Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Team-building doesn’t only need to be about silly games. Sometimes, you strengthen your team while contributing something valuable to your local community.

Great for: Company culture, company perception, job satisfaction

Duration: 2–3 hours

You’ll need: N/A

How to start:

• Consult your team about the type of community service they’d like to get involved with. It could be anything from a beach cleanup to helping out at an animal shelter.
• Once you’ve settled on an activity, reach out to your chosen organisation and inform them you’d like to offer a helping hand.
• Don’t forget to document the event by taking photos or making a video—these images will make additions to your employee breakroom!

Explanation:

‍Teams compete to create the funniest or most relatable memes about remote work life using online meme generators. Afterwards, everyone votes on the best one.

In the hybrid version, both remote and in-office teams get together to create the most hilarious or relatable meme about their work experience. Using online meme generators, each team collaborates to capture the ups and downs of remote work life—whether it’s Wi-Fi issues, Zoom fatigue, or the joys of working in pyjamas. Once the memes are created, they’re shared with the whole team for a vote. After all, who doesn’t love a good meme to brighten things up?

How to host Creativity contest

If you really want to encourage creativity, pick a theme and ask everyone to make something related to it. There’s so many directions people can go in, which makes this extra fun! You may decide to give people supplies in advance or pick one type of material for them to use. If you have a large group, perhaps you want to take a team-based approach to increase collaboration and bonding. Allow everyone to come up with their own work of art, and have a panel of judges pick the one that is most creative.

Popular in interview settings and among new teams, Pass the ball is an effective ice-breaker that both unites and energizes employees. It couldn’t be simpler to play either.

How to play Pass the ball

Standing in a circle, one person starts by throwing a ball to a colleague and asks them a question as they do so.

The catcher answers, then repeats the process with another teammate. This continues for as long as you wish to play. Potential questions include:

• “What’s your fondest childhood memory?”
• “Where did you grow up?”
• “What was the last movie you watched at the cinema?”
• “If you could have a superpower, what would it be?”
• “Would you rather have legs for arms or arms for legs?”
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To keep people entertained and inject more energy into proceedings, try to pass the ball and ask/answer questions as quickly as possible. You could also set rules (e.g. “if you drop the ball you have to do a dare” or “only open-ended questions allowed”) to add another level of fun to the game.

Routine coffee breaks in brick and mortar offices provide the foundation for the development of employee relationships. Without this frequent interaction, remote teams can struggle to discuss topics outside of work.

How to play Virtual coffee breaks

That’s where virtual coffee breaks come in. Now, you can establish routine online coffee breaks for your employees, allowing them to unwind and socialise with their colleagues while sipping on their favourite hot beverage. You can use any kind of video chat software to do this such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Microsoft Teams.

Bring your team outside for a day of friendly competition with ultimate field frenzy! This is a mix of classic outdoor games like tug-of-war, sack races, and team challenges that will get everyone moving and working together.

It’s the perfect way to boost team spirit and break up the office routine. With a variety of games to suit everyone’s skills, it encourages teamwork, healthy competition, and plenty of laughs. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to get the entire team involved, no matter how large!

How to play:

• Organize outdoor games like tug-of-war, sack races, and obstacle courses.
• Split the group into teams and have them compete in various challenges.
• The team with the most wins at the end of the day is the champion!

Office DJ challenge brings some rhythm to the office! Teams collaborate to create themed playlists—whether it's “Monday Motivation” or “Friday Chill”—then share them to boost morale and get everyone in a good groove.

It’s a fun, creative way to connect over music, brighten the office mood, and maybe discover some new favorite tunes along the way.

How to play:

• Teams work together to create a themed playlist (e.g., “best road trip songs”).
• Share the playlists with the office.
• Enjoy the music and vote on the best playlist for the day!

Looking for more team building activities for small groups? Explore our full guide for more ideas to energize your team.

Looking to spice up your office meetings? Look no further than the classic guessing game Hot Potato! Not only will it get everyone out of their seats and moving, but it can also be a fun and educational way to boost team morale and office knowledge.

How to play:

1. Gather a group and form a circle.
2. Take a small object, like a ball or beanbag, and pass it quickly around the circle.
3. Set a timer for a random amount of time.
4. Whoever is holding the object when the timer goes off is out.
5. Continue playing with shorter timers until only one person remains.

So next time you're feeling like your meetings are a little stale, toss in a game of Hot Potato and watch the office energy go through the roof! (Just try not to accidentally throw the potato at Jim from accounting's head...)

