Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

The Digital Detox Adventure is a refreshing escape from the virtual world, where you'll engage in outdoor activities, games, and team-building exercises that encourage face-to-face interactions. This challenge rekindles genuine connections and highlights the importance of interpersonal skills and effective communication.

Instructions

• Divide participants into teams, ensuring a mix of personalities.
• Plan outdoor activities that require teamwork and communication.
• Engage in games that promote problem-solving and collaboration.
• Reflect on the differences in communication when technology is removed.
• Share your insights on how the digital detox experience impacted your team dynamics.

How to play Egg-cellent fun

If you want to up the ante on the previous game, try using eggs instead of ping pong balls. Using only a spoon, players should carry an egg from one end of the room to the other. How many times can people cross the room? This game is best for playing outdoors or in other spaces that can withstand a little mess.

Tight-knit teams need to understand how their colleagues like to work. Who likes to work in silence and who likes to exchange ideas? Who likes to take phone calls and who prefers emails? By creating Personal User Manuals, new and existing employees gain a deeper understanding of their peer’s workplace preferences.

Great for: Onboarding, company culture

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 4-15

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Personal User Manuals

Setup: No setup required.

To play: Ask your employees to record a short video of themselves that can be used as a Personal User Manual. In the video, the employee should introduce themselves, tell an interesting fact and discuss their workplace preferences. Once everybody has recorded a video, you can upload them to your company intranet or knowledge hub.

This game is an interactive outdoor activity perfect for a company retreat. If you’re taking the whole team to Paris for a city getaway to boost morale, Pay it Forward is the perfect game that helps you get to know your surroundings and encourages team members to collaborate.

How to play:

‍Split your workers into small teams, not more than ten a group. Each group will be given a small recording device or asked to designate one player as the videographer. Teams will be given an envelope that contains tasks. Each task is worth a certain number of points.

Each team is sent out into its surroundings, ideally a place where there are plenty of people to perform random acts of kindness for strangers. These random acts are found in the envelope given to your team at the beginning of the game. The person recording is documenting each task completed.

Examples of tasks could include:

• Paying for a strangers coffee at a cafe
• Telling someone they look great today
• Offering a small shopkeeper to help take out the trash

Once teams return to the home base, they tally up their points based on the number of tasks they completed.

Materials you’ll need: You’ll need plenty of space for your team to roam around, like a village or city center. A small recording divide like a GoPro or personal cellphone.

How many people: Small to large groups (8 to 20+ people)

How to play Cold call point system

For an ongoing game that will add some fun to the daily routine, start a cold calling point system. Take five minutes out of each day and have employees record their cold calls. It can be really fun to see points add up over time and learn from each other. Keep a whiteboard or other points-tracking system in view so everyone can get a status. Here are some options for tracking points:

1. 30 points for getting the prospect on the phone
2. 20 points for keeping them on for more than a minute
3. 40 points for scheduling a follow up
4. 10 points for getting a new contact from the call

Birthday Line-up is a quick team-building activity that requires very little setup and no equipment. If it’s early in the morning and your team is drowsy, this is the perfect warm-up for the body and mind.

Great for: Problem-solving, decision-making, communication

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 6-20

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Birthday Line-up

Setup: Ask your group to form a line, standing shoulder to shoulder.

To play: When the timer starts, players must arrange themselves into order from the earliest birthday to the latest birthday (month and day only). Under normal circumstances, this would be a simple task, but there’s one problem: Players cannot speak. Instead, they can use only hand signals and body movements to communicate their birthday.

How to play Speed eraser

If you ever played the game of “quarters”, you’ll have an advantage for this game. Another game with a simple supply list, this one starts with six or seven small but sturdy cups and a few boxes of unsharpened pencils. Each player has one minute to bounce pencils off the eraser end into the cups (one per cup). Starting with a large number of pencils available makes the game easier. Reminder: you’ll want to use unsharpened pencils for this game, and sharpened pencil tips flying around could be dangerous.

How to play Which cartoon character would you be?

What silly character (or creature) are you most like? Have everyone go around the room, and in addition to the basics like name and role, ask them to share which cartoon character they would play and why. For example, a rugged outdoorsman might say he is like Sven from the Disney classic Frozen, while a particularly studious young woman might say she is like Lisa Simpson from the old Simpsons show.

Did you ever hear about that person who traded a paperclip for a house? Well, now it’s your employees' chance to do the same with Bigger and Better! In this fun team-building game, your employees must work together and leverage their sales skills to obtain more valuable objects through trade.

