Why does the thought of going to another teambuilding activity make so many people shudder? For the most part, these activities are ineffective. They are dull, unproductive, and occasionally just plain disgusting.

Teams that are open, encouraging, and trustworthy have been shown time and time again to be productive.

So, are there any team-building exercises that do more than just seem to promote these attributes?

In this blog, let's start by discussing the fundamental components of a strong team-building exercise and find out the fun team-building activities that will make your team cohesive.

Which Activities Are Good for a Team?

Thousands of team-building exercises are listed online and in other places. Some even assert that they are incredibly interesting and "non-boring." But that is insufficient.

While having fun is undoubtedly beneficial, the purpose of team-building exercises is to promote cooperation, team spirit, and camaraderie among participants as well as to amuse them.

An enjoyable team activity also contributes to the development of a stronger team dynamic.

These simple indicators will help you determine whether the team-building activity is worthwhile.

Not competitive. There are always winners and losers in competitions. Even though engaging in competitive activities can be enjoyable, they actually serve to pit team members against one another rather than teach them how to collaborate toward a common objective. A game should have a winner and a loser that represent the entire team.

Shared objective. Building the best product or expanding a business is a shared objective in any production setting. But that's an abstract goal. It is possible to plan team activities with a distinct shared objective that motivates members to develop their ability to collaborate and forge a sense of unity.

Enjoyable. It goes without saying that boring tasks are less likely to stick and will eventually be seen as a waste of time by team members.

Team Charades

Participants number: 5 and more

Time requirement: 2-5 minutes per round

We all know how important is strong communication for team success, and this game will help your team members to boost cross-department communication, better express their ideas, and have fun in the process. Observant managers can even spot where team communication may be lacking.

Ask your colleagues to form a line, half a-meter distance from each other, and instruct everyone to only look forward and don’t turn back unless they are prompted. Approach the last person in line and tell them “a message”, an event, or an object they must describe without using their words. Ideally, it’s something not too simple and not too complicated, like landing a parachute, running from bees, or catching a big fish. Alternatively, you can show it yourself.

The last person then asks the next person in line to turn back and shows the activity without any words. Team members will “pass the message” until the first person in line “receives the message” and has to guess what it is.

Office Tower

There are two sections to this game. First, give your team members instructions to go around the office and retrieve any random object—paper and other team members' personal belongings excluded.

Now, with everything they have collected, your team members will be constructing a tower. Here, the simple rule is that each subsequent object must be positioned on top of the previous one. Each team member is limited to placing their object; they are unable to touch or modify others. On the other hand, teammates can request that other teammates reposition their items within a tower.

Should the tower fall, even just a little bit, your team will have to start over from scratch. Objects can be arranged in any order on each try.

Your group members must collaborate in order to make a decision.

To choose the proper arrangement for the objects, assist one another in placing the objects more effectively, and other tasks, your team members must cooperate. Through this exercise, team members learn how to work together, confront uncertainty, and accept failure.

Hosted Holiday

You are a skilled project organizer. Have you ever attempted to plan a work party as a project?

The majority of holidays can be transformed into a fun occasion to plan a team party with mini-games, trivia, and lighthearted conversation topics. These are a fantastic substitute for ill-thought-out company get-togethers.

Who can arrange everything, is the question. Okay, let your teammates handle that. Even better, turn it into a project. Even Trello and Asana can be used to enhance process organization.

Divide a party into its constituent parts. Assign leaders to creative teams. You are familiar with the procedure. To begin with, each party is made up of a few essential elements:

Host(s)

Games

Location and props

Someone on your team who is outspoken can become a great host, and if you want, you can even make a team poll that will identify the most fitting candidates for that role.

Next, games. Quizzes and mini-games can be designed by creative members of your team or collected by researchers. Again, the best ideas can be voted on. Simply put together people from several departments, assign a creative leader, and you have a roaster of mini-games.

Locations and props will depend on whether you want to hold a party in the office or remotely.

Make sure everyone is involved. Alternatively, form a smaller team that will organize a party for the entire company.

Caterpillar Race

The Caterpillar Race, sometimes referred to as the "balloon train," is a real game that helps your team practice communication, strategy, and time management.

A group comprising a minimum of four individuals forms a line and positions a circular item, like a ball or balloon, in between each pair of individuals positioned adjacent to one another. The object is to advance as a group without holding balloons in place with your hands.

The goal of the game is where it gets interesting. You can break into two teams and make them compete with each other on who gets faster to the finish line, but there’s also a way to make this game a more unifying experience. You can make your team members compete not with each, but with time, by simply posing a deadline, e.g. reaching from one end of the room to another in 30 seconds.

Group Juggle

For both new and seasoned teams looking to strengthen their bonds, Group Juggle is an incredibly entertaining team-building activity.

Ask everyone to raise their hand as you assemble them in a big circle. Call out the name of the first random person you drop a ball to. That person lowers their hand and continues passing the ball in the same way. Permit the ball to go through each person.

This is the exciting part now.

Ask your group to pass the ball in the same sequence now, without lifting a hand. Now add another ball a few seconds after the first one that goes in the same order. In reverse order, add the third ball that the team needs to pass. Pass each of the three balls at once now. Ask your group to pass a token from person on the left to the person on the right. Now instruct everyone to work as quickly as they can. Include as many different versions as you can.

Your team's ability to support one another when others fail, rely on one another, and level of trust among members will all be put to the test by a number of the games and activities on the list.

The exercises in this article are designed to make you and your team happy and, most importantly, to change for the better.