16 Fun Team-Building Games Without Materials

86% of business leaders say that a lack of collaboration is a top reason for workplace failures. That makes sense, as without cohesion and camaraderie, things can quickly fall apart, and you’ll fail to reach your larger common goals.

Thankfully, a simple solution is to focus on team building. Not only are these activities fun, but they also encourage employees to mingle and get to know one another.

Often leaders think they need to plan and have a huge bunch of resources prepared to run a team-building initiative – but the truth is, there are so many you can do on the spot, without materials or prep-work needed! You don’t have to spend lots of time or money!

Keep reading to see 16 excellent team-building games without materials you can consider.

1. Trust Fall

If you’re looking for quick team-building activities, then do the trust fall. It’s very popular, so you might know it already.

If you don’t, rest assured that it’s easy to set up. People get into pairs, and one person falls backward while the other catches them. The objective is to build trust and reliance among team members.

Just make sure that you do this game in areas with soft flooring to cushion any accidental falls. You can also grab cushions and pillows to make a safe space. Or this activity can be ideal for a beach team-building day.

2. Two Truths and a Lie

This is another quick and easy game to play if you’re short on time. The aim of this activity is to get to know each other better and build trust.

Get together in a group, and as the name implies, each person shares two true statements and one false one about themselves. You just might learn some surprising things about your coworkers!

To keep things from getting too risque, you may want to set some ground rules at the beginning. For example, you can require that everyone keeps it PG or PG-13.

3. Would You Rather?

For one more easy game to add to your list, consider “Would You Rather?” It’s similar to the previous game, but instead, it can lead to some fun yet insightful discussions. You’ll end up fostering conversations and understanding different perspectives.

To play, take turns asking each other “Would you rather do X or Y?” An easy way to generate questions is to flip things around, such as “Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?”

4. Line Up

For a true test of your cooperative and communication skills, play “Line Up.”

In this game, you’ll pick a theme to focus on, such as ages, heights, or birth months. You must all line up in the correct order to win.

If you want to put some pressure on, then split up into different teams. You can compete to see who gets the fastest time for completion.

5. Silent Line Up

To kick it up a notch, you can play “Silent Line Up.” The concept is essentially the same: choose a theme for the round, then line up in the correct order. However, the big twist is that you can’t speak at all!

This can be a frustrating yet satisfying team-building exercise. You’ll get to practice your non-verbal communication skills, which can give some of the quieter people a chance to step up and be leaders.

6. The Counting Game

In “The Counting Game,” you and your teammates will try to count to 20 together. This might seem like it’s simple to do, but it’s probably more challenging than you realize. This exercise will put your active listening and patience to the test.

You need to work together without any two people saying a number simultaneously. If this happens, then it’s game over and you have to start over at 1. Once you get the hang of it, you can try for the fastest time or compete in smaller groups.

7. Group Juggle

Juggling is already a tough thing to do solo, so don’t panic, as this game doesn’t require real juggling. Instead, you’ll be throwing around imaginary balls; there’s no equipment or risk of injuries involved.

Participants should stand in a circle and “pass” the imaginary ball to each other. As things progress, you can add more “balls” to keep everyone on their toes. This will improve your coordination and teamwork with one another.

8. Human Knot

“Human Knot” is an exercise where everyone has to get up close and personal. If you’re doing this as part of your outdoor team-building games without materials, then choose a shady spot so people don’t get hot and sweaty.

To start, everyone stands in a circle. They should reach across to grab random people’s hands. Once there are no free hands left, your objective is to try and untangle without letting go of any hands.

Ultimately, this exercise encourages problem-solving and teamwork.

9. Charades

Charades is an age-old parlor game, and for good reason. It’s free, you don’t need equipment, and you can get hours of entertainment while enhancing your non-verbal communication and quick thinking.

Don’t know the rules? Not to worry, as Charades is easy to learn!

Players take turns acting out words or phrases, but without speaking. The group then has to guess the correct answer.

Again, this is one of many team-building activities that can be done in competitive groups. See who can get the most correct answers in an allotted period.

10. Back Drawing

As far as free team-building activities goes, “Back Drawing” is an excellent one since you don’t need much space to play. Plus, it exercises your creativity, as well as your communication skills.

The drawer will receive a prompt, such as duck, house, flower, etc. They’ll then draw on another person’s back, and they’ll have to guess what the drawing is. The guesser can ask the drawer to go over certain parts again, but that’s the only way the drawer can communicate—through touch.

11. Human Machine

This team-building game takes the phrase “well-oiled machine” perhaps a bit too literally! 

Here, you’ll split up into groups and each will have to be a separate machine. The members will make up individual parts by using their bodies and sounds to mimic the functions. Not only is this an exercise in creativity, but teamwork as well.

If this seems too easy, then have the machines fight each other. Have a manager or supervisor be the “referee” to determine the winner of them all.

12. Pass the Clap

Get ready to react, as you’ll have to hone your senses in “Pass the Clap.”

As with many of the other exercises on this list, first get into a circle. One person will clap to start it off, and the person next to them has to clap immediately after them. The clap will then get “passed” around the circle, and the goal is to do it as quickly as possible.

To further enhance focus and synchronization with your teams, you can change directions or add multiple claps. Switching things up will definitely keep everyone on their toes!

13. Impulse

Do you find “Pass the Clap” too loud and annoying? Then a great alternative is “Impulse.”

You’ll still get in a circle, but instead of clapping, you’ll hold each other’s hands. One person will begin the game by doing a hand squeeze on the person next to them. The aim is to pass the hand squeeze around in record time.

14. The Line Game

For a less intense exercise, give “The Line Game” a try. It’s an outstanding way to learn more about one another, as it’s a question-based game.

Everyone will start out standing on a line. You can take turns making a statement, such as “Step forward if you have siblings.” Players will step forward if it applies to them.

There are two ways to proceed from here: either players go back to the origin line after each question, or you can keep going until someone reaches a certain distance. Either way, this game will help everyone recognize similarities and differences among team members.

15. Group Storytelling

Here’s a chance to flex your creative muscles. Group storytelling is also a good opportunity for collaborative thinking.

One person starts a story with one sentence. After, each person adds to it in turn. Try recording your sessions so you can remember and treasure your stories long after they’re told.

In addition, try this game in a rapid-fire version. Each person contributes a word instead of a sentence, so you may end up with some very silly stories!

16. Red Light, Green Light

You may have played “Red Light, Green Light” in elementary school, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for grown-ups. In fact, it’s a fun way to develop your attention and response skills as a team.

To play, one person is the “traffic light,” meaning they call out if it’s a red or green light. The rest of the group starts far away, and they can only inch forward when it’s a “green light.” Those who are caught moving on a “red light” are out of the game.

Team-Building Games Without Materials

Organizing any corporate event can be difficult, even with all these fantastic ideas for team-building games without materials. Plus, playing these games in the usual environment can be boring.

So why not head to Mexico for a team-building event? We at Grupo Events can organize a fun schedule of activities, whether you have 20 or 200 people coming. Just tell us your preferences, and we’ll take care of everything else.

To have an exciting team-building event in sunny Mexico, get your free quote from Grupo Events now. Our activities are available anywhere across the country!