10 Team Building Games & Ideas You Should Try In Your Company in 2024

The coronavirus pandemic has curtailed team building activities with the social distancing measures in place for everyone’s safety. However, with the recent rollout of vaccines, coupled with tests for COVID-19, team buildings might make a comeback sooner than one would expect. When that time comes, it’s best to be prepared with an array of activities that promote camaraderie and teamwork, all in good fun.

This article presents 10 team building games that are engaging, creative, and enjoyable. They are built to entice even the most stubborn wallflowers to participate and break any barrier between teammates. Keep in mind, however, that everyone on the team should be vaccinated and tested for COVID-19 before proceeding with any excursion. At the end of the day, your workforce’s safety should come as the top priority.

While it’s true that team building is all fun and games, the popular out-of-office activity is actually designed to forge stronger bonds between the team, and that includes the managers. This may not seem like a big deal from the onset, but if we factor in employee engagement, emotional payoffs, and employee retention, suddenly having one appears to be a wonderful idea.

How so? First off, let’s talk about employee engagement. A disturbing fact is that only 31% of employees are engaged with their work. This means a vast majority of the workforce isn’t all too interested in their jobs, which could signal a drop in productivity should they fully lose interest. In addition, some of the data from our time tracking statistics suggest that a good chunk of time in the office is spent on things that aren’t directly work-related. Team building addresses this by injecting empathy into the bloodstreams of participants. With empathy, team members will be mindful of how their performance affects the team as well as the welfare of their managers.

Next up are emotional payoffs. It’s tough to stay motivated for a person who doesn’t feel valued. A study mentions that 69% of employees admit that they would be more productive if they were better appreciated. Besides actually treating them better at work, team building resolves this since managers get a chance to know their team outside the stranglehold of a pressure-filled workspace. Without pressure, it’s easier to get acquainted with everyone and apply the appropriate rewards to raise everyone’s motivation.

Finally, let’s center on employee retention. According to 63.3% of organizations, it’s harder to retain employees than to hire them. It makes sense if we combine the effects of low employee engagement with the feeling of not being appreciated. And it’s also easy to see how team building can be beneficial in this regard given what has been discussed.

Of course, team buildings aren’t perfect, but they are among the best ways to motivate employees. Here are the main reasons why you should get into the game.

1. Nurture a culture of teamwork. It’s the core of easy team building games, where individual egos take a backseat for the common good. While these team building activities are usually fun, they’re shaped by competitiveness and cooperation, two vital factors that drive a team to success in real-work situations. The activities are designed where a goal can only be accomplished through the proactive participation of all members, and this requires bonding. Participants are made aware of the importance of each other’s role, no matter how trivial, and that only by cooperating can they win the game. In a real scenario, teamwork is one of the key factors in effective leadership and project management.
2. Improve communication. Clear communication is vital to any organization. How many projects have failed, and businesses put at risk because of miscommunication? Common team building activities here involve message delivery, non-verbal interpretation, and other communication challenges that promote clarity in conversation, whether in print or verbal.
3. Develop problem-solving skills. Activities can employ team-building strategies to solve a problem and achieve victory. Teams may be tasked to break down a complex problem by assigning each member a problem subset. Each one follows a systematic process to solve the problem. These activities mimic delegation, cooperation, and coordination under pressure, which are important test cases in real life. Problem-solving team building games suit participants with a leadership role, such as managers, supervisors, and project leaders.
4. Enhance specific skills. Some games require specific team-building techniques to accomplish a goal that mirrors a real job task. We usually see this in blue-collar roles with a defined skill set. For example, a competitive game among firefighting teams that simulate real skills like climbing ladders, putting out a fire, and carrying heavy loads.
5. Be aware of one’s personality versus others’. A workplace is a cesspool of personalities that sometimes are at each other’s throats out of a misunderstanding or lack of empathy. Team building games may focus on resolving this issue by making participants aware of these differences and how each personality type approaches an issue differently. Role-playing is a key element in these activities. The goal here is to nurture empathy, plucking people out of their comfort zone, assume other people ’s roles, and make them see things from other people’s perspectives.

