A Complete Guide To Team Building Activities For Teens

We usually associate team building activities with the workplace, as a method of strengthening teamwork and
improving work performance. However, team building activities can also be beneficial for other groups. One
such group is teens. Whether it’s for a group of students, athletes or teenage members of a club, group
games for teenagers are a fun way to help them build relationships with each other and learn new life
skills.
In this guide, we’ll explain how team building games for teens can be beneficial and provide ideas for
activities suitable for this age group.

You will learn:

 How team building activities can benefit teens

 Types of team building activities suitable for teens
 Tips for delivering team building games for teens
 The 10 best team building activities for teens
How Team Building Can Benefit Teens
The teenage years can be a tumultuous time filled with self-doubt, ‘teen angst’ and the process of self-
discovery. Team building games for teens can be a great way to build self-confidence and develop life
skills that can be useful as they mature into young adults.

By working with their peers to achieve a goal in a fun, non-classroom setting, teens can learn how to work
better with others, improve their communication skills and exercise their creative thinking muscles. The
positive experience of completing a group game helps to bolster the self-esteem of teens by giving them
an experience of success.

Team building can be especially beneficial for ‘difficult’ teens. Whether it’s developing their social skills,
providing opportunities for them to cooperate with their peers to accomplish a task or learning how to
create connections and build trust, team building games can help teens strengthen their sense of self
through positive shared experiences.

Types of Team Building Activities Suitable For Teens

While team building activities for adults tend to be very results-oriented (that is, focused on creating a
learning outcome that contributes to work efficiency), group games for teenagers can take a more casual
approach. With teens, an approach that focuses on fun and overcoming challenges can make it easier to
elicit their participation in the activity.

You may think that designing a programme of fun team building games for teens means that they won’t
learn anything. That’s not true! Learning through fun shared experiences can be powerful and have a
more lasting impact.

Whether you’re planning activities for high school students, teenage athletes or any other group of
teenagers, here are 4 types of team building games that are well-suited for teens:

 Teamwork
Activities that focus on teamwork help teenagers to develop their social skills. They learn how to
communicate their ideas and point of view, and how to cooperate with others to reach a goal.
  Leadership
Team building games that develop leadership qualities allow teens to take ownership of a task and see it
through from start to finish. They learn how to manage resources, listen to input from other team
members, and exercise their problem-solving skills.

 Trust building
Team building activities that build trust are great for providing a channel for teenagers to connect with
each other. It develops their interpersonal and communication skills.

 Creative thinking
Group games that encourage creative thinking are great fun and perfect for teens. Give your group of
teenagers an opportunity to imagine possibilities, execute their ideas and refine those ideas if they don’t
work.

Tips for Delivering Team Building Games For Teens

When delivering team building activities for teens, it is common to encounter reluctance and rebelliousness
when it comes to completing a task. By framing a group game as a competition or challenge, you ignite
their competitive spirit. Ensure that the goal is difficult but attainable; having a goal that seems impossible
to reach can demotivate your group of teens and lead to a lack of active participation.
The role of the facilitator/trainer is key when it comes to team building games for teens. It is crucial to
create an environment of support and trust so that your group of teenagers do not fear failure. Give them
the encouragement and space to explore and experiment during the activity, and provide a guiding hand
when necessary. You may also need a higher ratio of facilitators/trainers to participants to ensure that
the activity goes smoothly.

If you are conducting a competitive team building activity, be sure to clearly communicate the rules,
boundaries and safety considerations of the activity. Be vigilant during the game and watch out for the
safety of the participants. Some may cheat or try to push the boundaries of the activity in order to win so
be willing to penalize rule-breaking or disqualify cheating participants from the game.

10 Best Team Building Activities For Teens

We recommend using active team building activities for teens to get them moving and harness their high
energy levels. The following 10 activities are engaging, fun and creative – perfect for a teenage audience.

1. Minefield
Total time: 60 minutes
Group size: 2 to 30. Works better with larger groups.
What it is: One at a time, participants have to navigate a minefield and cross safely without stepping on a
‘mine’. If they step on a ‘mine’, they have to return to the starting point. The team is allowed to plan and
strategize, but have to remain silent once a team member starts their turn.
Why it’s great for teens: This is a great problem-solving activity that pushes teens to work together to solve
the puzzle of the minefield. Typically, what happens is that each individual memorizes the location of
each known mine, and what they will soon realize is that it is easier and more efficient if they all work
together to memorize certain sections of the minefield. This activity is excellent for encouraging
teamwork, cooperation and communication.
2. Robots
Total time: 30 minutes
Group size: 6 to 12
What it is: In this fun blindfold activity, sub-teams compete against each other by guiding their blindfolded
teammate to retrieve a ‘bomb’. The first sub-team to retrieve the ‘bomb’ wins the game.

