Growing a healthy, cohesive and productive team doesn’t have to be overwhelming; part of the secret is simply bringing everyone together regularly to give them a chance to bond and blow off some steam! While regularity matters, it’s also important to spice things up so that your team stays engaged over the long haul. Looking for a list of ideas to keep things interesting over the next few months? You’re in luck. Today’s article will highlight 20 indoor team-building activities you can plan at any time during the year.
Keep reading to explore our epic list of indoor team-building game ideas for your employees!
5 Statistics Backing the Benefits of Team Building
New studies prove that employee engagement drives business performance and improvement almost every year. For example, Gallup’s 2021 workplace study report links high employee engagement to several impressive workplace benefits, including:
- 18% higher productivity;
- 23% higher profitability;
- 66% higher employee wellbeing;
- 18-43%: lower turnover; and
- 81% lower absenteeism
Think about it! Your organization could improve in several areas simply by providing more opportunities for employees to get together and have fun in a relaxed setting. Plus, one of the best things about planning indoor office games for your employees is that weather conditions don’t generally hinder them, so you can prepare them without worrying about something you can’t control.
With that said, we’re sharing 20 indoor team-building ideas guaranteed to deliver loads of fun for your participants!
1. Bowling Party Night
The best thing about bowling is that anybody can participate in it regardless of skill level, which makes it a truly inclusive and fun indoor team-building activity.
Players can compete to accumulate the highest total score, or play the reverse by aiming for the lowest total score, where players aim to hit as few pins as possible at the end of the game. Participants can play as individuals (which is great for small teams) or split into two or more groups of 4-6 players each.
There are also several bowling styles to choose from: traditional style, backwards bowling (aka “granny”) style, freestyling, and many others. Regardless of your selected variation, you’ll need the following to plan your Bowling Party Night:
- A reservation at an indoor bowling venue
- At least two or more hours for your event (bowling is often a slow game)
- Food/snacks, drinks, etc. to enjoy (usually provided by dedicated bowling venues)
Located in Los Angeles?
Check out Team Bowling for a “done-for-you” experience.
2. Cooking Class Party
Let’s face it: inflation is biting hard these days! Most people could use more creative ways to stretch their resources, so there’s no better time to pick up more practical skills to help with that. That said, a cooking class is an excellent indoor team-building activity for employees to help team members learn how to craft delicious dishes together while practicing communication, collaboration and creative skills.
Consider having a series of cooking classes to help your employees build their skills over time, but in the meantime, kick things off with a Cooking Class Party! This activity has a lot of flexibility since you can have the class at your office or rent a kitchen. You can also ask for volunteers from your team, family, friends, or community to teach the lesson or hire a professional.
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Check out Pasta Making Class – Fresh Pasta 101, an interactive classic culinary activity featuring a real pasta chef!
3. Wine or Beer Tasting
Wine or beer tasting is another excellent indoor team-bonding activity since many people enjoy good conversation over an alcoholic beverage every now and again. Even people who don’t usually do so may not mind participating in a tasting activity. Here are some things to consider for your wine or beer tasting event:
- DIY your party in a dedicated boardroom at your office by purchasing various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
- Invite a brewer or winemaker to bring some samples and guide your team through the tasting process.
- Arrange a group tour of a local winery or brewery and sample their collection.
Consider having participants vote on their most preferred option. Regardless of the chosen option, plan some entertainment and snacks for everyone to enjoy! After all, what’s a party without great food and music?
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Check out this Wine Tasting NYC Long Island Winery Tour as a possible offsite wine tasting experience for your team.
4. Murder Mystery Party
Some of the best games include role-playing and problem-solving. Why? Because they are so much more engaging and immersive!
A murder mystery game guides participants through a storyline where everyone plays a detective, victim, or another role, sometimes with costumes and props for a more realistic effect. As the game progresses, participants must keep alert and find clues that could help them identify the “murderer” in the story. After the game, participants reveal their findings and conclusions before the host reveals the truth behind the mystery.
You can DIY a live Murder Mystery Party, organize an online game, or hire an organization to host your event on-site or virtually. Here are some things to keep in mind when DIYing a live Murder Mystery Party:
- Choose the venue.
- Pick a theme based on how many people will participate and shared interests.
- Create a storyline, solution and roles for each participant.
- Create and send invitations to your employees
- Arrange costumes and props for each character (or assign the characters to each participant and ask them to bring their own costumes and props)
- Plan the venue décor in line with your theme and storyline
- Plan some food and entertainment (you can also send snack boxes to participants if the event is virtual)
- Choose a host or two to facilitate and oversee the sequence of activities and make sure everything flows smoothly
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Check out Death &Taxes: An Office-Themed Murder Mystery Party so your team can kick back and enjoy while someone else does all the planning work!