Great for: Communication, teamwork, energization

Duration: 45–60 minutes

You’ll need: Small “invaluable” objects such as paperclips or pens

How to play:

• Separate your group into teams. Then, give each team an invaluable item such as a paperclip or a pen.
• Find a suitable location such as a busy park or shopping mall.
• Explain that the aim of the game is to trade this item for increasingly more valuable items by using their sales skills.
• Set a time limit and start trading!
• When the time runs out, regroup with your employees and ask each team to present their new item. The team with the most valuable item wins! If it’s close, you can ask other teams to vote for the thing they consider more valuable, or turn to a website like eBay or Amazon to establish monetary value.

Building forts inside the office might sound juvenile. And it is! But that’s the point. Fort building is fun, silly, and creative – a perfect antidote to the usual stress and responsibility associated with work.

For this game, get everyone to bring things like bed sheets, cardboard boxes, and string to the office. Then divide the group into teams and give them a 30-minute time limit to construct the best possible fort! Each group then presents what they’ve built for you – the judge – to decide who won.

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 Night watchman

Both small groups and big groups can benefit from this exercise. The game involves players imitating a statue under the watch of a “night watchman”. They should try to move without getting caught. You’ll have to choose a night watchman at the beginning of the game; this person can move about freely while everyone else should behave like a statue. Players can try to take steps, but the night watchman must not see them move. If they see someone move, that person is out of the game. In some variations, the night watchman can do things to make the players move, but they shouldn’t touch them directly. You can also make this a no-winner game where the last person caught moving becomes the new night watchman.

How to play You teach me

Everyone learns differently and has unique perspectives on things. There can be a lot of value in hearing and understanding these perspectives from other people. For this exercise, you’ll need to divide people into small groups of no more than 5. Give them all of the training materials and notes you have for the training, and instruct them to work together to come up with their own presentation. Their goal is to cover the material for everyone else present, as if they were the teacher. Teaching others is actually a powerful form of processing knowledge, and having a different perspective will help attendees to learn the material more thoroughly.

Explanation:

‍Teams take creative photos that capture the spirit and quirks of the office, like the breakroom plant or that one messy desk. The goal is to create a fun photo journal that showcases the character of the workplace.

For this hybrid setup, in-office workers can snap photos of the office environment—those little things that make the space unique. Meanwhile, remote workers can take photos of their home office setups or capture quirky things around their workspace. All the photos are combined into a digital photo journal that showcases both the in-office and remote workspaces, reflecting everyone’s unique style and creativity. It’s a laid-back way to celebrate both environments and have fun seeing what makes each workspace special.

How to play:

‍Encourage employees to create catchy safety slogans that promote workplace safety. Have a panel of judges select the best slogans and award prizes to the winners. Display the winning slogans around the workplace.

This activity taps into employees' creativity and gives them a sense of ownership over the safety culture. Seeing their own slogans around the workplace can be a source of pride and motivation. The next "Safety First!" slogan might just be around the corner.

Obstacle sprint is a high-energy game where blindfolded team members navigate through a “minefield” of objects, guided only by their teammates’ verbal directions. It’s all about trust and communication, and watching people stumble around makes it a lot more fun!

This game is great for building trust and sharpening communication skills—plus, it’s always good for some laughs.

How to play:

• Set up an obstacle course with random objects in a designated area.
• Blindfold one team member, while the others give verbal instructions to guide them through the course.
• First team to navigate the course successfully wins!

Find even more team building activities for small groups to strengthen teamwork and communication in your office.

Brace yourselves; it's time to embark on the stress-busting adventure of crafting your very own stress balls. Balloons, flour (or any chosen filling), and a sprinkle of creativity are your tools of the trade. It's DIY therapy with a squishy twist - creating a stress ally that fits snugly on your desk.

This hands-on activity is a break from the norm. When employees bond over creating a stress release, the activity turns into camaraderie, creativity, and a therapeutic crafting session. The end result? A desk buddy that's ready to take on stress, one squish at a time.

Instructions:

1. Balloons? Check. Filling? Check.
2. Stretch that balloon over the bottle or funnel, and let the filling commence.
3. Tie it off, and behold - you've birthed a stress ball.
4. Keep it close for those "deep breath, squeeze the stress away" moments, and revel in the satisfaction of crafting your very own stress-busting companion.

