20 Fun & Easy Outdoor Team Building Activities & Games

Do you want to get out with the team and build camaraderie while enjoying some fresh air? In this guide, we'll take you through the best outdoor team building activities and outdoor events for team building to try with your company.

In this article, we share twenty fun team-building exercise ideas and outdoor team building games for large groups or small teams that are for the great outdoors. Read on and see which ones you and your team might want to try out.

But before that, let's discuss team building activities and why they matter.

What are Team Building Activities?

One of the best ways to get everyone to start bonding and getting to know each other on a personal level or build trust within the team is to provide a change in scenery. Team building activities work for new teams or old ones too. Through a series of these challenges, teams improve problem solving skills and help the whole team to see the beauty of working together towards a common goal.

Why You Should Run Outdoor Team Building Activities

Whether it be a trip to a state park or even a national park or national forest, simple outdoor activities in your local parks, rock climbing, a river adventure, horseback riding, treasure hunts, obstacle courses, a field day, team outings, and so on; These are all fabulous outdoor adventures and activities for you and your team.

When we constantly see someone in the exact same context and situation every single time, it’s very easy to fall into the mindset that the person is defined solely by their role and responsibilities. The goal of a team building activity or set of activities is to get people to realize that they play a bigger part in achieving more.

Just think of the first time you saw a teacher outside of school and were utterly shocked that they actually had a life outside of school grounds. That's how team building activities help companies as well— it opens our eyes to a whole new world of team work.

If your team is working remotely at the moment then you should check out our best virtual team building games and activities for remote teams. In there you'll find 100 ideas with instructions that you can try with your newly remote team.

Fun Outdoor Team Building Activities to Try Out

Here's a look at some of the most fun outdoor team building activities you can try out with your team.

1. Egg Drop

Objective: Creative problem solving and improving team collaboration

Participants: 4 to 20 people

Duration: 20 to 30 minutes

Difficulty: Hard

Materials: Carton of eggs and building materials (e.g., newspaper, balloons, string, etc)

Everyone loves throwing stuff out of a building, if they say they aren’t interested then they’re a liar.

A schoolyard classic, this is a fun game that tests everyone’s problem-solving and teamwork skills, and you get to throw things off the roof!

Instructions

1. Gather a carton of eggs and simple building materials (e.g., newspapers, balloons, string, cardboard, masking tape etc).

2. Divide your team into two teams or more. Ensure that you have small groups working together. We recommend having a group size of no more than three to five people. Evenly distribute the materials to every group.

3. The challenge is for every group to construct a carrier in 20 to 30 minutes that’ll allow for an egg to be dropped off the roof of the building (or a two-story window if you work in a skyscraper) without breaking. Have each team take turns dropping the carrier. Whoever completes the challenge without breaking the eggs first wins the game.

• Top tip: Make sure you avoid this team activity on a hot day as no one enjoys the smell of rotting eggs in the parking lot.

2. Team Sports

Objective: To improve communication Skills, Team Bonding, Confidence Building & Improving Collaboration

Participants: 5 to 50 people

Duration: 1 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Materials: Depends on the game

Ahh… the joys of school sports day. A day with no lessons, out on the sports field, the sun shining and you’re in friendly competition with your best mates. It brings back happy memories even now.

So, why not bring this euphoric moment back to life with a friendly, and fast-paced and fun activity?

Instructions

This is one of the most self-explanatory activities out there.

Simply set up your own sports day by dividing your group into different teams, and making them compete in different sports.

Whether it's soccer, volleyball or even dragon boat racing, a little friendly competition and physical activity is a fun way of encouraging communication and collaboration between your great team members.

All you really need is a large enough space to play your sport of choice and it’s game on.

Top tip: Make sure you take into consideration the type of sport you choose, as well as the physical abilities and personalities of your group as people who aren't naturally athletic, might feel embarrassed or humiliated, and others who are extremely competitive can make it uncomfortable for everyone involved.

3. Charity Events

Objective: Team Bonding & Get To Know One Another

Participants: 5 - 500

Duration: Anywhere between a couple of hours to a couple of weeks

Difficulty: Easy

Materials: None

With experts in Britain and Canada noticing that people who support charities are much happier; and with studies finding that happier employees are far more cooperative within teams, we cannot recommend this team-building event highly enough.

Instructions

Again, another activity with very simple instructions.

Simply, get the team together to volunteer at a local charity together. It is a great way to give your team the opportunity to give back and learn more about each other in the process. It also brings the team group members out of their comfort zone by learning to get out of their way to help others.

Whether it’s spending a few hours at a soup kitchen, helping out a nonprofit, or reading to kids at a hospital, volunteering not only helps your team feel more connected with each other but to their community as well.

To help you look for volunteering work that you and your team can get behind, make sure to check out sites like Idealist, All for Good, VolunteerMatch and Catchafire.

