Fun Team Building Activities: Top Picks For Work, Large & Small Groups

Let’s face it: if you’re looking for a fun team building activity, you definitely want it to be fun. You’re not interested in games such as ‘Show and tell’, ‘Jenga’, or ‘Would you rather’, that – of course –  fulfill their purpose if you’re searching for virtual employee engagement ideas or icebreaker questions for work, but not if you’re eager for some fun team building activities. 

In our article, you will discover those team building activities that will literally have everyone rolling on the floor with laughter! We’ve split them into 4 major categories:

• Fun team building activities for small groups 
• Fun team building activities for large groups 
• Fun team building activities for work 
• Fun team bonding activities 

Fun team building activities for small groups 

Stand, Sit, Lie

Here’s how this fun team building activity works: Form teams of 3 and assign them a fun scene to act out, like trying to assemble a piece of furniture with confusing instructions, reenacting a famous movie scene with exaggerated gestures and expressions, or surviving on a deserted island and building a makeshift shelter.

Here’s the catch: one team member must always be standing, one sitting, and one lying down. If anyone switches positions, the other players must quickly adjust.

• Skills: Teamwork, communication, spontaneity, strategic skills
• Duration: 20-30 minutes
• Players: Groups of 3
• Requirements: – 

Get ready to laugh, strategize, and strengthen your people through this fun team bonding activity!

Blind Drawing

Gather your teammates and have them pair up, sitting back to back. One player will be given an image, while the other player holds the pen and paper.

The fun part begins when the person with the image tries to describe it to their partner, who can’t see it. Using only verbal instructions, they guide their partner to draw the image as accurately as possible. Get ready for some creative interpretations!

After a few minutes of artistic chaos, pause the activity and encourage everyone to reflect on their communication skills during the task. Did their instructions match the intended image? 

• Skills: Teamwork, communication, and listening skills
• Duration: 5-10 minutes
• Players: At least 2 pairs of people
• Requirements: Pen, paper, a reference photo

Paper Chains

Unleash your creativity and teamwork skills with this fun group activity! Divide your players into groups of equal size and have them choose a leader. Excitingly, the leaders will be given a special mission: they must step out of the room while you explain the rules to them in secret.

Next, unveil the rules! The objective of the game is to create the longest paper chain using the provided resources. However, there’s a twist! Players can only use their dominant hand and, once the timer starts, no talking is allowed.

Once the rules are explained to the leaders, they can re-enter the room with a burst of anticipation! They have only 30 seconds to relay the rules to their teams. It’s a race against time to convey the instructions clearly and swiftly. And… go! The teams now have 3 exciting minutes to collaborate, use their dominant hands skillfully, and create the longest paper chain possible. Remember, no talking is allowed!

When time’s up, the challenge comes to an end. Measure the paper chains and determine which team has achieved the longest chain. They will be crowned the victorious champions of “Paper Chains”!

• Skills: Communication, teamwork, problem-solving skills
• ‍Duration: 10-20 minutes
• ‍Players: At least 6-8
• Requirements: Paper, tape, scissors

Copycat

Shuffle a deck of cards and have everyone pick a card from a specific suit. It’s time to embrace your inner card shark! The player with the lowest card becomes the guesser and leaves the room. Keep those cards hidden to maintain the suspense!

While the guesser is out, everyone else draws a new card. This time, the player with the highest card becomes the mischievous ‘Copycat’. Once the Copycat is identified, they subtly start performing small actions like touching their ear, coughing, or scratching their head. Pay close attention, everyone else in the room must copy these actions without giving away the secret!

Call back the guesser and watch their detective skills shine! They have one minute to observe everyone’s behavior and figure out who the sneaky Copycat is. Laughter erupts as the guesser makes their final guess. Will they correctly identify the Copycat or be stumped by the excellent mimicking skills of their teammates?

• Skills: Observation, communication, problem-solving
• Duration: 10-20 minutes
• Players: 5–15 people
• Requirements: A deck of cards

The Trivia Battle

Trivia is not only a fun group activity for adults & children, but also a fantastic opportunity to showcase your knowledge, boost camaraderie, and learn fascinating facts about your chosen topic or workplace. So gather your teams, unleash your trivia prowess, and let the battle of wits begin!

