Working as a team towards a goal is always exciting and at the same time very productive. However, the way you mould your team and how fast they connect with each other reflects on the team success.

The team might keep on changing for different projects and building a good bond among the team members is vital for the organizational success.

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Games are always a good option to know each other, challenge each other and bring out the best in everyone. That is why successful organizations always invest some time in exciting team building games once in a while.

Each game is designed with different objectives each of which is essential for team success. Here let us have a look at some of the awesome team building games which can be tried at your office to build a strong, dedicated and exciting team.

1. Talking in Circles

This game is designed to enhance the coordination and communication among team mates. First, the group stands in a circle in a long piece of string tied at the ends.

The task for the team is to create shapes like square, triangle, rectangle and figure 8 with these strings.  The difficulty level of the game can be increased by blindfolding the team mates. The level of trust and leadership within the team is tested through this game.

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2. Spider Web

This activity is very effective to learn and experience cooperation, persistence, leadership, trust, and support within the team.

A web is formed with strings which are tied to fixed pillars or trees at both ends. Each team gets a point when their team member passes through holes of weaved web without touching them.

The best part is that each hole gets closed for entry once it is used. So this demands a lot of planning from the team to strategize team members suitably for different holes.

3. Blind Drawing

This is a simple but effective game which encourages and tests the listening and communication skills. The game is played in pairs where both of team mates sit back to back.

One team member will be given an object and the other one gets a piece of paper and pencil. The person with the object can describe it without giving clear hints of the object. The task for the other member is to draw the object according to the description and his own interpretation.

4. Scavenger Hunt

The teams are encouraged to collaborate creatively with this team building activity. The judgement authority can make a list of items to be found or the actions to be completed. The team which does this in the minimum possible time are the winners.

This game can foster teamwork and creativity and team members are supposed to find tricks and techniques to complete it on time. The activity can be made more exciting by including clues, riddles, and twists.

5. Let Us Guess

A fun game which helps your team to relax in the middle of stressful work space. The team is divided into random groups of 4-5 persons.

An object will be given to a randomly called team member and he has to hide it from rest of team. He has to describe the object and the team has to guess it right. The activity is repeated for all teams and the team that guesses the object right in the minimal chances wins.

6. The Barter Puzzle

This is an interesting game that tests the skills of negotiation, cooperation and speed of decision making. Jigsaw puzzles with same level of complexity are distributed to teams. The team which can solve the puzzles in the least possible time wins

However, the challenge is that the pieces of puzzles will be mixed with other team’s puzzles. You have to trade, exchange team members and negotiate to get the pieces right.

7. Three Truths and a Lie

This is a simple game which needs no materials and can be played anywhere. Three of four members can sit in a circle and tell 4 facts about themselves. Three of them must be true and 1 should be a lie but your job is to present it like a truth.

Other team mates take their turn to figure out the lie in the list. It helps introverts to open up and get a chance to know better about their team mates.

8. Egg Drop

This is an exciting game that can change the floor into moments of fun and laughter. Each member of the team is given an egg and some office supplies like cardboard, cotton, tapes, balloons etc.

Their task is to wrap the egg with these supplies in the best possible way in the given time frame. The objective is to drop the egg from the specified height without breaking. For each egg that survives the break, your team earns a point.

 

9. Team Birthday Line Up

This is a simple icebreaker team activity. The team is asked to form a line at first and their job is to rearrange themselves so that they stand in order of their birthdays.

The challenge of the game is that they cannot talk to each other during the game. They can use sign languages, nudges or some techniques to convey the birthdays and arrange themselves. This game in fact improves the communication, cooperation and problem solving skills among the team members.

10. What’s my name?

The instructor will give you a list of names who are celebrities in diverse fields like sports, cinema, politics etc. It will be written in post-it notes.

Each member gets a note placed on his forehead in such a way that he can’t see it. They can then ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions to their team to identify the person. The individuals who complete the task within the specified time earn a point for their team.

11. Zoom

This is an interesting team activity that can be completed in half an hour. 30 pictures are distributed to 30 members of the team. Their task is to form a story out of it by arranging the pictures in a sequence.

The challenge is that one member is not allowed to see the picture of others. They have to describe the picture so that others identify it and thus form a sequence. The key to game success is intelligent communication with patience.

12. Human Shapes

This exciting game can be played by groups of 8 to 12 members each. The task is to form shapes of letters and words using their bodies. The level of the game can be made tougher step by step.

Firstly they can be asked to make letters and then small words, phrases, and sentences in the final phase. One of the members will stand out and guess the formations. This game fosters planning, creative thinking, support, and trust.

13. Grab Bag Skits

This is one of the best ways to let team mates come out of their comfort zones and perform together. Goodie bags containing random items are distributed to different teams.

The task is to perform a skit by making use of the objects in the bag creatively. This game demands good planning and collaboration, watching the skits can be entertaining, relaxing and fun.

14. Swift Swap

This is a really exciting activity for teams who have not interacted for so long. The team forms two lines in such a way that one member faces a member from the next line.

30 seconds will be given when both of them can glance at each other to observe everything about them like dress, jewellery, shoes etc.

After that, they go to some corner to make some changes in their appearance like an untied shoelace, a different hair style etc.

They come back to the same position and another 30 seconds will be granted. Their task is to figure out the changes they made during the interval.

15. Sneak a Peek

Utilizing the strength of individuals and communicating effectively is what matters for good team work and this is what the game is about. The instructor gives a structure of building block or Lego to the team for 30 seconds and then takes it back.

The task of the team is to rebuild the structure again. Each member of the team gets a chance again to take a glance on it for 10 seconds and describe it for 25 seconds.

16. Earth-ball

In order to create highly functional teams, the prime importance is for goal setting and this game is meant for that. This, in fact, is a group task and needs unity and strategies of togetherness to succeed.

The task is to keep the balloons or beach balls in the air without touching the ground. Each team can challenge a specified number of hits to keep it in the air and each member gets only one chance to hit.

Each person of a team might come with a different personality and games are the best way to connect them in the best possible way without losing the fun element.

As the objective of each game is different, take some time to choose the best game for your team and experience the assured success over the period.

Know the pulse of your team and throw in the most exciting games which they would love to crave for more. In fact, most of these games are not only educational but also enjoyable.

Even a well set team can have some exciting games once in a while to keep aside the stress, refresh themselves and have fun.