Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play:

Provide teams with sculpting materials such as clay, Play-Doh, or modeling clay. Challenge them to create sculptures based on given themes or prompts, encouraging imaginative interpretations and creative expression. Select a judge to choose the best one to determine a winner.

Example: The prompt says design a Simpsons character with play-doh (unintentional pun).

Materials needed: Sculpting materials (clay, Play-Doh, modeling clay)

Benefits:

• Tangible manifestation of creativity: Get ready to witness magic in action as your team members mold and shape their creative visions into physical forms. Their sculptures will be concrete proof of their incredible imagination, leaving everyone in awe and inspired.
• Celebration of individuality: Embrace the uniqueness and diversity of interpretations as each team member unveils their extraordinary sculpture. This game creates an environment that celebrates individuality and appreciates the creative expressions of others.

Teams will channel their inner architects and engineers to construct impressive structures using unconventional materials. From spaghetti and marshmallows to playing cards, the challenge is not just to build a towering masterpiece, but also to do so collaboratively, emphasizing communication, planning, and creative problem-solving.

Instructions

• Gather construction materials such as spaghetti, marshmallows, playing cards, or other unconventional items.
• Divide participants into teams and provide each team with the same materials.
• Set a time limit and a goal height for the structures.
• Teams work together to design and construct their structures.
• Evaluate based on stability, creativity, and teamwork.

Reminiscent of the classic family game, Charades, No Speaking allowed is another awesome improv exercise for small groups. As well as being fun, stimulating, and creative, it also teaches the value of effective communication.

How to play No speaking allowed

The first step is to divide your team into pairs (a group of 3 is fine if there’s an odd number). Then all you do is give each person a phrase, saying, message, or idea that they have to act out to their partner. Here’s the twist:

They have to get the message across without speaking!

Participants are able to use gestures, facial expressions, body movements, props, and/or anything else they can find to communicate their message (apart from writing it down). But they’re not allowed to talk. If they do, they’re disqualified.

What’s cool about this game is that it showcases the reciprocal nature of communication. It takes 2 to tango!

While whoever’s doing the acting can’t talk, their partner can. They’re paying close attention, focusing on their various non-verbal cues, making suggestions, and asking for clarity. In other words, they work together to express and decipher the message.

Continue until everyone has successfully guessed the answer, or set a time limit to stop it from going on for too long. Want to spice things up a bit? Split the team into groups and pit them against each other to add a competitive element.

How to play Social media shoutout

A social media shoutout on internal workplace channels and public ones (as long as the person getting appreciation is okay with that!) in the workplace is a great way to show gratitude and appreciation for your employees.

A shoutout is a simple yet effective way to boost morale and strengthen the sense of community within your workplace. Make sure when doing a shoutout you are prioritizing using a gratitude-focused message that shows appreciation. This message highlights specific achievements, projects, or team efforts that the company is grateful for. Encourage Engagement with team members and customers if applicable, but always ensure dialogue remains professional.

By publicly acknowledging hard work and dedication in the form of gratitude, organizations can foster a positive and collaborative work environment.

How to play Freeze

Slightly different from the drama-freeze game above, this exercise encourages more individual participation. Two people act out a scene, and then someone yells "freeze," and another person comes in and takes over the scene. It’s best to do this in an orderly fashion where the next participants are in a circle that you move around (or a line that you run down).

Explanation:

‍Teams are given a random office item and must come up with a full marketing campaign and product launch strategy for it within one hour. It’s fast-paced, creative, and hilarious as teams scramble to sell everyday objects as the next big thing.

In the hybrid version, both remote and in-office teams are handed the same random office item, like a stapler or sticky notes, and they must collaborate to create a complete product launch strategy. Remote workers can handle the digital aspects, like designing an online ad or social media campaign, while in-office workers take on in-person tasks like creating a mock product display or filming a funny promo video.

At the end, each team presents their campaign virtually, showcasing how they turned something ordinary into the next office must-have.

It’s a great way to get everyone thinking on their feet, no matter where they are.

How to play Finding Bonds

Try an identity game that will help players to find common bonds. Everyone takes a turn making “I am a…” statement. Some examples could be “I am a mother” or “I am a runner” or “I am an amateur chef”. Other players who identify with that statement should move to stand near the person speaking. To begin the game, players should be spread out across the room, and move toward speakers as they identify with statements shared.

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.

How to play Budget balance

For all the math geeks out there! Give each participant a word problem describing an individual’s income and spending habits, such as regular bills and discretionary spending. Does the imaginary individual have a balanced budget? Or perhaps they have a serious spending problem. Who can figure it out first? This is a fun little math competition that can be done independently. Make sure to provide calculators.

