Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play Dice game

Sales is a numbers game, and the more thoroughly that your reps understand this, the more motivated they'll be to keep making calls and taking meetings. You’ll need teams of 8 players, so either keep your group small or break larger groups into smaller ones. Give each 8-person team one dice and a timer (set to 30 seconds). Have each person take a turn rolling and have one “secretary” in the group write down the results for every roll. In particular, they should write down each time someone gets a “6”, and record how many tries it takes to get that result.

The key is that the players can roll as many times as they want in the 30 second interval. You’ll quickly see people moving a lot faster in order to have more tries at getting the “6” - just the way the overall sales process should work. The faster you move, the more prospects you have, and the more likely you are to get your desired result. It’s a quick visual representation to drive home what makes a truly productive sales person.

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There’s something to be said about being kind and spreading positive vibes. While it may seem like “good vibes” is just tossed around flippantly, there is compelling evidence that being excellent and complementary is good for your health.

How to play:

‍One person, likely the team leader, gets the ball rolling and asks team members to go around the circle and give a compliment to someone on their team. It can be as simple as thanking someone for being so knowledgeable and helping you figure out a computer malfunction, or more specifically, to a project the whole team is working on together.

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and, ideally, outdoor space

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

Oh, Scattergories - that hilarious game that always leaves you scratching your head and laughing until your sides hurt. But did you know that this party favorite can be used in the office setting too?

How to play:

1. Choose a category and a letter.
2. Set a time limit for players to come up with answers.
3. Each player writes down as many answers as possible starting with the chosen letter.
4. Compare answers and eliminate any duplicates or invalid answers.
5. Award points for unique and valid answers. Repeat with a new category and letter.

Not only is Scattergories great for building team chemistry and boosting morale, but it's also a sneaky way to get everyone thinking outside the box and flexing their problem-solving muscles. So the next time you're stuck in a meeting that feels like a snooze-fest, bring out the Scattergories and watch the magic happen!

These days, 99% of our written communication is digital. Assigning Pen Pals revives the art of the handwritten letter and provides your employees with an opportunity to get to know each other on a deeper level.

Great for: Interpersonal bonding

Duration: N/A

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Pen Pals

Setup: Start by assigning Pen Pals and determining the frequency of the letters. To encourage interdepartmental bonding, try pairing employees who wouldn’t usually cross paths.

To play: The game is simple. Employees will exchange letters with their pen pals at regular intervals. Through this process, your employees will develop lasting relationships that reinforce the company culture.

Coffee talk sessions offer a simple, relaxing break in the day. Teams hop on a virtual call for 15 minutes, grab a coffee (or tea), and chat about anything but work. It’s the virtual water cooler chat you didn’t know you needed.

This is an easy way to stay connected, share stories, and unwind—especially when everyone’s remote and missing those casual office moments.

How to play:

• Set up a 15-minute virtual coffee break.
• Join the call with your favorite drink and talk about anything non-work-related.
• Enjoy a casual chat and a little break from the day!

For more team-building activities for work that help teams connect, browse our full guide.

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.

Cool off and blow off some steam with super soaker showdown! Teams engage in a friendly water gun fight, battling it out while dodging sprays and soaking each other. It’s a fun, refreshing way to unleash some energy and enjoy the outdoors.

This is perfect for adding a bit of action-packed excitement to a team day out—and there’s nothing like a good water fight to get everyone laughing.

How to play:

• Equip each team with water guns and create boundaries for the battle.
• Teams strategize to soak their opponents while staying as dry as possible.
• The team with the driest members (or the most soaked fun) wins!

Discover more funny team-building activities for small groups to add energy and excitement to your next team event.

How to play:

Fill a box with random objects, such as office supplies, toys, or miscellaneous items. One participant selects an item from the box and describes how it can be repurposed or used creatively in a different context.

Materials needed: Box, various objects

Benefits:

• Creative problem-solving: Stimulate participants' ability to think creatively and find innovative uses for ordinary objects, fostering resourcefulness and adaptability.
• Divergent thinking: Encourage participants to explore multiple perspectives and consider alternative uses or functions for everyday items.
• Perspective shift: Develop the skill of looking beyond the obvious and seeing the potential in the ordinary, which can translate to finding innovative solutions in the workplace.