5. Escape Room
An escape room is another fantastic indoor team game that draws on creative thinking, logic, leadership, teamwork and other skills that are directly beneficial in the workplace. It’s pretty simple: participants must “escape” from a locked room by solving tricky riddles and cracking codes within a given time limit. The only way to beat the game is for everyone to think critically and work together.
As always, you can check out tons of free and fee-based resources available to help you DIY your own Escape Room event or hire a service provider for a seamless experience.
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Check out Pop-Up Escape Room or Beat the Bomb – Brooklyn for an immersive thrill.
6. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Most office roles involve sitting for hours on end, so a scavenger hunt is the perfect indoor office game for getting employees to move, interact and explore as a team. There are several ways to go about this:
- Go for the classic scavenger hunt by hiding things around the office and having participants use clues to find them
- Provide a list of random items (like stationery of a particular color) to find from around the office
- Create a list of tasks to complete or riddles to solve
There are also no rules to stop you from combing various ideas and themes into one game!
Once you decide on the game format, consider if participants will play as individuals or in teams (a decision largely dependent on how many employees you have). When everyone is ready to play, gather your team, hand out the scavenger hunt instructions, and set a timer for the game. Once the time is up, choose the winner based on the most items found or tasks completed correctly.
Located in the Stoughton, Massachusetts Area?
Check out Nexus for an unforgettable treasure hunt experience.
7. Board Game Tournament
Board games are a classic and easy-to-plan indoor team-building activity for the workplace. One great thing about board games is the wide variety and playing styles available, so you are guaranteed to find options that suit your team.
All you need to host a board game tournament are:
- Several board game options (popular ones include Monopoly, Scrabble, Scattergories, Clue, Cranium, and so on)
- A spacious room with a table and chairs dedicated to each board game
- Food, snacks and beverages
The basic idea of a board game tournament is for participants to play a bunch of no-elimination, multi-round board games against each other. The team or individual earning the highest points from all events wins the tournament!
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Check out this Ping Pong Package for a high-energy, competitive indoor team-building game.
8. Magnetic Dart Game
You can’t go wrong with darts when looking for a classic indoor group activity. It can be slow-paced or high-energy, and the materials are easily accessible. Magnetic darts are very similar to the traditional dart game, except that the darts have magnetic flat/blunt tips, making them safer to use.
To play, you need:
- A magnetic dart board set
- A suitable office space allowing enough room to hang the dartboard and a decent distance for throwing darts
- Food, snacks and beverages
Located in New York City, New York Area?
If target games like darts sound exciting, up your team activity’s excitement factor with an Archery Introductory Class.
9. Ring Toss Challenge
Ring toss is another fun indoor team target game that highlights the importance of identifying and hitting targets to achieve a desired outcome.
To play this game, simply get your hands on a peg and some rings, and find a wide space to allow enough distance for throwing (approximately 10 feet or 3 meters away from the stake). You don’t even need to buy official ring toss equipment. Instead, you can improvise using a metal paper towel holder, a tall bottle filled with water or an empty bottle secured with tape as a peg or stake.
Players can take turns playing over several rounds, and the player or team with the highest number of successful tosses wins the challenge.
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Try Axe Throwing for another exciting target game variation.
10. Indoor Mini Golf
This indoor team-building activity for work provides an excellent opportunity for golf enthusiasts on your team to show off their skills and for the non-golf players to experience something new. This game’s objective is for players to try to get the ball into the hole in the fewest possible strokes or hits. In other words, the lowest number of strikes determines the winner at the end of the game.
Like most ideas on this list, there are several ways to approach this activity. You can head out to a dedicated mini-golf venue, hire a service provider to create an authentic experience, or DIY the event with low-cost materials from a craft store and online instructions.
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Check out Golf Simulator Event with a PGA Pro for a mini golf game hosted by a legit golf pro.
11. Go Kart Racing
While often enjoyed outdoors, this corporate team-building activity also works well for the indoors. If you have a thrill-loving team, book a spot at your local indoor kart racing facility and head out with your gang to pump some adrenalin and enjoy some lighthearted competition. Kart racing facilities usually cater to guests with varying skill levels, so encourage newbies not to let their lack of experience deter them!
If playing in teams, participants should take turns racing to ensure that everyone contributes to their team’s score. Be sure to keep score to determine the final Go Kart Racing Champ.
12. Indoor Museum Tour
For a unique and culturally immersive experience, try organizing a museum tour for your next indoor team-building activity. Simply round up your colleagues, head to a local museum, and explore exhibits educating on past, present, or even future topics. Also, consider doing a poll to guage your team’s interest areas (e.g. science, art, history, nature, etc.)
Located in New York City, New York Area?
Consider customizing your tour with a service like Custom Museum Tours, especially if you plan on visiting a large museum.
