What Are Some Unusual Team-Building Activities?
From virtual poker night to virtual cooking sessions, here are 13 answers to the question, “What are some unusual yet fun team-building activities?”
- Make a Zombie Apocalypse Simulation
- Check Out Your Local Axe Throwing Bar
- Explore Sandbox VR
- Build a Rube Goldberg Machine
- Unite Your Team With a Game of Paintball
- Attend Virtual Cooking Sessions
- Play a Hand in Virtual Poker Night
- Boost Creativity in Improv Comedy Workshops
- Construct a Tower of Marshmallows and Spaghetti
- Design a Commercial
- Have Scavenger Hunt
- Work Together to Unlock Escape Rooms
- Create Your Own Cooking Challenge
Make a Zombie Apocalypse Simulation
It’s such a crazy idea that it will amuse team members. The key to success, of course, will be cooperation. As a leader, set challenges and tasks that require teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. This exercise will test your team’s resilience, decision-making, and teamwork skills, and it will provide interesting entertainment and allow your employees to go beyond their daily roles.
Natalia Brzezinska
Marketing and Outreach Manager, ePassportPhoto
Check Out Your Local Axe Throwing Bar
There’s something about meeting up with your coworkers, getting a pint, and then spending an hour hurling sharp pieces of metal at a wooden target that really brings people together. It’s not just the inherent team aspect of it—you have just as much fun ribbing your opponents as you do your teammates when they make a lousy throw. The mix of social, competitive, and downright silly that you get from axe throwing makes it a great team-building activity.
Kate Kandefer
CEO, SEOwind
Explore Sandbox VR
As a virtual reality entertainment company, Sandbox VR offers an immersive experience that can bring your team together uniquely. We recently visited as a team and played an astoundingly realistic space war game that had us all screaming and shouting together. They even have fans to make you feel you are really flying up and down on platform lifts.
It also encourages communication, problem-solving, and teamwork as players work together to complete objectives within the virtual world. It can be a great way to break down barriers and build relationships among team members in a fun and engaging way.
Overall, Sandbox VR is an excellent option for a team-building activity that’s both unusual and fun. You can even watch a video replay immediately after you finish the game.
Shane McEvoy
MD, Flycast Media
Build a Rube Goldberg Machine
Building a Rube Goldberg machine is my favorite team-building activity of all time. The team must first decide on the task that their machine will perform. It could be anything from turning on a light switch to popping a balloon.
Next, they can start brainstorming ideas for the various steps that the machine will need to complete in order to achieve the desired outcome. They can then assign specific tasks to each member based on their strengths and interests. For example, one person might design the initial trigger mechanism, while another might construct the pulley system.
It’s an excellent team-building activity that promotes collaboration, communication, and creativity among team members. Though constructing the machine can be challenging and time-consuming, the result is a source of pride and accomplishment for the entire team.
The activity also lets members bond and develop stronger relationships with each other as they work together towards a common goal.
Agata Szczepanek
Community Manager, LiveCareer
Unite Your Team With a Game of Paintball
While not a conventional team-building exercise, paintball offers a thrilling way to unite your team. Paintball demands effective communication and collaboration among participants, fostering team cohesion.
The activity encourages creative thinking, problem-solving, and strategizing, as teams must expect their opponents’ moves to secure victory. It helps develop trust and leadership skills as team members collaborate to achieve success.
It’s a highly enjoyable experience! If your team seeks an unconventional and exhilarating activity, paintball could be an ideal choice.
Dilruba Erkan
Consultant, Morse Decoder
Attend Virtual Cooking Sessions
As a remote team, we’ve had to be creative with our team-building activities to ensure that our distributed team can remain cohesive and work towards achieving company objectives. Virtual cooking sessions are an unusual yet fun team-building activity we’ve tried.
In these sessions, our employees have improved their learning skills while interacting with each other without the rigidity of the corporate structure. The hearty laughs and sumptuous meals shared afterward have been effective in creating a chemistry that enhances collaboration.