Why it’s great for teens: This activity encourages trust between team members and helps teenagers to
develop their communication skills (verbal and non-verbal). It also highlights the power of cooperation and
how working together can help achieve a goal. Robots can be a frustrating activity for teams that do not
communicate well, so it can also teach teens how to better manage their feelings.
3. Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
Total time: 30 – 45 minutes
Group size: 8 to 16
What it is: In this activity, each sub-team is given a bag with puzzle pieces and they’re tasked with piecing
together the puzzle as quickly as possible. What they don’t know is that each sub-team has only been
given one section of a larger puzzle and that they have to communicate and work together to complete it.
Why it’s great for teens: This activity tests the problem-solving skills of teens and highlights how
cooperation and teamwork help to complete a task. Often, a leader will emerge in the group; they will lead
the planning process and coordinate the interaction with other teams so that the group can complete the
entire puzzle. This activity is also great for emphasizing that more can be achieved as a group than as
individuals.
4. Electric Fence
Total time: 30 minutes
Group size: 5 to 15
What it is: All team members have to cross the ‘electric fence’ without touching the fence line.
Why it’s great for teens: This activity is fantastic for building trust and teamwork, as the team members
have to rely on each other so that everyone crosses the ‘electric fence’ safely.
5. Incoming Tide Survival
Total time: 45 minutes
Group size: 8 to 16
What it is: The team is ‘stranded’ on a beach and they have to build a structure with the materials provided
that will get the entire team off the ground.
Why it’s great for teens: This activity promotes creative thinking and problem-solving. It allows teenagers to
work together to reach a goal in a fun scenario that captures their imagination.
6. Missile Launch
Total time: 70 minutes
Group size: 12 to 20
What it is: The team is tasked with building two ‘missile launchers’ that can propel a ‘missile’ to a target
located over 10 metres away. Once they’ve constructed their launchers, they are given one test run to
see if it works, and then they are given some time to further refine their idea before the final launch.
Why it’s great for teens: This activity is fun and gets teens to think creatively in order to reach their goal. It
also helps build mental resilience and encourages adaptability when plans go wrong.
7. Towers of Hanoi
Total time: 20 minutes
Group size: Ideally 8 to 12, but can be done with 5 – 20 participants
What it is: The team is tasked with moving a set of tyres (or any other group of similar objects) from one
post to another. They can only move one tyre at a time, and at the end of the activity, the order of the
tyres on the second post must be the same as the original stack.
Why it’s great for teens: This activity focuses on organization and planning, and teaches teens the value of
creating a plan before moving into action. The group discussion during the activity also encourages
leadership qualities to emerge and helps teenagers learn how to better communicate and compromise.
8. Infinite Loops/Rope Handcuffs
Total time: 15 minutes
Group size: 4 to 120. The activity is done in pairs.
What it is: Each pair is connected to each other via rope loops attached to their wrists. The objective of the
activity is to separate themselves from their partner without removing the ropes from their wrists.
Why it’s great for teens: This is a challenging activity that will have teens working closely with their partners.
It helps to improve their communication and problem-solving skills.
9. Video Scavenger Hunt
Total time: 2 – 3 hours
Group size: 4 to 8 in each sub-team
What it is: In this scavenger hunt, each sub-team is tasked with completing a list of tasks by video-
recording themselves doing the activity. The team earns points for each completed task and the team
with the most points at the end of the activity wins.
Why it’s great for teens: In today’s world where every teenager has their own smartphone, this activity is fun
and taps into their familiarity with such devices. During the activity, teens learn how to plan, manage their
resources and time, and how to work with each other. The nature of the scavenger hunt also encourages
those with leadership qualities to step up to direct the team.
10. Triangle of Life
Total time: 40 minute
Group size: 8 to 18
What it is: Participants are ‘stranded’ on 3 separate islands and in order to survive, they must figure out
how to get essential items to each island with only limited equipment.
Why it’s great for teens: This activity unleashes creativity and allows teens to be experimental in their
approach to problem-solving. It also highlights the importance of working with others to achieve common
goals.
Conclusion: Make it fun for teens!
The most successful team building games for teenagers are fun, challenging and allow them to learn
through doing. Team building games and activities are a fantastic way to get teens engaged and
connecting with each other while also developing their life skills.

