Positive interactions within the workforce can empower and engage your team. In fact, team-building activities like games, puzzles, or exercises can make your organization more productive and even more loyal. Puzzles tend to be more thought-provoking and encourage critical thinking skills more than some other exercises.

There are so many puzzle options for teams of all sizes, ranging from simple and fun to complex and collaborative. In this article, we’re exploring some of the most impactful puzzle activities that you can use to not only bond your team, but encourage them to use new parts of their brains. 

Team-building puzzles for inside the office

1. Jigsaw puzzles

Don’t underestimate the power of an old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle. A jigsaw is a puzzle in which individual pieces must be put together to form one larger picture. The great thing about this type of puzzle is that you can use a physical puzzle or complete a digital one online, which is perfect for virtual teams. Working on jigsaw puzzles is good for concentration, patience, and creativity, and groups of any size can do them. You can even make it competitive by setting up different puzzle stations, breaking people into groups, and setting a timer to see who can complete the puzzle first. 

2. Riddles

These linguistic puzzles challenge not only a person’s general knowledge, but how they process words and phrases. Typically, a riddle has a more complex set up with a very simple answer. Critical thinking is important in finding the answer. You can find plenty of riddles online and then give everyone on your team a list of identical riddles to answer in a certain period of time. You can allow people to work together to brainstorm, problem-solve, and evaluate ideas, or make it a competition. You can also break larger teams up into smaller ones if you want to create a competitive atmosphere. 

3. “Minefield” puzzles

In these puzzles, there is an imaginary “minefield” that players must navigate through to find a “safe” spot. You can set up a physical version or you can take advantage of a digital version. You’ll give each person a timer and a set of clues that will help them to identify this safe spot. Since there is a distinct timeline and pressure to finish before the timer goes off, this can help with problem-solving under pressure as well as teamwork and cooperation. 

4. Rebus puzzle

This type of exercise involves a visual puzzle that uses pictures, symbols and letters to represent a word or phrase. They may use pictures or symbols to spell out a message, or perhaps brainteasers that use words to spell out a common phrase. These puzzles require players to guess each word using only visual clues and creativity. You can set up a sequence of puzzles if you want a timed competition. See how many your team can get through in a certain amount of time. Or, make it an individual competition between people if your team is smaller. These activities are good if you want to focus on creativity and communication. 

5. Imposter puzzle

There are some modern video games that can facilitate group team-building. For example, an imposter puzzle is one where your team works together to find clues that reveal which person is an “imposter”. While everyone tries to find the imposter, they work to foil the efforts and mislead the group. These puzzles require a range of skills from observation to communication and many more. Do some online research to find a digital solution that can offer a template for such a game. 

6. Math

Almost everyone needs a bit of help honing math skills. Math is so important for building critical thinking and problem solving skills, and is an important part of learning how the world around you works. Perform some research to find the sorts of math problems or puzzles that would benefit your team the most. Then you can set up a timed competition for individuals or smaller groups, or simply gather everyone and tell them they have the singular goal of finishing all the problems. Going this route can help your team to bond over a common goal. They may even decide to divide up the problems according to strengths or tasks, which is an important part of cooperation and learning to delegate. For more problem-solving games and ideas, check out Surf Office resources. 

7. Bartering puzzle

For more advanced jigsaw puzzle exercises, try selecting a few puzzles and then dividing up the pieces so they are spread across a few different groups. That means that in order to complete the puzzle, they’ll first need to make sure they have all the right pieces. Team members will need to go around viewing all the puzzle piece groups and use critical thinking to figure out which pieces they need to take back to their puzzle station. This is often more challenging than it looks! 

8. Create an economy

Think of the various skills required to set up a unique economy! To do so, your team will need to decide on a currency, trade options, and other economic attributes. There should be a facilitator that questions everything, and asks about things like gross domestic product, trade routes, the international value of currency, etc. This can be an important exercise for helping your team to get smarter on overall finances and the business environment, in addition to general problem-solving, presentation, and public speaking skills. 

