15 Fun & Low-Budget Team Building Ideas for Your Next Event
Team-building activities improve collaboration, enhance teamwork, and result in higher productivity and retention in the long run. In this article, we’ve handpicked creative team-building activities and games for any event that cost next to nothing.
If your company has a limited budget for team building (or no budget at all), it doesn’t mean that you should ditch team building completely. Browse affordable ideas of team-building activities that promote cooperation, and teamwork, and bring your employees closer.
Why organize budget-friendly team-building events?
Prioritizing team building benefits organizations in many ways. Here are a few quick examples:
- Higher retention. Businesses that organize regular team-building events enjoy a 36% higher retention rate. Such events strengthen team bonds and a sense of belonging, and people are less likely to leave the organization.
- Improved communication. About 75% of people participating in team-building activities report improved communication with their coworkers. Effective communication fuels teamwork, laying the foundation for successful collaboration and higher productivity.
- Increased engagement. Team-building initiatives boost employee engagement which, in turn, results in a 41% decrease in absenteeism and has the potential to double the business revenue.
Team building makes your teams stronger while they are having fun. The best part is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to bring your employees together! It is possible to plan fun activities even as a small business with a limited budget. We’ve handpicked the most popular games for year-round team buildings that cost next to nothing.
Silent team building
Non-verbal activities can add a creative touch to your next team-building event. Silent team-building features teamwork and encourages cooperation without using words. Here’s how it works: the team has to complete a task or participate in the activity without using words. People can communicate with actions, or use gestures and facial expressions.
Here are some ideas for a silent team building:
- Solving a large puzzle
- Building a structure using LEGO blocks
- Silent movie charades – silently acting out scenes from popular movies
- Emoji storytelling – teams must create a story using only emojis, and the other team should decode it.
Making the team newspaper
There must have been a few newsworthy events in your company recently, so why not put them in the newspaper? Collaborate with the team to create a DIY newspaper – a physical or digital one. People can contribute personal experiences, photos, inside jokes, and recent achievements (such as completing a large client project ahead of schedule).
To make it work, decide what type of newspaper you want to create and what content to include. Assign roles to each team member to get everything done effectively. When the newspaper is ready, print it out or share a digital copy on the company website.
Board game night
Playing board games is a low-key activity that helps people open up, bond, and improve communication. It doesn’t require much preparation – all you need is a large table, a few games, and drinks/snacks to keep the party going. You can do it in the office after business hours if there’s plenty of space for everyone.
4 Workplace board game night ideas
- Monopoly – this classical board game is a great choice for the office: it’s competitive and fosters strategic thinking, negotiation, and resource management skills.
- Codenames – the teams compete to identify their secret agents from a grid of words. The game encourages creative thinking and communication.
- Settlers of Catan – players gather resources and build roads, and cities on a game board. It encourages collaboration, negotiation, and strategic thinking.
- Dixit – in this storytelling game, players give clues to allow other players guess the correct card.
Secret Santa gift exchange
Secret Santa has become a Christmas classic in many offices. However, why wait for the holidays to exchange small gifts with coworkers and share the joy of giving? You can play Secret Santa year-round, either by organizing a themed gift exchange on Easter or Halloween or by exchanging presents without a special occasion.
To keep the exchange comfortable for everyone, set an affordable budget or decide to exchange DIY items. The key is keeping your identity secret until the exchange day! With the MySanta organizer, you can easily plan a gift exchange at work and ensure that everyone receives the gift. Plus, people can share their gift preferences and chat with their Santas secretly.
Minefield
Minefield is one of budget team-building ideas that boost communication and lets coworker build trust. Team members pair up, and one of them puts on a blindfold. In the center of the room, you need to create an obstacle course using office supplies. The blindfolded person has to go through the room while the other player gives him instructions and directions. If they face an obstacle, they have to start over. The pair that crosses the room the fastest wins.
Wheel of questions
A wheel of questions is an ice-breaker game perfect for the beginning of your group event. Players spin the wheel online or use a random generator and take turns to answer questions about themselves.
Examples of questions for the game:
- What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
- What hobby have you always wanted to try?
- What's one thing you're proud of accomplishing?
- What is your dream vacation destination and why?
- What superpower would you like to have?
Tip: You can use this interactive wheel of questions for your next team-building event.
Board of compliments
To promote appreciation and recognition of everyone’s strengths, create a board of compliments. You will need a corkboard or wall where you can put sticky notes with employee names.
Participants write one compliment for each coworker and then put the sticker under everyone’s name, focusing on their achievements and personality. After that, everyone can see the compliments from the entire team. This activity boosts morale and helps people feel valued and appreciated.