If you’ve ever been to a professional escape room event, you’ll know just how effective they are at improving essential skills like communication and problem-solving. With Office Escape, you can recreate the drama of an escape room experience without leaving the office!

Great for: Problem-solving, creative thinking, communication, leadership

Duration: 1–2 hours

You’ll need: A storyline with a final objective, a series of problems and challenges

How to organise:

• Think of a final objective and then create a series of challenges and tasks that leads them towards completing it. It’s easier to think of challenges when you already have the final objective in mind.
• Plot a series of challenges that leads your employees toward the final objective. Be creative and have fun with it!
• You can further engage teams by offering a small reward for being the fastest to complete the objective.

Looking for more team-building activities for adults that build communication and problem-solving skills? Explore our full guide for extra inspiration.

How to play “I expect”

You can kick off a training session and spur engagement with this simple exercise. You’ll need a blank wall and a few colored post-it notes. Break the white board or chalkboard into 4 quadrants and label them “the training”, “the trainer”, “from myself”, and “from attendees”. Each participant should take a turn filling out 4 post-its that begin “I expect”. For example, “I expect from the training to learn how to better resolve customer conflicts.” Everyone should place their sticky notes in the appropriate quadrant. Then the moderator should go through and read them, highlighting which ones are repeated often.

How to play Beer pong game

If you’ve ever been to a fraternity party, this game needs no explanation. A classic drinking game, this option is for crowds who tend to get a bit rowdier. You set up the game with several red solo cups and ping pong balls - and of course, lots of beer.  You’ll also need a large long table that you don’t mind getting messy. If you’re not sure how to play, just look up a tutorial on YouTube.

This game is designed to get your team’s creative juices flowing and encourage them to think on the spot.

How to play the rhyming game

The idea is really simple. Each person takes it in turns to make a sentence. Each sentence needs to rhyme with the previous one. For example, “John woke up and went to work” … “It was his last day so he gave a smirk...” And so on.

Set a rough time limit for each person to say their sentence (we recommend three seconds). If they are too slow they lose the game and are out for the next round. Then a new story begins. If a rhyme is said twice then that person is also out of the game.

The game continues until two people are left for the ‘final showdown’.

How to play Paper boat race

If you are able to visit a location by water, you can try this really fun activity. In this fun and creative exercise, participants build a small boat with paper (and other supplies) and then race them in a small body of water like a pond or stream. The boats are usually made by folding paper into a boat shape, but you can also try offering cardboard, balloons, popsicle sticks, or other crafty materials.

You’ll also want to supply materials for decorating so that everyone can really have their creation stand out. Obviously the person who reaches the finish line first is the winner, but you can offer a few other prizes just for fun, like most beautiful boat or best effort. Make sure to check out our article on other creativity and innovation games, too.

In this speedy activity, the team carry out a rapid pulse-check on recent work, honing in on the focus of continuous improvement, even when time is short. Here’s how to set this one up quickly:

Set up:

Hand every employee three sticky notes, and set a timer for one minute. Have them think about their last project or sprint period, and jot down one thing they think went well, one area for improvement, and one quick idea for moving forward. At the end of one minute, they stick their notes to your board, and you reflect on common themes or action items. Quick, simple, and to the point.

They say you can learn a lot about someone by looking at their home, which is probably why workspace tours are such good ways to build trust in remote teams!

How to play Home workspace tours

There’s absolutely nothing complicated about this activity. It’s as simple as giving each employee a chance to show their colleagues where they work. They pick up their laptop, smartphone, tablet, or webcam, giving the team a quick tour of their office – or wherever they happen to be working that day.

It’s surprisingly fun though! Employees learn new things about each other, discover mutual interests, reveal their quirks and eccentricities, and gain a much clearer picture of who they work with.

Expect giggles, jokes, friendly banter, and fresh camaraderie to ensue.

You can do these tours at any time. However, we think they’re most enjoyable when saved for morning meetings or the final group video call of the day. Take that approach and you either start or finish the workday with something light-hearted. It’ll set a positive tone and put a smile on people’s faces.

What you need:

• N/A. However, you may want to send an email in advance to check everyone’s happy to give a tour of their workspace (and give them time to hide anything too embarrassing!).