For more great activities, check out our eBook, The Team Building Activity Book. The eBook provides
easy to follow, step by step instructions for leading the activity including activity notes, challenge rules,
variations and review questions. The book also features 29 other team activities that guaranteed to
inspire and motivate your team. Click here to check it out.

12 Awesome Team Building

Games Your Team Won't
Hate
By Brianna Hansen, August 10, 2017
"Not another dumb company team building game," says the displeased
employee. Ouch. When this thought crosses your employees' minds, you can
pretty much throw the benefits of team bonding games out the window.

Team building activities and games are supposed to be not only educational, but
also enjoyable. They help the team learn about each other — how each person
thinks, works, solves problems, and has fun.

To encourage your team to learn about one another without hearing a chorus of
groans, here are 13 team building games your team will want to play over and
over again:

Quick Team Building Games

1. Game of Possibilities
Time: 5-6 minutes
Number of Participants: One or multiple small groups
Tools Needed: Any random objects
Rules: This is a great 5-minute team building game. Give an object to one
person in each group. One at a time, someone has to go up in front of the group
and demonstrate a use for that object. The rest of the team must guess what the
player is demonstrating. The demonstrator cannot speak, and demonstrations
must be original, possibly wacky, ideas.

Objective: This team building exercise inspires creativity and individual

innovation.

2. Winner/Loser
Time: 5-6 minutes
Number of Participants: Two or more people
Tools Needed: None
Rules: Partner A shares something negative that happened in their life with
Partner B. It can be a personal or work-related memory, but it has to be true.
Then Partner A discusses the same experience again, but focuses only on the
positive aspects. Partner B helps explore the silver lining of the bad experience.
Afterward, they switch roles.

Objective: Participants discover how to reframe negative situations into learning

experiences together.

3. Purpose Mingle
Time: 1 - 2 minutes
Number of Participants: Any
Tools Needed: None
Rules: This one is for those of you looking for a great indoor team building game
that won't take up much time. Before a meeting, have each individual walk
around and share what they hope to contribute to the meeting with as many
people as possible. If you want, offer a prize for the person who shares with the
most people, and another for the person who successfully contributes what they
shared.

Objective: Improves meeting productivity and makes attendees think about how
they're going to contribute, rather than just what they hope to get out of the
meeting.

Outdoor Team Building Games

4. Scavenger Hunt
Time: > 1 hour
Number of Participants: Two or more small groups
Tools Needed: Pen and Paper
Rules: Break the group into teams of two or more. Make a list of goofy tasks for
each team to do as a group. Tasks can include taking a selfie with a stranger,
taking a picture of a building or object around the office, etc. Give the list to each
team, along with a deadline by which they must complete all tasks. Whoever
completes the most tasks the quickest, wins! (You can even create your own
point system according to task difficulty if you want!)
Objective: Great team bonding exercise that helps break up office cliques by
encouraging people to work with colleagues from other teams, departments, or
just social circles.

*Fun Fact: At Wrike, we hosted our own scavenger hunt using our tool to track
the tasks. Check out how we used Wrike for fun!

5. Human Knot
Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Number of Participants: 8 - 20 people
Tools Needed: None
Rules: Have everyone stand in a circle facing each other, shoulder to shoulder.
Instruct everyone to put their right hand out and grab a random hand of someone
across from them. Then, tell them to put their left hand out and grab another
random hand from a different person across the circle. Within a set time limit, the
group needs to untangle the knot of arms without releasing their hands. If the
group is too large, make multiple smaller circles and have the separate groups
compete.

Objective: This game for team building relies heavily on good communication
and teamwork. It also results in a lot of great stories for the water cooler chat in
the workplace.

6. The Perfect Square

Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Number of Participants: 5 - 20 people
Tools Needed: Long piece of rope tied together and a blindfold for each person
Rules: Have your coworkers stand in a circle holding a piece of the rope. Then
instruct everyone to put on their blindfold and set the rope on the floor. Have
everyone take walk a short distance away from the circle. Next, ask everyone to
come back and try to form a square with the rope without removing their
blindfolds. Set a time limit to make it more competitive. To make it even more
difficult, instruct some team members to stay silent.

