Employee bonding and team collaboration are at the heart of every organization’s success. It’s not a mystery that employees who work well together do better. The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts as ideas flow and cooperation flourishes, producing much more impactful outcomes than if each team member worked independently.
Summer is the ideal occasion to get your crew outdoors and explore exciting ways to grow as a team. The world is vast, with opportunities to bond and encourage collaboration away from the confines of an office.
We’d like to offer inspiration for getting your crew out and about, fostering camaraderie among your employees. Take a look at some of these fun and exciting outdoor team-building activity ideas we’ve come up with to get you and your employees out into the open air.
1. GPS treasure hunt
Set your team on an outdoor team-building adventure with Digital City Team Adventures. With the latest GPS technology, you and your crew will find your way through hidden checkpoints, locking in on mystery locations to accumulate points.
This exciting excursion helps build teamwork through strategy and cooperation. It creates engagement through communication, and everyone will have a blast.
2. Outdoor paint night
Get your team outside – it can be on the company campus or a local park. Set up easels and bust out the pigments for an outdoor paint nite. Our Thriver-trusted provider will ship paint kits to you and join you for a virtual instructional tour so you can paint your own original work of art.
Not only does engaging in an artistic endeavor alleviate stress and reduce the chance of burnout, but it’s also a fantastic way for your team to socialize as they look over each other’s work. A night of painting will build your work friends’ skills and ignite their imaginations.
3. Charity car wash
Poll your crew to find out the most popular charity at your company. Involve your team in the planning, then put together a weekend car wash. Vehicles can ease into your parking lot for $5 or $10 a scrub, and you and your team can make them sparkle and shine. If you don’t have a parking lot of your own, reach out to a local business that has one and shuts down for the weekend. Many companies are more than happy to lend you use of their lot for a good cause.
A charity car wash gives your crew a common cause to work for. Working side-by-side outdoors enhances social connections while working together to plan the event builds teamwork and communication. Break out a boom box and listen to tunes while you clean the cars, and give each other a spritz with the hose to keep cool.
4. Survivor-style challenges
Split your employees into tribes and compete in the Corporate Survivor challenge, modeled after the iconic TV reality show. Groups participate in a series of contests, with the winners of one competition awarded an advantage for the next in the series. The challenge is packed with twists and turns along the way, as each tribe earns points and perks.
This series of outdoor team-building games promotes skill-building, strategy, and teamwork. It’s the perfect activity for companies that have a healthy competitive spirit.
5. Build a bike for charity
Work toward a common goal to help support children in need with the a team charity bike building challenge. Your company will work in teams while they compete in challenges to earn parts and tools for their group. As groups gain their needed resources, they plan and build a bicycle.
The two-hour challenge engages your crew in a public-spirited outdoor activity that encourages team-building and fosters a shared vision. Working together to earn the necessary pieces and engaging in bicycle assembly builds resource-management and strategic planning skills.
6. Cardboard boat-building challenge
Choose a lake, pond, or pool and gather your scallywags for a sea-faring adventure – of sorts. Try your hand at an unusual and fun outdoor group activity with the build and race cardboard boats. You and your employees will have a blast following a selected design and using provided materials to build a sea-worthy vessel. After you’re done, put it to the test in a race to the finish on the open water.
This boat-building and sailing adventure allows your crew to bond as a group while building their resource-management skills and exercising their creativity. This activity will grow team collaboration and give them memories that’ll last a lifetime.
7. Outdoor vision board workshop
Take your virtual seminar outside. Find a shady spot and engage in the vision boards workshop. Your team will work together to create a board to reflect their unified vision for their company.
This workshop connects with your employees’ sense of who they are personally and professionally. It helps to reaffirm individual and team roles in the workplace and realign your organization’s mission.
8. Scavenger hunt at your local zoo
Get your party planning committee together and throw this idea their way. Compile a list of realistically obtainable items and get your employees into teams of three, or four, or more. Head to your local zoo for a company scavenger hunt. The first team to acquire all of the items – or the team to acquire the most items within a time limit – wins a company trophy or some other recognition award.
Not only are scavenger hunts a great time to be had by all, but this outside team-building activity also bonds your employees and fosters an atmosphere of collaboration.
Here are a few ideas of items you can hunt down:
- Photo of a teammate shaking hands with a zookeeper
- A cup or food container with the zoo logo on it
- A feather
- A ticket stub
- Picture of a yawning animal
- Find and appropriately discard 5 or more pieces of litter – pictures, or it didn’t happen.
- A map, informational flier, or pamphlet related to the zoo or animals
A scavenger hunt of any type is always a good idea. You don’t have to go to the zoo to enjoy the fun. Other fun options could include a museum, a state park, or just around the office.
9. Meditation outside
There’s no argument that meditation is a great way to relax and rid yourself of stress. The Sound Bath + Meditation virtual session is the perfect activity to take outside and give your workers a mental break. Your host guides you through guided visualization and immerses you in soothing sound waves.
Meditation gives you more profound levels of focus and clarity. It improves sleep and is the perfect tool to combat burnout and stress. After each session, your team will be able to tackle the week refreshed and ready to go.
10. Outdoor lunch
Head outside to a local park or company campus and treat yourselves to sandwiches in the park. With options ranging from classic subs to international fare, you can get the best sandwiches your group likes.
Get your sandwiches how you want them, brought straight to your location. Extra sauce? Hold the onions? Not a problem – a trusted Thriver-vetted provider will bring it to you just as you ask.
11. Yoga in the open air
Gather the team together for a unifying experience with corporate yoga classes. Take a yoga mat, tablet, or laptop outside and partake in this 45-minute virtual team-bonding workshop.
Yoga lets you step away from stress and into a calmer mind and more relaxed body. The exercises and principles of this outdoor group activity help increase energy and improve physical health.
12. Food tour adventure
Gather your crew and go for a walk through your local restaurant district. Make a plan to stop at a different place for each of your meal courses. Take a walk together and have a four-course meal at four separate establishments.
Make your way to a local sit-down restaurant or food truck for appetizers, then move to a specialty ethnic place to get your entrees. Next, sashay to a nearby bakery or artisanal ice cream shop to indulge in some decadent desserts. Top it off with a tasty beverage at a friendly lounge or bar. Your group will get to know each other through lively conversation as you walk and eat.
13. Team hike
Get back to nature and enjoy a group hike. Gather your hiking gear, slip into some good walking shoes or hiking boots, and meet at a state or regional park. Many parks are known for their hiking trails, and there’s sure to be one within driving distance of your locality.
Hiking is a wonderful way to connect with the elements and each other. Taking a walk in the woods actually eases stress and inspires positivity. Doing so as a group provides a shared experience and enhances team bonding.
If you can’t find an event in your area, check out our marketplace. One of our culture experts would love to help you find a similar nearby fun outdoor activity that fits your company’s team-building vision.
Growing worker-friendly company culture is our passion. Employees who enjoy their workplace have more to offer their company, and Thriver is here to help you along every step toward magnifying your team’s workplace experience. An outdoor team-building adventure is just the experience to enhance the work lives of your teammates.
