In this blog, we walk you through some new, cool, and engaging team-building ideas that will make your team-building events fun and memorable.
1) Cooking Contests:
Choosing a fun team-bonding activity for an organization is not that easy, however, one thing we all share in common is our love for good food. In fact, cooking together with coworkers promotes team morale as well as allows the forming of deeper bonds between them.
You simply need a cooking theme for the contest such as BBQ, the morning meal, Mom’s finest recipe, or something exclusive along these lines. After that, you can split employees into teams of 5-8 people. Set clear rules and criteria for this competition such as a time limit, ingredients used, and judging parameters.
Decorate your workplace with posters, pictures, and so forth. Also, include music and drinks to make the contest enjoyable. Appoint judges to evaluate dishes. Offer prizes to the team that presents the most unique and delicious meal, all while sticking to the rules laid out.
2) Outdoor Sports Games:
Organize outdoor games to foster camaraderie, trust, and teamwork within the work environment. Encourage teams to take part in the sporting event.
Organize team games like Baseball, Volleyball, Cricket, Basketball, or any team sport to build a sense of sportsmanship and team spirit among colleagues.
Outdoor sports allow teammates to think and strategize as one unit, play together, develop a sense of trust, and work toward accomplishing a common goal.
3) Indoor Sports Games:
Indoor team-building games are a great way to boost your team’s motivation, cooperation, engagement, and confidence. They are fantastic team-building options because they can be played at any time.
Table Tennis, Carrom, Chess, Mini Golf, etc are some indoor ideas that will keep your workers engaged and collaborative.
4) Burst the Balloon:
This is a game in which the goal is to save your balloon while bursting the other players’ balloons. This game is not only enjoyed by the players but also by the viewers.
For this game, you need some open space like a large conference hall, some inflated balloons, and some ribbons to tie them with. Group the teams into 4 to 6 members, then tie a balloon to each team player’s leg. Get the players to stand in a circle.
Give each team a task in which they have to burst the balloons of the players of the other team with their feet. At the same time, they also have to save their own balloons. The players whose balloons are popped off will be out of the game, and this continues until there is only one player remaining with their balloon intact.
Whichever team’s player’s balloon remains safe in the end, their team is declared the winner.
5) Role-Playing:
A role-playing activity involves participants assuming a specific role, imagining a specific situation, and then speaking and acting as one imagines. This activity will help your employees prepare for real-life scenarios.
Before the role-playing session, assemble the participants and ask them to share the challenges they experience in their everyday work. Once you have a range of scenarios, choose one of the scenarios and get the team members to discuss how they plan to approach the scenario.
Assign participants their roles for the multiple imaginary characters in the scene and act out the scenario. Once the role-play session is over, provide feedback on it.
Role-playing activities will significantly enhance team members’ communication and problem-solving skills
6) Tent Walk:
A tent walk is a great team-building game where a group of people set up a tent and step together. You just need a simple tent and ample area so team members can move freely.
This activity can also be held in your office space or a conference room, only make sure the playing area is big enough to accommodate the game.
Once you keep the items ready that are needed for the game, on the day of the event divide the team members into groups. Explain to the team members how to play the game, how they can win, and how the winner will be decided.
The tent walk game will bring unique challenges that will make the team’s team-building experience memorable.
7) Egg Drop Challenge:
Egg Drop is a great engaging icebreaker game that can be played by anyone from kids to adults. The primary goal of the game is to prevent the raw egg from breaking when dropped from a height.
To set up an egg drop icebreaker game, you need material for egg drops such as raw eggs, cardboard boxes, straws, tape, plastic bottles, and paper towels.
Before starting the game, divide your team members into equally sized teams of 3-5 players. Give each team a raw egg and other materials.
Set a time limit of 10 to 15 minutes to design and build their egg protector. Explain how to carefully place the egg inside the structure. Subsequently, gather all teams together and drop each team’s creation from a set height.
