Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Heads up seven up
Games without materials

Heads up seven up

This is another childhood favorite for many, and bringing it into your workplace is sure to create a little nostalgia. It's a simple and fun way to get everyone more comfortable working together.

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Games without materials

Heads up seven up

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This is another childhood favorite for many, and bringing it into your workplace is sure to create a little nostalgia. It's a simple and fun way to get everyone more comfortable working together.

Here’s how you play:

  1. Have everyone sit down, either at a desk, on the floor, or wherever it makes sense (but everyone should be sitting). Everyone should close their eyes, put their heads down, and put their thumbs up.
  2. Seven players will go around the room and touch one person’s thumb apiece. Each chooser will select only one person, and they should do so as quietly and discreetly as possible. The goal is for the chosen people to guess who picked them, so the more secret, the better.
  3. Once all seven people have been picked, have everyone raise their heads and ask the seven chosen people to stand up. Now, they will guess who touched their thumb. Each person gets only one guess, and if they pick correctly, they will be one of the seven “choosers” in the next round.
  4. The game continues with the new seven people, including anyone who guessed correctly in the previous round. Ideally, everyone will get a chance to be one of the “pickers”.

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Twisted Charades
Office games

Twisted Charades

Similar to traditional charades, but with a creative twist. Instead of acting out specific words or phrases, participants must convey abstract concepts, emotions, or even entire stories through gestures and expressions.

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Office games

Twisted Charades

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How to play:

Similar to traditional charades, but with a creative twist. Instead of acting out specific words or phrases, participants must convey abstract concepts, emotions, or even entire stories through gestures and expressions.

Example: Team is given a well known, short story that they need to act out without using words.

Materials needed: None

Benefits:

  • Emotional intelligence development: Take a deep dive into the vast ocean of human emotions. This game pushes your team's creativity to the limit as they express complex feelings through movement and nonverbal cues, making them emotional intelligence champions.
  • Enhanced nonverbal empathy: Unlock the secrets of nonverbal communication and boost your team's ability to empathize with others. As they interpret and respond to their colleagues' charades, bonds will be formed and connections will be strengthened

Discover more team building activities for small groups to strengthen connection and communication within your team.

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Communication origami
Communication games

Communication origami

A relaxing game that helps you boost communication amongst team members. This exercise shows how well team members can listen and follow directions. You only need some paper and tables for people to make their shapes.

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Communication games

Communication origami

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A relaxing game that helps you boost communication amongst team members. This exercise shows how well team members can listen and follow directions. You only need some paper and tables for people to make their shapes.

How to play:

Hand out a sheet of A4 paper to each group member and then instruct them to close their eyes. Everyone must keep their eyes closed while one person reads the instructions to fold and create their piece of origami.

After you’re done instructing them, the whole group opens their eyes and compares their shapes.

Materials you’ll need: A4 Paper, seating areas with tables

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

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Themed photo contest
Workplace competitions

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”.

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Workplace competitions

Themed photo contest

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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”.

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Improv Workshop
Team building games

Improv Workshop

Boost creativity, spontaneity, and teamwork through engaging improv exercises.

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Team building games

Improv Workshop

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Boost creativity, spontaneity, and teamwork through engaging improv exercises.

Materials needed:

  • A spacious room for movement
  • No props required – just the team and their imagination

Instructions on how to play:

  1. Gather the team in a comfortable space.
  2. Lead the team through various improv exercises, encouraging creativity, quick thinking, and collaboration.
  3. Focus on activities that require participants to build on each other's ideas and support one another.
  4. Reflect on the experience afterward, discussing how the skills learned can be applied to the workplace.

Why it's a great team building game:

  • Think on your feet: Improv sharpens creative thinking and adaptability.
  • Team harmony: Encourages teamwork as participants must rely on each other's ideas.
  • Fun factor: Injects a dose of laughter and enjoyment into the team dynamic.

Top tip to help the game run smoothly:

  • Create a comfortable and non-judgmental environment. The goal is to have fun and build camaraderie, so ensure everyone feels supported and encouraged to participate.

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Emergency drill simulation
Safety games

Emergency drill simulation

Organize a mock emergency drill where employees must respond to a simulated emergency scenario (e.g., fire, chemical spill, medical emergency). Debrief after the drill to discuss what went well and areas for improvement.Simulations provide hands-on practice in a controlled environment, helping employees feel more confident in real emergencies. It’s a practical way to test and improve response procedures while highlighting the importance of being prepared. While this isn’t really classed as a ‘game’, it’s certainly a safety activity that could be beneficial to everyone in the event of an emergency.

