Fun Team Building Games and Activities

Fun Team Building Games

Use these fun team building games to increase your team's motivation and cooperation. They are perfect to get people engaged at the beginning of a team meeting or to get them energized during a longer session.

Here are three team building ideas to get you started...

Pass the Card
Water Carry
A Bridge of Strength

Pass the Card

If you're looking for fun team building activities to energize people during or after a long meeting, then try Pass the Card. This team building activity promotes teamwork and friendly competition.

Materials

1 deck of playing cards for each team
A prize for the fastest team (optional)

Setup

To setup this team building exercise, divide your group into teams of four to eight people. Each team sits on chairs that are lined up side by side. Place a deck of cards on the floor next to the chair at the far right end of each team's line.

Instructions

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Once the teams are setup, read the following instructions to the teams and then give them 5 minutes to plan their strategy...

The participant nearest the deck picks up a card.
He then passes the card from his left hand to the right hand of the participant to his left.
The second participant passes the card to his left hand, then on to the right hand of the next participant.
Play continues like this until the last participant places the card in a pile on the floor next to her with her left hand.
No one may hold more than one card at a time.
The first team with all cards stacked at the end of their line wins.

Source: Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes

Water Carry

Another game you can use for team building in the workplace is the Water Carry. The objective of this fun team building game is to problem-solve as a group and deal with frustration if the task is not easily accomplished.

Materials

10 paper cups filled three-fourths full with water per team
Cafeteria-type tray per team

Setup

This game can be played with a single team of four to twelve people. If you have a larger group or want to include some competition, you can divide your group into two or more teams of four to twelve people each.

Fill ten paper cups about three-fourths full with water. Place five on the ground at one end of the room and five at the other end. The cups should be at least twenty feet apart from each other if possible.

Have each team gather together lined up and centered between their set up cups. Place the cafeteria-type tray on the ground next to the team.

Instructions

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Read the following instructions to the teams...

You must retrieve all ten cups of water and place them onto the tray without spilling any of the water.
You may only get one cup from one end of the room at a time.
Before getting a second cup from that side of the room you must travel to the other side of the room with the tray and retrieve a cup from that side.
When all ten cups of water are on the tray you must place it on the floor in the center of the room.
By the way, each person can only use one foot and one hand for the entire duration of this activity and if any water spills the whole group must start over.

Hint...

Most groups will try to hop with the tray at first, but this spills water. The best way to accomplish the task is to pass the tray down a line and for the person at the end to hop to the front of the line so that the chain can continue all the way to the end of the line.

Source: Team-Building Activities for Every Group

A Bridge of Strength

If you are looking for fun team building games that promote teamwork, problem-solving and creativity,then try A Bridge of Strength.

Materials

1 sturdy cardboard box, about 15in square
1 bag of miniature marshmallows
1 box of toothpicks
1 box of paper clips (for weights only)

Setup

Gather the materials. Prepare the cardboard box for the task by removing any flaps and making certain that the top of the box is entirely open. Place all the materials on a tabletop along with the box.

Instructions

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Read the following instructions to the team...

Using only the toothpicks and marshmallows, you have five minutes to build a bridge that spans from one side of the box to the other.
You will be notified when you have one minute remaining.
Upon completion, you will have one minute to add paper clip weights to your creation.
You will receive one bonus point for every weight added to the bridge before it collapses or before time runs out.

Source: Team Challenges: 170+ Group Activities to Build Cooperation, Communication, and Creativity