20 Best Outdoor Team Building Activities You HAVE TO Try!

Teamwork makes dream work! For this reason we are listing 20 great outdoor team building activities that you can implement to remind your colleagues, together they can achieve epic triumphs!

Moreover, we will provide you with additional team building activities that you should implement with your remote employees and the benefits of team building for organizations and employees.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

20 Best Outdoor Team Building Activities

1. Treasure Hunt

• Number of people: Ideal for larger groups, can be adapted for smaller teams.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Problem-solving, teamwork, attention to detail, time management, creativity.

Outdoor group activities like a treasure hunt not only build camaraderie but also improve attention to detail and problem-solving skills. As a cherry on top, treasure hunts help us channel our inner kids and create memorable experiences.

Follow these steps to create an enjoyable treasure hunt experience for your colleagues:

1. Find an open space, such as a park or beach, and hide the clues.
2. You can opt for a theme that matches the vibe of the place. A fairy-themed treasure hunt can be great for a forest.
3. Decide on a rewarding treasure, perhaps a box of goodies or incentives that will motivate the teams to participate in the hunt.
4. Create a series of cryptic clues and prompts that lead from one to the next.
5. Hide the treasure in a secret place and make sure that the clues you give will lead teams to the treasure.
6. Divide your colleagues into smaller groups or teams.
7. Set a specific timeframe, like 30 minutes to one hour.
8. Start the activity. The first team to successfully locate the treasure within the allotted time will be the winner!

2. Outdoor Social Work With Coworkers

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: 2 to 4 hours.
• Skills developed: Team collaboration, social responsibility, unity, communication.

Outdoor social work with coworkers is one of the most noble team building activities outside of work because it allows employees to take part in charitable activities. It can be as simple as picking up trash or recycling bottles.

Below you can find how to implement this outdoor team building activity:

1. Give team members branded swag items, such as T-shirts or baseball caps. This will create a sense of unity among your colleagues. Furthermore, your team’s efforts will be more visible.
2. Choose a specific place to clean up such as a park, a beach, or any area that requires attention.
3. Instruct team members to pick up trash and collect plastic items for recycling.
4. Lastly, encourage your people to take it a step further by creating a campaign. They may design and distribute flyers to discourage littering and promote recycling within the community. Don’t forget to add that they can be creative with the campaign.

3. Animal Therapy

• Number of people: Can accommodate both small and large groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Stress relief, empathy, teamwork, communication.

Animals are pure and adorable. For this reason, they have a therapeutic effect on us. Therefore, this outdoor team building activity can serve as a group therapy session. Moreover, it is an opportunity to see your team members interact with animals.

1. Firstly, establish a partnership with a nearby animal shelter and coordinate with them to bring a variety of animals.
2. Choose an outdoor area where your employees can easily play with the animals.
3. Put your employees into groups.
4. Have the animal shelter representatives bring in the animals and give brief introductions such as information about the animals’ temperament and specific guidelines for interaction.
5. Wrap up by expressing your gratitude to the animal shelter and acknowledging the positive impact of this activity. You can also provide space for employees to share their thoughts.

4. Fort-Building With Colleagues

• Number of people: Best for smaller to medium-sized teams.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Creativity, teamwork, communication, problem-solving.

If you have seen the TV series Community, you are familiar with the fort-building tradition that was started by Troy and Abed. Troy and Abed are college friends, but work friends can also showcase their creativity and strengthen their relationships through fort-building.

Here is how you can implement this creative outdoor team building activity:

1. The first step is collecting materials for the fort-building activity and then providing your teams with various items such as sheets, cardboard boxes, tents, play tunnels, and duct tape.
2. Next, you need to split employees into teams.
3. Once you split your people into teams, you can distribute the materials and clarify the rules.
4. Allocate a timeframe, such as an hour, for teams to collaborate as they build their forts.
5. You also need to highlight the importance of creativity while your employees are constructing their forts.
6. Lastly, finish the activity by having each team give a tour of their fort and rewarding the most creative builders.

