16 Internship Activities, Games, and Ideas

Here is our list of the best internship activities.

Internship activities are games, events, and ideas to keep your company’s interns engaged. Examples include desk decorating contests, potluck welcome lunches, and office tours. The purpose of these activities is to immerse interns into your company’s positive culture.

These ideas are similar to examples of team social ideas, online orientation ideas, and online event ideas.

This list includes:

• internship activities
• internship games
• internship ideas
• internship event ideas
• summer internship ideas

Let’s get to it!

List of internship activities

From icebreaker question sessions to job shadowing, here are our top activities, games, and ideas for internships.

1. Desk Decorating Contest

Holding a desk decorating contest can help brighten your workplace with fun and colorful decorations. Plus, this activity can also give students an opportunity to show off their creativity. As you begin your contest, invite interns to decorate their desks using fun and creative items.

These items can serve as fun decorations:

• Wrapping paper
• Streamers
• Balloons
• Calendar
• Markers
• Whiteboard
• Bobbleheads
• Posters

Be sure to give players 20 to 30 minutes to decorate their desks. At the end of the time limit, assign three to four judges to rank each desk. Then, have the judges choose the winner and award them a trophy and company swag.

2. Fun Fact Badges

If you are looking for summer internship ideas, then we recommend fun fact badges. The purpose of fun fact badges is for recruits to get to know their peers, especially during their first few days of work. For this activity, you should buy name tags and markers.

Here are a few suggestions of information to write on the badges:

• Favorite singer
• Favorite movie
• Pet peeve
• Hometown
• Dream job
• Favorite book
• Dream vacation

After writing their fun fact on their name tag, participants should stick the name tag on their clothing. Then, give participants about 30 minutes to walk around and mingle with coworkers. Fun fact badges should help start conversations and motivate interns to make new connections.

3. School Supply Drive

If you are looking for internship activities to help your team give back, then we recommend holding a school supply drive. A school supply drive is a volunteer activity where you collect and donate school supplies to those in need.

Here are some items to collect for your school supply drive:

• Notebooks
• Index cards
• Pens and pencils
• Erasers
• Scissors
• Markers
• Crayons
• Glue
• Paper clips
• Rulers

After gathering your items, be sure to choose a local school or nonprofit to donate the supplies. This activity is the best way to engage interns to give back to the community.

4. Career Bucket List

One of the most inspiring internship games is the career bucket list. The purpose of this game is to have students share their goals and dreams in their professional lives. To play this game, find a large whiteboard in your office. Then, invite participants to write one item from their career bucket list.

For example, participants may write statements like:

• Start my own business
• Make a six-figure salary
• Get a promotion
• Become a manager of my team
• Become a C-suite level executive
• Make thousands of sales of my new product
• Lead a team of 1,000 employees

After interns write their goals on the board, you can begin a conversation about goals. Then, you can ask participants what steps they would take to achieve their bucket list goals. Be sure to provide helpful tips along the way, such as creating an effective action plan, to help students become closer to achieving their goals.

5. Coffee Corners

Coffee is essential for the workday. We suggest finding innovative ways to provide recruits with complimentary coffee in the office by setting up coffee corners.

To set up your coffee corner, choose an open area in your office, preferably with a countertop or table. Then, stock your area with a Keurig machine and coffee pods. You can also add sugar, creamer, and mugs. We recommend placing two chairs in your coffee corner as well as a handmade sign that reads, “Let’s chat!”

The purpose of coffee corners is to encourage interns to take a quick break to chat with their colleagues over a cup of coffee. Coffee corners are a great way to build a positive company culture while helping students make friends at work.

6. Orientation Buddies

Starting a new job can be intimidating, especially for interns who are early in their careers. One of the best internship ideas to begin your program is to assign orientation buddies. Orientation buddies are a pair of students who can lean on each other as they navigate the internship program.

Before your orientation session, assign two students to each other according to a buddy system. We suggest pairing up recruits from the same department, as they are more likely to spend more time together daily. At your orientation event, be sure to introduce each pair to each other and give them time to meet. You can encourage each pair to remain connected throughout the internship program as a support system for one another.

Orientation buddies are a great way to help interns begin making connections from day one.

7. Job Shadowing

Job shadowing is the best way for interns to get a firsthand look at their desired career area. This activity aims to teach students about the ins and outs of different departments within your company, such as marketing, finance, and technology.

Here are a few steps to help you organize this activity:

1. Start a sign-up sheet on Google Forms.
2. Have students choose their desired career area.
3. Pair interns with employees in those fields.
4. Have employees guide recruits through a day in their roles.
5. Invite each pair to debrief and reflect on the experience.

Job shadowing is one of the most engaging activities for interns to learn about their career field. Plus, students can also get a unique perspective about the job from a current employee.

8. Speed Networking

Networking is one of the best activities to help recruits meet their coworkers. Speed networking is especially unique because this activity gives participants a limited timeframe to meet new faces.

You can follow these steps to help you organize this activity:

1. Set up multiple tables in a large room.
2. Split participants into two groups.
3. Sit one individual from your first group at each table.
4. Make a line of participants from your second group.
5. Have your line rotate through the tables.
6. Ring the timer every five minutes to have participants switch tables.
7. Continue until each individual meets.

The purpose of speed networking is to allow interns to network with their peers. In just five minutes, participants can have deep conversations with each other about work, school, and goals. Be sure to encourage participants to keep in touch and remain in each other’s networks.

