40+ team-building activities for small groups to bring the group closer together
Team building involves using daily interactions, activities, and exercises to organise a group of people into a cooperative and cohesive group. Team-building activities are a great way to foster stronger relationships, improve communication, and encourage collaboration among team members. Discover some of the best team-building activities for small groups to bring the group closer together.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Team-building activities for small groups
- Indoor team-building activities for small groups
- 1. Escape room challenge
- 2. Two Truths and a Lie
- 3. Minefield
- 4. Jigsaw puzzle exchange
- 5. Debate Duel
- 6. Office trivia
- 7. Blind drawing
- 8. Storytelling relay
- 9. Board game tournament
- 10. Karaoke
- 11. What's My Name?
- 12. Musical Chairs
- 13. Office book club
- 14. Charades
- 15. Indoor cook-off or bake-off
- 16. Wall-climbing
- 17. Back-to-back drawing
- 18. Team timeline
- 19. Murder mysteries
- 20. Paper or block tower
- 21. Never Have I Ever
- 22. Memory Wall
- Outdoor team-building activities for small groups
- Indoor team-building activities for small groups
- What are some free team-building activities for small groups?
- What are some fun activities for team-building?
Team-building activities have now become an essential part of company culture. Therefore, finding and organising activities your team members will enjoy is essential in cultivating and fostering a thriving company culture.
Team-building activities for small groups
Team-building activities are designed to help build connections between team members, create lasting bonds, and enable better teamwork and working practices. Below is a compilation of team-building activities for small groups.
Indoor team-building activities for small groups
Are you looking for engaging, quick, and easy-to-present team-building activities for small groups? Below are indoor team-building activities to help your group feel connected and collaborate more effectively.
1. Escape room challenge
An escape room challenge is a fun, immersive team-building activity where participants work together to solve puzzles and escape from a locked room within a set time limit, usually around 60 minutes.
2. Two Truths and a Lie
Source: Getty Images
Two Truths and a Lie is a simple, fun icebreaker that helps team members discover fun facts they never knew about each other. In this game, each person says two truths and one lie, and the rest of the group has to guess which one is the lie.
3. Minefield
Minefield is another indoor team-building activity that enables team members to build trust and listening skills. In this game, one team member is blindfolded and guided through an obstacle course by the verbal instructions of their teammates.
4. Jigsaw puzzle exchange
Playing Jigsaw Puzzles reinforces the importance of cooperation and teamwork. Team members compete to solve a jigsaw puzzle within a set amount of time. However, some puzzle pieces are mixed with the other team's pieces. Teams must communicate to complete the puzzle.
5. Debate Duel
Debate duel is also a great team-building activity that facilitates conversation and encourages critical thinking and teamwork. Here, two participants debate opposite sides of a topic, and the audience votes on the winner based on persuasion, humour, or pure passion.
6. Office trivia
Office trivia is a fun and interactive way to boost team spirit and let employees learn more about their workplace and each other. Players create trivia questions about the team or company for a trivia game.
7. Blind drawing
Blind drawing is a popular and effective team-building exercise. It suits small groups and helps develop communication, interpretation, and leadership skills. Here, one person describes an image while another team member tries to draw it without seeing it.
8. Storytelling relay
Storytelling relay is a creative and interactive team-building activity that encourages participant imagination and collaboration. In this game, one person starts a story with a sentence, and each team member adds another line.
9. Board game tournament
Source: Getty Images
A board game tournament is a fun indoor game that is engaging and promotes teamwork, strategy, and friendly competition among team members. Team members engage in lighthearted rivalry, developing tactical skills and building stronger interpersonal connections.
10. Karaoke
Karaoke is a lively and entertaining team-building activity that encourages team members to enter the spotlight and showcase their singing talents. It is a great way to get new and existing team members to interact with each other and can help boost self-confidence and discover hidden talents.
11. What's My Name?
This excellent team-building game breaks down barriers and helps your team members feel more confident when interacting with each other. It begins with each player writing the name of a person, athlete, or other recognisable figure on a sticky note or name tag.
12. Musical Chairs
Musical chairs are a fun game that can keep a group engaged and bonding. Players walk around a circle of chairs while music plays and then scramble for a seat when the music stops. The first player to sit down keeps playing while the others try to beat them to a seat.
13. Office book club
A book club is a great way to incorporate constant learning into the workspace. This activity aims to foster great relationships with your employees and improve their work experience and overall organisational culture.
14. Charades
Source: Getty Images
Charades is a classic game that encourages teamwork and strengthens communication. In the charades game, layers act out words or phrases without speaking while their teammates try to guess as many as possible within a set time limit.
15. Indoor cook-off or bake-off
A unique way to boost some friendly competition within a team is to do a company bake-off or cook-off. This activity involves participants competing to create food or baked goods.
16. Wall-climbing
Climbing walls is a great team-building activity because it requires cooperation, communication, and trust. It can also help build confidence and self-esteem. Climbing also requires team members to rely on each other physically and emotionally.
17. Back-to-back drawing
The back-to-back drawing icebreaker is an engaging and insightful activity highlighting the importance of clear verbal communication. Team members must sit back-to-back, and one person will try to describe an image while the other draws it.
18. Team timeline
Team timelines are great team-building activities in which participants share life milestones to get to know each other better. Each person creates a timeline of significant life events, and team members take turns sharing their timelines with the group.
