40 Fun Team Building Activities
With team building, raise the standards and offer the best employee experience!
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Here are the most popular group or team building activities:
Outside Sporting Activities
Free Activities
Bicycle Riding
Do you want your employees to explore the city, be physically active, and have a great time with their team? You can! Companies like Ça roule Montréal will take your employees on guided tours of completely unknown city sites.
Many of these tours will also be unforgettable, such as the Petit Train du Nord, where you can rent bikes for your team and ride through picturesque paths.
Ultimate Frisbee
This sport is quickly becoming very popular in the province. You can organize a private game within your company. You can find the game rules here.
Several leagues also allow your employees to compete against employees from other companies located in your area.
Paid Activities
Dragon Boat
Perfect for spending time outdoors while enhancing team coordination. Even though this sport can be challenging, it is suitable for everyone.
Groups of 20 people or more can organize friendly competitions between two companies. Combine employees from different teams to build team spirit and break down barriers. Choose a team name once you enter the site and chant it during the race to energize the team’s atmosphere.
In Montreal, this activity can take place at Parc Jean-Drapeau, among others.
Treasure Hunt
Some companies organize corporate treasure hunts. In Quebec City, Avacture, among others, offers an all-in-one package for your team outings. Pre-planned itineraries will help participants discover the city from a new perspective.
Photo: Vélo Festif Montréal
Festive Bicycle Riding
Are you looking for an original team-building activity? Ride together the same bike!
Vélo Festif Montréal will help your employees explore the city on an exceptional bike. Sitting at a long table, they pedal together and continue their meeting on the streets. Add some music, and you have an unforgettable afternoon.
Archery
Introducing a great team-building activity that is perfect for a late afternoon activity or during a lac-à-l’épaule. Inexpensive, this hour-long activity is the perfect outdoor activity.
Photo: Team Building Montréal
Raft Building
Compete against your colleagues in a friendly competition; win raft parts for building your own and sail to the other side.
Team Building Montréal organizes collaborative team-building challenges that practice diverse skills, such as craftsmanship, communication, and problem-solving.
Golf
Schedule a whole day for an 18-hole course or a half-day for a 9-hole course. This activity is still very popular in many companies! Some companies that had withdrawn this annual event about ten years ago have resumed offering it at the employee recognition days.
Minigolf
Minigolf is more affordable than golf, takes less time, and is also more accessible. Golf remains a must in many companies; however, as millennials are not so fond of this sport, an alternative may be necessary. Mix work teams to obtain maximum benefit from the activity and to ease communication between departments.
Happy Hour Activities
Paid Activities
Beer Tasting
No one can deny it: alcohol brings people together and allows them to form bonds quickly. For a different kind of happy hour, try a beer tasting experience and discover new aromas while having a friendly chat!
For a more original activity, consider visiting the brewery. Amazement, guaranteed!
Team Cooking
Team cooking not only helps people work better together; it also helps them learn healthy recipes. If your company culture includes employees’ wellness and fitness, learning to cook healthy is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
This activity is also perfect for introducing your team to other cultures. For example, if there are Moroccan employees in your team, why not learn a typical dish from their culture and learn more about their origins?
Wine & Cheese
Food tastings make it easier to engage in conversations and to learn more about colleagues. This team activity involves all colleagues in the discussions. Can you recognize the floral scent and sweet vanilla aroma?
This activity is perfect when team members do not know much of each other, as they can easily discuss their discoveries and tastes in a relaxed atmosphere.
Quick Activities at the Office (30 minutes or less)
Outreach Activities
Skeletons in the Cupboard
Do you have new employees? Make sure they feel part of the team from Day 1. Here is a quick game that will help them make connections very quickly.
The whole team must individually write down two truths, and one lie about them on a piece of paper. Do not reveal to anyone what you have written!
Then, take 20 minutes for an open discussion, as in a happy hour, where colleagues discuss the three things they have written. The goal is to find out what is the lie of each colleague by asking questions. Each person has to describe the two truths and invent a story for the lie. Be careful not to reveal anything during the discussion, even if you think that everyone has guessed.