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Safety games

Emergency drill simulation

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How to play:

Organize a mock emergency drill where employees must respond to a simulated emergency scenario (e.g., fire, chemical spill, medical emergency). Debrief after the drill to discuss what went well and areas for improvement.

Simulations provide hands-on practice in a controlled environment, helping employees feel more confident in real emergencies. It’s a practical way to test and improve response procedures while highlighting the importance of being prepared. While this isn’t really classed as a ‘game’, it’s certainly a safety activity that could be beneficial to everyone in the event of an emergency.

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Conflict resolution
Relationship-building activities

Conflict resolution

Every team's got its hiccups, but conflict resolution is the superhero cape. It saves the day by smoothing things over and turning tense moments into learning experiences. Conflict resolution activity - Role play resolutions: Develop fictional workplace scenarios involving conflicts or disagreements. Pair colleagues and assign each pair a scenario to role-play. Partners take turns assuming the roles of individuals in the conflict and work together to find constructive solutions through communication and negotiation. After role-playing, each pair presents their conflict and proposed resolution to the larger group. ‍ This interactive activity hones conflict resolution skills, encourages creative problem-solving and enhances communication strategies.

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Relationship-building activities

Conflict resolution

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Every team's got its hiccups, but conflict resolution is the superhero cape. It saves the day by smoothing things over and turning tense moments into learning experiences.

Conflict resolution activity - Role play resolutions:

  • Develop fictional workplace scenarios involving conflicts or disagreements.
  • Pair colleagues and assign each pair a scenario to role-play.
  • Partners take turns assuming the roles of individuals in the conflict and work together to find constructive solutions through communication and negotiation.
  • After role-playing, each pair presents their conflict and proposed resolution to the larger group.

This interactive activity hones conflict resolution skills, encourages creative problem-solving and enhances communication strategies.

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Tug of War Challenge
Large group games

Tug of War Challenge

Tug of War encourages teamwork, communication, and friendly competition. It promotes unity, camaraderie, and creates a sense of strength and determination among team members.

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Large group games

Tug of War Challenge

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How to play Tug of War Challenge

Instructions: Divide participants into two teams and provide a long rope. Each team holds onto one end of the rope and pulls in opposite directions. The team that successfully pulls the other team over a designated line wins.

Materials needed: Rope.

Tug of War encourages teamwork, communication, and friendly competition. It promotes unity, camaraderie, and creates a sense of strength and determination among team members.

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Conflict management skills
Relationship-building activities

Conflict management skills

Every now and then, differences crop up. Conflict management skills are like the superhero toolkit to sort things out, keeping relationships smooth and stress levels low. Conflict management skills activity - "Resolution theater": Prepare several workplace conflict scenarios with varying levels of complexity. Divide participants into small groups and assign each group a scenario to act out. Instruct groups to perform a role-play where they present the conflict, pause at critical points and discuss potential resolutions. After the role-play, encourage groups to share their proposed resolutions and engage in a constructive dialogue. ‍ This interactive activity provides a safe space for practicing conflict resolution strategies, sharing insights and learning from different approaches.

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Relationship-building activities

Conflict management skills

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Every now and then, differences crop up. Conflict management skills are like the superhero toolkit to sort things out, keeping relationships smooth and stress levels low.

Conflict management skills activity - "Resolution theater":

  • Prepare several workplace conflict scenarios with varying levels of complexity.
  • Divide participants into small groups and assign each group a scenario to act out.
  • Instruct groups to perform a role-play where they present the conflict, pause at critical points and discuss potential resolutions.
  • After the role-play, encourage groups to share their proposed resolutions and engage in a constructive dialogue.

This interactive activity provides a safe space for practicing conflict resolution strategies, sharing insights and learning from different approaches.

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Leadership Cultural Exchange
Leadership games

Leadership Cultural Exchange

By diving into diverse cultures and sharing insights, this game unearths hidden gems of wisdom from around the world. Discover unique leadership practices, tackle cross-cultural challenges, and become a culturally savvy leader. Buckle up for a leadership journey that transcends borders and unlocks a treasure trove of intercultural leadership know-how.

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Leadership games

Leadership Cultural Exchange

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Instructions:

  1. Divide people into small groups representing different cultures or countries.
  2. Encourage each group to share their cultural values, leadership practices, and challenges. Emphasize the importance of open-mindedness, respect, and active listening.
  3. Allow time for each group to ask questions and learn from one another.
  4. Encourage people to take note of key insights and learnings.

