40 ideas for team activities

Ultimate Frisbee

The sport is quickly gaining popularity. You can organize a game in-house. The rules are available from your regional ultimate association. Many leagues are also organized so you can compete against other offices in your area.

Bike ride

Want to explore your city, get some exercise and have a good time as a team? It's possible! Organizations that run guided tours will show you spots in the city you never knew existed.

Many trails are also a feast for the eyes, like linear parks where you can rent bikes for the whole team and ride through scenic routes.

Dragon boat

Ideal for spending time outdoors and fostering coordination between team members. The sport can be demanding, but it's accessible to everyone.

Groups of 20 or more can organize friendly competitions between two teams. Mix up the work teams to break down barriers, create your team name once on site and chant it during the race to energize the atmosphere. In Montreal, the activity can take place at Parc Jean-Drapeau, among others.

Scavenger hunt

Some organizations run corporate scavenger hunts, offering a turnkey solution for your group outings. Ready-made routes will show you the city from a whole new angle.

Party bike

Looking for an original team-building activity? Ride a bike as a group - on the same bike!

Party-bike operators will show you the city on a very particular kind of bike… Seated at a long table, participants pedal together and carry on the meeting through the streets. Add a little music and you've got an unforgettable afternoon.

Photo credit: Vélo Festif Montréal

Archery

Here's a lovely team-building activity that can be done quickly on a late afternoon or during an off-site retreat. Inexpensive and lasting about an hour, archery lends itself well to outdoor outings.

Build your rafts

Take on your colleagues in a friendly competition to win parts, so you can build your own raft and reach the other shore.

Team Building Montréal organizes collaborative team challenges to practise a variety of skills such as dexterity, communication and problem-solving.

Photo credit: Team Building Montréal

Golf

Plan a full day for 18 holes or a half-day for 9 holes. The activity is still very popular in many companies! Some that had dropped the annual outing a decade ago have even started offering it again during employee recognition days.

Mini-golf outing

Less expensive than golf, faster and more accessible to everyone. Those are quite a few advantages of mini-golf. Golf is of course a staple at many companies, but with millennials less and less keen on the sport, an alternative may be in order. Mix up the work teams to get the most out of the activity and ease communication between departments.

Beer tasting

Let's be honest - a drink brings people together and helps build connections quickly. To switch up the traditional happy hour, try a proper beer tasting to discover new aromas over pleasant conversation!

To make it even more original, consider visiting the brewery directly. Wonder guaranteed!

Cook as a team

Cooking as a team not only helps you work better together, it also teaches healthy recipes. If your company culture includes employee wellness and fitness, learning to cook healthily is certainly a step in the right direction.

The activity is also ideal for discovering some of your team's cultures. For example, if there's someone from Morocco in your group, why not learn a dish typical of their culture and learn more about their roots?

Wine and cheese

Tastings ease conversation and help you discover your colleagues. The little challenges in this group activity get everyone taking part in the discussion. Can you pick out the floral notes and the sweet aroma of vanilla?

The activity works very well when team members know each other less well, since they can easily chat about their discoveries and tastes in a relaxed atmosphere.

Two truths and a lie

Do you have new employees? Don't waste any time bringing them on board and make them feel part of the team on day 1. Here's a quick game that builds connections very fast.

First, everyone individually writes down 2 truths about themselves and one lie on a piece of paper. Don't reveal to anyone what you wrote.

Then allow 20 minutes of open discussion, like at a happy hour, where colleagues talk about the 3 things they wrote. The goal is to figure out each person's lie by asking questions. Everyone describes the 2 truths and makes up a story for the lie. Careful - reveal nothing during the discussion, even if you think everyone has guessed.

At the end, gather together and have people vote in turn on each person's statements to determine which is the lie. You can award points for each correct answer to make it competitive.

Office trivia

Come up with 20 to 25 questions about your company, team or work environment. For example:

• What year was the company founded?
• How many windows are there in the office?
• What colour are the kitchen tiles?
• Which month has the most birthdays in the office?
• How many employees are in the customer service department?

Then run a lively little quiz with the whole team to determine the winner.

Giant puzzle

Start by printing an illustration everyone knows (a cartoon, an object, etc.). Cut the image into as many pieces as there are team members. Give one piece to each person and keep it secret - don't share the pieces or show them.

Each person then draws their own piece five times larger on white cardboard and cuts it out to match the piece they received. Remember to bring markers, scissors and rulers for the exercise. When everyone is done, ask the team to build the image on a large table by assembling the pieces.

This team activity teaches participants how to work as a team and the impact of their work on the whole team's overall result.

Quick look

Using LEGO blocks, secretly build a fairly complex sculpture. Form teams of 4 and give each team the same number of pieces so they can reproduce your sculpture.

Hide the sculpture at an equal distance from each team. At the whistle, one member of each team comes to look at the sculpture for 10 seconds only and must return to their table to build the piece with their team. After a minute, a second whistle: a second member of each team comes to look for 10 seconds and returns to the table… And so on until every colleague has come to see the piece.

At the end of the activity, the winning team is the one that reproduced the sculpture as faithfully as possible. This activity is ideal for improving communication and teamwork.

Quick blueprint

Here's an interesting variation on the previous game.

Build a LEGO sculpture and hide it. In groups of two, each team assigns a drawer and a builder. At the whistle, a 5-minute timer starts.

The drawer goes to look at the sculpture and must draw a plan as faithful as possible so their partner can recreate it. They can take as long as they like to sketch, but the more time they spend, the less time their colleague has to build it. So it's all about balance!

When the drawer finishes their sketch, they return to the building table, hand over their drawing and can't say another word. They aren't allowed to go back to look at the sculpture or give any more details. The drawing is the only tool their colleague has to reproduce the piece. The group winner is the one who reproduced the original piece most faithfully.