Later on, ask the teams to open their structures and see if their eggs have cracked. The team whose egg is not cracked will win the challenge.
In the end, announce the winner and distribute rewards to the team with an uncracked egg.
8) Board Games Tournaments:
Board games are also known as tabletop games. These games are designed to enhance communication and provide a social bonding experience. By having board games, teammates can build relationships, promote unity, and engage in healthy competition.
The following board games are perfect for teams of all sizes.
- Twister: Twister is a game that is played on a large plastic mat. The game is simple, and easy to understand but also a bit challenging. It requires physical movement and the ability to balance the body. Twister is a wonderful game for improving decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
- Reverse Charades: A reverse charades game involves acting out words or phrases without speaking. One team acts out words and the other team guesses it. A benefit of reverse charades is that they can be played without a board game. They just need teams and a list of phrases.
- Apples to Apples: Apples to Apples is a multi-player card game that is a fantastic game to play with teammates. The objective of the game is to win the most “Green Apple” cards. This game is among the most enjoyable card games to play with coworkers.
- Scattergories: Scattergories is a word-based board game in which players have to develop answers that begin with a single letter. The goal of the game is to score the maximum points by creating a list of words that all start with the same letter.
- Wits & Wagers: Wits & Wagers is a fast-paced game that is a combination of gambling and trivia. In this game, players have to find the right guesses to a question. Wits & Wagers is suitable for any team size and is easy to play even for those who are unfamiliar with board games.
- Codenames: Codenames is a teamwork game played by 4 or more players in which teams are divided into two teams, named red and blue. This is an amazing game to play in the work environment, which focuses on problem-solving.
9) Glass Pyramid:
The Glass Pyramid Game is a popular game where the participant has to set up a pyramid-like shape and then break it using a ball. You can play this game using a variety of materials like cola cans, large paper cups, etc.
Initially, divide your team members into groups of 3 and provide 3 balls for each team. Now, take 10 glasses and place them one on top of the other in a pyramid shape (first four glasses on the bottom, then three glasses, then two glasses and one glass on top).
Once everything is set, ask each team to throw the ball at the pyramid and knock down as many glasses as possible in one throw. The glass pyramid game will improve teamwork and enhance their problem-solving skills in a fun and engaging way.
10) Hula Hoop Challenge:
A hula hoop is a game in which the hoop is worn around the waist or neck and you know how the rest of it goes! This can be played individually or with a team.
Hula hoop is a highly engaging activity that allows team members to create solid bonds and enjoy a great time in the workplace. They can greatly increase the coordination between teams.
For this game, you will need a large space where you ask everyone to form a circle, holding hands. Before starting the hula hoop challenge, place the hula hoop over one person’s shoulder and get them to pass one arm through the hoop. Now, have them pass the hoop to the other person without breaking the chain of their hands.
In this way, all the team workers will pass the hoop to others by moving their shoulders, neck, and legs. As a player when you pass the hoop to other players, they help develop trust, support, and each other’s ability.
11) Bucket-Filling Race:
The bucket-filling game is played by forming teams where the bucket has to be filled with a glass of water. For this game, you need materials such as empty buckets, glasses, and buckets full of water for each team.
Split team members into teams with the same number of players. Make each team stand in a line. Place an empty bucket on one end of each team and a bucket full of water on the other end.
Whoever is closest to the filled bucket fills the glass first, then passes it to the person next to them, and so on. It will continue doing this until the last person. In the end, the last player will pour the water into the empty bucket.
The team that fills the bucket the fastest will be the winner of the game.
12) Team Ball Passing Race:
Ball passing is a game where a player passes a ball to others in their team from the top of the head or under the legs. For this game, you just need a softball and a music system.
Divide employees into teams with an equal number of players. Line up each team in a row and get them to stand back-to-back. Once the music starts, the first person in line passes the ball to the second person. This way the ball will continue to pass until the last player.
