Team building is often the secret sauce that can transform a good atmosphere into a great one. However, not every company has the luxury of venturing out for elaborate away days. Luckily, you don’t need to leave the office to start building better connections between your team members. With the right activities, you can transform any common office space into a playground of collaboration and creativity.

In this post, we’ll explore seven team-building activities that you can enjoy in the office. These games and challenges are designed to be engaging, easy to set up and, most importantly, effective at fostering team spirit. We’ve included everything from quick icebreakers to shake up a slow afternoon to more involved challenges requiring collaborative efforts. Let’s get started and find out how to transform your everyday office setting into a hub of team-building fun.

 

1. Office Olympics

Let’s start with plenty of energy! There’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition within the team and what better way to create some than running your very own office Olympics?! You simply need to come up with a series of office-appropriate games that don’t require any special equipment or extensive preparation. Here are a few ideas to get your office Olympics off to a flying start:

Chair relay races: Use your office chairs and a set path in the office to hold relay races. Just make sure there’s nothing fragile in the way!

Sticky note target practice: Create targets using sticky notes and have team members throw paper balls to score points.

Desk ping-pong: Get a couple of cheap bats and a lightweight ball, and clear a table to set up an impromptu ping-pong tournament.

Rubber band archery: Set up a series of targets (they could be cups, stacked sticky notes or small boxes). Then, get team members to shoot rubber bands to knock them over or hit them.

Coffee cup stacking: A speed challenge where participants stack and unstack a pyramid of paper coffee cups.

Paper aeroplane distance contest: Each team designs and creates a paper aeroplane. The team whose aeroplane flies the farthest wins points.

Email typing sprint: Set a standard “mock” email that everyone has to type out as quickly and accurately as they can.

Divide your office into teams, mixing departments if possible to encourage new connections. Keep score and maybe even award a homemade trophy to the winners. The main goal is to encourage participation and give everyone a chance to shine in a relaxed, joyful setting.

 

2. Two truths and a lie

This classic icebreaker helps colleagues get to know one another better, in an entertaining way. It’s simple to set up and doesn’t require any special materials, making it an excellent choice for a quick team-building session. Here’s how to play:

1. The set-up: Gather your team in a comfortable meeting area where everyone can see each other, such as a conference room or an open space in your office.
2. The game: Each player takes a turn to state three facts about themselves two truths and one lie. The trickier the truths and the more believable the lie, the more fun the game becomes.
3. The guessing: After each person shares three statements, the rest of the team votes on which one they believe is the lie. Once everyone has made their guess, the person reveals the correct answer.

This game is a guaranteed mood booster. You might be surprised by what you learn about each other’s personalities and backgrounds! After a couple of rounds, you’ll probably notice everyone feeling more at ease and open to chatting. It’s the optimal way to lay the groundwork for even better teamwork down the line.

 

 

3. The Great Office Bake-off

No one can resist a tasty treat, especially when it’s homemade by a coworker. An office bake-off is an enjoyable way to get a little competitive and sample some delicious baked goods. As well as the sweet treats, it’s about coming together, sharing recipes and stories and having a good laugh.

Here’s how to organise your very own office bake-off:

Announce the bake-off: Give your team plenty of notice about the bake-off so they have time to plan their culinary masterpieces. Set a date and lay out the rules maybe everything has to be made from scratch. Or you could pick a theme like “healthy treats” or “chocolate indulgence.”

Set up a judging panel: Gather a few folks to be your judging panel or let everyone have a vote. Come up with some amusing categories like “Best Presentation”, “Most Creative Flavour” and of course, “Best Overall Taste”.

Tuck in: When the big day arrives, set up a table where everyone can show off their creations. Have plates, forks and napkins handy and let the tasting and judging begin!

Award prizes: Don’t forget to reward the winners with some small prizes in each category. It could be anything from a cookbook to an extra half-day off work.

An office bake-off is a chance for your team to get creative and chat about something other than work. You might be surprised to discover who has hidden baking talents! Plus, who doesn’t love a day filled with cakes, cookies and other sweet treats?

 

4. Escape room challenge

Turn your ordinary meeting room into an exciting escape room challenge that’ll get everyone’s brains buzzing and teamwork flowing. This activity is all about problem-solving, creativity and communication everything a high-performing team needs.

Here’s how to set up an in-office escape room:

Choose a theme: Pick something related to your work or industry, or shake things up with a historical adventure or a futuristic quest. The theme will be the backbone of your puzzles and the overall story.

Create the puzzles: Come up with a series of puzzles that need solving to “escape” the room. You could include word puzzles tied to your business, brain teasers or even physical challenges where clues are hidden around the room.

Set the stage: Decorate the room to match your theme. Props, decorations and background music can help make the experience feel more real and exciting.