Make the piece difficult and you'll get lots of laughs and communication lessons!

Spaghetti tower

Divide the group into teams of 3; give each team 40 uncooked spaghetti noodles, a weight of about 1 pound and a roll of tape.

The challenge is simple: which team can build the tallest tower, strong enough to hold the weight for at least 5 seconds? For added difficulty, replace the tape with adhesive putty.

The BBQ at the boss's place

To strengthen the personal bonds between managers and team members, there's nothing better than hosting the team in your backyard for a good group BBQ - and maybe even enjoying the pool.

A picnic at the beach or the park

Step out of the office for an afternoon to go on a picnic with your team. You could even head to the beach to enjoy some good times together.

For an even more successful outing, get a portable BBQ and grill some meats and shrimp to extend the moment in the sun.

Paint a masterpiece as a team

After intense weeks, a creative break will be welcome! With this relaxing activity, all team members design a colourful collective work, each drawing in turn an element that represents them and that stays etched on this shared canvas.

Of course, the artwork will be a lovely addition to the office decor, a reminder of this teamwork - and a great conversation starter for new employees…

Photo credit: Latulippe.ca

Culinary tour of Old Montreal

Guided food tours by Local Food Tours will show you the city and even take you back in time to learn more about its history. You'll visit European-style spaces and make 7 tasting stops. The route, averaging 3 hours, will even let you discover the story behind pouding chômeur.

The tour can accommodate 20 to 50 people.

Build a home for those in need

Yes, it's possible! If you want to put your talents to good use and make a HUGE difference in the lives of people in your neighbourhood, you can take part in building a home.

Rest assured, the activity doesn't require a full-time commitment to the project… Organizations like Habitat for Humanity Quebec manage the entire project and welcome volunteers to help move certain tasks forward. The organization aims to build 40 new homes across Quebec within 5 years.

The charity casino

Employees turn into dealers for an evening, whether in your offices or a rented space. Participants make a voluntary contribution and receive the equivalent in casino chips.

At the end of the evening, the money raised goes to a charity. Why not let the evening's winner choose the organization closest to their heart?

Meals on Wheels and food banks

Meals on Wheels and local food banks let teams take part in their volunteer mission. Small groups of 3 to 6 people can help prepare and distribute meals to people in need.

Nothing feels better than knowing you're truly making a difference in the lives of people in your community, in just a few hours. Your teams will draw very positive energy from it!

Shoreline cleanup

Head out as a group to pick up litter in the street or along the shore. Many organizations run dedicated days and provide the gloves and pickup equipment.

That said, there's no need to wait for an official day to beautify your neighbourhood! Head out for an hour or two with your team and it will make a big difference in the community!

Green up shared spaces

Check with your city about taking part in greening up shared spaces. Some cities provide trees and flowers; all you have to do is plant them alongside the gardeners. It's even possible in some Montreal boroughs!

It's a lovely outdoor activity for collaborating as a team.

Make stuffed animals and blankets

At a relaxed pace, make stuffed animals and pretty blankets as a team for children in need. Get creative to design the perfect outfit for each stuffed animal and donate them to a charity.

The plush toys can be given to crisis centres, public safety organizations and even holiday food drives!

Cook as a team

Cooking as a team not only helps you work better together, it also teaches healthy recipes. If your company culture includes employee wellness and fitness, learning to cook healthily is certainly a step in the right direction.

The activity is also ideal for discovering some of your team's cultures. For example, if there's someone from Morocco in your group, why not learn a dish typical of their culture and learn more about their roots?

Improv

Improv theatre helps with speaking in public and in meetings. Each person practises speaking in front of their colleagues to reduce anxiety and self-consciousness. The team gets to know each other from a whole new angle that helps break down barriers. Many organizations offer group classes where you can run the activity for your team alone.

Escape room

Escape rooms require thinking differently and showing heightened creativity in order to get out of the room. Usually lasting 45 to 60 minutes, this activity trains team members to work under pressure and communicate better. Some rooms can accommodate groups of up to 10 people, but the group size is usually 4.

By booking ahead, you can all do the activity at the same time, since most providers have several rooms available.

Photo credit: A/Maze

Flight simulator

Offer a professional flight experience that works on precision, listening and collaboration in a high-pressure environment.

Communication within a flight crew is essential to smooth operations. Simulating such an environment is an excellent exercise for practising team interactions during demanding moments.

Rescue mission

Many companies organize rescue missions in the woods where your team must learn to work under pressure to accomplish a very specific objective.

This team-building activity works on communication, trust and collaboration. Whether for a field team or a company's leadership, you'll learn to work with your colleagues in a whole new way. For example, Team Building Montréal takes care of everything to give you an out-of-the-ordinary experience, with no organizing to worry about.

Experiential free fall

Thrills and buzz guaranteed. The indoor skydiving experience is an exceptional activity that won't go unnoticed. Your team will fall in love with it and talk about it for a long time.

Places like SkyVenture offer the outing in a corporate format. It can include structured activities to develop and strengthen teams or run friendly competitions. A package can also work on aspects of personality.

Indoor surfing

You don't work by the sea and its magical scenery? No problem - take your group to an indoor surf centre for out-of-the-ordinary thrills.

Many places let you book your own "wave" so you can surf with your team members undisturbed for 30 or 60 minutes.

Photo credit: Canal Lachine

Jet boating on the Lachine Canal

The ideal activity for a large group on a hot summer day. It requires no physical ability and is therefore accessible to most people. Note, however, that this activity won't be possible if your team includes pregnant women or people with back problems.

And… why not end the day with a BBQ at the boss's place?

Photo credit: Saute-Mouton Montréal