Start by splitting your team into smaller groups, making sure each team has a minimum of 3 players. Next, choose your battleground! You can select a specific topic for the trivia questions, or for an extra thrill, customize the game to revolve around your workplace. It’s a chance to showcase your company’s unique facts and fun tidbits! Each team will face off against one another, battling it out with their brain power and lightning-fast answers. Don’t forget to keep score and fuel the competitive spirit. Award points for each correct answer, building up the tension and suspense. Who will emerge as the trivia champions?

• Duration: 30 minutes – 2 hours
• Players: 3–20 people
• Skills: Communication, teamwork, competitive spirit
• Requirements: Access to a Trivia game

Fun team building activities for large groups

Egg Drop 

• Skills: Creativity, teamwork, communication, problem-solving skills
• ‍Duration: 20-30 minutes
• Players: 5-10
• Requirements: Raw eggs (one per team), straws, tape, cardboard, something to enable a high drop, something to clean up the mess

It’s time to put your teamwork and creativity to the test and discover whose egg will survive the ultimate drop!

Here’s how to play: Divide your players into teams of equal size and hand out the required materials. Next, set the stage for a time-limited challenge, let’s say 15 minutes. During this frantic period, teams must work together, using their resources in any way imaginable, to construct a protective contraption for their fragile egg. It’s all about ingenuity and teamwork!

When time’s up, collect the egg creations from each team and prepare for the ultimate high drop. The tension rises as you examine the egg’s fate upon hitting the floor. 

The winning team wins the fun team building activity if their egg remains unscathed. But wait, if multiple teams successfully safeguarded their eggs, the ultimate tiebreaker is determined by the team that used the fewest straws. It’s all about precision and resourcefulness!

Field Day 

It’s time to keep your participants engaged, develop work-related skills, and have a blast together. To make your field day event a smashing success, gather a minimum of about 20 players and form 2-3 spirited teams to ignite that competitive fire. Remember, each player will shine in different games, so ensure a well-rounded experience by including a variety of thrilling activities. From classic tug of war to the hilarious split team mug, soccer billiards, sac race, and even a watery slip ‘n’ slide, the options are endless!

Tip: Before the action begins, generate some pre-event buzz by announcing a valuable prize for the winning team. This simple yet effective tactic will energize the players right from the start and amplify the excitement.

• Skills: Leadership skills, communication, teamwork
• Duration: 2-4 hours
• ‍Players: At least 15 players
• Requirements: May vary depending on the fun group activities you choose

Yes

This fun team building activity unleashes the magic of positivity, nonverbal communication, and bonding within your people. Here’s how it works: Gather your teammates in a circle, forming a united front for the adventure ahead. With a smile on your face, make eye contact with someone across the circle and confidently ask, ‘Yes?’. The teammate you’ve chosen locks eyes with you and responds with a resounding ‘Yes!’. It’s a powerful affirmation of unity and cooperation.

Next, it’s time for the magical switch! You and your teammate exchange places, symbolizing the seamless flow of energy within the group. As your teammate reaches their new spot, they turn around and lock eyes with another participant, continuing the chain of ‘Yes?’ exchanges. The activity unfolds, spreading joy and camaraderie throughout the group. You can even take it up a notch by initiating multiple chains of ‘Yes?’ simultaneously, challenging the team’s listening and focusing abilities. It’s a whirlwind of movement, connection, and shared positivity!

• Skills: Communication, listening skills, openness
• Duration:10-30 minutes 
• ‍Players: Pairs of 2
• Requirements: –

Bubble Football

Are you searching for a team-building activity that combines laughter, friendly competition, and a break from the office? Look no further than the side-splitting adventure of Bubble Football! 

First, gather your team and prepare for a hilarious showdown. Each participant dons a giant inflatable bubble suit that will have everyone rolling on the floor with laughter. Second, the game begins! Picture your colleagues bumping, bouncing, and tumbling as they attempt to navigate the field, all while trying to score goals and outmaneuver their opponents. It’s a riotous mix of teamwork, strategy, and pure fun!

Still, safety first! The bubble suits provide a cushioned barrier, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. It’s all about laughter and friendly competition without the worry of injuries.

• Skills: Communication, competitive spirit
• Duration: 1-2 hours
• ‍Players: At least 10
• Requirements: A ‘Bubble football’ center

Water Gun Battle

So, the day before the big event, remind everyone to pack a spare pair of clothes. Trust us, they’re going to get drenched!

Now make sure you book a spacious park or recreation field, brimming with excitement. To amp up the fun and ensure team spirit, divide the group into 2 teams. You can even provide colorful bibs or ribbons for each team, making it easier to identify allies in the heat of the battle. Scatter water guns randomly across a designated area. Make sure both teams are standing at equal distances from the water gun treasure trove. 

