Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Picture a world where all the lights go out and the only people on the entire earth that can see are your work colleagues! Enter "Blind Maze," a game that brings these skills to the forefront while adding an exciting twist. It's all about navigating blindfolded, relying on your team's guidance to find your way.

How to play

1. Direct your colleagues in a suitable office space or any area with enough space to draw a maze on a whiteboard.
2. Use the whiteboard to draw a maze with a clear starting point and a challenging path leading to the end. Make sure it's complex enough to require teamwork.
3. Choose one team member to be blindfolded. Give them the whiteboard marker.
4. The remaining team members take on the role of guides. They must verbally instruct the blindfolded person on how to navigate the maze without touching the walls.
5. Guides provide clear, concise instructions while the blindfolded participant listens attentively and follows the guidance.
6. The objective is for the blindfolded person to successfully navigate the maze and reach the end without hitting the walls.
7. After a round, switch roles so that everyone gets a chance to be the navigator and the guide.

In this activity, we'll help you and your colleagues discover your communication styles and discuss how to adapt them to improve workplace communication. So, grab your pens and let's get started!

Materials needed:

• Communication style quiz questionnaires (don't worry, we've got those ready for you).
• pens or pencils
• A flipchart or a whiteboard.
• Colorful markers.
• A cozy meeting space where you can comfortably chat.

Instructions:

1. Let's kick things off by talking about why effective communication is so vital in the workplace.
2. Remember, understanding your communication style can make your interactions with colleagues and bosses much smoother.
3. Here come the questionnaires! Take one and answer the questions honestly, without overthinking. Your responses are just for you.
4. You've got 15 minutes to complete the quiz
5. After collecting your completed questionnaires, we'll calculate your scores using the quiz key.
6. Then, we'll group you into different communication style categories, like assertive, passive, aggressive, or passive-aggressive.
7. Now, it's group time!

Chat about:

• What makes your communication style unique?
• How does it influence your daily work interactions?
• What are the strong suits and potential pitfalls of your style?
• Share real-life stories where your style worked like a charm or, well, maybe not so much.

Wrap things up with some key takeaways from your discussion.

Remember, being self-aware and flexible with your communication is the name of the game.

Go forth and apply your newfound wisdom to combat common workplace issues!

How to play Country ambassadors

This is a lively game which only requires some knowledge of geography. Assign each player a country. You can do this by using a random country generator, or just selecting at random. Once countries are assigned, each person should take a turn describing their country without mentioning it by name. The goal is for all the remaining players to be able to guess their country. If you want to make the game competitive, then keep a running list of all the players and how many countries they’ve guessed. The person who got the most correct wins.

Water balloon dodgeball is a highly intense competitive game that’s guaranteed to get your group livened up at the start of your team-building event. Just don’t forget to remind everyone to bring a change of clothes beforehand!

Great for: Energization

Duration: 10–20 minutes

You’ll need: Two large buckets or bins, lots of water balloons, cones or rope for marking the field

How to play:

• Mark out a rectangular field using rope or cones, divide it in half and then place a bucket or bin full of water balloons at both ends.
• Divide your group into two teams and position them at opposing ends of the field next to the water balloons.
• When you say “Go!” both teams start hurling water balloons at the opposing players.
• If a player is hit, they’re out of the game and must leave the field.
• Play continues until all the players from one team are eliminated. The team with players still standing wins.

How to play Birth map?

There’s a lot of value in knowing where people come from. This is especially true if your organization has several offices or a hybrid workforce that is scattered. For this exercise, have a facilitator place a large map in front of the room. Have plenty of pins available and have each person come up one at a time to place a pin on the city where they were born. If you want to expand the exercise into a dialogue, try asking some follow up questions like “Whose birthplace surprised you most?”. You can also leave the map up during the rest of the day as an interesting conversation starter.

How to play Wanna spoon

Using only a spoon, players should attempt to transfer as many ping pong balls as they can from one bowl to another - no hands! Hands would be allowed if you drop the ball on the ground but then they should be placed back into the original bowl for another attempt. Whoever moves the most ping pong balls in the minute timeframe wins.

How to play Don’t answer that

Fun and laughter are guaranteed with Don’t Answer That. A verbal exercise this time, all participants have to do is stand in a circle asking each other questions! As you’d expect, though, there’s a caveat…

You don’t answer the questions directed at you.

The person standing to your left does it instead. For example, imagine that James asks you, “What’s the most embarrassing moment of your life so far?” You’d have to stay silent while Jeanette – the person to your left – claims it was when you got drunk at the last Christmas party and told the CEO you loved her.

The idea isn’t necessarily to be truthful (although it isn’t a rule that you can’t be!). The goal is simply to have a good time, make people laugh, and lift the mood.

