Are you in search of some DIY team building activities?
Whether you’re looking for engaging ways to bring your employees closer together or hoping to boost morale, there are plenty of exercises that can help.
In this article, let’s see the 14 best Do-it-Yourself Activities that can engage your teams.
What are DIY Team Building Activities?
These are exercises that you can organize yourself in your workplace. That means you don’t have to rely on an outsider (a team event company or an HR trainer) to facilitate these activities.
14 Best Do-it-Yourself (DIY) Team Building Activities
Here are some of the best DIY activities for your workplace.
#1. Group Juggle
This DIY activity encourages employees to pay close attention and work together to succeed.
Time: 5 minutes
Materials: Juggling objects such as balls, clubs, beanbags, etc.
Participants: Minimum 4 people per group
Instructions
• Divide your participants into groups.
• Give each group some juggling objects like balls, clubs, or bean bags.
• Ask them to juggle all the objects together at the same time consecutively for one minute without dropping any.
• The group that can juggle the most without dropping will win!
Debrief
Discuss how was the communication and coordination among the group members. Also, highlight the importance of paying attention to each other and working in sync.
#2. Name That Tune
This is one of the DIY activities that you can use as an icebreaker or conversation starter.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: 4-6 people in a group
Instructions
• Split the participants into groups and have each group choose a favorite song.
• Have one person from each group hum the tune while the others try to guess the title of the song.
• Award points for each correct guess and declare the group with the most points as the winner.
Debrief
Discuss the value of knowing each other well and how it can help build cohesion. Highlight the importance of building trust and relationships in the workplace.
#3. Card Structure
This is one of the DIY activities that can help your employees develop their creativity and planning skills.
Time: You decide
Materials: Deck of cards
Participants: Minimum 3 people in a group
Instructions
• Split the participants into groups. Then, give a deck of cards to each group.
• Instruct them to construct the tallest structure they can with only the cards.
• Give them some time to complete this task.
• The group that creates the tallest structure wins.
Debrief
During debrief, identify how each person contributed to the success of the task and recognize collaboration between group members. See which strategies worked better for different groups and figure out how to apply them in future tasks.
#4. Blind Drawing
This DIY activity is great for building trust and improving communication between colleagues.
Time: You decide
Materials: Blank paper, markers, and images
Participants: Minimum 4 people per group
Instructions
• Divide your employees into teams.
• Give each team a blank paper, markers, and an image that needs to be reproduced.
• Blindfold one person on each team while the others provide verbal instructions to help them recreate the image.
• The team whose drawing looks most like the original wins!
Debrief
Talk about how effective their communication was and whether they could have done anything differently in order to make the drawing look more like the original. Also, discuss the importance of building trust and collaboration in the workplace.
#5. Group Word Puzzle
This activity encourages creative thinking, problem solving, and collaboration as a group.
Time: You decide
Materials: Objects in the room
Participants: Any number of individuals in a team
Instructions
• Divide the employees into teams.
• Have each team create a word puzzle using items in the room.
• Each team should come up with as many words as possible that can be made using the objects in the room.
• The team with the most words wins!
Debrief
Discuss how they worked together to brainstorm and solve the problem. Also, highlight the importance of creative thinking and how it can help while solving complex tasks in the workplace.
#6. Balloon Pop
In this DIY game, employees must work together in order to complete the task.
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: Balloons
Participants: At least 2 members in a team
Instructions
• Divide the participants into teams.
• Give each team a set of balloons and let them pop all of their balloons using only their hands.
• The first team to pop all of their balloons wins!
Debrief
Have participants reflect on how they felt while working together to complete this task. Talk about how collaboration can help teams come up with creative solutions and achieve success.
#7. Charades
Charades is a classic DIY exercise. It helps to promote teamwork and build relationships in the workplace.
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: Minimum 2 teams of four members
Instructions
• Divide the employees into two teams, each with four members.
• Have one team come up with a list of charades for the other team to guess.
• The team with the most correct guesses wins!
Debrief
During debriefing, have participants reflect on how they felt while working together. Encourage them to think about how effective communication can help while completing tasks.
#8. Telephone
This is a Do-it-Yourself activity that helps your employees hone their communication and listening skills.
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: Minimum 2 groups of four members
Instructions
• Divide the participants into two groups. Then, let each group form a circle.
• Give each group a message to whisper from one person to the next.
• Whoever has the last message must shout it out loud and compare it with the initial message.
• The group whose message remains closest to the original wins!
Debrief
Address the barriers to effective communication that can arise and how important it is to listen carefully. Also, discuss ways to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts in the workplace.