Ready, set, go! With the blast of a whistle, both teams dash toward the water guns, snatching them up with gusto. The battleground is set, so let the water frenzy begin. There are no strict rules, but feel free to add some fun twists to the game. Just remember to keep innocent bystanders safe from unexpected soakings.

• Skills: Teamwork, communication, competitive spirit
• Duration: 1-2 hours
• ‍Players: 20-30
• Requirements: A spacious field, water guns

Fun team building activities for work

Office Escape

For this fun team building activity, you need to come up with a captivating storyline. Create a unique and engaging scenario that will transport your players into a world of mystery and excitement. Imagine a final objective like hacking the office computer to supercharge the Christmas party budget, and let the puzzles and challenges unfold from there.

Next, assemble your team and challenge them to work together as a cohesive unit to conquer the mission. Then, fuel the competitive spirit. Add an extra dash of excitement by rewarding teams with Christmas party drink credits for each successfully completed challenge. 

Now, let your imagination run wild as you design a series of mind-bending puzzles and challenges unique to your office escape. From decoding secret messages to navigating hidden clues, the possibilities are endless! Infuse the game with humor, surprises, and unexpected twists to keep your team engaged and entertained throughout their thrilling escape.

• Skills: Problem-solving skills, teamwork, communication
• ‍Duration: 1-2 hours
• ‍Players: 3-20
• Requirements: A great scenario, a spacious office

Silent Building Project

Divide your group into teams and assign them a picture of a famous building or site, like the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty, or the Colosseum. Each team’s mission is to recreate their assigned landmark using only toothpicks and tape.

But here’s the catch – teams are not allowed to use words or talk as they build their masterpiece. Non-verbal communication and teamwork will be the key to success! They must use toothpicks and tape strategically to capture the essence and details of the famous building they are recreating. Once the teams have finished building, it’s time for the grand unveiling! Display each team’s creation side by side, and let everyone marvel at the miniature wonders that have been crafted.

Then, cast your votes. Each participant must choose the team whose creation looks the most like the original landmark. Encourage friendly discussions and playful banter as teams make their case for why their recreation deserves the top spot. Finally, celebrate the spirit of creativity and collaboration by announcing the winning team. Give them a well-deserved round of applause and revel in the collective accomplishment of all the teams.

• Skills: Creative skills, communication, social bonding, competitive spirit
• Duration: 10-20 minutes
• Players: 4-20 people
• Requirements: Toothpicks, tape

Coworker Bingo

Create a customized bingo sheet filled with exciting and relatable experiences or traits. Think outside the box and include things like ‘Has climbed a mountain’, ‘Can play a musical instrument’, or ‘Has a pet cat’.

Now, gather your team together and set them loose on a quest to fill up their bingo sheet. Give them a limited time to mingle and interact with their coworkers, asking questions and discovering who fits each box. It’s a fantastic opportunity for team members to connect, learn interesting facts about each other, and build a sense of camaraderie.

• Skills: Listening skills, communication 
• Duration: 5-10 minutes
• Players: At least 4
• Requirements: Pens, sheets of paper 

Helium Stick

This fun work team building activity puts your finger dexterity to the test! Each player extends their index fingers on both hands, creating a row of wiggling fingers. Now, place a stick on top of their fingers, and together, slowly lower the stick towards the ground. Sounds easy, right? Well, here’s the catch: Throughout the entire process, every single person’s finger must maintain contact with the stick. If anyone’s finger loses touch with the stick at any point, it’s time to start over and give it another go!

Encourage each other, communicate effectively, and find creative ways to maintain constant contact. It’s a fantastic exercise to strengthen your coordination skills and build trust within your team.

• Skills: Collaboration, trust
• Duration: 10–20 minutes
• Players: 5–10 people
• Requirements: A stick 

This process repeats until the last person in the line has seen and repeated the sequence of gestures. If the last sequence matches the starting sequence, the team has succeeded.

Paper Plane Challenge

This is a great team building activity no matter your age! Start by setting a timer – 3 minutes, 5, 10, or more. You can even make it more challenging by turning it into a ‘minute to win it’ game for adults! Let players craft their own paper airplane masterpiece and remind them that the sky’s the limit when it comes to design!

