Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Throwing the discus was one of the first Olympic sports introduced in ancient Greece, so it’s a must-add to your Office Olympics roster. Frisbee is also an easy game to play in and out of the office, should you decide to use a sunny day and have access to outdoor space.

How to play Paper plate frisbee

If you’re stuck inside, there’s no reason to give up the game; instead, get creative, and instead of buying a frisbee, use a paper plate from the office kitchen. There will be less risk of breaking anything in the office, and it’s using materials used, hence being true to the event's purpose.  

Mark off where each team member’s frisbee lands and the team that threw the furthest distance is the winner.

How to play Capture the flag

In this fast-paced game, players try to steal flags from each other's territories. The game is helpful for strategic thinking and promotes togetherness. You’ll need two to four teams with between 4-8 players. Each team should spend a few minutes creating their flag, and then find an open space where the teams can each hide their flag and have everyone attempt to come steal their flag.

How to Desert Island Exercise

For a quick and easy icebreaker that doesn’t require any materials, try this simple question and answer exercise. Simply ask what each person would bring if they were stranded on a desert island. Then go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves, along with the one item that they would choose. They should pick one thing and then offer a brief explanation of why they chose it.

How to play Bucket list sharing

Don’t let daily drudgery drain your big dreams. As a leader, you can help encourage your entire team to keep sight of those bigger life goals. Start your next event or meeting by asking everyone to share one of the items from their bucket list, with a brief explanation of why. You can encourage dialogue by asking if they think they’ll ever accomplish that goal, or how they might go about it. This is a great way to learn about what the people you work with really value and what matters to them outside of work.

Time to network, fast! In speed connections, team members pair up and exchange quick introductions within a time limit. Once time’s up, they move to the next person and repeat. It’s fast-paced, fun, and perfect for breaking the ice.

This fun team-building activity is ideal for fostering connections in the workplace, especially when there are new faces around. It helps people practice communication skills and learn interesting things about each other—all in a short time. Plus, it’s a great way to add a burst of energy to the day.

How to play:

• Pair up and introduce yourselves to each other.
• Set a time limit (e.g., 1-2 minutes per conversation).
• When time’s up, switch partners and repeat.

How to play 3-Question mingle

This is a bit like the previous game, but also a different game in its own right. For this one, every participant should write down 3 separate questions on 3 pieces of paper. The questions should be thoughtful and meant to engage in real conversation, not just things like “where do you live?”

Then, have everyone begin to mingle around the room and start to engage in discussions in pairs. People will ask their questions and get answers. The trick is, after asking a question and getting the answer, you hand over that piece of paper to the person you’ve spoken to. They’ll do the same. This way, in your next conversation, you’ll have new questions to ask your next partner. On and on the game goes until everyone has paired off or the timer that you set goes off. Many people find this is ideal for a large group of over 50 or 60 people, and is good for encouraging participation among even your quietest team members.

How tall can you go? In spaghetti towers, teams use dry spaghetti and marshmallows to build the tallest structure possible within a set time limit. It’s a challenge of creativity, problem-solving, and a little bit of engineering.

This game encourages teamwork, planning, and resourcefulness, as teams work together to build a stable tower. Plus, it’s hilarious to see which towers soar and which ones collapse in a heap of spaghetti and marshmallows!

How to play:

• Split into teams and give each team dry spaghetti and marshmallows.
• Teams must build the tallest tower possible within the time limit.
• The tallest (and most stable) tower wins!

In 3-question showdown, you’ve got a mission: mingle around the room and ask open-ended questions to get to know your teammates—fast. It’s speed-dating, but without the awkwardness, and way more about finding out who loves pineapple on pizza.

It’s a fun team activity to break the ice and discover fun facts about people you usually only see in meetings. Plus, who doesn’t love finding out who the office cat person is?

How to play:

• Mingle and ask each teammate three open-ended questions.
• Share fun facts you learned after the showdown.
• Walk away knowing way more about your coworkers (like who’s secretly a karaoke pro).

A classic, if you ask me. This game can get a little embarrassing, so it's a nice icebreaker!

How to play Chubby bunny

Two players go head-to-head, adding, placing and holding marshmallows in their mouth one by one. After each marshmallow has been added, each player tries and say the phrase “chubby bunny,” as clearly as possible.

Players keep adding a marshmallow until the judge declares a players “chubby bunny,” to be unintelligible.

How to play Coffee run

For this game it’s ideal to play on a surface that’s easy to clean or outside. Each team splits in two groups and races against each other relay style, tagging in the next team member to run to the finish line. Sounds easy enough, but where the challenge comes in is each team has a full cup of coffee that they need to run with.