9. Mentoring Program

Interns can learn a lot from experienced employees, so we recommend organizing a mentoring program. As part of the program, you should pair students with experienced employees. We recommend choosing employees and students who work in the same field.

Be sure to create a Google Sheet to track goals, tasks, and progress. Mentors and mentees can set up weekly meetings to populate the document together and work toward goals. Additionally, mentees can use this time to ask their mentors any questions about work projects, career development, and time management.

Creating a mentoring program is a great way to support interns at your company and help them with career development and networking.

10. Office Tour

If you have a large group of recruits joining you at the office, then we suggest organizing an in-depth tour of your headquarters. To set up your tour, ask one or two volunteer team members to lead the activity. Be sure to choose employees who are energetic and friendly. Additionally, you may want to choose a seasoned employee who knows the office well.

During the tour, ensure your tour guide covers common areas, such as the cafeteria, employee lounge, and department spaces. Be sure to cover less popular areas, such as restroom locations, security offices, and the lost and found. At the end of the tour, you can quiz employees on the areas they visited. You can also hold a quick Q&A session so participants can ask any outstanding questions about your office and the team culture.

11. Mocktail Happy Hour

Even though students might not be of legal drinking age yet, you can still host a fun alcohol-free happy hour. One of the most exciting internship event ideas is a mocktail happy hour. To set up your happy hour event, choose a few mocktails to serve.

Here are some examples of mocktails that would be perfect for this event:

• Virgin Mojito
• Shirley Temple
• Virgin Pina Colada
• Nonalcoholic Moscow Mule
• Arnold Palmer

Be sure to serve drinks with fun accessories, like paper umbrellas and cocktail swords. You can also incorporate games and activities into your event, such as Jenga, cornhole, and trivia.

Mocktail happy hours are a great way for interns to experience a professional networking environment.

12. Icebreaker Question Session

If you want to help interns get to know each other, then we recommend hosting an icebreaker question session. To organize this activity, create a list of icebreaker questions focused on learning about one another.

Here are a few questions to include in your icebreaker:

• What is your college major?
• What is your dream career?
• On a scale of one to ten, how much of a team player are you?
• As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• What are your hobbies outside of work?
• Why did you decide to intern at this company?
• What is your typical office lunch?

At your event, have interns ask these questions to each other in a rapid-fire style. As soon as one player answers a question, they should ask another question to another player. The quick nature of this game allows students to learn to think on their feet. This activity is a great way for recruits to learn more about their new coworkers in a fun setting.

13. Scavenger Hunt

If you want to get your team moving, then a scavenger hunt is the perfect group activity. Team members roam around the office for specific items during this exercise. To set up your activity, put together a list of items for players to find.

Here are some items and point values to consider for your scavenger hunt:

• 2 points: A stapler
• 3 points: Sticky notes
• 4 points: An unsharpened pencil
• 5 points: A company-branded T-shirt
• 6 points: A spare lightbulb
• 7 points: An orange highlighter
• 8 points: A flower from the courtyard

Before starting the game, split players up into teams of three. Then, give teams 20 to 30 minutes to find the items on your list. After the time limit ends, bring players back together to tally up their points. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins the scavenger hunt.

14. Mindful Meditation

Meditation is one of the best ways to practice mindfulness and self-care. We recommend hosting a mindful meditation session once a week to help students combat stress. You can find a local teacher to lead your team through the exercise.

Be sure to remind employees to use this hour to forget about work and focus on their well-being. You can ban employees from talking about work during the class to help them focus on relaxation. Meditation can help interns reset and recharge in the middle of the workday. Plus, this activity can also help boost productivity, employee happiness, and team morale.

15. Potluck Welcome Lunch

One of the best internship event ideas is a potluck welcome lunch. A potluck is a gathering where each participant contributes a dish. Hosting a potluck is the best way to ensure you have enough food for your guests.

Here are a few steps to make your potluck lunch a success:

1. Choose a date and time.
2. Send out invitations.
3. Ask participants to bring entrees, appetizers, desserts, or drinks.
4. Set up all food on a table.
5. Invite participants to grab lunch and mingle.

If you want to add an element of competition to your event, then you can host a food contest. As part of the contest, ask attendees to vote for their favorite dish anonymously. At the end of your event, announce the winner, and reward them with a gift card to a local restaurant.

16. Former Intern Panel Discussion

An employee panel discussion is one of the best ways to give students insight into your company from current employees. We recommend organizing a panel discussion featuring four to five employees who were once interns at your company.

Be sure to invite panelists to talk about topics like:

• Career advice
• Professional growth and advancement
• Interview tips
• Personal career stories
• Leadership tips
• Resume walkthrough

Remember to have panelists share their own internship stories so they can relate to your current interns. At the end of your panel discussion, you should open up the floor for a Q&A session where attendees can ask panelists questions about the topics they discussed.

Conclusion

Internships are the best way for students to gain experience in a professional setting. In addition to assigning work tasks and responsibilities, we recommend providing ample opportunities for interns to network. Networking allows recruits to meet their coworkers and make meaningful connections. To ensure students have plenty of opportunities to connect with coworkers, we suggest hosting one to two weekly activities or events. Activities can include job shadowing, mentoring programs, or icebreaker question games.

Next, check out our lists of networking event ideas, online talent show ideas, and online career fair ideas. You can also explore our guide to fun online team challenges.