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Top 22 Virtual Problem-Solving Activities to Strengthen Any Team

We live in a fast-paced environment where challenges often arise, both personally and professionally.

Especially in today’s workplace, professionals have to deal with social, ethical, and organisational problems.

This is where problem-solving skills come into play.

Strong problem-solving tactics can improve creativity and help team members make efficient and informed decisions.

While every professional might not be a natural born problem-solver, there are a lot of resources to help develop these skills.

In this article, we’ll go over the definition of problem-solving activities, their main benefits, and examples that can be put into practice in the workplace.

What Are Problem-Solving Activities?

Problem-solving activities are tasks that require participants to use logical thinking and follow a set of rules to resolve problems and overcome challenges.

These activities require problem-solving skills, which help find solutions for difficult situations.

Like any other skill, these tactics are best learnt through practice.

To make problem-solving activities worth the ride, participants have to be open-minded, listen to others, and accept alternative ideas and solutions.

An agile mindset can also be beneficial when participating in such activities because they’re based on understanding, collaborating , learning and staying flexible.

As problem-solving games are group activities, participants must be willing to collaborate and embrace agility and flexibility.

Another critical aspect is creating the mindset that there are no winners or losers.

The goal of these activities is to share strategies and learn from each other, rather than compete against one another.

The Four P’s to Problem-Solving

While all problems are unique and require different solutions, they share one generic attribute: they’re cyclic.

By following the four P’s in the problem-solving guide, one can resolve almost any problem that comes along.

Problem-solving activities begin with a discovery phase, where the problem is identified.

This is the step where you understand, dissect, and learn about the problem you’re trying to solve.

Until the problem has been well defined, you can’t move forward and prepare to form the right solution.

After you’ve analysed the problem, you have to develop several courses of action to solve the issue.

This is the phase where you generate several possibilities to ultimately decide on the best course of action for your problem.

After the problem has been defined and resolutions have been listed, it’s time to take action.

This is the step where you find the best approach and implement a plan that needs to be followed with precision.

You need to first visualise your plan and then execute it.

When the problem has been solved, you need to evaluate the plan and assess whether it could be improved for future situations.

While you should do your best to solve the issue, the truth is that there is always room for growth.

Reviewing and checking for room for further improvement is essential because it can help you achieve even greater results in the future.

Benefits of Developing Problem-Solving Skills in the Workplace

Now that we’ve defined problem-solving activities, you may be wondering how team members could benefit from developing problem-solving skills.

Employees are often asked to think outside the box for projects or find alternative solutions for work problems.

Problem-solving tactics are a great way to practice valuable skills relevant in the workplace.

There are a lot of situations where processes and workflow in organisations need improvement. Or, when deadlines are tight, team members have to find ways to deliver on time.

These are the exact scenarios that can be overcome if the team is able to turn problems into actionable solutions.

After all, performance is closely related to employee efficiency as achieving companies’ goals on time is crucial to success.

Having team members with good problem-solving skills means they can use critical thinking to make better decisions and ultimately increase business productivity and growth.

There are a wealth of advantages that problem-solving activities can bring to teams.

Here are a few benefits you can expect from employees well equipped with problem-solving skills:

Better risk management

Simply put, risk management skills help people know what could go wrong, assess risks, and finally take action to solve an issue.

Some people are very good at handling risk, while others are afraid of risky situations.

Whichever way your team members are naturally inclined, problem-solving techniques are here to help.

Participating in problem-solving tasks trains the mind to handle stressful situations better.

It’s impossible to avoid risk, and this is why it’s essential to be confident that your team knows how to handle risk and turn it into opportunity.

Better thinking

During team problem-solving sessions, participants are asked to work together as a group to find answers and solutions for particular problems.

Team problem-solving techniques stimulate better thinking by pushing people to find progressive alternatives.

Better thinking also develops analytical skills, which help people find logical explanations for problems and identify practical solutions.

Better communication skills

As mentioned earlier, problem-solving activities are group tasks that can only be performed if participants work together.

Humans are competitive by nature which can be problematic when trying to create a cohesive team. Problem-solving skills nurture understanding and collaboration within a company.

By solving problems together, employees learn how to better communicate and listen to others.

Having transparent and effective communication improves engagement and productivity and leads to better relationships .

