Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play Suddenly” story

This is a fun game that brings out lots of creativity and improves communication. Have your team sit in a circle and instruct everyone that they will get to share 3 sentences only. Choose a person to start, and they’ll share their 3 sentences. Once finished, they should say “suddenly!” and then the next person in the circle takes their turn.

This cycle continues until you reach the last person in the group, who should conclude the story. For a twist, you can have people make up a completely fictional story, or include real-world information to form a realistic narrative. This makes it amusing but also helps with overall story-telling, which is a key part of effective marketing

How to host Themed photo contest

This is a fun competition that can be interactive and bring out everyone’s creativity. Host a contest where everyone can submit photo entries for the chance to win a prize. Start with a theme such as hometown history, sci-fi, or any other subject that your coworkers would find interesting. Invite employees to post photos on social media either in a private group you created, or on your public pages with a special hashtag.

This way staff can see other entries and gauge their competition! Award prizes based on the number of likes for each photo. You could also come up with some separate prizes like “most creative”.

Of all the trust-building exercises on this list, Blind Wine Waiter’s almost guaranteed to go down well with your employees – assuming they’re aged 21 or older! Why?

Firstly, because it’s a fun, light-hearted game that’ll have you crying with laughter. And secondly, because it involves drinking wine.

Make no mistake though. As breezy and irreverent as this may sound, Blind Wine Waiter’s a powerful exercise that cultivates trust, develops teamwork, rewards strong communication, and helps foster leadership skills.

Here’s how to play:

1. Divide your employees into teams of 6 people
2. Ask each team to designate a leader
3. Blindfold everyone but the leader of each team
4. Instruct the leader to sit close to their team and on their hands (they’re not allowed to move or use their hands)
5. For each team, place one bottle of wine, a corkscrew, and enough wineglasses for each person at various points around the room (ensuring nothing fragile is positioned where it might fall or break easily)
6. Each team then has to follow directions from their leader to find each item and return them to their base (i.e. where the leader’s sitting)
7. They then have to open the wine bottle with the corkscrew and pour themselves a glass of wine each
8. Finally, they have to drink the wine and help the leader (who still can’t use their hands!) do the same.
9. Importantly, each member of the team must perform exactly one task.

The first team to finish their bottle of wine is the winner! Feel free to set a time limit and award prizes if it seems appropriate.

What you need:

• Blindfolds
• A bottle of wine, wineglasses, and a corkscrew for each team

Slack talk shuffle uses conversation prompts in Slack to spark casual, non-work-related discussions. Whether it’s “What’s your dream vacation?” or “Best movie of all time?”, this is an easy way to keep the team connected and talking—even remotely.

It’s a great way to add a little fun into your virtual workspace and build camaraderie, with minimal effort.

How to play:

• Post a conversation prompt in Slack.
• Teammates respond and discuss in the thread.
• Watch the conversation flow and learn more about each other!

How to play Classification Exercise

For this one, you’ll need to gather about 20 supplies from around the office. Grab a variety like water bottles, coffee filters, paper clips, etc. Then have your team find common denominators and group the items according to those qualities. Encourage them to come up with 4 or 5 different groupings, each with a few items in them. This forces creative thinking about everyday objects, which is a good way to get creative juices flowing. Communication is also important in getting people to agree to the classification.

The Innovation Scramble challenge is an exercise in resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork. As you brainstorm, prototype, and iterate, you'll discover how diverse perspectives can lead to breakthrough ideas. This activity not only hones problem-solving skills but also fosters an environment of collaborative ingenuity.

Instructions

• Create teams with a mix of analytical and creative thinkers.
• Present a problem statement or challenge that requires an innovative solution.
• Teams scavenge for materials and brainstorm ideas.
• Collaborate to design and build a prototype of your solution.
• Present your innovations and discuss the collaborative process.

Championship showdown lets you stretch out the fun with a long-term tournament. Whether it’s chess, trivia, or something quirky like a fitness challenge, teams compete over time until one winner emerges.

It’s like office bragging rights, but official. And hey, it’s a great way to keep everyone invested while getting some friendly competition going.

How to play:

• Pick a game or challenge (chess, trivia, anything really).
• Set up a bracket for teams or individuals.
• Whoever makes it to the top wins and gets the glory!

How to play Toss and Catch

Instructions: Pair up participants and provide them with a soft object, such as a beanbag or foam ball. Partners stand a few feet apart and toss the object back and forth, gradually increasing the distance. The pair that tosses the farthest without dropping the object wins.