Explain the rules: Before you start, make sure everyone knows the rules and the goal. Let them know they’ll need to work together to crack the puzzles within a time limit.

Keep an eye on progress: As the team works on escaping, have a couple of people on hand to offer hints if they get stuck. This keeps the game moving and keeps frustration at bay.

Talk it over: After the escape room challenge, take a few minutes to chat about what worked well, what didn’t and how those lessons can be applied to real-life work situations.

An escape room challenge is a great way to see how your team handles pressure and who naturally steps up as leaders.

 

5. Karaoke showdown

Bring out your team’s inner pop stars with a karaoke contest. It’s a chance for everyone to step into the spotlight and belt out their guilty pleasures.

Here’s how to host a memorable office karaoke session:

Set the stage: Scope out a good spot in the office, like a big meeting room or the common area, and set up your karaoke gear. Don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy machine a laptop or tablet hooked up to speakers and a mic will do the trick.

Create a killer playlist: Put together a mix of hits from different eras and genres to get everyone grooving. Make sure there’s something for everyone and ask your teammates for song suggestions in advance.

Get everyone involved: Not everyone is comfortable singing solo, so make sure the vibe is supportive. Let everyone know it’s all about having a good time, not being a pro. You could even kick things off with a group song to break the ice.

Make it a contest: Amp up the entertainment by turning your karaoke into a friendly competition. Get some teammates to be judges or have everyone vote for their favourites in different categories like “Best Duet”, “Most Enthusiastic Performance” or “Crowd Favourite”.

Feed the fun: Prolong the party with some snacks and drinks to keep everyone energised and hydrated.

Capture the memories: Snap some photos or videos to remember all the best moments. You can share them later in a company newsletter or on your team’s social channel to continue the good vibes.

A karaoke session is about living in the moment and celebrating every team member’s unique contribution, whether they’re belting out a tune or cheering from the sidelines.

 

 

6. Puzzle Race

Put your team’s brains to the test with a puzzle race. This activity is all about critical thinking, teamwork and a bit of healthy competition, making it perfect for flexing mental muscles and strengthening team bonds.

Here’s how you can set up a puzzle race in your office:

Puzzle variety: Choose a mix of puzzles that cater to different interests and ways of thinking. You could go with jigsaw puzzles, crosswords or online games for a tech twist.

Set up teams: Split everyone into smaller groups, ideally mixing up people from different departments. This helps break down barriers and lets people who don’t usually work together collaborate.

Race against time: Give each team the same puzzle and start the clock. The first team to finish wins. For an extra element to the race, have multiple rounds with tougher puzzles as you go.

Hints and help: Offer helpful tools or hints if teams get stuck. To keep the energy up, they could earn hints by completing mini-challenges or receive them after a certain amount of time.

Celebrate success: When the time’s up or all the puzzles are solved, give everyone a pat on the back. Highlight the winning team, but also point out the clever strategies and amazing teamwork you saw from everyone.

Talk about it: Wrap things up with a team chat about the strategies used and what everyone learned. Ask how these problem-solving skills can be used in everyday work situations.

A puzzle race gets people working together and helps them build skills that are really useful at work. These include thinking strategically, problem-solving as a team and communicating effectively under pressure.

 

7. DIY Craft Workshop

This activity will spark creativity and give your team a break from the screens. A hands-on workshop is a great way to unwind and let everyone personalise their workspaces or make something unique to take home.

Here’s how to set up a craft workshop in your office:

Choose your crafts: Pick a few simple crafts that can be carried out in a short amount of time. You could try things like designing personalised coasters, making desktop organisers or putting together beaded keychains. Make sure there are enough options to appeal to everyone’s interests.

Gather your supplies: Get all the stuff you’ll need for the crafts you’ve chosen. Have plenty of options for customisation, like different colours, patterns and tools. This way, everyone can get creative and make things their own.

Prep your space: Find a good spot in the office where everyone can spread out and work comfortably. Cover the tables with craft paper or tablecloths to keep things clean and protect the surfaces.

Get crafty: Start the workshop by showing everyone how each craft is done. Then, let your team members choose which project they want to work on. Encourage them to try more than one if there’s time!

Teamwork makes the dream work: While the focus is on individual creativity, get people chatting and sharing ideas and materials. This gets everyone interacting and can even lead to some unexpected collaborations.

Show off your masterpieces: At the end of the workshop, have a show-and-tell where everyone can display their awesome creations. This will give everyone a sense of accomplishment and build team spirit.

Decorate the office: Why not use some of those awesome crafts to spruce up the office? It’ll add a personal touch to the space and be a constant reminder of the fun and creativity you all shared.

A DIY craft workshop is a great way to get your team involved in something engaging and relaxing outside of work. It’s perfect for breaking up a busy week or ending a team-building day with a feeling of accomplishment and artistic flair.