Games for Team & Employee Connection

Clay Games

• Divide your employees into teams of four or five and give each team a large package of clay. Have each team sit in a circle and have one player start holding the clay. Call out an item, such as cherries. The first player must begin shaping the clay like cherries until you blow the whistle. When you blow the whistle, the players must pass the clay to another teammate, who must continue sculpting the clay into cherries. Teammates must work together by sharing ideas as each player sculpts the clay. At the end of each round, the team who has the best-sculptured clay item wins the game. For a harder version of this game, blindfold all but one player from each team; this person must tell the other teammates how to sculpt the item.

Physical Games

• Have all the employees stand in a circle facing the back of the player in front of them. Tell them to sit slowly on the lap of the player behind them. If any player falls, they must start over. Players must work together to make this challenge work. For another physical game, have the players stand in the same formation. Place an inflated balloon between the back and stomach of each player. Tell everyone to walk without dropping any of the balloons. To make this a game, divide the employees into two teams. The first team who can do this activity for 30 seconds without dropping a balloon wins the game.

Paper Games

• Give each employee a blank sheet of paper. Tell the employees to close their eyes and hold the sheet in front of them. Call out several instructions, like "fold the paper in half," "tear off the right corner" and "fold the paper in half again." Have everyone open their eyes and look at all the differences in the paper. Discuss the differences and explain why employees need to learn two-way communication in a workplace. For another paper game, blindfold the employees and call out a random item that they must draw on a piece of paper. Compare the differences in each employee's picture.

Building Games

• Split the employees into groups of five or six. Give each team a bag of pretzels and a bag of large marshmallows. Tell the teams they have 15 minutes to work together to build the largest standing tower using only the items provided. The team with the tallest tower after 15 minutes wins the game. For a variation, give each team a roll of tape and wooden craft sticks.