Once the ball reaches the last person, they run with the ball and stand in front of the first person. Again they start passing the ball between them until the ball goes to the last player. As before, the last individual will come forward and stand with the ball.
This cycle will continue until all the players have come forward and stood up at least once. The team that completes the entire round first will be the team winner.
13) Tug of War:
A Tug of war also known as a rope-pulling war, is a competition where two teams pull two ends of a solid rope to make their team win.
For this game you need a rope at least 8 feet long, and masking tape. Cotton rope is perfect for this game as it is softer on the hands, allowing for a great grip.
Wrap a line of tape around the center of the rope. Wrapping a line of tape around the middle of the rope helps the players on both sides understand the midpoint. Also, draw a line at the center to demarcate the two sides.
When the referee gives the signal, the players start pulling the rope towards their side, as hard as possible. Both teams continue pulling rope until one team crosses the marked line. The team that pulls the other team to the marked line wins the game.
14) Office Olympics:
An office Olympics is a team bonding event that is held in an office setting. Just to be clear, these games are nowhere close to the actual Olympic games but fun and creative versions that can be played in the office.
You can play many office Olympic games such as Desk Chair Soccer, Pencil Javelin, Rubber Band Archery, Relay Tic Tac Toe Ping Pong Basketball, Broom Golf, Cup Stacking Challenge, and more.
Office Olympics games will allow your employees to take part in a friendly competition and boost a sense of teamwork. These are especially beneficial to new employees.
15) Office Scavenger Hunts:
Office scavenger hunts are an excellent way to encourage teamwork and collaboration in the workplace. This game requires teams to find a list of items, solve riddles, and accomplish challenges within a set timeframe.
List down the task of the Scavenger Hunt, and set the ground rules such as time limit, scoring system, and more. Create a list of clues so that players can use them to find an answer. Later, divide team members into teams.
Give each team a copy of the scavenger hunt list and start the hunt with a countdown. Once the time is up, each team presents their findings or completed tasks. Check whether the teams found the right answers and solved the puzzles correctly. In the end, reward the team who got the most answers.
16) Trivia:
A trivia night is an activity where players are asked a set of questions on various general but interesting topics. List down your trivia questions on various topics such as history, science, culture, and more.
Divide the players into teams. Ask at least 5-10 questions in each round. The players discuss the answers among their teammates and write down the correct answer on a piece of paper. The team with the most right answers will lead in points and win the game.
17) Creative Workshops:
A workshop is an educational session where people learn about particular topics and gain new skills. Workshops will help employees advance their skills professionally and personally.
Consider creative workshops like interpersonal conflict resolution, mental health, arts & crafts, coding, cybersecurity awareness workshops, and more. By holding such a training workshop, you can foster teamwork and collaboration in the workplace.
18) Three-Legged Race:
A three-legged race is a classic running game in which one person’s right leg is tied to the other’s left leg and they have to run. The goal of the game is to beat the other pairs by reaching the endpoint first.
Divide players into pairs of similar height. Ask partners to stand side by side. Take a piece of fabric or a special three-legged race band and tie the inner ankles together – one person’s left foot to the other’s right foot.
Line up all the teams at the starting point. On your signal, the race will begin and each pair will start running. Whoever reaches the finish line first, without falling or tripping, will be declared the winner.
19) The Human Knot:
The human knot is a unique team-building exercise where a group of people grab the hands of two participants and form a circle. The aim is to unravel the knot without leaving each other’s hands.
First, split groups into teams of 4 members. You can form a group of teams of 6 to 8 if you have a large team, and get them to form a circle. Bring the participants to stand close enough so that all members can easily reach the center.
Instruct each player to bring their hands to the center of the circle. Once the hands reach the center, players will grab a teammate’s hand, except they will not hold the hand of the nearest neighbor but of the participant on the opposite side of the circle.