13. Don’t Smile
Despite the name, Don’t Smile is a hilarious team-building game perfect for indoor entertainment. To play Don’t Smile, gather everyone around into a circle. Then, ask them to stare at each other and keep staring without smiling. Whenever a person smiles or laughs, they are “out.” The others continue staring until only one person is left, who wins the challenge. While it may feel a little awkward, Don’t Smile is also a great icebreaker game that will have your team rolling in laughter.
Located in the Stoughton, Massachusetts Area?
Speaking of ice breakers, check out Boom Time as another collaborative indoor team-building game for your employees.
14. Magic Cane
Magic Cane is another fun activity for employees to play indoors that seems simple but is quite tricky. The participating teams receive a magic (or helium) stick, and their challenge for each group is to lower it to the ground using only their index fingers (i.e. no pinching, grabbing, or holding).
To play, you’ll need:
- A light bamboo cane or tent pole (1 per team)
- A group of 6-14 participants
First, split the group into two rows facing each other and ask everyone to raise their arms in front of them while pointing their index fingers. Then, balance the stick on the row of fingers (you may need to guide everyone to straighten their arms and fingers so that the stick lays horizontally). Finally, instruct everyone to carefully lower the stick to the ground without dropping it.
To successfully achieve the task, teams must cooperate, remain calm, and problem solve.
Located in New York City, New York Area?
If you enjoy trick-type games, sign your team up for a Magic Trick Workshop.
15. Crafts Party
Crafts are another great indoor team-building activity for the workplace because they don’t usually require a lot of space, and materials are often easy to find. Your team can get together and freestyle their craft session or take a class that requires them to make something specific, like cardboard gift boxes, hand-painted mugs, handmade notebooks, bookmarks, greeting cards, candles, chunky blankets, tie-dye shirts, and more. There’s no shortage of possibilities for this indoor team bonding activity!
Located in the Jersey City, New Jersey Area?
Check out Candles & Colleagues for a soothing, inspiring candle-making experience.
16. Paint and Sip Party
This event will bring your team together to create art while enjoying their favorite beverages in a relaxed atmosphere.
To plan a Paint and Sip Party for your team, consider engaging an artist to provide step-by-step instructions to participants on-site or virtually. Participants can then follow the instructions to recreate a featured piece of art. Provide wine and other beverages for the event, and organize some icebreaker activities to help create a more relaxed atmosphere.
Book your virtual or in-office Paint Party from one of our top rated providers.
After your Paint and Sip Party, encourage everyone to frame and display their painting at their workstations to remember the experience.
Located in Los Angeles, California Area?
Check out Silent Wine Disco & Sensory Wellness Bar for another indoor group activity that combines great music and beverages.
17. Mid-Day Fitness
Workouts make fantastic indoor team-building activities because they are relatively easy to organize and contribute to a team’s physical wellbeing. Consider offering group fitness classes at the office, run by staff volunteers or paid service providers. Also, instead of a one-time event, try making this a weekly event to provide regular stress relief opportunities for your team.
Located in the Beacon, New York Area?
Check out Vino-yasa, a group exercise activity available onsite (Beacon, NY) and virtually.
18. Tea and Coffee Game
This indoor group activity will help your team practice their memory while learning something new about each other! Everyone starts by sitting comfortably. Then, the person with the next upcoming birthday tells everyone whether they prefer tea or coffee and how they like it (milk, cream, sugar, sweetener, etc.) The next person repeats what the first person said and then adds their own preferences, and so on. If you have a large group, break everyone up into two or more smaller groups to make things more manageable. This is a great icebreaker game to loosen everyone up for a team meeting!
Located in the New York City or Brooklyn, New York Areas?
Gaiwan Brewing Technique is a perfect follow-up activity to your tea and coffee icebreaker game.
19. Team Meal
Few things truly get people together than a shared meal experience. Team meals make great indoor team-building activities for the workplace because they are easy to organize and everyone can participate. Host a potluck party, hire a caterer to come to your office, or plan a restaurant outing – there are so many options. Consider making this a recurring team event to bring everyone regularly.
Located in the New York City, New York Area?
Try the Corporate NYC Food Tour for an epic food-themed team event.
20. Indoor Volunteering
There’s nothing like a shared sense of purpose rooted in goodwill to foster camaraderie. This last indoor activity is great for team bonding and being socially responsible by giving back to the community. Here are some examples of volunteering activities:
- Preparing and serving food at a soup kitchen
- Sorting donations at a food bank
- Helping at a Habitat for Humanity
- Tutoring
- Making and donating items to donate to shelters, hospitals, and care homes
- Visiting a children’s hospital
- Organizing a fundraiser for charity
Remember: Team Building Takes Consistency
Building a successful team takes consistent effort, which means planning engaging activities regularly. While bringing your team together is often much easier during the summer when the weather is warm, creating opportunities for connecting throughout the year is also crucial. With that said, gathering a long list of indoor games for your employees will help you stay inspired.