Once all the planes are ready for takeoff, it’s time for the ‘fly off’ showdown. Ask players to launch their aircraft into the air and watch as they glide, twist, and turn. Now, there’s an extra twist to the challenge: it’s time to become judges! Each participant will award points to their favorite planes based on three exciting categories: distance, airtime, and aesthetics. Choose wisely and assign points to the planes that impress you the most in each category.

• Duration: 3-10 minutes
• Players: 4–10 people
• Skills: Creative thinking, social bonding
• Requirements: Slips of paper 

Lip Sync

First, choose a song that everyone in your group knows and loves. Then, get creative with costumes and props. From wild wigs to funky accessories, let your imagination run wild and bring your performances to life! Next, plan and rehearse your moves together. Choreograph some epic dance routines or hilarious lip sync battles to make your videos stand out from the crowd. Continue by recording your awesome performances. Whether it’s a quick thirty-second burst of energy or an epic five-minute masterpiece, capture the magic on camera, then have colleagues cast their votes for the best performance!

• Duration: 1-2 hours
• Players: 5-20 people
• Skills: Creative thinking, communication, collaboration, social bonding
• Requirements: Music and a phone camera  

Scavenger Hunts

This classic team building activity will have you and your coworkers hunting for treasures and forging unforgettable bonds along the way. The whole idea is to search high and low for specific items scattered throughout a designated area. From hidden gems to elusive treasures, each discovery will earn you points and bring you closer to victory.

You could go for the classic version of the camp game, but you could also try some variations that will ignite your competitive spirit and showcase your unique skills! Organize a company hunt, where you must uncover objects specific to various departments. Maybe a friend hunt, where the challenge pushes you to step out of your comfort zone and engage with strangers. For those creative players among you, the art hunt awaits. Gather images, objects, or words scattered throughout the hunt and collaborate with your team to craft a mural or a poem. Reverse hunt is also a fun work team building activity! In this twist on tradition, you and your teammates will receive enigmatic objects and peculiar pictures, challenging you to identify as many items as possible. 

• Skills: Critical thinking, problem-solving skills, communication, teamwork, strategic thinking, creativity
• Duration: 1-4 hours
• Players: 10-30
• Requirements: May vary depending on the type of scavenger hunt you’re planning; also, a large playing area would be ideal

The Pirate’s Treasure

• Duration: 10–15 minutes
• Players: 5–10 people
• Skills: Sharpness, strategic thinking, collaboration, trust, and problem-solving skills
• Requirements: A blindfold, a chair, something that’s meant to be ‘a treasure’

First, hide the precious treasure (it could be anything from a shiny trinket to a coveted office supply) under a chair. Next, select one brave soul to become the fearless pirate. The pirate takes their place on the chair, blindfolded and ready to guard the treasure with all their might, while the other members of the crew try to snatch the treasure away. Their mission is to sneak up and grab the loot without getting caught by ‘the pirate’. If ‘the pirate’ manages to touch any of the would-be thieves, they’re out of the game and must retreat to the sidelines.

Fun team bonding activities 

One Question

This fun team bonding activity will challenge your team to come up with the perfect inquiry for a variety of situations, all while fostering collaboration and revealing fascinating things about one another. Start by imagining various intriguing circumstances. Here are some examples:

• Negotiating a peace treaty between two warring nations
• Seeking advice from a wise mythical creature
• Deciding the next big invention
• Meeting your doppelganger

The challenge is to narrow it down to one burning question that will unveil the information you need or spark an engaging conversation.

• Skills: Communication, strategic thinking, creativity, social bonding
• Duration: 10-30 minutes
• ‍Players: 4-15
• Requirements: –

Weekend Wordplay

Get ready for a weekend recap like no other. In this fun group activity for adults, each player gets a chance to share their weekend experience in just one word. But there’s a twist: you must go alphabetically. Starting with the letter A, each team member chooses an adjective that describes their weekend using that letter. As you go around the circle, the words will create a unique and laughter-filled journey.

• Skills: Vocabulary skills, communication, social bonding
• Duration: 5 minutes
• Players: 2-10
• Requirements: – 

Color Me Familiar

This fun group activity for adults encourages social bonding at the workplace. Start by spreading a coloring page and a single crayon to each participant. Next, ask them to color the picture using every color on the provided list. Watch as players start moving and mingling around the space, borrowing crayons from one another. But here’s the twist: To use another teammate’s crayon, they must first share a personal fact!

• Skills: Creativity, communication, team bonding, trust 
• Duration: 5-20 minutes
• Players: 4-20
• Requirements: Paper, crayons 

Brackets

Prepare for some lively discussions in this fun team bonding activity! Start by selecting a category with numerous options. It could be anything from fast food restaurants to NBA teams or even cities. Next, divide your team into pairs or small groups and provide them with the list of choices in that category.