By diving into diverse cultures and sharing insights, this game unearths hidden gems of wisdom from around the world. Discover unique leadership practices, tackle cross-cultural challenges, and become a culturally savvy leader. Buckle up for a leadership journey that transcends borders and unlocks a treasure trove of intercultural leadership know-how.

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Compliment circle
Communication games

Compliment circle

There’s something to be said about being kind and spreading positive vibes. While it may seem like “good vibes” is just tossed around flippantly, there is compelling evidence that being excellent and complementary is good for your health.

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Communication games

Compliment circle

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There’s something to be said about being kind and spreading positive vibes. While it may seem like “good vibes” is just tossed around flippantly, there is compelling evidence that being excellent and complementary is good for your health.

How to play:

One person, likely the team leader, gets the ball rolling and asks team members to go around the circle and give a compliment to someone on their team. It can be as simple as thanking someone for being so knowledgeable and helping you figure out a computer malfunction, or more specifically, to a project the whole team is working on together.

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and, ideally, outdoor space

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

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Moral dilemma
Problem solving games

Moral dilemma

Similar to a “would you rather” game, this activity centers on ethical dilemmas. Players should try to flex their moral problem-solving muscles by tackling a social issue. For example, Scruples is a popular board game that can be played. Or, you can look online for versions of games like Dilemma or Quandary. This is a great way to learn more about your colleagues while getting a peek at the way they think.

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Problem solving games

Moral dilemma

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How to play Moral dilemma

Similar to a “would you rather” game, this activity centers on ethical dilemmas. Players should try to flex their moral problem-solving muscles by tackling a social issue. For example, Scruples is a popular board game that can be played. Or, you can look online for versions of games like Dilemma or Quandary. This is a great way to learn more about your colleagues while getting a peek at the way they think.

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Comic craze
Team building games

Comic craze

Comic craze is a creative and collaborative activity where teams build a comic strip together. Each person draws a panel, passing it along to the next person to continue the story. It’s a fun way to let imaginations run wild and see how a simple idea can evolve into something hilarious.This game is ideal for encouraging creativity and team bonding, with lots of room for unexpected twists in the storyline.

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Team building games

Comic craze

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Comic craze is a creative and collaborative activity where teams build a comic strip together. Each person draws a panel, passing it along to the next person to continue the story. It’s a fun way to let imaginations run wild and see how a simple idea can evolve into something hilarious.

This game is ideal for encouraging creativity and team bonding, with lots of room for unexpected twists in the storyline.

How to play:

  • Provide each team with blank comic strip panels.
  • The first person draws a panel, then passes it along for the next person to continue.
  • Once complete, the team presents their comic strip for some laughs!

Explore more team building ideas to spark creativity and collaboration within your team.

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Build-a-story
Agile games

Build-a-story

Building stories together can help an agile team practice iteratively expanding ideas. Building stories has been helping teams grow in corporate events and quickfire meetings, so keep the focus on agile principles and you’ll be improving your employees’ collaborative skills.

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Agile games

Build-a-story

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Building stories together can help an agile team practice iteratively expanding ideas. Building stories has been helping teams grow in corporate events and quickfire meetings, so keep the focus on agile principles and you’ll be improving your employees’ collaborative skills.

Set up:

Dedicate some time to creating prompts beforehand, to make each step in the story open-ended and adaptable. Start with an opening that instigates conversation like “Our new app just launched…” The first team member adds to this line, which can turn the story in any direction, such as “Users flooded in on day one, and our servers went caput.” Encourage the next member to weave in some challenges or a milestone, with a line like “Our support team scrambled to handle user questions.” Keep iterating and adding and see where it leads. When the story ends, reflect as a team and focus on agile practices that helped them to adjust.

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Flip and sip
Office games

Flip and sip

Our next game involves drinking, so make adjustments according to the workday! There are a lot of videos for this game involving beer, but water and soda work just as well. The game works best with two teams facing each other on opposite sides of the table. The first member needs to successfully flip before the second member can go. It’s a race to the finish line!

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Office games

Flip and sip

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Our next game involves drinking, so make adjustments according to the workday! There are a lot of videos for this game involving beer, but water and soda work just as well. The game works best with two teams facing each other on opposite sides of the table. The first member needs to successfully flip before the second member can go. It’s a race to the finish line!