How to play Secret word

Insert some fun and laughter into your everyday office work by playing this silly game. To play, start by writing down any word on a piece of paper (An object or action is usually easiest). Choose your first participant and have them place the paper on their forehead (without looking at it). It’s key that the player doesn’t know what word they are displaying! Other players should gesture to try to get them to guess the word without actually speaking. The person with the card will try to guess the word based on the actions of everyone around them.

If you have a big team of employees that you’re trying to turn into a more cohesive unit, then Snakes could be an ideal trust-building activity. It’s another exercise that involves a large space, but you can do it either indoors or outdoors.

How to play Snakes

Wherever you choose to go, start by splitting everyone into groups of 6 to 7 people and asking them to stand in a line.

Next, spread items around the room/area that can be picked up with relative ease. These objects can be anything you like – from staplers and coffee cups to chocolate bars and clothes!). Finally, place blindfolds on all but the last person in each line and ask everyone to put their hands on the shoulders of the individual in front.

The sighted person then has to direct the “snake” to each object, without talking.

They give directions by tapping whoever’s in front of them on the shoulder, who then taps the person ahead of them in the same way, and so on until the front of the line. Tapping the left shoulder means “turn left”; the right means “turn right”. Pulling backward (gently!) means “stop”.

When the guy or girl at the front manages to pick up an item, they go to the back of the line and give their blindfold to the sighted person. It’s now their turn to direct the snake! The activity’s over when whoever started at the back (as the sighted person) ends up at the front.

What you need:

• Blindfolds
• Items to pick up

How to play Water pong

If you have ever played the popular college drinking game “beer pong”, then this will look familiar to you. Fill plastic cups with water and place six of them on the opposite ends of a table. Take turns throwing ping pong balls with the goal of landing in the cups. Whoever sinks the most shots in a minute is the winner.

The devil is in the detail, they say. At the workplace, misinterpreting instructions or being unclear with your instructions can have detrimental knock-on effects. Copy Cat teaches your employees to listen more carefully.

Great for: Listening skills, comprehension

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Players: 2+

You’ll need: Various sets of identical office items, something to use as a barrier i.e a flipchart.

How to play Copy Cat

Setup: To prepare for Copy Cat, separate players into pairs and position them on either side of a solid barrier—the players should be able to see their partner. Hand each player a set of matching office items. You can use things like a wastepaper basket, stapler, pens, sticky notes, etc. In each pair, one person needs to be the Leader and the other needs to be the Copy Cat.

To play: When the timer starts, the Leader begins building his structure with the materials provided. The Leader is allowed to iterate his actions, saying things like “I’m going to lay the wastepaper basket on its side,” and “I’m sticking two sticky notes to the bottom of the basket.” Based on these comments, the Copy Cat must attempt to create an identical structure to that of their Leader. The Copy Cat cannot ask any questions, forcing the Leader to be precise with their commentary.

You might have seen companies using the “Caption This” game as a way of driving engagement on their social media feeds. Interestingly, it also works well as a team-building activity because it’s fun, collaborative and creative.

Great for: Creative thinking, collaboration

Duration: 5 minutes

Players: 4+

You’ll need: Various funny/thought-provoking images

How to play Caption This

Setup: Compile various images in a folder on your computer or print them out.

To play: Divide your group into teams or pairs and show them one of the images. Then, give them a few minutes to think of a suitable or funny caption for the image. When the time runs out, ask the groups, one by one, to present their caption. Groups can then vote for the caption they liked the most!

Icebreaker questions are go-to tools for starting meetings/events on a positive note, grabbing people’s attention, sparking conversation, and helping group members learn more about each other.

How to play Icebreaker Questions

From silly ones to serious ones, there’s an endless list of icebreaker questions you can use! Here are 10 of our favorites to get you started:

1. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
2. If you could have any superpower for a day, what would it be and why?
3. If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
4. What’s your happy place and why?
5. What’s one thing you want to be remembered for after you die?
6. Describe a time you said “no” to something that you wish you’d said “yes” to?
7. Who is your biggest role model in life?
8. If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?
9. What’s one productivity tool you couldn’t live without?
10. What’s your biggest claim to fame?

A really simple activity, this game teaches people how to proactively engage new people. Everyone will need a pen and paper.

