15 Small Group Team Building Activities for Work

Here is our list of the best small group team building activities.

Small group team building activities are fun games and events that teams of about three to ten can engage in. Examples include Tied Together, Silent Disco Night, and Buckets and Balls. These activities help improve team collaboration and boost employee morale.

Small group team building activities are similar to virtual team building activities and free team building activities. These corporate team building techniques are great for building stronger teams.

This list includes:

• team building ideas for small groups
• small group team building activities for adults
• small fun activities for employees
• team building activities for small offices
• small group team outings

Let’s get started!

List of small group team building activities

From Longest Shadow to Do Not Laugh Game to Candle-Making Class, here are examples of team building activities you can try with your small groups.

1. Water Balloon Dodge

Water Balloon Dodge is a fun outdoor activity you can organize for small groups. In this activity, teammates must attempt to dodge waves of water balloons without getting hit.

To organize this activity:

1. Find an open field.
2. Split players into two opposing teams.
3. Have teams stand at opposite ends of the field. Then, draw a line between the teams.
4. Players must not cross the center line during the game.
5. Set a time limit of about five minutes.
6. Once the game begins, employees must attempt to eliminate the opposing team by throwing water balloons at them.
7. Team members must weave, run, and dodge the balloons to avoid getting hit while trying to hit opposing team members.
8. Any player who gets hit must leave the game.
9. You may also disqualify players who cross the centerline.

Since this game is messy and requires a lot of running around, it is best organized on a grass field where players can fall without fear of serious injuries.

2. Candle-Making Class

Candle Making is a fun and creative activity where teammates learn to make scented candles from scratch. This activity is one of the best small group team building activities for adults because it helps employees relax and explore their creative sides.

To organize this activity:

1. Provide employees with candle-making kits.
2. Invite a professional candlemaker to guide the teammates through the process.
3. Participants will attempt to create their own candles following the guide.
4. You may offer prizes to teammates who can create unique candle shapes or patterns.

Candle making is a crafty skill that staff may want to use in the future. Learning a new skill together is a great way to strengthen the team and foster camaraderie among small group members.

3. Tied Together

Tied Together is an exciting activity that teaches employees the importance of teamwork and helps them develop problem-solving skills. In addition, this activity allows employees to communicate effectively and build strong work relationships.

To organize this activity:

1. Find an empty field or open space.
2. Split players into two opposing teams.
3. Tie each member of a team together by their wrists and ankles. You can use a shoelace or small rope to tie the participants.
4. List a set of activities players must complete within a given time. For example, fill a number of balloons with water, build a LEGO structure, or wrap a present.
5. The teams will race against time to perform these tasks without untying themselves.
6. The first team to complete their task wins.

To make this game even more engaging, you may set a prize on a table a few lengths away from the players. When teams finish, they must race toward the prize without tripping or untying themselves. The first team to get the award wins!

4. Bucket Ball

Bucket Ball is a fun activity that can improve teammates’ motor skills and balance. In this activity, players will attempt to shoot balls into buckets.

To organize this activity:

1. Set empty buckets together in a triangle shape.
2. Give each participant three to five tennis or ping-pong balls.
3. Players will take turns shooting the balls into the empty buckets.
4. Players get a point if they score a shot.
5. If another ball enters the same bucket, then the player gets three points instead.
6. The game will continue in this manner until each player shoots all their balls into the buckets.
7. The player with the most points wins the game.

To give players a better chance, you can pour some water into the buckets so they do not tip over when participants shoot balls into them.

5. Do Not Laugh

Do Not Laugh is a fun and engaging activity that encourages employees to unwind and enjoy themselves. In this activity, teammates will try to make each other laugh without spilling the water in their mouths.

To organize this activity:

1. Split players into two opposing teams.
2. Each player will stand facing the members of the opposing team.
3. Each player will fill their mouth with water without swallowing.
4. Teammates must make funny faces to coerce other players to spit out their water.
5. Players must not laugh or smile during the game.
6. Any player who laughs, swallows, or spits out their water is out of the game.
7. The last player standing wins.

This activity is one of the best small fun activities for employees because it helps ease stress and improves team interaction. To avoid making a mess, organizing this game outdoors is best.

6. Longest Shadow

Longest Shadow is a great game for your next team building event. In this activity, employees will come together to unify their shadows. This activity is best organized on a bright, sunny morning when the shadows are the longest.

To organize this activity:

1. Find an open field.
2. Split players into two opposing teams.
3. Each team will form a straight line.
4. Teammates may stand with their hands on each other’s shoulders or their hips to form a long, unified shadow.
5. The team to form the longest shadow wins the game.

This activity is a great way to improve team collaboration and promote team engagement. You can make this game even more fun by creating a list of shapes and animals the teams must attempt to recreate with their shadow. The team with the best attempt wins.

7. Silent Disco Night

Silent Disco Night is a simple noiseless dance party where employees can have fun, play games, and interact with each other.

To organize this activity:

1. Find a local park or beach.
2. Create a team playlist filled with employees’ favorite songs.
3. Encourage employees to bring headphones, or give out branded headphones.
4. Set the playlist to start at the same time.
5. Share snacks and drinks as employees enjoy the soundless party.

To make this event more exciting, you can add a little challenge by asking employees to freeze when you pause the music randomly. You can then dare employees who fail to freeze in time to do something hilarious, like the Chicken Dance.

8. Cross the Circle

Cross the Circle is a fun game employees can use to get to know each other better. The teammates will listen to several prompts and cross the circle if they can relate.

