Think your team is too unruly for a game or two? WRONG. Even the rowdiest crew can be tamed with the right activity.

Team building exercises and games are perfect for businesses because they encourage communication, collaboration, and creativity. And not only will these activities help to improve team productivity, but they’ll also provide employees with some much-needed laughs.

So get your team together for some fun team bonding time – it might just be what everyone needs to take their work up a notch. Let’s get started!

What Is a Team Building Exercise?

A team-building exercise is a collaborative activity that encourages teamwork and communication. It can help to build trust and relationships among each team member, as well as improve problem-solving skills.

Common exercises include problem-solving tasks, trust falls, and rope courses.

READ MORE: Team Building Exercise or Fight Club – You Decide!

Why You Should Play Team Building Exercises for Work

Team building exercises for work benefit everyone involved. Here are five benefits of playing team-building games and exercises at work:

Improves team communication skills. Team building exercises facilitate communication and encourage collaboration. This can only be beneficial for a team’s overall performance.
Makes the workplace fun. Team building exercises boost morale and make work more enjoyable. Imagine how much more motivated your team will be if they’re having fun.
Employees get to know each other. It helps employees learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge can be used in the workplace to assign tasks more effectively.
Encourages creative thinking. Team building activities force teams to think outside of the box. This can create innovative solutions to workplace problems and helps to develop problem-solving skills.
Improved company culture. It helps build a sense of camaraderie and trust among team members. This, in turn, can inspire loyalty and commitment to the company.

READ MORE: Work Better Together” Provides a Much Needed Update to Team Building

Fun Team Building Activities

Now that you know the benefits of team-building activities, it’s time to get your team together for a fun team-building event!

Here are some of our favorite team-building activities to get your creative juices flowing:

1. The Human Knot

The human knot is an entertaining team game in which participants are asked to link their arms and hands to form a knot. The goal is for the group to untangle themselves without breaking the link between their arms and hands. This exercise encourages problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.

2. Trust Fall

Trust fall is a good team-building exercise because it encourages trust within a team. It also helps individuals become more comfortable with trusting others, which can be beneficial in future work relationships.

3. Pass the Ball

Pass the Ball is a good team-building exercise or game because it encourages communication and cooperation. Players must work together to pass the ball around the court and score points. This game can be adapted to any number of players, making it perfect for any group size.

4. 3-legged Race

The 3-legged race is a good team-building game because it requires cooperation and communication in order to be successful. Teams must work together to make sure everyone is on the same page, and then use their speed and agility to cross the finish line first.

5. Simon Says

Simon Says is a good team-building exercise because it encourages communication. Players must listen carefully to the instructions in order to follow the game correctly, and must also work together in order to achieve the desired outcome.

6. Balloon Pop

Balloon Pop is a great team-building exercise because it requires communication and cooperation. Players work together to pop balloons, and the team that pops the most balloons in the shortest amount of time wins.

READ MORE: Virtual Team Events Ideas for Team Building

7. Steal the Bacon

Steal the Bacon is a team-building exercise where participants must work together to steal a piece of bacon from a designated person without being caught. The exercise helps to improve communication and teamwork skills.

8. Wiffle Ball Game

A Wiffle Ball game can be a fun team-building exercise. It can help break the ice, get people to know each other better, and encourage teamwork and communication to improve the odds of a successful outcome.

9. Potato Sack Relay Race

A potato sack relay race is a team-building exercise in which teams compete in a race while hopping in a potato sack. The exercise encourages teamwork and communication, as participants must work together to cross the finish line and win the race.

10. Egg and Spoon Race

An egg and spoon race is a team-building exercise in which participants must race across a finish line while carrying an egg on a spoon. The exercise encourages teamwork and cooperation, as well as strategic planning.

11. 4-Square

4-square is a game in which players are divided into teams and must work together to conquer a series of squares.

The game can be played either indoors or outdoors, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

12. Red Light, Green Light

In the Red Light, Green Light team-building exercise, participants are divided into two teams. One team is given a green light and the opposing team is given a red light. The goal of the game is to move across the playing field from one end to the other.