Below are various easy team building games that you can quickly organize with little costs involved. Each game has its specific goal, requirements, and mechanics explained. Have fun adopting any of these fun-filled, lesson-rich, simple team-building exercises.

1. Drop the Egg

1. You’ll need: Eggs, cardboard tubes, boxes, scrap paper, cotton balls, rubber bands, tape, glue, popsicle sticks, straws.
2. The goal: Protect the egg from breaking when dropped to the ground.
3. Instructions: Using only the materials above, each team needs to create a container to protect the egg from the drop. A team is eliminated if the egg breaks. To shortlist the winner, you can increase the height of the fall or downsize the materials until only one egg remains intact.
4. Focus: Problem-solving, creative thinking

2. Copy My Lego

1. You’ll need: Equal set of Lego blocks for each team.
2. The goal: Copy the Lego build of the other team through memory.
3. Instructions: Two teams try to copy each other’s Lego build within 10 minutes, but only one member from each side knows the Lego design of the other team. Place the teams in separate rooms (or anywhere they can’t see each other) and give each team an equal set of Lego blocks. The teams need to build a structure of their choosing. Once the build is done, a member (spy) from the opposing team is allowed to check the other team’s structure for one minute. He or she must remember the details, including the color, block types used, and overall design. The spy will then rejoin his team and must communicate clearly the specs used by the other team. The teams have ten minutes to build the replica under the guidance of the spy. Whichever comes up with the more accurate and more complete replica wins. To up the challenge, mix different block colors, types, and elements in the Lego set.
4. Focus: Communication

3. Pass the Message

1. You’ll need: At least 10 members for each team, the more, the better; coded message (a combination of words that doesn’t make sense)
2. The goal: Pass the coded message from one member to another without adding to or subtracting from it.
3. Instructions: Line up the team members; each one must face front (no glancing back). To start the game, the team coordinator whispers a coded message to the member at the back of the queue. The member then whispers the message to the one in front of him or her, who’ll do the same thing until the message reaches the one at the frontmost. He or she then will say the coded message aloud. The coordinator matches it with the original message. The team that sticks closest to the original coded message wins. To make the game more challenging, the message must be a coded phrase that doesn’t make sense to force participants to remember not just the words but the sequence. Example: “The chicken swimming with sharp teeth eats the shark playing with kids.” Alternatively, you can have the first participant look at a picture, then he or she describes it to the next person and so on and see who gets the most accurate picture at the end.
4. Focus: Communication

4. Mind the Mines

1. You’ll need: Open field or any wide space; miscellaneous materials for “mines” like boxes, papers, strings, chairs, etc.; start/finish markers
2. The goal: Walk blindfolded across the field without hitting the mines.
3. Instructions: The area is marked with a START and FINISH points on opposite ends, and “mines” or obstacles are placed across the open space. Participants are grouped into twos. One member is blindfolded and positioned at the START point, while his or her partner is at the FINISH mark. The blindfolded person must walk towards the FINISH mark guided only by his or her partner on the other end of the field, who barks the instructions to avoid hitting any mine. The team that hits the least number of mines wins. Vary the shapes and placement of mines to create a challenging course.
4. Focus: Teamwork, trust, bonding

5. Shape It Up

1. You’ll need: At least 10 members for each team
2. The goal: Team members arrange themselves to form shapes as instructed.
3. Instructions: Have the participants huddle up in groups. A game coordinator barks a shape (for example, square), and the teams must quickly form the shape in five seconds (adjust the time for larger groups). Start with simple shapes to warm up everyone, then start barking complex shapes like “a circle on top of a square” or “square intersects a triangle.” Teamplay is essential here to coordinate who is forming what in a group. The team that forms the shape first wins. The larger the group, the more challenging the game is.
4. Focus: Teamwork, bonding, communication