Materials needed: Soft objects (beanbags, foam balls).

Toss and Catch is a simple and inclusive game that promotes hand-eye coordination, focus, and teamwork. It encourages friendly competition, provides an opportunity for participants to connect on a personal level, and adds an element of fun and physical activity to the picnic.

Imagine your team deciphering riddles and tackling challenges to uncover hidden city gems - that's the essence of the City Scavenger Hunt. It's like a real-life puzzle where everyone's brainpower combines to crack codes and overcome obstacles. As you explore the city together, you're not only having a blast but also boosting your problem-solving and teamwork skills. It's a chance to unravel mysteries while strengthening bonds among your teammates.

Instructions

• Form teams of players.
• Distribute riddles or clues that lead to hidden city locations.
• Players decipher riddles, solve challenges, and reach each location.
• At each location, complete the challenge to earn points.
• Document progress with photos or videos.
• The team with the most points at the end wins.
• Encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and exploration.
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Bonus tip: Make sure to choose a city with a lot of history or landmarks- the more the city has, the more options you have to choose from!

How to play Pick The Plot

This is an easy activity that doesn’t require much, so it makes a nice addition to any team event. Start with a moderator that will narrate the plot of a movie. Players that are grouped into teams will listen and then try to guess which movie is being described. Just try to keep it a movie that’s safe for work!

Explanation: ‍

Teams work together to create a custom soundtrack using a digital music app. Each person adds their own section—whether it’s a beat, melody, or harmony.

Remote and in-office employees can use a digital music app to collaborate on a unique team soundtrack. The process is simple: one person starts by adding a beat or melody, then passes it along to the next team member (whether they’re remote or in the office) to layer in their musical twist. The song builds up as it moves from person to person, combining everyone’s creativity. At the end, you’ve got a one-of-a-kind soundtrack made by the whole team. It’s a fun way to make something together, no matter where you are.

No list of Field Day games for adults would be complete without tug-of-war. A classic activity, it’s suitable for both small and large teams (although having an even number of people helps) and always goes down a treat!

How to play Tug of War

To play, you’ll need a long, thick rope with a piece of material tied at the center and two equal teams of roughly the same strength. From there, you:

• Mark a centreline on the ground
• Lay the rope in a straight line so the flag/material is next to it
• Get each team to stand in a row next to one half of the rope, facing the opposite team. The centreline should be equidistant between them
• Get the players to pick up the rope and prepare to pull
• Blow a whistle so the teams start pulling (or “tugging”) against each other.

A battle ensues, with each team pulling as hard as they can, slipping and straining with each passing second! The first team to pull each member of the opposition across the centreline wins.

Extreme rock, paper, scissors takes the traditional playground game to a new level. This time, Instead of battling it out in pairs, your employees will attempt to overthrow the competition in teams.

Great for: Energization

Duration: 10 minutes

You’ll need: Plastic hula hoops (approx. 15)

How to play:

• Lay the hoops in a line on the ground and leave a gap of 50cm between each one.
• Divide your group into two teams and position them at either end of the line of hoops.
• When you shout “Go!” one player from each team starts hopping through the hoops towards the opposition.
• When they meet in the middle, they play rock, paper, scissors.
• The loser exits the hoop and jogs back to their team. Meanwhile, the winner continues hopping forward towards the opposition and a player from the other team steps in to replace their fallen comrade.
• When the two players meet, they play rock, paper, scissors again.
• Play continues until a player reaches the opposing team’s starting hoop. The first team to land in their opponent's starting hoop wins.

This one's all about sharing stories! In this activity, we'll open up about our real-life workplace conflicts and learn a bunch of cool stuff from each other.

Why it's awesome for learning conflict resolution

Real-Life Drama: So, imagine this: We're sharing the nitty-gritty details of actual conflicts we've faced at work. No made-up stuff here! That means the lessons we learn are totally relatable to our daily grind.

All Walks of Life: We've got a mixed bag of folks here, from different departments and roles. That means loads of different perspectives. Hearing stories from all angles makes the learning super rich.

Feel the Empathy: When we listen to each other's tales of workplace woe, it's like putting on someone else's shoes (not literally, though). We start to get how our colleagues feel in those tough spots.