5. Kart Racing in Teams

• Time needed: 2 to 3 hours.
• Number of people: Suitable for medium to large groups.
• Skills developed: Team collaboration, communication, adherence to guidelines.

Kart racing is one of the most enjoyable outdoor team building activities for adults. This outdoor team building activity will help your employees strengthen their bonds as they race to win with their teams.

1. To start the activity, split your employees into teams.
2. Highlight the importance of following the safety guidelines.
3. You also need to identify the criteria for setting a record and declare your winner based on the criteria.
4. Finish the kart racing event by recognizing the winner and other teams. You should acknowledge all achievements and express appreciation for the team spirit your employees displayed throughout the race.

6. BBQ with Teams

• Number of people: Ideal for medium to large groups.
• Time needed: 2 to 4 hours.
• Skills developed: Socializing, team bonding, collaboration, appreciation.

Barbeques are great outdoor team building activities since your employees will enjoy tasty food as they socialize with their team members.

Here’s our step-by-step guide on how you can implement this outdoor team building activity:

1. To kick things off, choose an outdoor area with a great view and space for outdoor team building activities.
2. Then, explore catering options, such as hiring a food truck or assigning a team member to grill.
3. You can also encourage your employees to participate in a cook-off competition.
4. If you implement a cook-off game, rate the entries based on taste, creativity, and presentation.
5. Announce winners and appreciate their grilling skills.
6. End the activity on a delightful note by acknowledging team collaboration displayed throughout the event.

7. Beach Day with Teams

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: Half-day or full-day event.
• Skills developed: Relaxation, team building, communication, friendly competition.

Beach day with teams can be a relaxing outdoor team building activity. To make this event even more enjoyable, you can implement fun activities like beach volleyball and water sports.

Here is our step-by-step guide to implementing this outdoor team building activity:

1. Firstly, consider logistics such as transportation and beach facilities.
2. Plan fun outdoor team building activities suitable for the beach such as beach volleyball, sandcastle-building contests, and water sports.
3. You also need to arrange for catering options like snacks, picnic setups, or a barbecue.
4. Highlight the positive correlation between relaxation and work productivity and enjoy the day at the beach.
5. Appreciate your team for their hard work and contributions.
6. Encourage your team to share the positive memories created during the event.

8. Sports Day With Teams

• Number of people: Best for medium to large groups.
• Time needed: 2 to 4 hours.
• Skills developed: Team spirit, sportsmanship, competition, communication.

Playing team sports such as volleyball or basketball with your colleagues can help you foster team spirit. You can implement this outdoor team building activity by following these steps:

1. You need to find a team sport that most of your colleagues can participate in. You can consider creating an online poll to learn about employee preferences.
2. Then, you can find a venue for the activity.
3. Gather your team members and play the chosen sport by highlighting the importance of fair play.
4. To conclude the activity, reward the winning team and acknowledge everyone’s efforts.

9. Attend an Outdoor Concert

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: Depends on the concert duration.
• Skills developed: Team bonding, relaxation, shared enjoyment, camaraderie.

Attending outdoor concerts or festivals can be one of the most enjoyable outdoor team building activities. You only need to find an artist or a band that most employees can enjoy listening to.

Consider creating an online poll and presenting your employees with different alternatives before picking an artist.

To implement this activity you can simply:

1. Attend the concert as a team and enjoy good music.
2. Don’t forget to take group pictures.

10. Roller Skating Conga Line with Teams

• Number of people: Ideal for medium-sized groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Coordination, teamwork, adaptability, fun.

Doing the roller skating conga with your colleagues is among the most unconventional and fun outdoor team building activities. You can consider implementing these steps for this outdoor team building activity:

1. Form a roller skating conga line with your team.
2. Keep in mind that it might not be easy to coordinate with your team members at first.
3. You need to adjust your body movements based on your coworkers’ actions.
4. Keep anticipating the movements of your team members and feeling the rhythm to maintain the conga line.

11. Team Orchestra

• Number of people: Depends on the musical talents available.
• Time needed: Several weeks for rehearsals, 1 to 2 hours for the performance.
• Skills developed: Musical collaboration, creativity, teamwork, dedication.