The team with the green light can move freely, while the team with the red light must stop and wait for the green light. If someone from the red light team steps in front of the green light, that person is out of the game. The game continues until all players from the red light team are out or there is only one player left on the entire team on the green side.

13. Sharks and Minnows Swimming Game

The Sharks and Minnows swimming game is a team-building exercise where people are divided into teams of sharks and minnows. The sharks try to catch the minnows, and the minnows try to avoid being caught. This game teaches teamwork and cooperation, as well as quick thinking.

READ MORE: Sick and Tired of Doing the Same Old Team Building Exercises? Try an Escape Game Instead

More Popular Exercises for Team Members

A team-building game or exercise is an ideal way to get your team bonding.

Here are some popular team exercises that you can use to encourage creativity, collaboration, and communication:

14. Brainstorming sessions

A great way to brainstorm ideas and come up with creative solutions is to use a brainstorming session. In this exercise, participants are encouraged to think outside the box and come up with ideas without being judged or criticized.

15. Telephone Pole Shuffle

A Telephone Pole Shuffle team-building exercise is a game where players must work together to move a large object, such as a telephone pole, across a room or field.

16. Blindfolded Drawing

Blindfolded Drawing is a fun team-building exercise in which participants draw an object while blindfolded. The goal of the game is to create a collective drawing with the help of their teammates. This exercise encourages collaboration and communication as team members provide verbal instructions to the blindfolded player.

READ MORE: Fun Holidays Before the End of the Year to Help with Team Building in Your Business

17. Mr./Mrs./Miss Congeniality

The Mr./Mrs./Miss. Congeniality team-building exercise is a game in which participants vote for the most friendly, helpful, and supportive member of their team. This exercise helps to build trust and camaraderie within the group as well as encourages good communication.

18. 20 questions

This team-building game is a great way to get people talking, laughing, and interacting with each other. In the 20 Questions game, one person thinks of something and the other players must ask up to 20 questions to try and guess what it is. This game encourages creative thinking, communication, and problem-solving.

19. Group Puzzle

A group puzzle is a great way to get people working together to solve a problem. In this exercise, participants are divided into teams and must work together to complete a puzzle as quickly as possible. This game encourages collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving.

20. Charades

Charades is a fun game of guessing and acting. In this exercise, one person acts out a phrase or word without speaking, while the other players must guess what it is.

21. Idea Building Blocks

Idea Building Blocks is a team-building game in which participants must come up with creative ideas without being judged or criticized. In this exercise, each team member is given “building blocks” such as words, images, sounds, and colors to use in order to build their idea.

22. Watch Where You Step

In this team-building game, participants are blindfolded and must rely on their other team members to guide them through an obstacle course. This exercise encourages trust, communication, and cooperation.

23. Find the Common Thread

Find the Common Thread is a team-building game in which participants must find common threads between unrelated objects. This exercise encourages creative thinking, problem-solving, and communication.

24. Scavenger Hunt

Finally, a scavenger hunt is a fun team-building exercise in which participants must search for items or complete tasks as quickly as possible. This game encourages problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.

READ MORE: Team Building Exercise or Fight Club – You Decide!

What Activities Encourage Teamwork?

One fun team-building activity that encourages teamwork is a scavenger hunt. In this activity, participants are divided into teams and given a list of items to find.

The team that finds the most items wins. This activity is fun and challenging, and it encourages teamwork because participants have to work together to find the items on the list.

READ MORE: Extreme Team Building Puts Employees Through a — Plane Crash?

What Is the Best Team Building Activity?

The best team-building activity is one that allows for collaboration and communication. The team-building session should also be something that is enjoyable and allows team members to get to know each other better.

Some popular team-building activities include scavenger hunts, trust falls, and ropes courses.

Image: Envato Elements

This article, “24 Team Building Exercises and Games Your Team Will Enjoy” was first published on Small Business Trends