37 team bonding activities that bring people closer
Quick ones for meetings, ideas for the office and for remote teams, and a few bigger events. Plus a table of which to use when.
The best team bonding activities give coworkers a reason to tell a story, make something side by side or laugh at the same thing. Below are 37 team bonding ideas, from 10-minute bonding exercises for teams to offsite and hosted events. Bonding is about people, not process: unlike skill-focused workplace team building exercises, none of these need a debrief. Pick one for your next meeting and repeat it until it becomes a habit.
10-minute team bonding ideas for meetings
For the first minutes of a meeting. Small, regular moments of connection beat one big event a year.
1. The story behind your name
Each person shares where their first name or a nickname came from. Everyone has one, and nobody has heard them.
10 minutes · any size, in turns
2. Highlight of the week
One thing from outside work that went well this week, with a photo if people want. Keep it to a minute each.
10 minutes · up to 12 people
3. First job stories
Everyone describes their first paid job and one thing it taught them. Expect lifeguards, paper rounds and at least one mascot costume.
10 minutes · any size
4. Camera roll roulette
Open your photo app, scroll back a month and share the first non-work photo you land on, with the story.
10 minutes · in person or on video
5. Hidden talents
Each person names one skill nobody at work knows they have. Follow-up questions are encouraged.
10 minutes · up to 15 people
6. Childhood dream job
What did you want to be at eight years old, and how close did you get? Good for new teams.
5 to 10 minutes · any size
7. Food opinions only
One harmless debate per meeting: the best pizza topping, breakfast for dinner, the right way to load a dishwasher.
5 minutes · any size
8. Proudest small win
Each person shares something small they are proud of from the last month, at work or outside it.
10 minutes · up to 12 people
9. Question of the day
Open every standup with one light question and let two or three people answer. It adds up to a lot of knowing each other. 250+ questions of the day.
5 minutes · daily
Team bonding activities in the office
Things that turn a shared building into a shared team. Most cost nothing but a calendar slot.
10. No-shop-talk team lunch
Lunch together once a month with one rule: no work talk. Whoever slips buys the coffees.
60 minutes · whole team
11. Office bake-off
Volunteers bring a homemade bake, everyone tastes and votes with sticky notes. Give a prize for best story behind the recipe too.
30 minutes · any size
12. Walk-and-talk pairs
Pair people who rarely work together for a 20-minute walk with one question to answer. Rotate the pairs every week.
20 minutes · pairs
13. The shared jigsaw
Leave a big jigsaw puzzle on a table in a common area for a week. People stop, chat and add a piece.
A week of five-minute visits · whole office
14. Then-and-now photo wall
Everyone sends a childhood photo and a recent one. Put them up mixed and let people match the pairs.
One week · any size
15. Monthly book or podcast club
One short book or one podcast episode a month, discussed over lunch. Let a different person pick each time.
45 minutes a month · 4 to 12 people
16. Volunteer together
Spend half a day helping one local nonprofit with whatever they actually need. Working side by side for a cause bonds people fast.
Half a day · whole team
17. Office scavenger hunt
Mixed teams race to find things, take photos and complete small tasks around the building. 60 office scavenger hunt ideas.
45 minutes · 10 or more people
Remote team bonding activities
Remote teams miss the hallway, so you have to build it on purpose. These work on any video call or chat tool.
18. Coffee roulette
A chat bot or a spreadsheet pairs people at random for a 20-minute video coffee every week or two. No agenda.
20 minutes · pairs
19. Home show and tell
Each person shows one thing from their home: a pet, a plant, a weird mug. The camera does half the work.
15 minutes · up to 12 people
20. Song from when you were 16
Everyone plays 20 seconds of a song they loved at 16 and says why. Build it into a shared playlist afterward.
20 minutes · up to 12 people
21. Weekly photo theme
Post a theme in a chat channel every Monday (your view, your lunch, something blue) and let people share all week.
Ongoing · any size
22. Cook-along
One teammate teaches a simple family recipe live while everyone cooks along at home. Share the ingredient list a week ahead.
45 minutes · up to 15 people
23. Lunch on the company
Send everyone a food delivery credit and eat together on camera. Small talk comes easier over a meal.
45 minutes · any size
24. Free online escape room
Play a browser escape room together on a call, one person sharing their screen while everyone shouts ideas. Play our free online escape room.