The coffee run is a perfect combination of physical exercise and coordination skills, just make sure you don’t play where you’re not ready to spill some coffee.

How to play Pass the bomb

Pass The Bomb is a fast-paced family word game that’s great for work teams too. The box contains two decks of cards, a dice and a ticking time bomb. The aim of the game is to create words with the letters shown on the cards. Most cards have only 3 letters.

Rolling the dice can land on “TICK,” “TICK TACK,”  or a BOMB symbol.

• TICK means letters can’t be used at the start of a word.
• TICK TACK means your letters can be used anywhere within the word.
• The BOMB symbol means letters can’t be used at the end of the word.

So turn over your letter card, turn on the bomb, and start the game! Remember; pass the bomb, don’t throw it! (gunpowder not included)

This is a guaranteed good-time game that can be played after work on a retreat or at a weekend getaway with your team. It only requires the game Jenga and adequate seating and surface area for playing.

How to play:

‍The same rules apply to Jenga Thoughts to the original Jenga. There is a tower made out of rectangular wooden blocks that players have to remove, so the whole tower doesn’t fall strategically.  

With this team-building-friendly version, each block has a question the player has to answer. The objective is to keep the tower intact, but questions facilitate discussion and break down walls, bringing teams together while playing.

Materials you’ll need: A Jenga set, multiple, and seating areas with tables where people can play.

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams and a large one for setting up the game so everyone can play. If you have multiple Jenga sets, ensure you have several tables to seat and several small groups.

Where Do You Stand? Is a simple energizing game that’s perfect for large groups and easy to set up. All you need is an open space and a handful of ‘this or that’ questions.

Great for: Energization, session icebreaker

Duration: 10–15 minutes

You’ll need: Cones to divide the room

How to play:

• Divide the room in half with a line of small cones and then ask your group to stand more or less along the line.
• Ask a ‘this or that’ question to the group such as “pizza or pasta?” and assign an answer to each side of the room. For example, if a player wants to answer “pizza”, they need to run to the left side of the room.
• Keep the energy up by asking questions in quick succession. The idea is to get your group moving and acting impulsively.
• By the end of the game, your employees will know a little bit more about their colleagues’ preferences.

For remote teams, staying fit and healthy can be a challenge. No longer do we need to walk or cycle to work, we just roll out of bed and place ourselves at our desks.

Sometimes, a little healthy competition is enough to give people the incentive they need.

How to play the ‘Healthy together‘ challenge

‍To play this game, think of a challenge like ‘run 1 kilometre every day.’ Everybody needs to prove that they completed the challenge each day (by showing a GPS route, for example). Every time the challenge is completed/failed it gets marked on a calendar. At the end of the month, the team member with the most completed days wins a prize!

How to play New brand manager (teams)

In this game, you can break a group of 10-20 people into smaller teams. Give each team a product (you can keep it simple by grabbing things from around the room like a pencil sharpener or a soda) and ask them to be brand manager for a day. What is the overall business plan for this product? How about marketing strategy and tactics? How are they selling this product, and to whom?

This is a good activity for teams that need to improve their marketing and sales mindsets. Have each team present the plan for their brand and conduct discussions as a larger team.

How to play Pirate ship exercise

This icebreaker is a unique way to learn everyone’s different perceptions and what they bring to the table. Start by drawing a large pirate ship on a chalk or white board. Then go around the room and have each person describe who they would be on the ship, and why. For example, someone might say they would be the cook, because they love to provide for others.

Someone else might say they would be the first mate, because they like to be in charge without being an authority figure. This is a fun way to learn about how people see themselves, which can help you to work with them better in the future.

Searching for another indoor team-building game that demonstrates the virtue of clear communication? Try this one. To play Descriptive Artist, start by pairing teammates up and giving each duo some paper, a pencil, and a picture (making sure only one of them sees the picture).

Sitting back-to-back, one person describes the image while the other tries to draw it based on that description! After 5 to 10 minutes, the activity ends and the artist has to guess what they’ve drawn. You’d then tell everyone to swap roles, hand out new pictures, and repeat the process.

Torpedo is a fun activity that involves some players being partially “blind.” It works best with teams of more than 5 members, and there’s a slight amount of coordination needed without members being able to see, so make sure you’re using an open, clear area free from any dangerous hazards.

Set up:

Form two or more teams. Each team lines up, one behind the other, and each person puts their hands on the person’s shoulders in front of them. Everyone needs to close their eyes, apart from the member at the front and the person at the back. Slowly, everyone steps forward, and the back person guides the “torpedo” by tapping the left or right shoulder of the person in front, to turn. The objective is to hit another “torpedo” while maintaining coordination, which makes this a great exercise in clear signaling and trust.