How to play Zip, Zap, Zop

This game is sort of like hot potato without a ball. Start with everyone in a circle. The first player should clap their hands, point to another player in the circle, and say “zip”. The pointed-to player must immediately clap, point to another person, and say “zap”. The third player says “zop” and continues the pattern. The process should repeat with everyone saying “zip, zap, zop” until each person has had a turn. For a little extra challenge, try to increase your speed as you go through second or third rounds of the game.

In memory lane wall, teammates write down their fondest workplace memories and pin them on a designated wall for everyone to see. It’s a simple but powerful way to spread positivity and reminisce about shared experiences that have brought the team closer.

This is a heartwarming way to boost morale and remind everyone of the good times they’ve had together in the office.

How to play:

• Provide a space for team members to write down their favorite workplace memories.
• Pin the memories on a shared wall for everyone to read.
• Enjoy the positive vibes and walk down memory lane together!

How to play Pop explosion

Another game that’s best for outside! If you have ever seen YouTube videos of dropping a mint into a soda bottle, then you know that a large explosion happens. This is a fun little experiment that you can make into a game by seeing who can reach the explosion first. You may also want to name a winner for the highest-reaching eruption too.

How to play Dot voting

Does your team tend to go off on tangents and get into circular discussions when talking about projects or issues? Meetings that devolve into unrelated conversations are a big challenge in many workplaces. You can practice these skills with this exercise, dot voting. To do it, all you need to do is present the issue and then have everyone suggest ideas for a solution.

Write them down on the white board so everyone can see. Then, hand out sticky notes and have everyone place their papers under the ideas they like best. You might let them choose only one, or up to 3. Once everyone has had their turn, you will have an obvious visual that shows which of the ideas was most popular. This is a great tactic that can be used in many different meetings, discussion, and brainstorming sessions.

It’s time for a verbal showdown. In debate duel, two players go head-to-head, debating opposite sides of a topic. The audience votes on the winner based on persuasion, humor, or pure passion.

This game gets the conversation flowing and lets people flex their public speaking and persuasion muscles. Whether it’s serious or silly topics, debate duels are a great way to sharpen communication skills while having a few laughs. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to settle those ongoing office debates once and for all!

How to play:

• Select two participants to debate opposing sides of a topic.
• The audience listens and votes for the most convincing debater.
• The person with the most votes wins!

A classic getting-to-know-you game, Twenty Questions is fun and easy to play, taking up minimal space and great for after-work activities or as a bar game on a company retreat.

How to play:

‍Split into a team of two or small groups and assign one person who will think of an object, animal, etc. The other team members can ask twenty questions to determine the person's feelings.

Another way to keep score is to time how long it takes for those asking the questions to figure it out. If you ask 20 questions and still don’t know the answer, you lose, and the other person wins. Those who find the solution in less time are the winners and get a higher score.

Materials you’ll need: A list of topics and a timer

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)

How to play Colleague feud

Like Family Feud, but with coworkers! You’ll need to do some prep for this game, as you’ll have to not only divide people into smaller teams of 4 or 5, but come up with categories. If you want to keep them work focused, try topics like “Things you find in your office breakroom”. Keep points for each correct answer given and then announce a winner at the end.

Sneak-a-peak is a fabulous game for getting everyone involved. The aim of the game is rapid-fire copying of a Lego structure you make. The only prep needed beforehand is to get your Lego set and have a structure in mind that isn’t too easy to replicate.

Set up:

1. Build a simple structure out of Lego pieces. Something not too easily guessable, and keep it hidden!
2. Split everyone into small teams, with one ‘viewer.’
3. Allow the ‘viewer’ a short time (about 30 seconds) to come and observe your hidden structure.
4. Get them to go back to their teams and describe it, in as much detail as they can.
5. Teams are given a 10-minute timer to build the structure. Once complete, compare each team’s attempts.

Imagine having someone genuinely tuned in when you talk—how cool is that? Active listening is like giving colleagues a comforting nod, making them feel heard and understood. It stops mix-ups and keeps conversations smooth.

Pay close attention to what your colleagues are saying, show genuine interest and ask follow-up questions. Active listening demonstrates that you value their input and perspective.

Active listening activity - Story swap:

• Divide participants into pairs.
• One person shares a personal story or experience for a set time while the other listens attentively, without interrupting.
• After the first person finishes, switch roles.
• Each pair discusses what they learned about their partner's story, highlighting key details.
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Story Swap enhances active listening skills, encourages empathy and strengthens understanding between colleagues

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!