How to play "Around the world” steps contest

As more companies focus on health and wellness, step contests have become popular. Step-counting competitions involve staff monitoring their daily steps and trying to beat each other or a certain number. You can put a more fun spin on things by leveraging a map or globe concept where the steps walked equate to miles. In this way, employees can work their way “around the world” by adding up more steps each day. It makes the most sense to use a 1:1 ratio where one step equals one mile. Every day throughout the contest, contestants will update their map to display their steps/miles.

For a little extra fun, have people pick “transportation” methods to move around their map, like a hot air balloon or a rocket ship. The race can last as long as you want it to, but a few weeks is probably best if you really want to see people make it “around the world”.

Office Apples to Apples is a hilarious twist on the classic word game, perfect for bringing some shenanigans to a corporate event. Here's how to get the party started.

Set up:

1. Get your cards ready. A spin on the traditional Apples to Apples card game, you need to create cards with office-themed words or phrases, like “coffee break” or “Monday meeting madness”.
2. Lay Down the Law: Explain that one lucky soul plays judge in each round while the others throw down their wackiest associations to the green apple card played.
3. The judge picks their favorite, and that team scores a point. Set a point limit for winners.
4. Keep the laughs rolling by rotating judges each round.

How to play Penny stack

Players should try to stack 25 pennies in under one minute using only one hand. This game works best for small groups and is ideal for groups of three players competing in rounds of play. You’ll need to make sure you have a few rolls of pennies to start the game.

How to play:

Provide employees with materials to create storyboards that illustrate a safety scenario and its resolution. Display the storyboards and have a voting process to select the best ones. Offer prizes for the top storyboards.

Safety storyboards combine creativity with safety awareness, making it an engaging way to discuss and visualize safety procedures. It encourages employees to think through safety scenarios and communicate them effectively. Plus, it’s a fun and artistic activity.

How to play Balloon Pop Relay

Instructions: Divide participants into teams. Each team has a designated starting point and a finish line. One member from each team races to the finish line while carrying a balloon between their knees. They must pop the balloon before the next team member can start their turn.

Materials needed: Balloons

Balloon Pop Relay adds excitement and energy to the picnic. It promotes teamwork, coordination, and a competitive spirit. It also creates memorable and entertaining moments for participants and onlookers.

This game is simple, yet so effective for online teams. This activity encourages employees to put time aside for getting to know one another.

How to play Mister rogers calls

Using a randomiser, pair two employees together every week. The new pair must schedule a 20-30 minute call that week to try and get to know one another as well as possible.

At the end of the month, a host can test their knowledge by asking questions like, ‘Do they have any pets?” One point for each correct answer! The colleague with the most points wins a prize!

Explanation:

‍Teams create a movie poster that represents their remote work experience using an online design tool like Canva. The poster can be as funny, creative, or wild as the team wants.

For the hybrid version, remote workers and in-office teams collaborate to create a movie poster that captures the essence of remote or hybrid work life. Everyone can contribute ideas through online brainstorming, and both remote and in-office team members use design tools like Canva to put it all together. Maybe it’s a comedy about juggling work and life or an action-packed poster showcasing the chaos of virtual meetings. It’s a fun, collaborative way for employees to show off their creativity and storytelling skills.

How to play Team story weaving

Start with a random sentence, and each person in the group adds one more, crafting an unpredictable and often hilarious story. The key here is to embrace the absurdity and let creativity flow without overthinking it (or without using any materials!). As the story moves around the room, everyone gets a chance to contribute, which often leads to surprising twists, unexpected endings, and lots of laughter. It’s a great way to loosen up the atmosphere and let everyone feel comfortable being a little silly, which can lead to more open communication down the line.

This is perfect for breaking down communication barriers and showing off everyone’s quirky sense of humor. It’s especially great for larger groups, as it gives everyone a chance to participate, without putting too much pressure on any one person. The beauty of this game is that no one knows where the story will end up, and sometimes it goes in directions no one could’ve predicted!

Looking for an energizer that’s great for enhancing the group dynamic as well? This one should do the trick.

How to play Walk and stop in sync

Simple and sweet, start by asking everybody to stand side by side in a line – preferably in a large space – before issuing a simple instruction:

“Walk forward together and then stop at the same time.”

The catch is that they’re not allowed to talk! Whether they communicate through body language, facial expressions, and/or entering some sort of group consciousness, they have to walk and stop in sync, without speaking.

Keep going until they achieve the goal and consider debriefing when they’re done. What did they learn? How did it feel? What lessons will they take forward?