While winter is a dreamy time full of hot chocolate, cozy sweaters, and magical snow showers for many, the shorter daylight hours, reduced sunlight levels, and freezing temperatures can make it mentally challenging for others. As the days get colder, now is a great time to brainstorm ideas to keep your team’s morale high during the upcoming months.
If you’re not sure where to start, no problem; the Thriver platform is full of ideas to keep everyone’s spirits high this season. We’ve gathered a list of our top 20 winter team-building activities that we’re confident will lift your team’s moods, no matter their interests, time availability, or work locations.
Keep reading to find a team-building activity everyone will love this winter!
10 Virtual Winter Team Building Activities
Your team may be working remotely, but they can still grow closer and enjoy group activities this winter. Many of these suggestions simply require a Zoom link plus a few simple items, so all your coworkers have to do is show up, and the hosts will take care of the rest!
Winter Holiday Party
This virtual get-together is full of fun games and mini-challenges designed to get everyone laughing and build warm connections, making it a perfect activity for team bonding this winter. Sign up your coworkers, grab your wildest holiday sweaters, and let the fun begin!
Book a Winter Holiday Party here.
Winter Game Night
Sure, you’ve attended game nights before, but have you ever tried them with professional entertainers? If not, prepare to be blown away. Level up your team’s office games this winter with three holiday-themed competitions, including Survey Says, Word Puzzler, and an Internet Scavenger Hunt!
Sign up for a Winter Game Night here.
Peppermint Mocha and Chill
Looking for a winter team building activity that’s fun but low energy? Gather your coworkers and get step-by-step guidance from expert baristas who will show you how to brew the perfect Peppermint Mocha from home. Once the beverages are ready, everyone can simply sip, chat, and chill. Perfect for a cold winter evening!
Book your Peppermint Mocha and Chill session here.
Mafia Christmas: Grinch vs. Whoville
You might be thinking: “Um… what?”
But if your coworkers don’t rave about this team-building activity this December, we’ll be shocked. This is a fun psychological game where the town of Whoville must resist the Grinch’s efforts to turn everyone into a villain. Members of Whoville must uncover and stop every Grinch in disguise by calling out their bluff. It’s the only way to save Christmas!
Sign up for a Mafia Christmas game session here.
Improv Team Building Workshop
Another fantastic winter work activity is building your team’s communication and collaboration skills with a series of icebreakers, word association games, and other exercises they can use to learn about one another. This workshop is led by improv professionals who know how to start and keep a good conversation going, so your team will be in good hands.
Sign up for an Improv Team Building Workshop here.
Laughing & Bonding Comedy Show
If your team members enjoy famous entertainers like Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, and David Letterman, they will love this event. The comedian hosts have appeared on every one of these shows and many more. All your team has to do is fill out a short pre-event survey to provide the hosts with some material and show up, ready for a hoot!
Book a Laughing & Bonding comedy show here.
Battle of the Bands
Be amazed as your team transforms into an incredible amateur band even if everyone sings Happy Birthday off-key! All participants are welcome whether they have instruments at home or just their (good or bad) voices. In just two hours, everyone will learn how to sing and play hit songs as groups, a memory they’ll cherish for a long time to come.
Sign up for a Battle of the Bands session here.
Baking
If you want to plan some fun winter team-building activities for January when the holidays are all over, baking’s a great way to go. It’s never the wrong time of year to make a classic apple pie. Sign your team up to learn how to create this sweet treat in an afternoon. Once they take a bite, they’ll feel the winter blues melt away.
Sign up to make a holiday pie here.
Watercolor Holiday Cards
Card making is another fantastic team-building idea for this winter. This workshop is perfect for those who don’t have a natural artistic streak (which is pretty much most of us). Your team will master some basic watercolor techniques they can use to design gorgeous holiday cards for their friends and families.
The best part is, these watercolor skills are transferable, so your colleagues can also make cards as a team-building activity in February when Valentine’s Day rolls around. Let’s get crafty!
Learn how to make Watermark Holiday Cards here.
Holiday Preserves
Sign your team up to bond over sourcing, cooking and canning fresh fruits. Everyone can do this activity just for fun or use it as an opportunity to make a thoughtful gift for a loved one at home. Plus, once they master the art of jam making, they’ll never need to get the store-bought stuff packed with harmful ingredients again!
Learn how to make Holiday Preserves here.
10 In-Person Winter Team Building Activities
You can also easily turn many of our virtual team-building events into in-person winter office activities with a virtual host. Here are some of our top recommendations, along with some other ideas:
Lunch & Learn
For another low-key winter work activity, organize a lunch and learn where everyone can level up their knowledge on an important topic while chowing down on some delicious food. If you’re not sure which subjects to pick, check out these ideas for professional development.
Order some corporate catering for your lunch and learn here.
Community Volunteering
While the ultimate objective is to boost morale and have fun with your team activities this winter, we also recommend making it a goal to give back to your community in the process. Whether it’s serving food to the homeless or working with the youth, there’s somewhere your coworkers can make a difference.
Click here to find volunteering opportunities for your team.
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Take your winter group games outdoors by organizing a scavenger hunt in a park. Want to keep it winter-themed? Create a list of scavenger hunt items like snowflakes, animal tracks, pinecones, and other season-related stuff!
Hiking & Games
There’s nothing like hiking while the air is clear, cool and crisp. Gather everyone to explore local trails or organize outdoor winter games for groups, like snow sledding down a hill or ice hockey on a frozen lake.
Paint Night
This is a super fun activity, even if none of your coworkers feel like they have an artistic bone in their bodies. Allow professional artists to guide you through some painting exercises while you bond with your work buddies.
Sign up for a Paint Night here.
Christmas Murder Mystery
The lights flicker off, and an eerie gurgling noise sounds through the darkness before the lights turn on once again. Who murdered Ebenezer Scrooge? It’s up to your team members to solve the mystery!
Sign up for a Christmas Murder Mystery here.
Classic Cocktail Workshop
Lift your team’s spirits this winter with this classic cocktail workshop. After you select a base spirit for your group, the hosting mixologist will craft three special beverages for everyone to savour while learning about each drink’s origin.
Sign up for a Classic Cocktail Workshop here.
Gourmet Coffee Tasting
You might enjoy coffee, but did you know there’s an art and story behind every cup? This workshop is the perfect opportunity to gain a new appreciation for the beverage. Your team can learn how coffee’s grown, what professional brewing means, and techniques to take their coffee-making skills to new heights.
Book a Gourmet Coffee Tasting session here.
Chocolate Tasting
On a similar note, eating chocolate is an even more blissful experience once you understand the expertise and tender loving care that goes into making it. In this workshop, an international chocolate judge will share the origins of chocolate and guide your team through a glorious tasting session.
Book a Chocolate Tasting session here.
Skating Rink
Lastly, few things are more magical than ice skating during the winter. You can simply cruise leisurely with your team across an ice rink, or for a fun twist, get creative by organizing friendly competitions with prizes. Just make sure to wear protective gear in case anyone falls!
Let the Winter Fun Begin
There you have it: 20 of our top recommended winter-themed team-building activities, whether your coworkers work onsite or remotely. With these ideas up your sleeve, winter doesn’t have to be a downer for anyone on your team. Which of these activities are you going to try first? Let us know on social media!