Fun Committee: 20 Activity Ideas for Playing as a Team!

Build team morale by having fun and playing games together.

Teams that play together, stay together!

Throughout the lifetime of CheckpointEHR, our team has realized that if we’re going to work together for 40+ hours each week, we need to create intentional spaces to loosen up, get to know each other, laugh, and play some games.

Taking physical and mental breaks to connect with your coworkers and do something fun has several benefits, such as:

• Driving employee engagement and morale
• Team building
• Strengthening relationships
• Supporting a healthy culture
• Encouraging playful competition
• Improving communication skills
• Understanding coworker idiosyncrasies and personalities
• Creating bridges across departments
• Making memories

It’s important to remember these are both goals and requirements for times of play. Not every game or activity is going to land the same way with each team, so make sure to gather feedback from the team, gauge each person’s interests and temperaments, and try out different “flavors” of play until you land on one that works best for the group.

Again, game-time will have the reverse effect if people aren’t able to decompress, enjoy, and detach their minds from work. When done well, playing as a team is a light-hearted break from chipping away at tasks and projects, but when done poorly, it has the potential to become a frustration and burden on team members who just want to get back to work (ouch!).

For Checkpoint, we’ve created some great experiences (especially due to the leadership of Kiara Wilson) by:

• Having a “Fun Committee” channel on Teams
• Setting up a regular cadence for company-wide activities (30min games every 2 weeks)
• Attaching activities to the beginning or end of Friday lunches
• Polling the team for different ideas
• Thinking outside the box
• Establishing a monthly activity budget
• Playing games at company onsite/ offsite retreats
• Welcoming the silliness and laughter (because life’s too short not to!)

When it comes to having fun as a team, don’t try to overdo it off the bat. It takes time to blend playfulness into your culture (and budget), but by making the intentional effort and incorporating your team’s ideas, you will start discovering what it looks like to play together as a team.

Need some fun ideas to get you started?

 

For Remote Teams:

1. Online Escape Rooms – A fun team-building challenge!
2. Two Truths and a Lie – Each person will share 2 things about themselves that’s true, and one that isn’t, and everyone has to guess which one is the lie.
3. “Guess Who” – Have every team member submit fun facts about themselves (in general or on specific themes, like favorite movies) to the selected moderator. The moderator will read each out, and the team has to write down their guess. The person with the most right at the end wins!
4. Music Bingo – How well do you know the names of different songs and artists? We’re about to see as you play excerpts of each one to see if you can fill out your Bingo card first!
5. Show & Tell – It was our favorite thing to do as kids, why stop now! Have each person bring something to show and allot a few minutes to tell the backstory to it.
6. Charades – Here’s your chance to act on camera!
7. Team Happy Hour – Time to pull out your favorite drinks and decompress as a team at the end of a productive workday.
8. Virtual Games – Have a favorite card or board game? Chances are, you can find it in a virtual format that you can play over Zoom.
9. Scavenger Hunt – Create a list of items for team members to find in their homes and show on camera. Want to get more competitive? Turn it into a relay race!
10. Grounding & Meditation – Need something a little less active? Try doing some guided breath and body work as a team.

 

For In-Person Teams:

11. Card and Board Games – Whether you like silly or strategic, have everyone bring their favorite game to the office and vote on which one to play.
12. Coffee or Lunch Outings – Get out of the office and enjoy a local coffee shop or restaurant together.
13. Sports Games – Have a local college or professional sports team you follow? Head out for an afternoon or evening at the ballgame!
14. Arcade – Whether over skee-ball or a racing simulator, you’re never too old for an arcade.
15. Start a Company Garden – You can pot some plants or go all out on a raised bed, just enjoy growing new life together.
16. Book Club – Pick a book everyone will enjoy and let it lead to good conversations.
17. Karaoke – Time to pull out the microphone and see who has the best (and perhaps worst) voice on stage. It’s all about getting into the song!
18. Family Picnic – Enjoy a day at the park with family, pets, a basket of food, and a frisbee.
19. Trivia Night – Head out to a local sports bar for some trivia or play a DIY version at the office.
20. Team Yoga – Need something a little more relaxing (but still stretching)? Bring your own yoga mat to work and go through a 15-30min practice together.

 

There are countless ways your team can enjoy time together. Stay open-minded, be creative, and don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember, it’s time to have some fun!