Start with these instructions:

1. Have everyone imagine a scenario where they are traveling for a work trip.
2. Have people in pairs and have one person pretend that they have reading materials or other items to prepare for a big meeting.
3. At that point, the other person should find a way to ask “what do you do?” or “where do you work?”
4. The other player should find a way to lead to a successful sales pitch.

The basic idea is to get people more comfortable starting conversations with strangers and incorporating work information.

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.

Taking the principles of Kanban we learned earlier, now is a great time to make a personal version that prioritizes focus and streamlines workloads. Kanban boards are usually used for team projects but work just as well for a single person. This activity reinforces the Kanban concept: tracking work in stages to keep workflow steady.

Set up:

Each person needs a basic Kanban board, either on a physical whiteboard or on their computer. Each board needs three columns, just keep it basic for the first version. Try “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” Get them to write every task for that day or week onto a sticky note (electronic ones are available too) and move each one slowly onto the board. Encourage them to keep a holistic view, so as not to overload the “in progress” section. Simple activities like this can help staff who may feel overloaded. Ask everyone to reflect afterward on how their tasks are managed, and record the insights.

How to play Salt and pepper pairs

In this activity, you’ll break everyone into pairs of 2. Each group is labeled with one side of a pairing - salt and pepper, macaroni and cheese, Batman and Robin, etc. Each team member should have their item name taped to their back. Have everyone scatter, and then start asking questions of their colleagues to figure out what each one is. Only then can they figure out what they might be and who they belong with. When everyone is properly grouped into their pairs, the exercise is over.

Cool off and blow off some steam with super soaker showdown! Teams engage in a friendly water gun fight, battling it out while dodging sprays and soaking each other. It’s a fun, refreshing way to unleash some energy and enjoy the outdoors.

This is perfect for adding a bit of action-packed excitement to a team day out—and there’s nothing like a good water fight to get everyone laughing.

How to play:

• Equip each team with water guns and create boundaries for the battle.
• Teams strategize to soak their opponents while staying as dry as possible.
• The team with the driest members (or the most soaked fun) wins!

Discover more funny team-building activities for small groups to add energy and excitement to your next team event.

Few team-building games create equal parts laughter and confusion, but the Human Knot certainly does!

This classic team-building game looks simple on the surface, but it quickly turns into an exercise in communication and patience.

The premise is simple: Teams must untangle themselves from a knot of interlocked arms without letting go, using nothing but cooperation and a bit of flexibility (both physical and mental).

It’s quick to set up, completely equipment-free, and perfect for breaking down barriers in any group, from new hires to long-time teammates.

What you’ll need

The Human Knot is refreshingly low-tech. All you need is people, space, and a sense of humour.

• Open space: An area big enough for everyone to move around safely without bumping into desks or walls. Spaces with a softer floor may be a bit kinder on the knees, too!

• A large group of participants: You’ll be breaking the whole team down into smaller groups. Smaller circles untangle faster, while larger ones create real puzzles (and more laughs).

• Comfortable clothing: You’ll be stretching, twisting, and possibly spinning in quite a few circles. Best leave the tight jeans at home.

• A timer (optional): Consider adding a big timer that everyone can see for a little competitive energy between teams.

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That’s it; no props, no setup, no mess. The only challenge is convincing everyone that it’s not a crazy trust fall or an elaborate escape room.

How you can do it (step-by-step instructions)

Getting started is simple. Follow these steps to form your knot, untangle it, and hopefully come out stronger (and still friends).

1. Split the group into teams

If you’ve got a large group, divide everyone into smaller circles of around six to eight people. Smaller teams make for faster, more focused gameplay, and fewer elbow-related accidents.

2. Form the circle

Each team stands shoulder to shoulder in its own circle. Everyone extends their right hand into the centre and grabs someone else’s hand. However, you have to tell your teams that they cannot hold the hand of the person standing directly next to them.

3. Complete the knot

Now teams need to do the same with their left hand, grabbing a different person’s hand this time. When every hand is connected, you’ve officially formed the “human knot,” a super-tangled web of arms that needs teamwork to be solved.

4. Start untangling

Without letting go of anyone’s hands, teams must work together to unravel back into a circle. Participants can twist, step over, duck under, or rotate carefully. Whatever it takes to break free, they can use it, as long as they never let go of a person’s hand, as this would break the chain.

5. Add a timer (optional)

If you wanted to make this a bit more challenging, or if you’ve got a team who have done this before, you could add a countdown timer to see which team untangles itself first. Just make sure everyone’s focused on synchronized movements; otherwise, you might see a few accidental wrestling moves come out.

