15 Team-Building Games That Even the Office Grouch Will Love

Have you walked into a meeting where your team sits silently, staring at their screens like they’re watching paint dry? It’s a common sight in today’s workplace, especially among remote teams.

This disconnect can drain motivation and creativity, leaving managers and team leads feeling like they’re trying to fill a bottomless pit. But there's a solution - investing time in team bonding can break down barriers and spark connections.

Team-building games are among the best ways to encourage collaboration and create an environment where everyone feels valued and heard. Consider using employee engagement software to support these activities. These platforms can help you track participation, measure engagement, and gather valuable feedback to improve future team-building events.

Check out our article for a fun mix of indoor, outdoor, and virtual team-building games that will keep your team engaged, connected, and ready to tackle any challenge!

Why are team-building activities important? 

Participating in activities together helps the team learn more about each other beyond their work roles. These team-building activities can include icebreaker games, collaborative problem-solving tasks, or even casual outings like lunch or a fun day at the park.

When team members feel connected, they are more willing to share ideas and support each other. This increased engagement can significantly impact overall productivity. For example, after a fun team outing, a team member might feel more confident sharing a creative idea during a meeting. This openness leads to better teamwork and project success. 

1. Game of Possibilities 

Give each person in a group a random object. Each person then stands up with their object and silently pantomimes a possible, not necessarily logical, use for the object. The other people guess what the use is.

2. Silver Lining Swap 

One person shares a negative life experience with a partner. Then, they have to repeat the story but focus on the positive parts. Their partner helps them identify the silver linings. Then, the partners switch.

3. Mission Mix

Before a meeting, each person should share what they hope to contribute to the meeting with other attendees. For example, someone might say, “I hope to provide insights on improving our team’s workflow,” while another might share, “I aim to suggest new strategies for our marketing campaign.” You can incentivize this by offering a prize for the person who talks to the most people or for anyone who indeed contributes what they say they will.

4. Scavenger Hunt 

Assign each group a list of wacky tasks/dares. For example, take a selfie with a stranger, hop down the street on one foot, or whatever. Whichever team completes all its tasks the most quickly wins.

5. Human Knot 

All participants stand in a circle, facing inward with shoulders touching. Then, everyone extends their right hand to grab the hand of someone across from them. Next, everyone extends their left hand and grabs another hand. Give them 5 minutes to untangle themselves without releasing any hands. 

6. The Perfect Square 

Everyone stands in a circle, each holding a part of the rope. Then, everyone puts on their blindfold, drops the rope, and walks a short distance away. Next, everyone returns and tries to make a square around the rope while blindfolded. To increase the challenge, set a time limit and/or ask some team members (especially those who are typically talkative) to remain silent.

7. The Minefield 

You’ll need an open space. Scatter the objects across it. Have everyone partner up, then have one person in each pair wear a blindfold. Their partner must guide them through the “minefield” with words only. To increase the challenge, limit pairs to certain routes they must take.

8. The Egg Drop 

Break out your people into groups and have them choose office supplies from a pile. Teams then have a set amount of time to build contraptions that will protect the egg. Then, drop each contraction from a height and see which team engineered the best protection.

9. The Barter Puzzle 

Each group is given a puzzle, but with a few pieces from other groups’ puzzles mixed in. The team must negotiate with other teams to retrieve those pieces, whether it means swapping team members, bartering, or whatever. All decisions must be made as a group. Place a time limit to increase the challenge.

10. Three Truths and a Lie 

Everyone sits in a circle and takes turns telling three truths and a lie about themselves. The lie should be believable. At each turn, the other people guess which thing the person was lying about.

11. Blind Drawing 

Have everyone form pairs, sitting back-to-back. One partner has the picture, and the other has a pen and paper. The partner with the picture must describe it without actually describing it, and the partner with the pen and paper must draw it from their partner’s vague description.

12. Kahoot Quiz

Host a trivia quiz using Kahoot. Create a series of questions about a topic (e.g., general knowledge, company trivia), and participants answer them in real time via their devices. Points are awarded for speed and accuracy, and a leaderboard keeps track of scores.

13. Virtual Bingo

Players receive digital bingo cards and mark off items as the host calls them out. You can customize the bingo cards to suit your team’s interests (e.g., “work from home bingo” with items like “pet appeared on camera” or “wore pajamas to the meeting”). The first to get a full line or pattern wins.

14. The Drawing Challenge

Players are divided into teams. One player from each team is assigned to draw a word while the others guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses in the least amount of time wins.

15. Rose, Thorn, and Bud

Create engaging sets of prompts for each category. For instance, a "Rose" prompt could be "Best work achievement this month," while a "Thorn" prompt might be "A challenge you faced this week."

Participants will select a number, and the host will reveal whether it corresponds to a "Rose," "Thorn," or "Bud." Following this, the participant can share their experiences based on the chosen prompt

Let’s bring the fun back into teamwork!

Many people overlook the value of team-building exercises or games, but the truth is, if you want to see your employees working together through stressful situations and see how they problem-solve, these types of activities are crucial. Not only is being a good worker important, but also being a team player. 

Check out meeting management software to help you automate processes while you people-manage like a pro. 

This article was originally published in 2019. It has been updated with new information.