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.

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.

Ready, set, puzzle! In puzzle dash, teams race against the clock to complete a jigsaw puzzle or brain teaser. The fastest team to finish wins, promoting problem-solving, quick thinking, and a bit of healthy competition.

This group teambuilding game is perfect for sharpening your team’s focus, collaboration, and time management skills. Whether it’s a jigsaw or a tricky brain teaser, puzzle dash brings out the best in quick thinking under pressure—all while having some fun.

How to play:

• Divide into teams and give each team a puzzle or brain teaser (e.g., a 100-piece jigsaw or a Sudoku challenge).
• Set a time limit and race to complete it as quickly as possible.
• The team that finishes first (or makes the most progress) wins!

How to play Shout Out

In this game, members collaborate and contribute by shouting out some ideas. You’ll need some sort of white board or flip chart, and plan for 3 - 10 people in a group. First come up with a problem that you want to discuss. For example, “How can we reduce waste in our production process?” or “How can we bring that new product to market one week faster?” Give each person the opportunity to yell out an idea so that the whole group can hear. Once everyone has had a chance to speak, ask the group to come to a consensus on the best option, and then hold a discussion about it. Why is it the best idea? What makes it workable, etc? Also, did everyone feel listened to? How did the results from this process differ from just speaking to each other?

This gives your employees a chance to learn more about problem solving processes and cooperation, in addition to potential solutions to real business issues.

How to play Linkword

Here’s a letter game that has some great online worksheets to get teams started. This fast-paced brain teaser has teams thinking laterally. You might want to create teams for this one, as some examples can really get people scratching their heads.

Your teams will look at three words and have to decide on one word that connects all three. Common words are the aim of the game. Let’s say for example you show them the words “POINT,” “SAFETY,” and “CUSHION”. All three of these words can be connected with the word “PIN,” forming “pinpoint,” “safety pin,” and “pin cushion.” Try this one out with your teams.

Get ready to wield your balloon-bashing skills in the exhilarating Balloon Sword Fight challenge! As your teams gear up for friendly combat, the atmosphere will be filled with excitement and laughter. Inspired by the fast-paced action of sword fights, this game replaces steel with balloons, turning your colleagues into balloon-busting warriors. It's not just about popping balloons; it's about teamwork, strategy, and the art of joyful competition.

Instructions

• Divide participants into teams of equal size.
• Equip each team member with a balloon "sword" – a harmless, air-filled weapon.
• Set up a designated play area with safety precautions in place.
• Teams strategize and plan their approach to the battle.
• Engage in friendly combat, trying to pop opponents' balloons while protecting your own.
• The last team with an intact balloon wins the round.
• Encourage sportsmanship and celebrate the victorious team.

Imagine a team that rolls with the punches. That's adaptability—being cool with change and helping colleagues navigate the twists and turns of work life.

Adaptability activity - "Change challenge" brainstorm:

• Present a hypothetical or real work-related change that the team might face in the future.
• Divide participants into groups and provide them with markers, flip charts, or whiteboards.
• Instruct each group to brainstorm creative ways to embrace and adapt to the change, focusing on positive outcomes.
• Encourage groups to discuss their ideas and strategies for effectively navigating the proposed change.
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This brainstorming activity enhances adaptability skills, encourages innovative thinking and promotes a proactive approach to change management.

How to play Word crush

There aren’t many people in the world who haven’t heard of the game Candy Crush. Word Crush is a video game crossover that uses a column-stacking system while challenging the player’s word-building skills.

Each person can play individually, or record high scores and go head-to-head with multiplayer. The game is available for Apple and Android, so download and share on a screen for a competitive, word-building challenge!

Silent signals is a fun, in-office game where players pass a series of mime gestures down a line, trying to keep the message intact. Think of it like a game of telephone but without speaking—just silent, exaggerated gestures that often get hilariously misunderstood along the way.