Now, the players need to unravel the knot without letting go of their hands. To achieve this they can bend, twist, and perform full body movements, if needed. The exercise ends when there are no knots anymore.
20) Blindfold Obstacle Course:
A blindfolded obstacle course is a challenging and fun activity where one team member is blindfolded and another person on their team acts as their guide. The second person actually prevents the blindfolded partner from bumping into people.
For this game, first, divide the participants into pairs where each pair will walk the course together. Set a time limit for this game. You need an open space to create the obstacle course.
A blindfold like a scarf will be needed to cover the participant’s eyes carefully. You also need items to serve as obstacles such as pen stands, helmets, cones, or anything that will not harm the players.
One member of the pair will be blindfolded, and the other will guide him. The person who can see will stand at the end of the course and instruct their partner on where to go and how to navigate the course.
If the blindfolded player touches an obstacle, they are out of the game. The team that completes the course without a bump wins the game.
“Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results.” – Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha
What are the Benefits of Team-Building Events?
Teamwork makes the dream work. We have all heard it before and probably seen it in reality. We know that working together can lead to better results than working alone. According to the state, 75% of staff say teamwork and collaboration are crucial to corporate success.
Corporate Team building events are not just events, they are an investment in your company. They not only develop pleasant relationships with colleagues but also assist them to collaborate efficiently.
The following benefits team-building events offer:
Improves Communication: Effective communication is important for any organization. Team building events provide a great opportunity for employees to interact and build relationships with others.
In fact, employees can get to know each other better through team-building activities. They can openly engage in an organic conversation.Enhances Problem-Solving Skills: Team building exercises require teams to solve challenges together. Such team activities allow team members to develop their problem-solving skills.
Team building exercises typically involve solving puzzles, challenges, and scenarios. In such a case, employees need to think creatively and critically to solve challenges.
When they do so, they develop the mindset required to face complicated challenges, boosting their problem-solving abilities.Builds Trust: Participating in team-building exercises greatly increases trust amongst team members. At such events, when team members solve the challenges together, their trust in each other naturally grows.
Boosts Morale: Team bonding games are an effective way to boost employee morale. By engaging in fun and engaging activities, team members feel more connected to each other.
When employees work on common goals and complete team tasks, it boosts morale and creates a positive work environment.Increase Collaboration: Team building tasks are highly effective in increasing collaboration among team members. They tear down barriers and encourage unity and teamwork.
Employees can freely open up with their team members. Their collaboration level increases when they develop specific skills together in the workplace.Develops Confidence: Employees gain self-confidence when they succeed at team-building activities. Team collaboration games allow employees to support each other and grow at a personal level.
Team building programs always need teamwork to succeed. They foster a sense of solidarity among employees and increase their self-efficacy.Increases Interaction & Boosts Motivation: Team events take people out of their usual work schedule and bring them together to work towards a common goal. Compared to typical work, their interaction rises when they work together for a common purpose.
Employees get motivated when they complete team-building tasks. Encouraging team members to work hard and succeed at work increases their motivation level.Positive Company Culture: Scheduling regular team-building activities assists businesses build a positive team culture in the workplace. The company’s positive culture modifies your team’s usual work routine in a positive, making them more engaged.
Conclusion
Engaging in team-building events is a fantastic approach for businesses to promote cooperation, interaction, and trust among employees. Organizations must invest in team bonding activities to boost team morale and confidence.
Team building tasks not only strengthen team relationships but also improve an individual’s soft skills such as communication, listening, critical thinking, teamwork, and more.
Implementing the mentioned team-building event ideas will definitely boost team collaboration, increase productivity levels, and foster a great work culture in your company.
Frequently asked questions
Team-building events are a type of activity designed to enhance communication and strengthen relationships among corporate teams. The primary purpose of team-building activities is to build trust, facilitate interaction, and enhance collaboration among teams. They actually bring a lot of fun and excitement to the workplace.