This simple game tests your historical knowledge and is a great way to spark conversation outside the office. While organizing a company retreat that emphasizes relaxation, this game is a great way to get people talking.

How to play:

‍Hand out several coins, around five max, to each person. Go around in the group and have them start with one currency and tell a personal story that was meaningful for them.

If they are the only person with that experience, they can place the coin in the center of the table. If another team member shares a similar experience, they must put theirs.

The game is played until someone gets rid of all their coins.

Materials you’ll need A handful of pennies or equivalent coins in whatever currency you use. Just make sure the currency is recent (not older than 20 years old)

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

How to play Balance challenge

Sometimes called the “helium stick” exercise, this game creates engagement in a group and paves the way for more group learning. Have your group break into two groups and form rows. The two rows should be facing each other. Then, ask everyone to hold out their index fingers and place a long, thin rod across everyone’s fingers. They need to ensure it’s level before going further. Then, instruct them to move the rod up or down, but as a group where the rod stays level.

Bring on the cuteness with pet parade party! Team members show off their pets (or favorite stuffed toys, if they don’t have pets) in a virtual showcase. Whether it’s a dog, cat, or even a pet rock, everyone gets a turn to introduce their little (or big) buddy to the team.

This is a fun, lighthearted way to bond over something everyone loves—adorable animals. Plus, who doesn’t love a chance to show off their furry friends?

How to play:

• Each team member gets a turn to show off their pet (or stuffed toy).
• Introduce the pet and share a fun fact or story.
• Enjoy the cuteness and some laughs as you meet everyone’s pets!

You can discover even more fun team-building activities to bring your team together in our full guide.

Sharpen deductive skills! In Secret Noun, one person selects a noun, and the rest of the team uses questions to guess the word.

Instructions on how to play:

1. Choose one person to be the secret noun selector.
2. This person picks a secret noun and keeps it hidden.
3. The rest of the team takes turns asking yes/no questions to narrow down and eventually guess the secret noun.
4. Set a time limit for each round to keep the game dynamic.

Why it's a great team building game:

• Communication skills: Enhances the team's ability to ask strategic questions and deduce information.
• Team engagement: Fosters a collaborative environment as everyone works together to solve the mystery.
• Critical thinking: Challenges participants to think creatively and strategically.

Top tip to help the game run smoothly: Encourage the person with the secret noun to think creatively and choose a word that allows for diverse questions. After each round, discuss the team's approach and share insights on effective questioning.

Ready for a fun, 5-minute energizer that’s suitable for groups of all sizes and you can do via video call? This one ticks all the right boxes.

How to play Up, down, left, right

Start the activity by asking everyone on the call to stand up – ensuring they’re still visible on the webcam. Then all you do is say the words “up”, “down”, “left”, and “right” and tell the team to point their heads in the corresponding direction.

Do this for 30 to 60 seconds at a fairly rapid pace. Next, change the rules so that people have to look in the opposite direction to what you say. So when you say “down”, they should point their heads toward the ceiling, and vice versa.

Keep going for another minute, gradually speeding up as you go. The light physical movement and mental challenge involved should invigorate and focus the group before your meeting; the mood should feel brighter too.

This is a quick and easy icebreaker that doesn’t require any equipment and is guaranteed to produce a laugh. The game inspires your team to get creative and think on their feet in a fun environment. The aim of the game is to collaborate on an interesting and unpredictable story by allowing each player to contribute one sentence at a time.

How to play the Neverending Story

To play The Neverending Story, gather your group into a circle, sitting or standing—it’s up to you. Then, choose a player to start, you can help them by giving them the first sentence or proposing a setting for the story. Once a sentence has been added to the story, the opportunity moves to the next person in the circle.

You can set a time limit, or bring the game to a close once the story meets its natural conclusion. Your team are sure to have great fun being creative and collaborating on a silly story.

If your team members are new to each other, encourage each player to include the name of one of their colleagues in their sentence. For example, “Then, Steve walked in and couldn’t believe his eyes!”

Background noise can be a common challenge if you work in an office or go to your desk in the living room daily. This game relies on an everyday challenge, asking players to listen with intention and remain calm, even if the environment is overwhelming.

How to play:

‍Pick two people from your team to be the “speaker” and the “noise maker.” The person in charge of making noise is as loud as possible while others usually talk.

Team members listen carefully to try and retain as much information as possible. Many suggest that other team members close their eyes to try to hear as much as possible without visual distractions or prompts.

Materials you’ll need: No materials needed, just your team!

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