Then, set the stage for a spirited debate as teammates discuss, deliberate, and defend their preferred choice. Each group will then choose one option from the category that they believe deserves to move forward in the bracket. Bring all the groups together and showcase their chosen options. 

• Skills: Communication, team bonding 
• Duration: 5-20 minutes
• Players: 6-20
• Requirements: –

Roses and Thorns

Give each player 3 minutes to share their ‘roses’ and ‘thorns’ from the week. ‘Roses’ represent the good things that have happened at work, while ‘thorns’ represent the challenging or difficult experiences.

As each person shares their roses and thorns, the rest of the team actively listens and provides support, empathy, and encouragement. After each player has shared, take a moment to collectively acknowledge and celebrate the roses, and offer words of encouragement or assistance for the thorns. This helps foster a sense of camaraderie and support within the team.

• Skills: Communication, team bonding, trust, openness 
• Duration: 5-20 minutes
• Players: 3-10
• Requirements: –

Common Factor

This fun team bonding activity is meant to strengthen relationships and create connections among players. The leader must present a series of statements or factors, and ask teammates to move to a specific area of the room if the statement applies to them. Here’s a list of the best suggestions:

• Foodies
• Coffee enthusiasts
• Bookworms
• Sports fans
• Fitness enthusiasts
• Nature lovers
• Adventure seekers
• Crafters or DIY enthusiasts
• Movie buffs
• Art lovers
• Tech geeks
• Travel enthusiasts
• Animal lovers
• Fashionistas
• Outdoor enthusiasts
• History buffs
• Gaming enthusiasts
• Coffee shop regulars
• Karaoke lovers
• Yoga practitioners

As teammates move around the room and position themselves based on the statements, they will discover shared experiences and commonalities. Even if someone finds themselves standing alone for a particular factor, it provides an opportunity for others to learn something new and intriguing about that teammate.

Throughout the activity, encourage friendly conversations and interactions among teammates. Leave some time in the end for participants to link up and chat about the common factors they discovered. This will further foster connections and provide talking points for future interactions.

• Skills: Communication, trust, team bonding
• Duration: 10-20 minutes
• Players: 8-30
• Requirements: –

How to host fun activities in the office

Hosting awesome team building activities in the workplace is the secret ingredient to boosting morale, strengthening relationships, and fostering a collaborative spirit among your team. Here’s how you can create a memorable experience for both small and large teams:

1. Set clear team building objectives: Start by defining your goals. Whether it’s improving communication, problem-solving skills, or building trust, having a clear focus will help you choose the perfect activities.
2. Tailor those group games to your team size: Consider the size of your team when selecting activities. Intimate gatherings lend themselves to deep interactions, while larger teams can enjoy scaled-up adventures involving multiple groups or stations.
3. Include everyone: Choose activities that bring everyone together. Ensure they’re accessible, inclusive, and celebrate the diverse abilities and preferences of your team.
4. Mix indoor games and outdoor activities: Spice things up by offering a variety of options. Indoors, engage in games, riddles, puzzles, or collaborative challenges. Outdoors, let loose with team sports, scavenger hunts, or exhilarating obstacle courses.
5. Foster cross-functional collaboration: Break down barriers and encourage camaraderie by designing activities that promote interaction among individuals from different departments or teams.
6. Encourage teamwork and problem-solving: Engage your team in activities that require collaboration, such as escape rooms, group puzzles, or exciting building challenges.
7. Spark the competitive spirit: Stir up a bit of friendly rivalry to add an extra dose of excitement. Divide your team into smaller groups, offer rewards or incentives, but always maintain a light-hearted and positive atmosphere.
8. Throw in some icebreakers: Kick off your team building session with icebreaker activities that help team members get to know each other better. ‘What if’ questions, quick icebreakers, or speedy networking sessions work wonders in breaking the ice.
9. Seek feedback and improve: After each activity, gather feedback from participants. Learn what worked well and what could be enhanced. Use this valuable insight to continuously refine future activities.
10. Embrace positivity: Above all, create an atmosphere that radiates positivity, laughter, and encouragement. Celebrate individual and team achievements, and watch the bonds between your team members grow stronger.

On eTeamBuilding, we teach you how to build a successful team in the workplace through fun team building activities, icebreakers, and outdoor gatherings!