Themed day
Pick a theme for your team-building and plan engaging activities that align with that theme. It’s a low-cost and low-effort way to bring your employees together and let everyone have fun while bonding. Here are some popular examples of team-building themes:
- Beach day – take the team to the beach, grab essentials and refreshments, and plan games and activities to keep everyone engaged.
- Retro day – choose the theme for your retro party (the 70s, 80s, or 90s), create a playlist, encourage everyone to dress up and decorate the office in the corresponding style.
- Pajamas day – encourage employees to wear pajamas for work, make cocoa, and engage in a movie marathon or another relaxing activity.
- Sports day – organize a mini-Olympics at work or outside, plann active games and contests, and pick the winner.
Volunteering
Volunteering promotes the importance of giving, creates meaningful connections between coworkers, and helps share the values of your brand (which is especially important if giving back is one of the company’s core values). Choose a volunteer activity that resonates with most people, from working in a soup kitchen and helping an animal shelter to tutoring in a local school and toy drive.
You can make community service a regular team activity, helping your coworkers engage in a meaningful activity and strengthening ties.
Potluck dinner
Hosting a potluck is easy to organize and everyone will be eager to participate – who can resist good food? Assign dishes to everyone participating to ensure there will be a full meal. Ask everyone to share their recipes and tell the story of the dish, if any. If someone in the team is vegan or has food allergies, consider their preferences as well.
You may also assign a theme for your potluck (i.e. dinner around the world, breakfast for lunch, or picnic favorites) and decorate the place accordingly.
Office trivia
If the team enjoys intellectual games, organizing trivia is your best bet. Divide the team into small groups and plan a few rounds of trivia questions. Use a theme like the company’s history, a holiday history (Christmas or Halloween), pop music, movies, or else depending on the team’s preferences. Trivia is easy to set up, plus it is fun and encourages competition and team bonding.
Free resources for your office trivia game
1. Trivia questions based on the “Office” sitcom
2. 50+ trivia questions about art, geography, entertainment, and more
3. Thousands of interactive trivia questions in every category in the world
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a popular activity that promotes group communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Organizing it outside will turn your team building into a real adventure! Here’s how the activity works:
- Choose a suitable location, such as a local park, garden, or beach.
- Create a list of challenging clues (i.e. a white round rock, the highest tree, or a coffee shop) that lead the team to different locations with hidden items.
- Split participants into teams and provide them with a list of clues and a map if needed.
- Set the time and establish the reward to drive the competition and celebrate success!
DIY workshop
Arts and crafts stimulate creative thinking, relax, and help people know each other better while making things together. Choose a theme that requires minimal materials and is suitable for beginners, and assign a host (usually an employee who has the needed skills). Organize a DIY office workshop where everyone can unleash their creativity.
7 simple and affordable DIY workshop ideas
- Making upcycled desk organizers
- Painted rock art
- DIY stress balls
- Decorating coffee mugs
- Friendship bracelets
- DIY bath salts
- Nature-inspired bookmarks
Creating a life map
This easy activity encourages reflection and lets your team know more about each other and works better for smaller teams. Each employee makes a collage with their life story and main milestones which they share with coworkers. It is a great way to present different life stories, foster deeper connections within the team, and reflect on life.
Human knot
The Human Knot is a classic team-building activity. It fosters communication, creative thinking, and collaboration, and doesn’t require any preparation.
Players divide into groups of 7 to 10. Each group stands in a circle and participants reach across and grab the hands of two different people, ensuring they aren't holding hands with someone directly next to them. The challenge is for the group to untangle the knot without letting go of anyone's hands and make an unbroken circle.
FAQs
What’s the best team building activity for small teams with under 5 people?
Team building for a small team should focus on activities that encourage deeper connections and bonding. Try activities like creating a newspaper spotlighting recent company achievements and strengths of each employee, the "life map" activity where employees share their life trajectories, or a small DIY workshop to make something together and connect on a personal level.
How often should team building be done for long-term teams?
Keeping your team engaged and connected requires a strategic approach. Aim for a mix of smaller regular activities (such as monthly team lunches or check-ins) with larger events (like quarterly team-building events or celebrating major holidays). The optimal frequency of larger events is once or twice per quarter, depending on the company size and team dynamics.
What are some good team building ideas for a remote team?
If some employees live far away, organizing Zoom team building events can help maintain connections in the team. Consider low-cost activities that can be done virtually, such as office bingo, trivia questions, wheel of questions, or a remote Secret Santa gift exchange. Also, you can schedule regular virtual coffee breaks where team members can chat informally and build relationships beyond work tasks.