15 to 30 minutes · 3 to 8 per team
25. Jeopardy-style game night
Build a quick board of team-themed categories and play in two teams on a shared screen. Use our free Jeopardy-style board.
30 minutes · 6 to 30 people
Group bonding activities for offsites and after hours
Longer, more memorable, and best kept optional. Pick things everyone can do, drinker or not.
26. Trivia night
Mixed tables, five rounds, one round about the team. It is the easiest after-hours event to make inclusive. How to host a trivia night.
90 minutes · 12 or more people
27. Painting night
Everyone paints the same scene and every canvas comes out different. Low pressure, no skill needed, lots of laughing. Book it hosted: Canvas Painting (in person) or Painting.
60 minutes · any size
28. Hike and picnic
An easy trail everyone can manage, then food on a blanket. Walking side by side makes conversation easy. Outdoor team building ideas.
Half a day · any size
29. Karaoke with a duet rule
Book a private room; nobody has to sing alone, and nobody has to sing at all. Duets and group songs only.
2 hours · 8 to 20 people
30. Story circle
After dinner, go around with one prompt: the best advice you ever got, or a moment that changed your career.
30 minutes · up to 15 people
31. Team cooking class
Cook a meal together in teams, then eat it together. Book a local kitchen or a chef for your venue.
2 to 3 hours · 8 to 30 people
Hosted team bonding activities
When you want someone else to run it, so you can take part too. Each is about an hour with a live host. Want someone to run it for your team? See all virtual team building or games at your office with in-person events.
32. Candle making workshop
A kit ships to each person, then a host guides everyone through making their own candle. Calm, chatty and remote-friendly. Book it hosted: Candle Making.
60 minutes · kit shipped to each person
33. Charcuterie board making
Everyone builds a board from the same kit and compares the results on camera. Food is a great leveler. Book it hosted: Charcuterie Board Making.
60 minutes · kit shipped to each person
34. Murder mystery
Teams work a case together with a live host. People who never talk in meetings turn out to be great detectives. Book it hosted: Murder Mystery Escape Room - The Psychiatrist or Clue with a Twist: Winter Fun!.
60 minutes · on Zoom
35. Family Feud-style game show
Survey-based rounds with a live host, in mixed teams. Loud and silly in the best way. Book it hosted: Fun-Filled Feud or Feud Night (in person).
60 minutes · on Zoom or in person
36. Mixology class
A kit ships to each person and a host teaches three cocktails. Non-alcoholic kits are available. A natural end-of-quarter celebration. Book it hosted: Mixology Cocktail Trio.
60 minutes · kit shipped to each person
37. Music bingo
Match songs to your bingo card and sing along. Nobody needs to know anyone to join in. Book it hosted: Music Bingo.
45 minutes · on Zoom
Four team favorites, with live prices. Book games about 2 weeks ahead and kits 3 weeks ahead.
Which bonding activity to use when
The right activity depends on what the team is missing. Start here.
| Your team | Try |
|---|---|
| A brand new teamStory prompts, then pairs | The story behind your name, First job stories, Coffee roulette |
| Remote people who have never metMake the same thing together | Candle making workshop, Cook-along, Home show and tell |
| After a stressful quarterCalm and creative, no scoreboard | Painting night, Candle making workshop, Hike and picnic |
| Cliques by departmentMixed teams, random pairs | Walk-and-talk pairs, Office scavenger hunt, Trivia night |
| Office plus remoteOne activity on the video call | Family Feud-style game show, Murder mystery, Jeopardy-style game night |
| Celebrating a winSomething special and optional | Mixology class, Trivia night, Karaoke with a duet rule |
What makes team bonding work
- Connection over competition. A little rivalry is fun, but bonding happens when people learn something about each other. Pick activities that leave room for stories.
- Small and often beats big and rare. Ten minutes every week does more than one offsite a year. Use the big events to celebrate, not to fix.
- Keep it in work hours. Evening events quietly exclude parents, carers and people with long commutes. Lunchtime and mid-afternoon slots get everyone.
- Make sharing optional. Offer a pass on every personal question. People open up faster when they know they don't have to.
- Don't make alcohol the point. Have a great non-alcoholic option at every after-hours event, and plan some events with no bar at all.
Want activities that build a specific skill, like communication or problem solving? Try our 32 team building exercises, each with debrief questions. Planning for a handful of people? See team building for small groups. Or tell us your date and headcount and get a free quote within 24 hours.