6. Unknot the Knot

1. You’ll need: A wide space.
2. The goal: The participants must untangle themselves from a human knot to form a big circle.
3. Instructions: All participants stand in a circle. Each one holds hands with the person next to the one beside him or her. The result is a circle tangled with overlapping arms. Now instruct everyone to form a neat circle by untangling themselves from the knot without letting go of their hold. The participants can twist their arms and bodies or face forward or backward, but they cannot let go of anyone’s hand.
4. Focus: Teamwork, bonding

7. Guess the Word

1. You’ll need: Hat or cap, slips of paper, tape, marker
2. The goal: A participant must guess a mystery word within a minute using the process of deduction.
3. Instructions: Write a mystery word on a slip of paper, big enough that it can be read from 2 meters away. Make ten or more of these slips, each one with a different mystery word, and keep aside (don’t show anyone). Group participants into two with each member facing his or her partner. Each team takes turns playing this game. Start with the first team. One member wears the cap. Tape the slip of paper on the cap’s front so that the other member can see the mystery word. The one wearing the cap must guess the word by asking a series of questions within a minute. The one who knows the word can only answer yes, no, or maybe. The one wearing the cap must be able to deduce the word within the allotted time. The team that gets to answer a mystery word fastest wins. Mystery words can be related to the company’s business, staff, or completely random items.
4. Focus: Clear thinking, deduction, problem-solving

8. Act the Attitude

1. You’ll need: Self-adhesive sticker, pen marker
2. The goal: Make participants aware of how attitudes affect meetings or projects
3. Instructions: Make a list of descriptions of common attitudes in a workplace, both good and bad. For example: cheerful, supportive, optimist, listener, indifferent, grumpy, pessimist, fearful. Write each description on a sticker and place them in a box to be raffled off later. Group participants to simulate a meeting. Pass the box around, and each participant picks one description and sticks it on his or her shirt. The participants must act out their sticker description. The game coordinator starts the meeting with a project goal and specifics, and each participant must give his or her feedback acting out his or her sticker description. So, a pessimist reasons why the project will fail, while an optimist props up its good points, and the indifferent couldn’t care less. Pass the box for a second round so that each participant will have a different sticker description this time. You can do a number of rounds that will allow each participant to role play different attitudes, making them realize in stark terms how specific attitudes affect their workplace. The game has no winner but will make everybody laugh, seeing themselves being acted out by their colleagues.
4. Focus: Work empathy, team bonding

9. Blind’s Count

1. You’ll need: Blindfold for each participant
2. The goal: The team must count as high as they can
3. Instructions: Have the participants form a large circle facing outwards. Blindfold each one. Each participant will have to count out loud one at a time in sequence. To start, designate the first person to shout “1,” then the person to his or her right follows with “2,” and so on. Let the counting go on until the sequence is broken or two or more participants count out at the same time in their confusion. Assign a target number that the team must reach to win a prize.
4. Focus: Listening skills, team bonding

10. Throw the Ball

1. You’ll need: Tennis ball or similar item
2. The goal: All team members must remember the complete name and one interest of each other.
3. Instructions: Form the participants into a circle. Each one will shout out his or her complete name and one random interest (for example, “I like sushi” or “I enjoy watching Stranger Things”). After everyone has done their turn, designate the first person to throw the ball to anyone in the circle. The one who catches the ball must shout out the name and interest of the one who throws the ball before throwing the ball to the next participant. Each participant won’t get to shout out all the names and interests of all the other participants. Still, the randomness of being thrown the ball to him or her keeps everyone on their toes to remember as many names and interests as possible. This game is a good icebreaker for a new team or large organizations.
4. Focus: Team bonding, getting-to-know-you

How can team-building activities foster leadership skills within your team?

Team-building activities are not only beneficial for strengthening team cohesion and improving communication; they can also be excellent platforms for nurturing leadership skills among team members. By providing opportunities for participants to take on leadership roles, team-building exercises help develop essential qualities needed to lead effectively.