4. Scavenger Hunts

Objective: To work in teams to collect objects from around the office

Participants: 15 to 40 people

Duration: 10 to 15 minutes

Difficulty: Medium

Materials: A list of object that can be found in the office

If you’re able to set aside at least a few hours for employee orientation, then it’s highly recommended that you try out this fun and engaging team building activity.

We love scavenger hunts because it is a great and engaging way to introduce new staff into the workplace and get a feel for their new job.

Not only does it encourage collaboration and interaction, it’s also an activity that all personality types can enjoy.

Instructions

1. Break everyone into small groups of four or five.

2. Give each group a shortlist of things to find within the office (e.g., a hole punch, tea bags, a pink pen…).

3. Set the clock for 5 minutes and instruct the teams to find as many of the things on the list as possible. Team members must come up with their own strategy of gathering as many items on the list. That way, people work together to ideate, not just execute.

4. The winning team is the team that has the most stuff from the list collected.

• Top tip: In order to spice things up a little further, you should add a small incentive for the winning team.

5. Team Tic-Tac-Toe

Objective: Improving Collaboration, Decision Making, Confidence Building & Communication Skills

Participants: 5 - 10 people

Duration: 15 to 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials: Eight bean bags and nine cones/hoops

Often used as a warm-up drill for sports teams around the world, this activity also has the side benefit of being an excellent team-building game that gives everyone a chance to shine while working together as a team.

Personally, we love it so much because it's active and is guaranteed to get everyone's heart racing.

Instructions

1. Divide everyone into two equal lines.

2. Set up cones in a three-by-three grid a few yards away from the players.

3. Each member of the team must place their respective beanbag on one of the cones and then runs back and tags the next person in the line, who places their bean bag and runs back. And so on and so forth.

4. Run as many rounds of this game as you’d like and feel free to mix it up by adding in an extra challenge like having to dribble a soccer ball for example.

6. Hole in Many

Objective: Communication Skills & Improving Collaboration

Participants: 4 - 12 people

Duration: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials: A tarpaulin and some tennis balls

The aim of the game is to keep the tennis ball from falling through any of the holes for as long as possible. This is a great game as it practices your team's ability to effectively communicate with each other; which is important because studies have found that teams with effective communication are more competent.

Instructions

1. Find (or buy) an old tarpaulin and cut some holes in it.

2. Instruct everybody to grab a corner of a tarpaulin and stretch it out between them so that everyone is in a circle.

3. Place a tennis ball in the tarpaulin - the aim of the game is to keep the tennis ball from falling through any of the holes for as long as possible.

4. To make it even more challenging, you can cut a few more holes in the tarp or add a few more tennis balls as the time limit goes by.

7. Fear Factor

Objective: To promote teamwork, trust, patience and creativity

Participants: 5 - 10 people

Duration: 10 to 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials: Pen and paper for each team

Fear factor is a great team building activity because it gets everyone involved and thinking outside of the box. We personally love it because it’s fun, tests everyone’s ability and encourages cooperation.

Try to be mindful of the challenges. Don't make them too dangerous, intimidating, or hard. Remember that the goal is to promote trust, teamwork, patience, and creativity.

Instructions

1. Split your group into teams, we recommend having no more than three to six players per team.

2. Each team must come up with six challenges that they can accomplish and win.

3. The team coming up with the challenge must be able to do the challenge before they can add it to the list for another group to attempt to accomplish. We suggest encouraging challenges like Physical challenges (such as each member of the team jumping a rope ten times without tripping or stopping), non-physical challenges (such as having to sing happy birthday in Spanish), or 'gross’ challenges (such as eating ice cream with ketchup).

4. After 5 minutes, get the group to hand in their list.

5. Call out challenges, the team (or teams) who did not create the challenge have a chance to do it. If they successfully do it, they get a point.

6. Go through all the challenges, whichever team finishes on the most points wins.

8. Team Mall

Objective: To highlight individual strengths and creative thinking

Participants: 4 or more

Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Difficulty: Hard

Materials: A piece of butcher paper for each team member, paint, brushes, water and newspaper

This team building activity appeals to us because it is creative, fun and allows everyone to express things they personally value. In return, it promotes trust and a sense of cohesion within teams.

Instructions

1. Give everyone the equipment that they need.

2. Instruct them to create a storefront and in the storefront, they should draw things that represent them.

3. The storefront should contain items that represent their positive aspects and skills.

4. Once dried, turn the room into a ‘team mall’ by hanging all the pieces of paper on the walls.

5. Get each team member to explain their stall and why they put what they put on it.

9. The Emotional Bus

Objective: Learning to express emotions

Participants: 6 or more (in pairs)

Duration: 20 or more minutes

Difficulty: Hard

Materials: Two chairs and paper slips

This team building activity is one of our favourites because it promotes effective management of emotions; which research has shown to increase performance - especially in virtual teams.