If your team members can play musical instruments, why not create an orchestra to showcase their talents? They can also perform in front of their team members.

This outdoor team building activity requires more effort and time but will surely create excitement among your employees. To implement this outdoor team building activity:

1. To kick things off, you need to identify the musical talents within your team and determine the instruments or skills they would like to showcase.
2. Next, collaborate with the employees who want to participate.
3. Make sure to set up regular rehearsal times that suit everyone’s schedules.
4. Choose songs that match the preferences of your employees.
5. Highlight the importance of teamwork during rehearsals.
6. Pick a venue for the concert and consider acoustics and seating arrangements.
7. Invite people and encourage attendance.
8. Let the fun begin and enjoy the concert with your team.
9. Finally, make sure each group shines to create an enjoyable experience.

12. Cardboard Boat Building Challenge with Teams

• Number of people: Suitable for smaller to medium-sized groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Creativity, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability.

This one can sound a bit silly, but being silly with your coworkers can eliminate social awkwardness, and removing social awkwardness from team dynamics can improve collaboration.

1. First, you need to divide your employees into teams to design their cardboard boats.
2. Give your teams what they need for construction.
3. Encourage teams to be creative in their designs during the boat-building process.
4. Have teams test their cardboard boats and encourage them to enjoy the activity.
5. Pick the best design and appreciate everyone for their efforts.

13. Blindfold Game with Teams

• Number of people: Ideal for small to medium-sized groups.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Skills developed: Trust, communication, teamwork, adaptability.

The blindfold game simply requires trust and a blindfold. This straightforward outdoor team building activity can be implemented through the following steps:

1. Divide your employees into pairs or groups of three.
2. Let your team decide who will be blindfolded and who will be the guide.
3. Guides need to navigate their blindfolded team members towards objects without naming them.
4. Each round should have a time limit.
5. You also should time each team and total their scores. The team with the lowest score is your winner.

14. Making Fortune Cookies

• Number of people: Suitable for small to medium-sized groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Creativity, collaboration, communication, shared experience.

Making fortune cookies with coworkers is an enjoyable outdoor team building activity. Furthermore, you can add your unique touch by including icebreaker questions.

To implement this activity, follow these steps:

1. Start by exploring online recipes.
2. Create your fortunes and add icebreaker questions about your team or themes about the future.
3. Share these fortune cookies during an outdoor team building activity.
4. Finally, encourage your team members to share their answers to the icebreaker questions.

Outoor Teambuilding Activities for Winter

1. Snow Painting with Colleagues

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Creativity, teamwork, winter appreciation.

Snow painting with colleagues is among the most creative outdoor team building activities. For this outdoor team building activity you’ll need the following:

Materials:

• Spray bottles
• Water
• Food coloring

Implement this outdoor team building activity by following these steps:

1. The first step is gathering your colleagues and giving each of them a spray bottle.
2. Next, you’ll need to fill the spray bottles with water and add a few drops of food coloring.
3. Mist the snow with your spray bottles and create your masterpiece.
4. Enjoy the creative process but keep in mind that the food coloring may stain clothing.

2. Snow Olympics for Team Building

• Number of people: Ideal for medium to large groups.
• Time needed: 2 to 3 hours.
• Skills developed: Friendly competition, teamwork, winter sportsmanship.

If you split your employees into teams, this outdoor team building activity can be a great way to experience both camaraderie and friendly competition.

You can follow these simple steps for each activity and reward the winners at the end.

Long Jump

1. First, you need to draw a starting line in the snow.
2. Colleagues stand at the starting line and jump as far as they can.
3. Lastly, compare footprints to determine the farthest jump.

Snowball Throw

1. Colleagues stand at a starting line to see how far they can throw snowballs.

Snow Obstacle Course

1. Use the snow piles from the hurdle course.
2. Set up a course where team members jump over one and hop around the next.

3. Hunt for Winter Colors

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Observation, teamwork, winter appreciation.

In this outdoor team building activity for winter, your teams will see the beauty of winter colors and they will be able to appreciate Mother Nature. Follow these steps to implement the activity:

1. Search for and collect the colors of winter with your colleagues.
2. Don’t forget to enjoy the beauty of winter while engaging in this team activity.