Liam Liu
Co-founder and CMO, Parcel Panel
Play a Hand in Virtual Poker Night
This can be a unique and enjoyable team-building activity that can help promote camaraderie and collaboration among team members. Playing poker requires strategic thinking, decision-making, and communication skills, all of which are important skills in the workplace. While it may not be a traditional team-building activity, it can still be a great way for team members to bond and socialize in a relaxed setting.
Jeff Tse
Co-founder, CrazeCosplay
Boost Creativity in Improv Comedy Workshops
Improv comedy workshops offer an unusual yet fun team-building activity that can help employees build relationships, boost creativity, and improve communication skills. Improv games and activities can help people learn how to work together, think quickly, and respond to surprises.
This team-building activity provides a supportive environment where employees can step out of their comfort zone, laugh, and bond through shared experiences. It can be especially helpful for diverse teams, as it promotes inclusivity, encourages collaborative problem-solving, and fosters a positive, can-do attitude.
Basana Saha
Founder, KidsCareIdeas
Construct a Tower of Marshmallows and Spaghetti
Have you ever considered using marshmallows and spaghetti to build a stronger team? Using these simple resources, you can create a fun and engaging activity that requires teams to work together to build a structure or tower. The rules can vary, but one approach is to give each team a set number of resources that are worth a certain value. The more resources they use, the higher the cost.
The goal is to build the tallest tower in the time frame while still ensuring it stays standing. This activity requires unique skills and thinking types to come together and appreciate their teammates’ strengths and abilities.
By engaging in this unconventional activity, team members can improve their problem-solving skills, communication, and creativity. It’s also an opportunity to build stronger relationships and trust among team members.
Lilia Koss
Community Manager, Facialteam
Design a Commercial
As it depends on open communication and willingness to work together, creating a commercial would be very essential in the building. With the help of teamwork, design and construction goals will be easily accomplished.
Ask each group to produce a commercial for their preferred good or service. This is a fun way to encourage everyone to think creatively and apply their presentation abilities to projects other than those related to their jobs.
Dean Lee
Head of Marketing, Sealions
Have a Scavenger Hunt
You can divide into teams and hide one object each within the office building. Each team would have a time frame to find out where the other team buried that object. Whichever team finds it first or is closest to finding it is the winner.
It will encourage communication and working as a unit to reach the end goal. This also teases the competitive nature of the individuals and can be a great, fun way to bond. Especially if you have a new coworker, this can be a great way to get them to connect with the rest of the coworkers.
Khanh Tran
Growth Manager, Majorca Villa
Work Together to Unlock Escape Rooms
In Escape Rooms, team members are locked in a room and must work together to solve a series of puzzles and riddles in order to escape before time runs out. This activity requires communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, making it an excellent way to help team members develop their skills and bond with one another.
What makes Escape Rooms so unique is the immersive experience they offer. Participants must work together to solve the puzzles and escape the room, creating a sense of excitement and adrenaline that is hard to replicate in other team-building activities.
Overall, Escape Rooms are an excellent way to help team members develop their skills, build relationships, and have fun. This activity is perfect for teams looking for an exciting and memorable experience that will bring them closer together.
Ben Basic
Editor-in-Chief, RouterIPNet.com
Create Your Own Cooking Challenge
Everyone loves cooking (well, almost everyone!) and this can be a really fun team-building activity. Divide your team into small groups and set a theme or dish for them to create. Set a time limit, provide them with all the ingredients and equipment, and then award prizes to the best dishes. Not only can this be a fun, different way to bond with team members, but you also get to eat the food together—a great way to end things.
Julian Taylor
Settlement Agreement Lawyer, Settlement Agreement UK
Submit Your Answer
Would you like to submit an alternate answer to the question, “What’s one unusual – yet fun – team building activity?”