At the end of the discussion, get together and have people vote on each person’s sentences, in turn, to determine which is the lie. You can award points for each correct answer to make the activity competitive.
Office Trivia
Choose 20 to 25 questions about your company, team, or work environment. For example, you may want to ask:
- In what year was the company founded?
- How many windows are there in the office?
- What color are the kitchen tiles?
- In which month of the year is there the most employees’ birthdays?
- How many employees are in the customer service department?
Then, have a little “game show” with the whole team to select the winner.
Collaborative Activities
Giant Puzzle
Print a well-known illustration (cartoon, object, etc.). Cut out the image and make as many pieces as there are team members. Give one piece to each employee and keep it secret; do not share the pieces nor show them.
Each employee must then draw their individual piece five times bigger on white cardboard and cut it out like the piece they received. Remember to bring markers, scissors, and rulers. When everyone is finished, ask the employees to rebuild the picture on a large table by putting the pieces together.
This team activity teaches employees how to work as a team. It also shows them the impact of their work on the whole team’s overall outcome.
Quick Glance
Using LEGO blocks, secretly build a relatively complex structure out of it. Divide participants into teams of four and give each team the same number of pieces so that they can reproduce your work.
Hide your structure at an equal distance from each team. When the whistle blows, one team member comes to see the design for only 10 seconds and must then return to their table to build the sculpture with their team. After one minute, a second whistle; a second member of each team comes to see the structure for 10 seconds and returns to the table. And so on, until all colleagues have come to see your initial setup.
The winning team is the one that has reproduced the work as faithfully as possible. This activity is ideal for improving communication and teamwork.
Quick Plan
Here is an exciting variation of the previous game.
Create a LEGO structure and hide it. In groups of two, each team must identify a designer and a builder. At the whistle, a 5-minute timer starts.
The designer will go to see the sculpture and make a plan as accurately as possible so that the builder can recreate it. The designer can take as much time as he/she wishes to make a sketch; however, the longer it takes, the less time his/her partner will have to build it. Therefore, it is necessary to use the right amount of time!
When the designer has finished the sketch, he/she returns to the construction table, gives his/her drawing, and can no longer say a word. He/she is not allowed to go back and see the sculpture or provide any more details. The drawing is the only tool his/her colleague has to reproduce the piece. The winner is the team who has most faithfully reproduced the original work.
Make the piece difficult; you’ll have lots of laughter and communication skills training!
Spaghetti Tower
Make teams of three; give each team 40 uncooked spaghetti noodles, a 1-pound weight, and a roll of tape.
The challenge is simple: which team will build the tallest tower, strong enough to hold the 1-pound weight for at least 5 seconds?
For added difficulty, replace the roll of tape with a poster mastic.
Unwinding Activities
Free Activities or very affordable
BBQ at the Employer’s Place
To strengthen personal bonds between managers and team members, have your team come to your backyard for a nice BBQ as a group and (maybe) enjoy the pool.
Picnic at the Beach or the Park
Get out of the office for an afternoon picnic with your team. You could even go to the beach to enjoy some quality time together.
For an even more successful activity, get a portable BBQ and grill meats and shrimps to lengthen your picnic time.
Paid Activities
Photo: Latulippe.ca
Paint a Team Masterpiece
After strenuous weeks, a creative activity will be most welcome! In this unwinding activity, all team members design a colorful collective artwork by drawing, in turn, something that represents them, which will remain etched on this collaborative canvas forever.
Of course, this artwork will be a beautiful addition to the office décor to remind everyone of this teamwork and get the new employees talking!
Culinary Journey in Old Montreal
The Food Tour makes you explore the city and even travel back in time to learn more about its history. You will visit Euro-style venues and make seven gastronomic tasting stops. The tour lasts an average of three hours and will even allow you to discover the history behind the pouding chômeur.
The tour can accommodate between 20 and 50 people.
Philanthropy Activities
Free Activities
Build a House for the Impoverished
Yes, it is possible! If you want to put your talents to good use and make a HUGE difference in people’s lives, help build a house.
Do not worry; this activity does not require you to commit yourself full time to the project. Habitat for Humanity manages the entire project and accepts volunteers to help with specific tasks in the project. The organization’s goal is to build 40 new homes across Quebec within five years.