9. Fill out the map

This is an especially helpful exercise if you have a geographically diverse team. Try setting up a static, blank world map and seeing how quickly your team can fill it out. Have them enter the names of as many countries as they can, as quickly and accurately as possible. You can use one large printout placed on a wall, or  you can print individual papers and hand them out to everyone allowing them to collaborate. This is a great puzzle because it doesn’t take much time to set up, doesn’t require many special supplies, and can be added to any other activities you already have planned. For other quick team-building activities, make sure to keep up with our blog. 

10. Name that quote - In order to challenge memory, you can try to stump people and see what they recall. Start by pulling a list of quotes that should be fairly recognizable in popular culture. You can find quotes from books that most people have read, popular movies, political speeches, or music. Make a list of such quotes and then see how many your team can guess accurately. You can do this as an active group event, or pass out individual sheets and make it a competition. Plus, everyone may learn something new! 

You can also visit our blog to get more indoor team-building activity ideas. 

Offsite team-building puzzle ideas

11. Escape room

These fun activities have become more popular, and for good reason. These challenging, puzzle-themed events require a team to work together in order to escape a building or room. They typically involve a series of hidden clues or riddles which lead to the next step in achieving the goal of escaping. They offer a valuable opportunity for teamwork, cooperation, creativity, and even concentration. They’re also helpful for modeling efficient teamwork. Many cities offer a variation of an escape room; you can do some online research and find one that can accommodate your team as a standalone event or as part of a larger retreat. 

12. Scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are fun and versatile events that can be used indoors or outdoors, in a variety of formats. You can make almost anything into a scavenger hunt, and invest as much time or as many resources as you’d like. To get people outside the office, create a series of clues that take people outdoors or encourage them to explore the area around them. An outside scavenger hunt is a good idea for helping people to explore the town your office is in, especially if you are part of the head office and hosting colleagues or partners from other areas. 

13. Outdoor maze

A maze is a physical puzzle that requires players to navigate through a series of tunnels or walkways that connect and sometimes lead to dead ends. While in a maze, the goal is to find the exit and be the first one out. When working in a team, players need to focus on navigational skills along with communication and patience. A maze is a great option for encouraging teamwork and can make for a fun, outdoor activity. Try a corn maze in the autumn for a unique team-building activity. 

14. Murder mystery

These events are one of the best team-building options out there. Hosting or attending a murder mystery is a great way to bring your team together for some fun, while also engaging in valuable critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You can create one internally, but it’s usually easier to find a company who hosts such events. They often have a venue, menu, script, and all the necessary props. You can even find an organization that will set up a virtual murder mystery for teams that are scattered. For example, this company provides a personalized murder mystery game generator that makes the activity simple to include in your agenda, even online. If you have the budget, it’s a great idea to explore third-party options who can help put together and execute a compelling murder mystery game. 

15. Large outdoor puzzles

If you have access to green space, get people outside and into some fresh air. There are a variety of large format puzzles that are too big for a usual indoor space, but great for spreading out on a lawn or in a park. You can set up these puzzles for any event from a backyard barbeque to an outdoor field day-style event. You can buy a few options of puzzles with big foam pieces on Amazon or another online retailer and set them up in whatever outdoor space you’ll use. If you’re working with a large group, break the puzzles into stations and have everyone rotate through them. Never underestimate the effect of sunshine and fresh air on creativity and motivation! For other ideas for team-building in large groups, check out some of our past lists. 

For more variations on team-building games or team-building activities for work, make sure to follow our blog. 

Puzzles: An important piece of team-building retreats

All of these puzzles or exercises are great for overall team cohesion and collaboration. You can use them individually to promote creativity, concentration, and critical thinking. That being said, you’ll get more traction on your team-building efforts by planning an entire retreat.

A team-building retreat is an important tool for bringing together groups of all sizes - from your entire company to a specific department or an inter-departmental work group. Plan a team retreat that includes learning and training, interesting presentations, team-building exercises - and of course, make sure to include some time for fun and socializing!

If you have concerns about planning an event that would encompass all of these elements, reach out to Surf Office. We can help with all of the logistics of a highly impactful retreat that your team will talk about for years.