How to play

This is perfect if you don’t plan to leave the office for your meeting or event. Have people break into pairs and then create a craft from materials they find around the office. They should try to be really innovative and come up with the best creation that they can - having a prize can help with this. You might be surprised at the great items they come up with, like a suncatcher made from coffee filters and highlighters. If you want to combine an icebreaker with this exercise, assign pairs randomly so that people will work alongside someone they don’t see very often. It provides the perfect opportunity for getting to know someone better.

How to play Virtual gratitude wall

Utilize the power of digital whiteboards that allow you to save your groupwork, creating a mural of positivity through a virtual gratitude wall. This simple idea brings a stronger sense of unity in teams and solidifies team morale.

Look for a digital whiteboard, or go a step further and get on a collaboration platform like Padlet, letting users add sticky notes and share videos. The emphasis is on positive reinforcement and morale-boosting through remembering what we’re grateful for. Try this one out to get a positive atmosphere flowing.

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One wrong move and you’re out of the game! Blind Retriever is one of the most engaging team-building activities, honing your employee’s listening skills as they attempt to retrieve the object while blindfolded and avoid obstacles along the way.

Great for: Listening and communication

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 4+

You’ll need: One blindfold per team, various soft-edged obstacles

How to play Blind Retriever

Setup: Find a large open space. At one end of the space, place the object that your teams will need to retrieve and at the other end indicate some sort of start line. Then, position various soft-edged obstacles between the start line and the object. Avoid using any objects that could cause harm if somebody were to walk into/land on them. Finally, divide your group into small teams of about 2-4 players, allocate one person per team to be the Retriever and position everybody behind the start line. The Retriever is then blindfolded.

To play: When the game starts, the non-retrievers of each team must guide their blindfolded retriever to the other end of the room to collect the object using only verbal commands. If a retriever makes contact with any of the obstacles in the room their team is eliminated from the race. The team whose retriever collects the object first without touching any obstacles wins.

Hangman can be more than just a childhood pastime. It's a great way to break the monotony of the office and encourage team building.

How to play:

1. Choose a word or phrase and draw a line for each letter of the word.
2. The other player guesses one letter at a time. If they are correct, write the letter on the corresponding line.
3. If they are incorrect, draw a part of the hangman on the gallows.
4. The game ends when the word is guessed correctly or the hangman is completed.
5. Alternate roles and repeat.

Not only does Hangman sharpen vocabulary skills, it also allows colleagues to work together to solve a common puzzle.

In acts of kindness quest, teams race against the clock to complete as many random acts of kindness in the community as possible. Whether it’s helping a stranger, picking up litter, or donating items, the goal is to spread positivity and do good.

This activity brings the team together for a feel-good mission while making a difference in the community.

How to play:

• Create a list of random acts of kindness for teams to complete.
• Set a time limit, and send teams out to perform as many acts as they can.
• The team that completes the most acts of kindness wins, but everyone feels great!

Setting clear goals involves defining your objectives with precision, making them more achievable. The SMART criteria are a useful framework for goal-setting:

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to accomplish.
• Measurable: Establish concrete criteria for measuring your progress. This might involve quantifiable metrics or milestones.
• Achievable: Ensure that your goals are realistic and attainable.
• Relevant: Align your goals with your overall objectives and values
• Time-Bound: Set a timeframe for achieving your goal.

Instead of a wishy-washy goal like "be better at work," let's get as specific as a project deadline. Say something like "we will increase project efficiency by 20% in the next three months by focusing on XYZ "

SMART Activity:

Introduction (15 minutes):

• Explain SMART goals and its components in simple terms.
• Stress the importance of clear and realistic goal-setting.

Examples and Discussion (20 minutes):

• Provide examples of SMART and non-SMART goals.
• Engage in a discussion on why goals meet or fail to meet SMART criteria.

Breakout Session (30 minutes):

• Divide participants into small groups.
• Assign each group a broad goal (e.g., "improve productivity," "enhance communication").
• Instruct groups to break down the goal into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound components.

Group Presentations (20 minutes):

• Each group presents their SMART goals.
• Encourage constructive feedback and group discussion.

Reflection and Adjustment (15 minutes):

• Facilitate a reflection session.
• Participants share insights and challenges.
• Discuss adjustments to make current goals SMART.

Individual Goal Setting (20 minutes):

• Participants set a personal or professional SMART goal.
• Provide guidance and support as needed.