Hosting a company-wide employee appreciation day is an idea to show employees gratitude and recognition for their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the organization. It's an opportunity for employers to express their appreciation and for employees to feel valued and motivated.

Here are some ideas and suggestions for celebrating Employee Appreciation Day:

1. Write personalized thank-you notes to each employee, highlighting their contributions and efforts.
2. Offer gift cards to employees to take themselves to lunch or coffee.
3. Hand out employee awards that highlight outstanding employees with awards or certificates, such as "Employee of the Month."
4. Host a company-wide employee breakfast where employees can relax and bond with one another.
5. Take the day off for team-building activities that encourage employee bonding and camaraderie.
6. Take the day off to volunteer day and use all that appreciative energy to do some good. Volunteer for a charitable cause or support a community project as a team-building activity.
7. Acknowledge each employee's unique interests and preferences, which can make the recognition more meaningful.
8. Share employee accomplishments on social media, the company website, or a company newsletter to highlight their contributions.

Employee appreciation day is all about celebration and showing gratitude and should be made an ongoing practice within the workplace to maintain a positive and motivated workforce.

Get ready to sweat, strategize, and laugh together. The Obstacle Course Challenge throws your team into a physical adventure filled with ropes, walls, and adrenaline. But it's not just about conquering obstacles; it's about conquering them together. You'll shout encouragement, lend a hand, and celebrate each victory as a united front. Through the sweat and cheers, you'll find yourselves communicating better, trusting more, and learning that each member's strength boosts the whole team. It's teamwork, it's a workout, and it's a whole lot of unforgettable fun.

Instructions

• Nominate a team leader for organized coordination.
• Familiarize teams with the course layout and safety rules.
• Teammates support each other to conquer physical challenges.
• Offer encouraging words and provide guidance during tough spots.
• End the challenge with a triumphant team cheer to boost morale.

How to play New brand manager (teams)

In this game, you can break a group of 10-20 people into smaller teams. Give each team a product (you can keep it simple by grabbing things from around the room like a pencil sharpener or a soda) and ask them to be brand manager for a day. What is the overall business plan for this product? How about marketing strategy and tactics? How are they selling this product, and to whom?

This is a good activity for teams that need to improve their marketing and sales mindsets. Have each team present the plan for their brand and conduct discussions as a larger team.

How to play My favorite gift to give…

You can learn a lot about people from what they say about presents. What do they like to give, or receive? Ask people to share their favorites, and you’re sure to gain insight into their personality (plus learn some cool new gift ideas in the process). This is an especially fun one for around the holidays. An alternative for following the holidays would be “What is the most exciting gift you got?”

This one is perfect for newcomers to agile practices. It’s quick and interactive, focusing on iterations and adapting to customer feedback. Teams work together to design a chocolate bar to please their “target market” (other team members), iterating each time depending on the feedback they get.

Set up:

Every round, one person is the Product Owner and they give basic instructions for making chocolate (like milk or dark chocolate, fillings, toppings, colors, packaging). They design the product on a whiteboard and then release it to their “customers” for feedback. The product owner takes the feedback to the group to reiterate for the next release. Working within timers for design, the cycle continues until most customers are happy with the end result.

Explanation:

‍Teams brainstorm and design the ultimate office gadget that solves an everyday problem, like a self-cleaning desk or a coffee cup that never gets cold. The goal is to sketch out the concept and explain how it works.

In this hybrid version, remote and in-office workers team up to brainstorm their gadget ideas. Remote workers can use virtual tools to create digital sketches and presentations, while in-office workers can build mockups or create physical prototypes using whatever’s available. Everyone collaborates on how the gadget would work and why it would make office life easier (or just more fun). At the end, each team shares their gadget ideas via video call, showing off both the digital and physical aspects of their creation.

It’s a fun way to mix creativity and problem-solving across both work environments!

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.

This game is a high-speed activity that focuses on prioritization and quick decision-making. The emphasis is less on winning and more on confident decision-making.

Set up:

Start a 2-minute timer and present your teams with a realistic work scenario or small project. Something along the lines of “Plan the first steps for a product launch” or “Outline a strategy for user feedback.” Each team needs to collaboratively brainstorm to create three immediate actions to address the needs of the scenario. Once the timer’s up, let them discuss their choices and how they prioritized their actions. You’ll be helping them develop collaboration and decisiveness.

If you’re looking for a serious game that teaches the value of collaboration in a plain and no-nonsense manner…then this one definitely isn’t it!

Hello kitty’s a super simple improv game that’s all about being silly, getting involved, having fun, and making each other laugh. And, ultimately, that’s what improv games are all about. The fact they forge tighter bonds between teammates is a bonus.

How to play Hello kitty

Hello kitty couldn’t be easier to play either. Suitable for groups of any size, you start by dividing employees into two teams: kittens and puppies. Next, separate everyone into pairs, where one partner’s a kitten and the other’s a puppy.

