15 fun and affordable DIY team-building activities

If you’re a manager, supervisor or human resources professional, you’ll understand the importance of keeping your employees engaged and ensuring they work well as a cohesive unit. Team-building activities are a great opportunity for team members to have fun and bond with each other.

Many team leaders might worry their organisation doesn’t have the budget for team-building exercises or events. The good news is that there’s a wide variety of low-cost options to choose from! We’ll explore 15 such choices that span a variety of interests, from physical challenges to creative problem-solving, and can be adapted to any group size:

1. Treasure hunt: Create and distribute clues to lead your team from one location to another around town (or the office) to find different items (and hints for the next destination).
2. Bake-off: Challenging your team to see who can make the best (and most creative) baked treat is a great way to foster fellowship and get some snacks in the break room.
3. Homemade obstacle course: Use whatever you have lying around your workspace to create one for your team to navigate (keep any disabled team members in mind, though).
4. Paper airplanes: Invite your team to see who can make the best paper airplane. Encourage them to use different materials for their planes and see whose flies the farthest.
5. Mini golf: Create a low-cost version of this classic game in your office or yard by using discarded, leftover or empty cardboard boxes, bottles, office supplies, etc.
6. Water balloon fight: If you’ve got an outside area to use, split your team into two groups and have a water balloon fight!
7. Picnic: There’s no better way to bond than with food, so pack some snacks and drinks and head to a local park for a lovely meal outside.

Getting your team together for a picnic is a great way to spend time together.

1. Garden: Gardening is incredibly therapeutic! Purchase some planter boxes and fill them with vegetable or flower seeds or seedlings.
2. Nature scavenger hunt: If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, organise a scavenger hunt at a nearby nature reserve or park.
3. Fort-building: Take a walk through memory lane back to your childhood by using blankets, chairs and any other suitable objects to build a fortress in your office.
4. Movie marathon: Pick a genre and have a movie marathon with your team using your workplace’s AV system and conference room.
5. Game night: Foster some healthy competition by playing board games, video games or card games together as a team.
6. Music video: For the artistically inclined, creating a lip-syncing or dancing video can be a really enjoyable experience.
7. Time capsule: Ask each team member to bring an article that’s meaningful to them to put in a box or jar that will be opened at a later date.
8. Themed party: Many people love an opportunity to dress up and socialise, and themed parties are a great way to do both.

Want to take team-building one step further? Check out our team-building courses or contact us today to see how we can help your organisation.