Objective: Focuses on strong communication and leadership skills. By

instructing some team members to be silent, this game also requires an element
of trust across the team, allowing team members to guide each other in the right
direction.

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7. The Mine Field

Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Number of Participants: 4 - 10 people (even numbers)
Tools Needed: Various handheld objects, several blindfolds
Rules: Find an open space such as an empty parking lot or a park. Place the
objects (cones, balls, bottles, etc.) sporadically across the open space. Have
everyone pair up, and make one person on from each pair put on the blindfold.
The other person must lead their teammate from one side of the open space to
the other without stepping on the objects — using only the verbal instructions.
The blindfolded person cannot speak at all. To make it more difficult, create
specific routes the blindfolded team members must walk.

Objective: This game focuses on trust, communication, and effective listening.

This activity makes a great team building beach game as well.

8. The Egg Drop

Time: 1 - 2 hours
Number of Participants: Two or more small groups
Tools Needed: Assorted office supplies
Rules: Split everyone off into groups of three to five people and give each group
an uncooked egg. Put all the office supplies in a pile. They have 15 to 30 minutes
to use the supplies to build a contraption around the egg that will keep the egg
from breaking when dropped. Some suggestions for supplies are: tape, pencils,
straws, plastic utensils, packing material, newspapers, rubber bands. Once time
is up, drop each egg contraption from the second or third floor of your building
and see which eggs survive the Eggpocalypse.

Objective: This classic team building game is an engaging (and messy)

exercise. It uses teamwork and problem solving to bond team members. The
more people the better, so this makes for an "eggcellent" corporate team building
game! Make sure you have an extra supply of eggs in case some break (ew!)
during the construction process.
Ice Breaker Games

9. The Barter Puzzle

Time: 1 - 2 hours
Number of Participants: Four or more small groups
Tools Needed: Different jigsaw puzzles for each group
Rules: Have everyone break off into small, equal-sized groups. Give each group
a different jigsaw puzzle with the same difficulty level. The goal is to see which
group can complete their jigsaw puzzle the fastest. However! Some pieces will
be mixed around in other group's jigsaw puzzles. It's up to the team to come up
with a way to get those pieces back — either through negotiating, trading,
exchanging team members, etc. Whatever they decide to do, they must decide
as a group.

Objective: This activity will rely heavily on problem solving and leadership skills.
Some team members might stand out and some might stand back, but it's
important to remember that the entire team must come to a consensus before a
decision is made.

10. Truth and Lies

Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Number of Participants: Five or more people
Tools Needed: None
Rules: Sit everyone in a circle facing each other. Have each person come up
with three facts about themselves and one lie. The lie should be realistic instead
of extravagant. Go around the circle and have each person state the three facts
and a lie in a random order, without revealing which is the lie. After someone
shares, the others must guess which is the lie.

Objective: This is a great ice breaker game, especially for new teams. Helps
eliminate snap judgements of colleagues, and gives introverts an equal chance
to share some facts about themselves.

11. Blind Drawing

Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Number of Participants: Two or more people
Tools Needed: A picture, pen, and paper
Rules: Divide everyone into groups of two. Have the two individuals sitting back-
to-back. Give one person the pen and paper and the other person the picture.
The person with the picture describes the picture to their teammate without
actually saying what it is. For example, if the image is a worm in an apple, do not
say, "Draw an apple with a worm in it." The person with the pen and paper draws
what they think the picture depicts, based on the verbal description. Set a time
limit for 10 - 15 minutes.

Objective: This is an activity that focuses on interpretation and communication.

Once the drawing is finished, it's always interesting to see how the drawer
interprets their partner's description.
12. This is Better Than That
Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of Participants: Any
Tools Needed: Four or more objects
Rules: Pick four or more objects that are different (or the same objects that look
different). Split all your participants into even teams. Describe a scenario where
each team has to solve a problem using only those objects. This can be anything
from "You're stranded on a desert island" to "You're saving the world from
Godzilla!" Have each team rank the objects based on their usefulness in that
specific scenario, along with their reasoning.

Objective: This exercise inspires team creativity in problem solving. The idea is
to not make the scenarios too easy so it becomes obvious which objects are
most useful.