Set-up:

  1. Get your teams ready: Organize teams on either side of the table. In front of each player place a cup filled with any liquid (beer is optional!). Tell them the first player needs to down the liquid, then successfully flip their empty cup from the edge of the table, so that it lands upside-down.
  1. Get flipping crazy!: Let the two players face-off. Once a team member lands a perfect flip, the next teammate downs their drink and races to do the same. Continue with each team member until the last player flips their cup at the finish line.

You’ll likely be creating a bit of a chaotic mess with this one, so whatever you choose as your drink, make sure it’s easy to clean up, and it doesn’t affect your work performance!

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Group Map
Meeting icebreakers

Group Map

Are you hosting an event where people come from various locations? Try laying out an imaginary map in a room representing all the areas people may have come from. Have them stand in their “place of origin” and share a bit about where they came from. You could also print a large map and have everyone place a pin on their area. The important thing is to share some information about where they’ve come from.

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Meeting icebreakers

Group Map

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How to play Group Map

Are you hosting an event where people come from various locations? Try laying out an imaginary map in a room representing all the areas people may have come from. Have them stand in their “place of origin” and share a bit about where they came from. You could also print a large map and have everyone place a pin on their area. The important thing is to share some information about where they’ve come from.

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Splash battle royale
Large group games

Splash battle royale

Get ready to get soaked! Splash battle royale is basically dodgeball, but with water balloons. Teams face off and try to eliminate opponents by hitting them with balloons—easy enough, but staying dry? Not so much.It’s a great way to cool off, get competitive, and share a few laughs—especially when that one overly serious teammate gets soaked. Perfect for those hot summer days when the office needs a little outdoor chaos.

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Large group games

Splash battle royale

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Get ready to get soaked! Splash battle royale is basically dodgeball, but with water balloons. Teams face off and try to eliminate opponents by hitting them with balloons—easy enough, but staying dry? Not so much.

It’s a great way to cool off, get competitive, and share a few laughs—especially when that one overly serious teammate gets soaked. Perfect for those hot summer days when the office needs a little outdoor chaos.

How to play:

  • Split into teams and arm everyone with water balloons.
  • Eliminate opponents by hitting them with balloons.
  • Last team standing wins (and stays the driest—maybe)!

If you’re planning more outdoor activities, explore our full list of fun team-building games for even more ideas.

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My Superpower
Large group icebreakers

My Superpower

This activity is great for bigger groups as well as teams that don’t know each other very well. Each participant will state his/her name and then share what their “superpower” is. This can be a special skill, a curious fact about their lives, valuable knowledge they can share, etc. You can choose to make it more professional, or keep things more personal as a way of getting to know each other better.

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Large group icebreakers

My Superpower

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How to play My Superpower

This activity is great for bigger groups as well as teams that don’t know each other very well. Each participant will state his/her name and then share what their “superpower” is. This can be a special skill, a curious fact about their lives, valuable knowledge they can share, etc. You can choose to make it more professional, or keep things more personal as a way of getting to know each other better.

To make it even more fun, use a ball to signify which person is speaking. The person will then toss the ball to another player at random, keeping things spontaneous as the game progresses.

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Hybrid art collage
Hybrid teambuilding games

Hybrid art collage

‍Office workers create physical art while remote team members work on digital designs. Then, both pieces are merged into a single, collaborative masterpiece.In the hybrid version, office workers can get hands-on with paints, paper, or any materials lying around the office to create their part of the art piece. Meanwhile, remote team members work their digital magic—whether it’s on Photoshop, Canva, or even just a doodle on Paint. The real fun comes when both pieces are combined and displayed on a shared platform like Teams or Slack. The end result is a cool, hybrid art collage that blends physical and digital creativity. It's a fun way to bring both worlds together and see how different styles come together!

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Hybrid teambuilding games

Hybrid art collage

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Explanation:

Office workers create physical art while remote team members work on digital designs. Then, both pieces are merged into a single, collaborative masterpiece.

In the hybrid version, office workers can get hands-on with paints, paper, or any materials lying around the office to create their part of the art piece. Meanwhile, remote team members work their digital magic—whether it’s on Photoshop, Canva, or even just a doodle on Paint. The real fun comes when both pieces are combined and displayed on a shared platform like Teams or Slack. The end result is a cool, hybrid art collage that blends physical and digital creativity. It's a fun way to bring both worlds together and see how different styles come together!