• Decision-Making: Many team-building games require quick decision-making under pressure. This allows potential leaders to experience making choices that affect their team’s success, enhancing their confidence in decision-making skills.
• Delegation and Trust: Team-based activities often require leaders to delegate tasks, building trust among team members. These exercises help leaders understand the strengths of each member and assign roles that align with their skills, improving overall team performance.
• Conflict Resolution: Group games may present challenges or disagreements among participants. Leaders learn to mediate and resolve conflicts, fostering a positive and productive environment within the team.
• Inspiring and Motivating Others: Effective leaders inspire others. During team-building, leaders encourage team members, boosting morale and ensuring everyone is engaged, which is essential for high-performing teams.

Building Bridges Across Your Organization

The threat of COVID-19 is still present and will probably stick around for at least a year even with the vaccines. Now might not be the best time to conduct a physical gathering, say, team-building activities out of town. So, while you wait for the pandemic to end, you might want to consider conducting team buildings virtually. With this, you can gather at any time and at the comfort of your home. All you’ll need is a little help from video conferencing software. Best of all, your company won’t have to worry about exorbitant fees.

You can host fun activities like quizzes and guessing games, play virtual team games like Among Us, and even set up escape rooms and treasure hunts with various clues scattered around the house. Your only limit is your imagination with all the possibilities for a cool team building online. In fact, you can plan with your team online over a few weekend beverages, which could be just as fun as any team-building activity.

To make all of this possible, you would need a reliable platform through which your team can congregate. In case you’re unfamiliar with it, you can check our guide on what video conferencing software is.

Key Insights

• Team Building Games: Engaging in team building games such as “Drop the Egg,” “Mind the Mines,” and “Shape It Up” can significantly enhance teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills among employees.
• Employee Engagement: Only 31% of employees are engaged with their work, making team building activities essential for boosting interest and productivity.
• Emotional Payoffs: Team building helps managers appreciate their teams, leading to increased motivation and productivity. Studies show that 69% of employees would be more productive if they felt appreciated.
• Employee Retention: Team building activities can improve employee retention by fostering a sense of value and appreciation, addressing the challenge that 63.3% of organizations face in retaining employees.
• Benefits of Team Building: These activities nurture a culture of teamwork, improve communication, develop problem-solving skills, enhance specific job-related skills, and foster empathy among employees.

FAQ

1. What’s the most efficient team building game? The most efficient team building games are those that promote teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Examples include “Drop the Egg,” “Mind the Mines,” and “Shape It Up.” These games engage employees and foster better collaboration for improved work relationships.
2. Why are team building activities important for employee engagement? Team building activities are crucial because they inject empathy into the participants, making them mindful of how their performance impacts the team and their managers. This can significantly boost employee engagement, which is essential since only 31% of employees are engaged with their work.
3. How do team building activities provide emotional payoffs? These activities allow managers to connect with their teams outside the usual pressure-filled work environment, helping them understand and appreciate their employees better. This leads to increased motivation and productivity, as employees feel more valued.
4. Can team building activities help with employee retention? Yes, team building activities can improve employee retention by making employees feel appreciated and valued, addressing the issue faced by 63.3% of organizations where retaining employees is harder than hiring them.
5. What skills do team building games develop? Team building games develop a variety of skills, including teamwork, communication, problem-solving, specific job-related skills, and empathy. These skills are crucial for effective leadership, project management, and overall organizational success.
6. How can team building activities be conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic? During the pandemic, team building activities can be conducted virtually using video conferencing software. Virtual activities such as quizzes, guessing games, virtual team games, escape rooms, and treasure hunts can be organized to maintain team engagement and bonding.

By Stephanie Seymour

Stephanie Seymour is a senior business analyst and one of the crucial members of the FinancesOnline research team. She is a leading expert in the field of business intelligence and data science. She specializes in visual data discovery, cloud-based BI solutions, and big data analytics. She’s fascinated by how companies dealing with big data are increasingly embracing cloud business intelligence. In her software reviews, she always focuses on the aspects that let users share analytics and enhance findings with context.