All work and no play? We say, “No way!”
IN THE NAME OF FUN AND TEAMING, TRY OUT THESE ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR GROUP AT WORK, AT HOME, ANYWHERE!
Whether for an office party, weekly meeting, or just because—a fun game could be just what the doctor ordered for an energized and solid team. Ice breaker activities are a great first step towards encouraging a newly formed group to get to know each other (check out our ice breaker ideas here). But what about team building activities for groups that have passed the introductory phase?
1. The Human Knot
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Benefits: Promotes team communication and challenges puzzle solving strategizing.
Tools: None 🙂
- Begin with a group of at least 7 people. Have everyone stand in a circle facing each other.
- Instruct everyone to reach out their right hand and hold onto a random hand of someone across from them.
- Have everyone do the same thing with their left hand. Make sure it’s a different person’s hand!
- Here’s the tricky part: now the group needs to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands. Set a timer to make this game more challenging, and split larger groups into teams for a bit of healthy competition!
2. Portrait Pictionary
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Benefits: Encourages creativity and awareness of other team member’s unique qualities.
Tools: Something to draw on (preferably a large size for easy viewing; I’ve played this game with a digital drawing tablet projected on a screen, but a drawing pad or whiteboard will work perfectly!), something to draw with, a blindfold, and a cup with scraps of paper to draw names.
- Write down everyone’s names on scraps of paper, fold them up, and put them in a cup.
- Allow the group to look around for one minute to refamiliarize themselves with how everyone looks and to remind themselves of everyone’s unique traits.
- Draw a name from the cup and put it back. That person will start things off. Blindfold them before they draw a name from the cup so they don’t get a chance to look at the person they’ll be drawing.
- Set a timer for 60 seconds and have the player begin drawing the person whose name they picked. Portraits sans text only! The challenge is not only drawing a portrait from memory but also drawing a portrait while blindfolded.
- The audience will get to guess who the player is drawing for the full 60 seconds. The person who guesses correctly goes next. This game is challenging and so funny that you might actually cry from laughing so hard. Speaking from experience.
3. Scavenger Hunt
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Benefits: Promotes team communication and problem-solving skills.
Tools: Hidden objects, lists, and pre-planning.
- This game requires a bit more planning, but it’s straightforward and fun! Create a list of hidden objects, clues/puzzles, challenges, and tasks that lead each one to the next and ultimately to a winning goal. Pre-set your location by placing these items and clues in different places.
- Split your group into teams.
- Give teams their lists and send them off! The first team to finish wins.
Last but not least, get out of the office and play our escape rooms! (Check out the benefits of escape rooms here!) Corporate outings are made easy with our special event packages and experience coordinators. Challenge your group with puzzles and engage them with our creative storylines. Red Door is a great way to have fun and build relationships. If you like exhilarating and unique games, book your escape experience now!