The puppy’s job is to say hello with one goal in mind: to make their partner smile, chuckle, laugh out loud – anything that shows they’re amused. The kitten’s job is to keep a straight face. Expect all sorts of funny voices, impressions, and gestures to follow! What happens if/when they succeed, you ask?

The kitten turns into a puppy, of course! They can then both turn their attention to any remaining kittens who are yet to laugh. The game ends when everyone has joined the puppy team. By then – having exercised your creative sides and laughed a lot – you should all be feeling energized, light, and closer to your teammates.

In virtual argument arena, two team members go head-to-head, debating a fun or totally ridiculous topic. One argues for, and the other argues against—whether it’s the superiority of pineapple on pizza or why dogs are better than cats. The rest of the team can sit back, watch, and vote for the winner.

This is a lighthearted way to get people talking, thinking on their feet, and maybe even learning how to argue without it getting personal!

How to play:

• Choose two participants and assign them opposing sides of a fun topic.
• They take turns debating while the rest of the team watches.
• The team votes on the most convincing argument to decide the winner.

How to play Human Hungry Hippos

Do you remember the game Hungry Hungry Hippos from childhood? Bring the game to life with this super physical challenge. You’re guaranteed to get some laughs after even the longest meetings. The concept is simple: you recreate the classic game using your own bodies, skateboards, laundry baskets, and plastic balls. You can have 3 or 4 people go against each other every round.

To start, one person lays on their stomach on a skateboard, and another participant holds their feet in order to steer. The laying-down player should hold a laundry basket upside down, ready to snatch the balls. The leader should dump a basket of small plastic balls onto the floor to start the game. From there, each pair of players scrambles to grab as many balls as they can with their basket. The pair with the most balls at the end wins. This game is best suited for people who don’t mind getting physical and aren’t afraid of looking silly.

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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 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.

How to play Online (useless) talent show

Here’s a game that aims to draw out hidden talents among your teams. Ask each person in the next virtual meeting to showcase a talent they have. The only thing is, a lot of people might feel they have no hidden talents to show, so by calling it a ‘useless’ talent show, you might help reduce any pressure that is felt.

Allow them to be as random and creative as they wish. Older talent videos from the 2000s had some creative gems, like the famous Daft Hands. Simplicity is key for a talent show, as well as an atmosphere of zero pressure, so give a (useless) talent show a shot in your next virtual happy hour.

How to play Confess then guess

This is a simple “getting to know you” game for groups of all sizes, especially people who are just getting to know each other. In every round, participants write down the answer to a prompt (that was previously created) and then put the answer into a bowl. A host will read out each reply and players have to guess which person wrote the answer. Some prompts to try are:

• Your greatest fear
• Your favorite animal story
• Who you were in a past life
• Your favorite activity for relaxing
• What you were voted in high school
• What you wanted to be when you grew up
• The first item on your bucket list
• Your personal hero
• Something you’re allergic to

Your employees will work in teams to build the most durable boat using nothing but cardboard, sticky tape and their creativity. Whose will travel the furthest before it sinks?

Great for: Teamwork, creative thinking

Duration: 1–2 hours

You’ll need: Cardboard, tape, table tennis rackets

How to play:

• Find a suitable location to perform the boat races, i.e. a pond or swimming pool.
• Divide your group into teams of about 5–6 players, then give each team some sheets of cardboard and a few rolls of tape.
• Set a time limit for the build. Once the time is up, ask each team to present their creations and explain why theirs is best.
• Finally, ask each team to delegate a captain (it’s best to choose somebody small and light).
• Hand each captain a pair of table tennis rackets (this will help them to propel their vessel) and ask them to take their boats to the water’s edge.
• When the starting pistol fires, the captains will scramble into their vessels and paddle as fast as they can while their teammates cheer them on. The team to paddle the furthest wins.

Instructions:

‍Create a space for leaders to express appreciation for each other's contributions and strengths.

Gratitude is the secret ingredient of exceptional leadership. The appreciation circle allows your team to acknowledge and celebrate the strengths and achievements of their coworkers. It creates a positive and uplifting environment, fostering a culture of appreciation and recognition. By expressing gratitude, leaders build stronger relationships, boost team morale, and inspire their team to give their best. Gather in a circle, shower each other with praise, and watch your leadership bonds grow stronger.

How to play Minute to Win It Challenges

Instructions: Set up a series of minute-long challenges where participants must complete a task using everyday objects. Examples include stacking cups or moving cookies from the forehead to the mouth using only facial muscles.

Materials needed: Everyday objects (cups, cookies, etc.).

Prepare for the Minute to Win It Challenges, where lightning-fast antics and friendly rivalry collide. These challenges ignite creativity, force adaptability, and unveil hidden talents as team members scramble to conquer the clock.