19. Murder mysteries
Murder mysteries are roleplaying and problem-solving games that allow employees to play detective. The game follows one participant who is secretly the murderer while the others try to figure out who it is. Teams use clues, case files, and logic to solve the mystery.
20. Paper or block tower
Source: Getty Images
Making paper or block towers is an indoor team-building activity that challenges participants' engineering skills. The team members build the tallest free-standing tower possible using paper, blocks, tape, and other materials.
21. Never Have I Ever
"Never Have I Ever" is a popular team-building game that can help people get to know each other better. In ''Never Have I Ever'', team members stand in a circle, and each member has a turn to say one everyday activity or life experience they have never done.
22. Memory Wall
A memory wall activity involves participants sharing and celebrating their team's memories and experiences. Participants write down positive memories or achievements related to the team or project on a sheet of paper, which they arrange on a designated wall or board.
Outdoor team-building activities for small groups
Team-building activities for small groups outside of work are more than just fun and games; they are powerful tools for building trust and fostering open communication among team members. Below is a list of outdoor team-building activities perfect for your next session.
23. Scavenger hunt
The scavenger hunt is one of the most impactful outdoor group activities. It encourages problem-solving and builds solidarity between members, improving company culture. Colleagues search the office for hidden facts and questions.
24. Egg drop
The egg drop is a team-building activity where teams design and build a structure to protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a height. The activity can be outdoors in an open space, such as an office parking lot.
25. Hiking
Source: Getty Images
Hiking is the perfect outdoor activity to help teams reconnect with nature. This activity boosts emotional and mental well-being, allowing employees to connect and build physical strength.
26. Blind Retriever
In this challenging outdoor activity, one team member is blindfolded while others give verbal directions to help them find an object first. This activity focuses on communication, trust, and teamwork.
27. The human knot
The human knot is among the most effective outdoor events for building and improving trust among team members. In human knots, everyone stands in a circle, crosses hands, and grabs someone else's hand to create a "human knot."
28. Camping
Source: Getty Images
Going camping for a weekend or even just a day allows your team to get to know one another while enjoying the serenity of nature. It also helps employees unwind, reduce stress, breathe and relax.
29. Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor adventure that encourages your team to use the geocaching app or a GPS device to find hidden containers called geocaches. The aim is to promote exploration and teamwork in a technology-driven scavenger hunt.
30. Treasure hunt
A treasure hunt is fun in which teammates must follow cryptic clues and prompts to find hidden treasures within a given time limit. It is one of the most exciting team-building outdoor activities, perfect for fostering teamwork and communication.
31. Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a team strategy game played outdoors. Each team receives a flag to hide from other teams. Players aim to capture the opposing team's flag without being caught.
32. Orienteering
Orienteering involves navigating from one checkpoint to another, typically using natural landmarks or a compass and map. In this activity, team members learn topographical map reading, compass reading, and distance pacing to navigate an orienteering course successfully.
33. Tree planting
Heading outside to plant trees is a fantastic way to give back to the community, enjoy the great outdoors and get your team working together on a common goal.
34. Beach Day
Source: Getty Images
A beach day is an outdoor team-building activity that can include games, activities, and time to relax. Employees can play tug-of-war, beach volleyball, Kan Jam, or beach soccer games. This activity is highly interactive and offers active spectator participation.
35. Miniature golf
Miniature golf is a team-building activity which helps teams develop communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. In Miniature golf, participants work together to strategise, discuss the best approach for each hole, and achieve a common goal.
36. Pipeline
A pipeline is a team-building activity in which a ball or object is transported through a pipeline made of half pipes. The goal is to get the ball from one end of the area to the other without dropping it. This activity promotes teamwork, communication, problem-solving and leadership skills.
37. Field day
This popular schoolyard activity allows players to participate in various activities, such as relay races and games like three-legged races, water balloon fights, and egg-and-spoon races. These games can provide a fun way for team members to bond.
38. Ropes course
A ropes course activity challenges participants to work together to overcome obstacles. They comprise a series of physical challenges that test teamwork, problem-solving, and mental resilience.
39. Volunteer activity
Outdoor volunteer activities such as clean-up drives or helping at a local shelter can be an excellent way for a team to work together towards a common goal while giving back to the community. This activity fosters a sense of social responsibility and empathy.
40. Paintballing
Playing paintball is an exciting outdoor activity ideal for groups that want to be adventurous. It can help improve communication, teamwork, and camaraderie.
41. Outdoor yoga
Source: Getty Images
Yoga is ideally suited for the outdoors. As a team-building activity, it enables serenity, peace and harmony at your workplace. It can also help employees feel more centred and focused.
What are some free team-building activities for small groups?
Free team-building activities for small groups include engaging games like Two Truths and a Lie, puzzle race and DIY escape room.
What are some fun activities for team-building?
Fun team-building activities include interactive games like escape rooms, trivia nights, or creative workshops like painting or cooking competitions.
Whether you are looking for outdoor, indoor, or fun challenges that push your team to think creatively, the above team-building activities for small groups are organised into categories to suit every team's needs.
Legit.ng recently published an article about sweet things to do in a long-distance relationship. Maintaining a strong connection in a long-distance relationship can be challenging as it requires much effort and dedication.
You can, however, keep the relationship alive with creative and meaningful activities and gestures. These activities will ease things up and help you strengthen your relationship. This article highlights long-distance relationship activities you can do for your partner to make them feel loved and cherished.
Source: Legit.ng