#9. Puzzle Challenge
This exercise can get your team to think critically and improve their problem solving skills.
Time: You decide
Materials: Jigsaw puzzles for each team
Participants: Minimum two teams of 4 members.
Instructions
• Divide the employees into teams and give each a jigsaw puzzle to complete.
• Instruct them to work together to complete the puzzle.
• See which team can finish their puzzle in the fastest time.
Debrief
Have the participants reflect on how they worked together and what strategies they used to solve the puzzle. Discuss the importance of critical thinking and decision making while working on tasks as a team.
#10. Human Knot
Human Knot is a fun DIY team building game that will test your employees’ adaptability and problem solving skills.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: 4-6 members in a group
Instructions
• Break the participants into small groups of 4-6 members.
• Have each group form a circle and join hands with two different people. They should not hold the hands of the individuals standing next to them.
• Instruct them to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands.
• See which group can untangle themselves in the fastest time.
Debrief
Discuss the importance of adaptability and problem solving when confronted with a challenging task. Talk about how they worked together to untangle the knot and the importance of team collaboration.
#11. Collaborative Drawing
This activity will let your employees be creative while working together as a team.
Time: You decide
Materials: Paper and drawing materials
Participants: Any number of employees
Instructions
• Assign each group a piece of paper and designate a subject they must draw.
• Have each team work together to create the best drawing they can.
• After everyone has finished their drawings, compare the results.
Debrief
Discuss the creative process and how everyone worked together to create something. Highlight the importance of collaboration and communication while working on tasks as a team.
#12. Think Fast
This DIY exercise is ideal if you are looking for a creative and fast-paced challenge.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: Pen and paper
Participants: 4-6 people per group
Instructions
• Assign each group a piece of paper and challenge them to come up with 5 trivia questions that can be answered quickly.
• Have the groups take turns asking their questions to the other groups. Award points for the correct answers.
• Finally, the group that scored more points can be declared the winner.
Debrief
Discuss how group work can help with difficult tasks and improve performance. Talk about how important creative thinking and collaboration are when working on complicated projects.
#13. Musical Chairs
This exercise will encourage collaboration and healthy competition among employees.
Time: You decide
Materials: Chairs
Participants: Minimum 3 people in total
Instructions
• Arrange the chairs in a circle with one less chair than the number of participants.
• Play music and instruct the participants to walk around the chairs.
• When the music stops, they must try to find a seat in the circle.
• The participant without a seat is eliminated and one chair is removed from the circle.
• Repeat until there is only one chair left. The last participant standing wins!
Debrief
During the debrief, focus on the strategies used by each group member to succeed. Talk about how their competitive spirit helped the team and what actions they can take to foster similar cooperation in the workplace.
#14. Themed Scavenger Hunt
This activity can help your employees cooperate with each other, solve problems, and make decisions quickly.
Time: You decide
Materials: A list of items that belong to a particular topic or category.
Participants: 4-6 members per team
Instructions
• Split the employees into teams.
• Assign each a list of themed items to find within a given period of time. Themed items mean items related to a specific topic. For instance, if the theme is “workplace”, the items might include various office supplies like a stapler, a whiteboard marker, etc.
• The team that finds all the items first wins!
Debrief
Discuss how working together and communicating effectively can help to solve problems quickly. Highlight the importance of critical thinking and quick decision making in a work setting.
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Or Want Some Unique Leadership Development Activities?
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Final Words
No matter what business you have, it is crucial to cultivate teamwork in your workplace. Hopefully, the above DIY team building games can help you kick-start the process. That said, you should always incorporate new ideas into your staff meetings and training sessions. So, you can make sure that no one gets bored with conventional activities.
FAQ: DIY Team Building Activities
You might have these questions in mind.
What are some good DIY team building activities for the workplace?
Some good DIY activities for the workplace are Balloon Pop, Charades, and Themed Scavenger Hunt. These exercises are fun and they also help to foster a strong sense of teamwork among employees.
What should I keep in mind while conducting DIY team building activities?
While conducting DIY activities, it is important to set realistic goals and expectations. Plus, provide clear instructions so that teams can work together effectively. Finally, conduct a debrief session afterward to discuss the learning points.
How long do DIY activities typically take?
It depends on the number of individuals per group and the game rules. Typically, most activities take anywhere from 5 – 30 minutes.
How can I ensure that my employees are not bored with the activities?
Try to bring some fresh and unique activities that your employees haven’t tried before. This will help to keep them engaged and interested in the activities.