The Early Birds” or “The Caffeine Addicts.”

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.

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 Family portraits

A group of people creates a tableau of a specific group member. Everyone must work together to put together an image that closely resembles the subject.

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 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 Live “Price is right”

If you’re familiar with the classic show, you know how into it people can get! Try hosting a variation of the show at work. Split everyone into two teams and have everyone guess prices on things from around the office. You can use items ranging from an executive desk to snacks in the kitchen.

Make sure you know the real prices so that you can fairly determine the winners each round. Bonus points for having fun props like large cards to write guesses on, or nameplates to display team names. You’ll have to give some consideration to just where to host this game - the space needs to fit everyone and also have room for bringing in the items.

How to play Pterodactyl

Here’s a quirky new game that has hilarious results. In “Pterodactyl” (which is hard enough to spell correctly), players completely cover their teeth with their lips. One player starts the game by saying “Pterodactyl” to someone else without showing their teeth. If neither player cracks up and laughs, the next player passes it on.

Twists can come into the game if you add a silly face, cross your eyes, or use a strange voice. If you make another player laugh and show their teeth, they’re out! Continue this speaking game until only one Pterodactyl champion remains!

The rolling chair race is a great way to get creative and transform the office into a playful space for the Office Olympics. Using different rooms, furniture, and anything you can find, create an obstacle course that can be completed in an office chair. This means making sure spaces are wide enough for the chair to fit, and ensuring that team members can actually get through so all they have to focus on is winning the race.

Time each person completing the obstacle course and the team that makes it through in the least amount of time takes home the gold.

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!

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!

5-minute energizers don’t get much better than this one. Got Your Finger is fun, fast-paced, suitable for groups of all sizes, and sure to lift the mood. Oh, and it requires no prior planning or preparation either.

Here’s how to play:

Ask the team to stand in a circle, close together, and face inward. Next, tell each participant to stick their right hand out with their palms facing the ceiling. They then have to put their left index finger on the open palm of whoever’s standing to their left.

Now the fun can start! When you shout “Go”, each participant must try to close their hand around their partner’s finger before they escape. It’s multi-tasking at its finest – trying to stop the colleague to your left from catching your finger, while simultaneously trying to grab whoever’s on the right.

One of the most important skills to be able to iterate and improve work is being able to focus on reflection. A Focus Funnel activity promotes these core values and lets teams work with an agile mindset, asking clinical questions as they go. Here’s the setup:

Set up:

Each team member first needs to clearly write a list of their current tasks and goals.

The focus funnel comes when applying a series of questions to help you narrow down and prioritize their list. Some example funneling questions could be:

a. “Which task delivers the most immediate value?”

b. “Which of these tasks can be delegated?”

c. “What can be simplified and removed?”

As the questions are applied your teams practice agile prioritization and bring high-value tasks to the forefront.

How to play Finding Bonds

Try an identity game that will help players to find common bonds. Everyone takes a turn making “I am a…” statement. Some examples could be “I am a mother” or “I am a runner” or “I am an amateur chef”. Other players who identify with that statement should move to stand near the person speaking. To begin the game, players should be spread out across the room, and move toward speakers as they identify with statements shared.