6. Celebrate your victors

If your group forms one perfect circle, give them a round of applause. If you end up with two smaller circles instead, that still counts as success (because taking part is as important as winning, right?). The aim is communication and cooperation; you don’t always need perfect results to learn from an exercise.

Facilitator tip:

Encourage teams to talk through their ideas and move slowly. Rushing only tightens the knot (both literally and figuratively). If teams get stuck, let them pause, communicate, and rethink their approach. The real “win” will be found in how they solve the problem as a group.

Variations and twists

Once everyone’s mastered the basic Human Knot, you could get a bit devilish by adding a few creative twists:

• Silent knot: No talking allowed. Teams must rely entirely on gestures, eye contact and intuition to untangle, which usually leads to equal parts frustration and laughter.

• Double knot: Two smaller circles join hands and intertwine to form one giant mega-knot. The goal here is to separate back into two circles, still without letting go.

• Reverse knot: Start untangled in a perfect circle and challenge teams to intentionally tie themselves into a knot as quickly as possible, then untangle again. You might find some interesting reverse engineering at play with this one.

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Debrief: What teams picked up in the activity

Sure, The Human Know is a tangle of limbs and a barrel of laughter, but inside the activity are some powerful lessons about teamwork in motion. Once the knots are undone (and everyone’s regained feeling in their arms), gather the group to reflect on what just happened:

• Patience and flexibility: The fastest way out isn’t always the most direct. Sometimes you need to pause, breathe, and rethink your next move.

• Communication under pressure: Success rests on the back of clear communication, listening actively, and making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

• Collaborative problem-solving: There’s no single leader in the knot; progress comes from coordination and relying on the others in your group.

• Humour and resilience: Laughter keeps frustration at bay, and it’s often what brings people closer together in the face of real challenges.

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Use the wind-down moment to link back to the teamwork they use every day. The same qualities of communication, adaptability and persistence are needed as much in untangling as they are in the office!

FAQs:

How many people do you need for the Human Knot?

Ideally, each team should have around six to eight members. Smaller groups can untangle faster, while larger ones make the challenge more complex, but also more entertaining.

What does the Human Knot teach teams?

It’s a simple, low-pressure way to practise teamwork, communication, patience, and creative problem-solving. It’s a great way to break the ice for unfamiliar team members, and it encourages focus, while not taking oneself too seriously!

What are the rules of the Human Knot?

Each person must hold hands with two different people who aren’t standing next to them. Once the knot is formed, the group must untangle, without ever letting go of a hand (breaking the chain).

Explanation:

‍Teams build different sections of a complicated Rube Goldberg machine. In-office teams work on physical pieces, and remote workers create virtual sections using online tools.

In-office workers can start by building something physical—like a series of dominoes or a ball rolling down a ramp—while remote workers come up with digital elements (animations or recorded videos of their contraptions). The challenge is to connect these sections into one long, wacky machine that works seamlessly together. Remote workers can submit their videos or ideas, and in-office teammates figure out how to physically incorporate them.

This brings remote and office workers together in a super creative way!

Hosting a company-wide employee appreciation day is an idea to show employees gratitude and recognition for their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the organization. It's an opportunity for employers to express their appreciation and for employees to feel valued and motivated.

Here are some ideas and suggestions for celebrating Employee Appreciation Day:

1. Write personalized thank-you notes to each employee, highlighting their contributions and efforts.
2. Offer gift cards to employees to take themselves to lunch or coffee.
3. Hand out employee awards that highlight outstanding employees with awards or certificates, such as "Employee of the Month."
4. Host a company-wide employee breakfast where employees can relax and bond with one another.
5. Take the day off for team-building activities that encourage employee bonding and camaraderie.
6. Take the day off to volunteer day and use all that appreciative energy to do some good. Volunteer for a charitable cause or support a community project as a team-building activity.
7. Acknowledge each employee's unique interests and preferences, which can make the recognition more meaningful.
8. Share employee accomplishments on social media, the company website, or a company newsletter to highlight their contributions.

Employee appreciation day is all about celebration and showing gratitude and should be made an ongoing practice within the workplace to maintain a positive and motivated workforce.

How to play Bean Bag Toss

Instructions: Set up a bean bag toss board with different-sized holes and assign point values to each hole. Participants take turns throwing bean bags and aim to score the highest points. The player with the highest score after a set number of rounds wins.

Materials needed: Bean bag toss board, bean bags.

Bean Bag Toss is a versatile game that suits all ages and skill levels. It promotes hand-eye coordination, focus, and friendly competition. It encourages social interaction and allows participants to engage in casual conversation while playing.