To organize this activity:

1. Find an open space or field.
2. Players will stand in a circle, facing inwards.
3. Players will choose an order in which to play.
4. The first player will call out a prompt. For instance, the player may say, “Cross the circle if you have ever been to Hawaii.”
5. All team members who can relate to this prompt must step out of the circle.
6. The teammates who cannot relate to the prompt must perform a series of hilarious tasks. For instance, teammates can do some frog jumps or sing a trendy song for 30 seconds.
7. Reset the circle.
8. The next player will get a turn to call out a prompt.
9. The game will continue in this manner until each teammate gets a turn.

In this activity, there is no winner or loser. Instead, the aim is for employees to have fun and bond over shared experiences.

9. Guess Who?

Guess Who? is a fun activity that encourages teammates to imitate popular characters or figures. This activity is one of the best team building activities for small offices because it teaches employees to be observant and pay attention to detail.

To organize this activity:

1. Write down the name of popular celebrities or famous figures on slips of paper, and toss them in a bowl.
2. Players will pick a name. Teammates must not divulge the name written on their papers.
3. Employees will take turns imitating these characters without speaking. The first player to guess the celebrity’s identity wins a point.
4. If the teammates find it difficult to guess, then the player can offer hints through popular catchphrases or sentences the celebrity is known for.
5. The game will continue in this manner until each player gets a turn.
6. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.

You can make this game even more engaging and fun by swapping out celebrity names for team members. When colleagues pick a team member’s name, they must imitate and act like the character for the other players to guess. If the team member whose name is on the paper guesses correctly, then they get three points instead.

10. Best and Worst Experience

Best and Worst Experience is a great activity that encourages teammates to share specific life experiences. These memories make it easy for teammates to bond and connect.

To organize this activity:

1. Write down two questions on each slip and put them in a hat. For example, “What is your best intercontinental dish, what is your worst intercontinental dish, and why?”
2. Pass the hat around, and each participant must pick a slip.
3. Players will take turns sharing their best and worst experiences.

This game is a great way for employees to express themselves at work. You can also play a “work edition” of this game, where employees can share their best or worst work experiences. These reviews may help employers create a better work environment and working experience.

11. History Trivia Night

History Trivia Night is an interactive learning session where players get to answer and learn about different cultures and iconic moments in history. This activity is a great way to broaden employees’ knowledge and improve their worldviews.

To organize this activity:

1. Curate a list of fun and interesting history questions.
2. Split players into two opposing teams.
3. Players will take turns answering the questions.
4. Teammates will get a point for every correct answer.
5. If players can offer additional information or supporting details to educate colleagues on the topic they got, then they will get extra points.
6. The game will continue in this manner until all team members answer several questions.
7. The player with the most points wins the game.

To make this activity more engaging, give the opposing team a half point if a team fails a question. This scoring system is a great way to ensure teammates think carefully before they answer their questions.

12. Terrarium-Making Class

A Terrarium-Making Class is a fun activity where teammates learn to make their own succulent displays. This activity is among the top team building ideas for small groups because it helps employees ease stress.

To organize this activity:

1. Provide team members with individual terrarium kits.
2. Invite a terrarium specialist to guide participants in planting, designing, and caring for their plants.
   Set a time limit for participants to create their planters.
3. At the end of the session, teammates can then show off their terrariums.
4. The best planter wins.

To make this activity more interesting, you can challenge participants to create unique designs and give prizes to employees with the most creative display.

13. Office Item Guessing Game

Office Item Guessing Game is a fun activity employees can use to test how much attention colleagues pay in the office. In this game, players must identify different items and which employee they belong to.

To organize this activity:

1. Pick random items from employees’ desks.
2. Put all the selected items in similar-looking boxes.
3. Set a timer for thirty seconds.
4. The players will pick random boxes and try to guess the item within the box and which colleague it belongs to. Players can gently shake the box to guess the item.
5. Players get a point if they can identify the item correctly before the timer runs out.
6. The game will continue in this manner until all employees have a turn.
7. At the end of this activity, the teammate with the most points wins the game.

If employees tie, then they will repeat this process until they have a winner. This activity is a great way to test employees’ observatory skills and check how well teammates relate in the office.

14. Team Beach Day

Team Beach Day is one of the best small group team outings because it allows employees to engage in fun beach games, enjoy tasty treats, and unwind.

To organize this activity:

1. Find a local beach within a reasonable distance of all team members.
2. Make provisions for drinks and food.
3. Play trendy music over a loud stereo set.
4. Organize fun beachside games like limbo, hula hooping, and beach volleyball. Colleagues can also play tug-of-war or build sand castles together.

To make this event even more interesting, add a competitive edge to these games by offering prizes and rewards to winning teams. Another great idea is to organize a treasure hunt where teammates must find a specific item following a couple of clues and hints.

15. Team Jigsaw Race

Team Jigsaw Race is a fun activity that you can use to challenge employees intellectually and improve teammates’ problem-solving skills.

To organize this activity:

1. Split participants into teams of three to four.
2. Give each group a puzzle to complete.
3. Set a time limit.
4. Players will race against time to put together the puzzle.
5. The first team to complete their puzzle wins the game.

If none of the teams complete their puzzles when the timer rings, then the team with the fewest loose pieces wins.

Conclusion

Small group team building activities are fun and engaging events that colleagues can organize to spend quality time together outside work. These activities can include team games, group outings, and events where employees can unwind and ease stress.

Planning small group team building activities is a fantastic way of fostering good relationships and creating a warm work environment. This environment allows employees to be themselves and enjoy each other’s company.

For more team building inspo, check out these lists of team building tips, team building activities for short term projects, and team building with remote staff.