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Create the future office gadget
Hybrid teambuilding games

Create the future office gadget

‍Teams brainstorm and design the ultimate office gadget that solves an everyday problem, like a self-cleaning desk or a coffee cup that never gets cold. The goal is to sketch out the concept and explain how it works.In this hybrid version, remote and in-office workers team up to brainstorm their gadget ideas. Remote workers can use virtual tools to create digital sketches and presentations, while in-office workers can build mockups or create physical prototypes using whatever’s available. Everyone collaborates on how the gadget would work and why it would make office life easier (or just more fun). At the end, each team shares their gadget ideas via video call, showing off both the digital and physical aspects of their creation. It’s a fun way to mix creativity and problem-solving across both work environments!

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Hybrid teambuilding games

Create the future office gadget

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Explanation:

Teams brainstorm and design the ultimate office gadget that solves an everyday problem, like a self-cleaning desk or a coffee cup that never gets cold. The goal is to sketch out the concept and explain how it works.

In this hybrid version, remote and in-office workers team up to brainstorm their gadget ideas. Remote workers can use virtual tools to create digital sketches and presentations, while in-office workers can build mockups or create physical prototypes using whatever’s available. Everyone collaborates on how the gadget would work and why it would make office life easier (or just more fun). At the end, each team shares their gadget ideas via video call, showing off both the digital and physical aspects of their creation.

It’s a fun way to mix creativity and problem-solving across both work environments!

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Stand back to back
Team energizers

Stand back to back

Short, snappy, funny, physical, and with a powerful message about collaboration, this energizer for large workgroups is hard to beat.It starts with participants pairing up with someone of a similar build. They then sit back to back on the floor and link their arms together.

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Team energizers

Stand back to back

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Short, snappy, funny, physical, and with a powerful message about collaboration, this energizer for large workgroups is hard to beat.

How to play Stand back to back

It starts with participants pairing up with someone of a similar build. They then sit back to back on the floor and link their arms together. Their task?

To stand up while remaining with their backs together and arms interconnected.

Aside from providing plenty of laughs, this warm-up activity provides a valuable opportunity to discuss the importance of trust, alignment, teamwork and moving in the same direction to achieve a common goal. Take advantage of it!

Always be sensitive to people’s differing physical capabilities though. Skip this exercise for something else if it doesn’t seem appropriate.

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Family portraits
Theater games

Family portraits

A group of people creates a tableau of a specific group member. Everyone must work together to put together an image that closely resembles the subject.

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Theater games

Family portraits

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How to play Family portraits

A group of people creates a tableau of a specific group member. Everyone must work together to put together an image that closely resembles the subject.

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Create emotion signs
Meeting icebreakers

Create emotion signs

Why not give everyone a bit of a heads up about the kind of moods they’ll be dealing with that day? Have a paper and some markers ready at each seat when people come into the room. Ask them to make a sign that would signal their mood to everyone around them, and then hold it up. For example, if someone is a bit out of sorts on a Monday morning, they might write “Tired”. If someone is really excited, they might write something like “Pumped!” If someone is anxious about presenting later, they might draw a nervous-looking face. Then, have each person stand and explain what’s on their sign and why.

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Meeting icebreakers

Create emotion signs

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How to host Create emotion signs

Why not give everyone a bit of a heads up about the kind of moods they’ll be dealing with that day? Have a paper and some markers ready at each seat when people come into the room. Ask them to make a sign that would signal their mood to everyone around them, and then hold it up. For example, if someone is a bit out of sorts on a Monday morning, they might write “Tired”. If someone is really excited, they might write something like “Pumped!” If someone is anxious about presenting later, they might draw a nervous-looking face. Then, have each person stand and explain what’s on their sign and why.

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Human snake
Office games

Human snake

In this highly effective team-building game, players can focus on the value of trust and collaboration. The game requires people to follow the lead of the first player in a line to manage obstacles. This will require a large space that you can manipulate. Then come up with obstacles like books, chairs, or folded paper that you place on the floor. Have participants stand in a straight line to begin, and cover the eyes of everyone except the first player with a blindfold. The first player will walk through the space while other players follow in a line. The first person should help to guide everyone to avoid the obstacles and work as a team. If everyone successfully makes it to the end without stepping on any obstacle, the team wins!

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Office games

Human snake

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How to play Human snake

In this highly effective team-building game, players can focus on the value of trust and collaboration. The game requires people to follow the lead of the first player in a line to manage obstacles. This will require a large space that you can manipulate. Then come up with obstacles like books, chairs, or folded paper that you place on the floor. Have participants stand in a straight line to begin, and cover the eyes of everyone except the first player with a blindfold. The first player will walk through the space while other players follow in a line. The first person should help to guide everyone to avoid the obstacles and work as a team. If everyone successfully makes it to the end without stepping on any obstacle, the team wins!

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