4. Build a Snowman with Team Members

• Number of people: Ideal for small to medium-sized groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Creativity, teamwork, winter fun.

You can build a snowman or another snowy creation with your colleagues depending on your imagination and sense of humor. Follow these steps to implement this outdoor team building activity.

1. Make it a friendly competition to determine the best snowman.
2. Finish up by offering hot chocolate to everyone and create a warm team-building experience.

5. Scavenger Walk with Team Members

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Team collaboration, observation, winter exploration.

A scavenger walk with your team is one of the simplest yet the most enjoyable outdoor team building activities for winter. It can be implemented through these steps:

1. To start, collaborate with your colleagues to create a list of five things to find on a walk.
2. The list could include items that you can come across such as a blue door, a mailbox, a dog house, or can be winter-themed.
3. The first team to find all five things determines a new list for the next round.

6. Find Animal Tracks with Team Members

• Number of people: Suitable for both small and large groups.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours.
• Skills developed: Team collaboration, winter exploration, nature appreciation.

Following the footsteps of our animal friends can be a great way to enjoy a winter landscape. To implement this outdoor team building activity, you can implement the steps below:

1. Head to a secluded place and look for animal tracks in the snow.
2. Don’t forget to have fun exploring the gorgeous winter landscape.

What are the Best Team Building Activities For Remote Employees?

1. Enjoy a Beverage Together

To say cheers after a week of collaboration and productivity, why not enjoy a drink together? You can also recognize your employees to make this remote team building activity more enjoyable.

To socialize with everyone on your team, you need to host this activity on a Friday evening, during the last hour of work. This team building activity will help end the week on a positive note.

2. Take the Myers-Briggs Personality Test

How well do you know your remote colleagues? Take the Myers-Briggs personality test and find out! Although this personality test will not give definitive results, it can still provide you with valuable insights into your team members’ personalities’.

Plus, it will be enjoyable to discuss the results of Myers Briggs tests and you might discover something you don’t know about yourself by taking the test.

Your employees can bond with their colleagues who share similar test results. To improve collaboration, you can host other team building activities based on the Myers-Briggs profiles of your employees.

3. Send Daily Pictures

To strengthen bonds at work, you can try sending daily pictures with your team. Your colleagues can post pictures they find interesting like what they are having for lunch or anything that can ignite fun conversations.

As your employees socialize through these daily snapshots, they will learn more about each other and will be able to relax for a moment.

For this simple remote team building activity, you only need an allocated channel on your remote team management software.

4. Leaderboards & Rewards

The spirit of competition can bring some much-needed life to any remote team-building activity you might be planning.

To help you bring that spirit to life, we recommend that you give the best employee rewards and recognition app in the Microsoft Teams ecosystem, Teamflect.

Teamflect not only lets your team exchange customizable recognition badges but also turns your praise into live recognition feeds and dynamic leaderboards to motivate your team.

You can assign points to each recognition badge that your employees can cash out for rewards of your choice!

Why Should You Have Outdoor Team Building Activities?

1. Fosters Connections

Building and strengthening social connections are the main benefits of outdoor team building activities. As a result of solidifying team bonds, you will also boost employee engagement and more importantly, happiness!

Whether you work remotely or from an office, outdoor team building activities can help you eliminate formality and deepen your work connections.

2. Positively Affects Mental Health

It’s commonly known that being outdoors can positively affect mental health. According to research by the University of York, outdoor activities improve mood, lower anxiety levels, and boost positive emotions.

3. Creates a Sense of Unity

One of the important results of team building is creating a sense of unity. When your team climbs through a canyon or builds a fire together, they can learn to trust each other.

The sense of navigating challenges together can lead employees to see the beauty of teamwork. As a result, they may collaborate more effectively with their team in the future.

4. Physical Health Benefits

Let’s not forget the physical health benefits of outdoor team building activities. According to a study from the University of Illinois, being in nature can strengthen our immune systems and protect us from various diseases.

Frequently Asked Questions