It’s a great way to get everyone laughing and focusing on non-verbal communication. Plus, the confusion at the end is always worth the effort!

How to play:

• The first person mimes a gesture to the next person.
• The mime gets passed down the line.
• The last person tries to guess what the original gesture was!

Explore more fun team-building activities to bring even more energy and laughter to your team activities.

In match quest, everyone has the name of a famous pair (like “Batman” and “Robin”) stuck to their back, but they don’t know who they are. Players ask each other yes/no questions to figure out their identity and find their match. It’s a race to see who can complete their pair first!

This team building game is perfect for encouraging interaction and getting people mingling. It’s a lighthearted, playful way to break the ice and get the team laughing together, making it ideal for building connections.

How to play:

• Write the names of famous pairs on cards and stick one to each player’s back.
• Players ask yes/no questions to figure out who they are.
• The goal is to find your match as quickly as possible.

Next up is the lesser-known, but fun guessing game "Password". It's known for keeping your employees on their toes in an amusing and challenging way.

How to play:

1. Choose a password and write it down.
2. Players take turns giving one-word clues to help others guess the password.
3. Clues cannot contain any part of the password.
4. If someone guesses the password correctly, they get a point.
5. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

So why is this game perfect for the office? For starters, it's a great way to get people thinking creatively and working together. Plus, it's an easy way to inject some energy into meetings or downtime without spending a lot of time or money.

How to play Human machine

Effective collaboration is an important part of a well-functioning team. This training game is a great way to encourage strong cooperation. Have everyone stand in a circle with one person in the middle. They should mimic part of a “machine” by making appropriate sounds or motions.

After 5 seconds, another person should enter and connect to the first person, also making the right “machine” sounds and motions. Every 5 seconds a new person joins, until everyone is connected as a well-running machine. This game is also good if you’re looking for some physical activity to break up a long day, or a quick office game.

This game is a bit random but great fun. Each player takes a turn thinking of a specific ‘thing’.

How to play Tree or Bob Ross?

The other players must then figure out what that ‘thing’ is by asking comparative questions like, “Is it more like… or…?” Traditionally, the first question is always, “Is it more like a tree, or Bob Ross?” Play continues with similar comparative questions until the guessing team has successfully identified the ‘thing’.

The Human Spring teaches participants the value of trust, cooperation, and interdependence – three core qualities of effective teams. If your workforce appears divided, there’s been recent conflict, or levels of collaboration seem to be dwindling, then we highly recommend it!

Here’s how to play:

Divide the team into pairs (consider doing this for them in order to break up the usual cliques and encourage mingling), ensuring that partners are of a similar size.

Next, ask the pairs to face each other and put their hands up, with their elbows bent, and palms facing the other person. They then have to put their palms together (i.e. person A’s palms should be touching person B’s) and lean towards each other, bit by bit, until they’re holding one another up.

That’s the easy bit! The real challenge comes next, when they have to start moving their feet further and further back, while keeping their palms together.

The beauty of this exercise is that each rearward shuffle makes it harder to stay upright without the support of their partner.

Eventually, their feet should be so far back that they’re relying solely on their teammate to stay upright. The pair with the greatest distance between their feet is the winner. They should then swap partners and do it all again!

What you need:

• N/A

How to play the floor is lava

Light-hearted and more than a little bit silly, The Floor is Lava is another excellent indoor game that’s sure to get people giggling! More importantly, they’ll be working together, listening, demonstrating leadership skills, and solving problems.

The idea’s simple: break your team into 2 groups and challenge them to take turns crossing the room together without touching the floor (…because it’s lava). While one group attempts the crossing, the other can try to sabotage their efforts – moving items they’d otherwise use as stepping stones and/or placing obstacles in their way.

How to play Hula Hoop Challenge

Instructions: Each participant is given a hula hoop and must keep it spinning around their waist for as long as possible. The person who keeps the hoop spinning the longest wins.

Materials needed: Hula hoops.

The Hula Hoop Challenge promotes physical activity, coordination, and determination. It adds a light-hearted and nostalgic element to the picnic, and participants can cheer each other on and share in the fun.