Charity Casino
Employees become croupiers for an evening, whether in your business place or another location. Participants make a voluntary contribution and receive the equivalent in casino currency.
At the end of the evening, the money raised is donated to charity. Why not let the winner of the evening choose to which charity the money will be donated?
Meals on Wheels & Moisson Montreal
Meals on Wheels and Moisson Montreal allow local employees to participate in their volunteer mission. Small groups of three to six people can prepare and distribute meals to people in need.
Nothing is more rewarding than making a real difference in people’s lives in just a few hours. Your employees will get very positive energy out of it!
Waterfront Cleanup
With your team, pick up garbage on the street or the waterfront. Many companies have specific days for this task and provide gloves and collection equipment.
However, you do not have to wait for an official day to beautify your neighborhood! Go out for an hour or two with your employees and make a big difference in your community!
Create on Urban Green Spaces
Ask where you can participate in implementing urban green spaces. Some towns provide trees and flowers; all you have to do is plant them along with the gardeners. This is even possible in some parts of Montreal!
It is a great outdoor team activity.
Paid Activities
Make Plushies and Blankets
Make stuffed animals and pretty blankets for children in need. Use your creativity to craft the perfect outfit for each plushie and donate it to charity.
Plushies can be donated to crisis management centers, public protection agencies, and even the Guignolée!
Skill-Building Activities
Communicate
Team Cooking
Team cooking not only helps people work better together; it also helps them learn healthy recipes. If your company culture includes employees’ wellness and fitness, learning to cook healthy is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
This activity is also perfect for introducing your team to other cultures. For example, if there are Moroccan employees in your team, why not learn a typical dish from their culture and learn more about their origins?
Speaking in Public
Improvisation
Improvised theater promotes speaking in public and meetings. Each person practices speaking in front of colleagues to reduce anxiety and embarrassment. The team gets to know each other from a whole new perspective, which allows them to bring down barriers. Many companies offer team classes where only your employees attend the activity.
Innovation – Creativity
Photo: A/Maze
Escape Game
Escape rooms require thinking outside of the box and being creative to escape the room. Usually lasting 45 to 60 minutes, this activity practices teamwork under pressure and helps to improve communication. Some rooms can be done in teams of up to ten people, but the team size is usually four.
By booking in advance, all employees can simultaneously do the activity, as most providers have several available rooms.
Collaboration Under Pression
Flight Simulator
Offer a professional flying experience where employees will work on meticulousness, communication, and collaboration in a fast-paced environment.
Communication in a flight team is critical for a smooth operation. Simulating such an environment is an excellent exercise to practice team interaction during stressful moments.
Rescue Mission
Many companies organize rescue missions in the woods, where team members will have to learn how to work under pressure to achieve a specific goal.
This team-building activity focuses on communication, trust, and collaboration. Whether it’s for a field team or the executive managers, you will learn to work with your colleagues in a completely different way.
For example, Team Building Montreal will take care of everything to make you experience a great activity without you having to worry about its planning.
Sensational Activities
Exceptional Activities, When Budget is Available.
Experiential Freefall
Intense sensations and advancement are guaranteed. Indoor skydiving is an exceptional activity that will not go unnoticed. Your team will fall in love with it and will talk about it for a long time.
Places like SkyVenture offer this activity in a corporate format. They feature structured activities to develop and consolidate teams or organize friendly competitions. A package is also available for your team to work on personality aspects.
Photo: Canal Lachine
Indoor Surf
Are you working by the sea and its fairy-tale scenes? If so, you are lucky! If not, no problem; bring your team to an indoor surfing center to experience unbelievable sensations.
Many places allow you to reserve your own “wave” to surf with your team members without interruption for 30 or 60 minutes.
Photo: Saute Mouton Montréal
Jet Boating on the Lachine Canal
The perfect activity for a large team on a hot summer day. It does not require any physical ability and is accessible to everyone. However, be careful; it is impossible to do this activity if your team has pregnant women or people with back problems.
Why not end the day with a BBQ at the employer’s place?