Instructions

1. Before you start the game, write down different emotions on slips of paper.

2. Invite the first pair up to select an emotion each (so two are selected). It is important that no other pair sees their emotion.

3. Give the pair a scenario (e.g., they are waiting for the bus). The pair then has three minutes to act out a scene which must use the emotion they are given.

4. The rest of the group must then guess what emotion each pair was acting out.

5. Invite the next pair up and repeat.

10. What's Your Fortune?

Objective: Giving your team a motivational boost

Participants: 4 or more

Duration: 20 to 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials: Fortune cookies

Everyone loves to cook (well, most people do), so a nice activity for you to do is to bake some fortune cookies for all your team. To make it more beneficial, add writing to make the fortune cookies so that you can understand what your team members want. Alternatively, you can just buy fortune cookies or ask a local supplier to create them for you.

When possible, add your own fortune or goodwill quotes in the cookies. Here are some good examples:

• "Together in work, united in purpose."

• "Each task we do is a stitch in the fabric of our collective success."

• "A helping hand at work lights the way for all."

• "In the symphony of work, every role is vital."

• "Lift as you climb, for teamwork makes the dream work."

• "Work not just for the goal, but for the journey and the souls beside you."

• "Your dedication today becomes our shared success tomorrow."

• "Every challenge at work is a new story of collaboration waiting to unfold."

• "The best projects are built with heartbeats, not just hands."

• "In the tapestry of work, every thread matters. Thank you for being a vital part."

• "The ripples of your hard work touch shores you might never see."

• "Every hand at work weaves a tale of progress and partnership."

• "Your passion and dedication light up our collective path."

• "The best teams find joy in the journey, not just the destination."

• "In the garden of achievement, it's teamwork that makes the dream flourish."

• "Your efforts today shape our shared legacy tomorrow."

• "Our daily grind becomes a dance when we move in harmony."

• "Hard work plants seeds; goodwill nurtures them to blossom."

• "Shared goals, shared dreams: here's to our unbeatable team."

• "Your contribution is not just in tasks done but in spirits lifted."

Instructions

1. Find a cookie recipe online to complete this task.

2. Add your own fortunes and positive affirmations in these cookies for the group to answer.

More Team Building Activities & Games

11. Raft Building

Teams are given basic materials (like barrels, ropes, and wooden planks) and are challenged to build a raft that can float and carry their team. This activity promotes problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity.

12. Tug-of-War

This is a classic game where two teams compete to pull a rope past a marker. This activity helps in fostering teamwork and physical strength.

13. Blindfolded Obstacle Course

In this outdoor team building activity, team members guide a blindfolded colleague through an obstacle course using only verbal instructions. This builds trust and effective communication.

14. Minefield

You create an area designated as the 'minefield' with various obstacles. Team members are blindfolded and must navigate through the minefield with the assistance of non-blindfolded teammates. This activity emphasizes trust, communication, and cooperation.

15. Rope Courses & Zip Lining

This activity involves adventure setups where participants navigate a series of physical challenges set up high in trees. This encourages team support,

trust, and conquering fears.

16. Human Knot

Everyone stands in a circle and reaches across to hold two different people’s hands. The group then tries to untangle themselves without letting go of hands. This promotes problem-solving and teamwork.

17. Capture the Flag

Two teams compete to capture the other's flag, usually hidden in their territory. This game fosters strategy, teamwork, and physical activity.

18. Sandbox Bridge Building

Teams use sandbox materials (like sand, pebbles, and twigs) to construct a bridge. The challenge can be to make the longest, most stable, or creative bridge. This encourages innovation, collaboration, and competition.

19. Survivor Challenge

Teams are given a series of challenges that they need to solve to "survive" on an island (or a designated area). Tasks might include making shelter, finding food (via clues), and other survival tactics. This simulates problem-solving, cooperation, and strategic thinking.

20. Tower of Babel

Teams are tasked with building the tallest structure they can using a limited set of materials (like straws, paper, and tape). However, each team member is only allowed to communicate in a designated “language” (e.g., only using gestures, or only using certain words). This emphasizes the importance of clear communication and collaboration under constraints.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these team-building activities safe?

Yes! But anything can come at a risk, be careful and if certain people don't want to participate it's okay. We suggest voting on which activity you do as a group, so everyone has a say in it.

Do you have any indoor team building activities?

Absolutely we do! Our list of indoor team building activities will have you and your team laughing and motivated.

Conclusion

And there you have it. Those are our favourite outdoor team building activities. We hope you've liked our list and that you find some games and activities to try out for your outdoor team building day.

Are you planning an indoor team building activity? Maybe this list of indoor team building activities will suit your event well. Remote teams can also check out these virtual team building activities.

All the best, and keep team building!