Increased team cohesion

If your team already has good communication skills , this will likely lead to increased team cohesion .

Regardless of your business’s profile or size, success comes from having a united team.

Team cohesion reduces anxiety, brings motivation, and increases employee satisfaction.

Being on a cohesive team means that employees work together for the same goal, and everyone contributes to the group’s overall success.

People are social creatures, so it’s imperative that everybody feels heard, understood, and included.

Efficiency / increased productivity

Exercising problem-solving activities can boost performance and workplace productivity, leading to overall growth and profits.

Having solid problem-solving skills equips employees with the ability to find efficient solutions promptly.

By reducing the time spent solving specific problems, companies benefit from improved workplace productivity , leading to better profit margins.

Problem-solving activities foster creativity and encourage team members to express their ideas.

Creative thinkers know how to find the balance between analytical skills and innovative solutions, thus providing new perspectives.

No matter how well-established company processes are, there are always situations that require alternative ways of thinking.

Creative thinking skills boost people’s confidence in putting forth unique ideas.

List of the Top 22 Virtual Problem-Solving Activities

Virtual problem-solving activities for teams are meant to challenge participants to think outside the box and find solutions to problems while also having fun. Remember that these exercises should be playful and enjoyable.

Here is a list of virtual problem-solving activities that teams of any size can play:

• Dumbest Idea First
• Brainstorm Ideas
• End in Mind
• Stop, Start, Continue
• Idea Mock-Ups
• Be a Character
• Crossword Puzzles
• Online Escape Rooms
• Murder Mysteries
• Virtual Hackathons
• Treasure Hunts
• Moral Challenge
• Improv Games
• Poem/Story Challenge
• What Would You Do?
• Lost at Sea
• Coworker Clash
• Virtual Code Break
• War of the Wizards
• Ultimate Game Show

Online problem-solving activities can be played through video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Webex, etc.

Let’s take a closer look:

1. Dumbest Idea First

Dumbest Idea First, as the name suggests, is a problem-solving exercise in which participants are asked to think of the dumbest possible solutions to the problem presented.

After all ideas have been presented, look through the list.

You might be surprised to find that some ideas are not as dumb as first thought!

Helps with : creative problem-solving .

2. Brainstorm Ideas

One of the most common problem-solving activities is brainstorming ideas with your team.

Brainstorming ideas’ objective is to generate as many ideas as possible.

After the list is complete, team members review them and decide which is most suitable for the given scenario.

There are a lot of methods to aid the brainstorming process.

You can play word games, create a mood board, play improv games, or even doodle.

Helps with : lateral thinking.

3. End in Mind

The End in Mind technique is an excellent activity for solving group problems that require participants to start with the end.

In this exercise, you have to backtrack, finding solutions for the issue.

It challenges team members to think of the “what,” “why,” and “how” of a problem, thus coming up with alternative approaches.

Helps with : analytical thinking.

4. Stop, Start, Continue

“Stop, Start, Continue” is a technique used for delivering or requesting feedback.

This problem-solving activity consists of a list of three categories that each member has to think about:

• Stop: three things that the team should stop doing
• Start: three things that the team should start doing
• Continue: three things that the team should continue doing

This exercise aims to solve problems in new ways while also having fun.

Helps with : team cohesion, critical thinking.

5. Idea Mock-Ups

Idea mock-ups are processes in which solutions to problems are found via mock-ups.

It’s a virtual solving problem activity as you can use images from the internet that can be easily shared with the team members.

This exercise aims to have players try out a bunch of different scenarios until the perfect match for the problem is found.

6. Be a Character

One of the funniest problem-solving techniques is putting yourself in a character’s shoes while finding the answer to a problem.

Have you ever dreamed of being a character from a movie or a book? Then this is the perfect exercise for you.

By playing this group game, participants impersonate a character and approach problems through that person’s mindset.

Helps with : creativity , thinking outside the box.

7. Idea Trial

The Idea Trial is another fun virtual problem-solving activity that encourages participants to find solutions for a particular problem.

Players need to present their ideas to the “court.”

They can go through the entire process, such as opening and closing statements, and call witnesses to support their ideas.

Helps with : risk management, communication skills.

8. Crossword Puzzles

Everybody has heard of crossword puzzles, but not everyone has thought of transforming them into a virtual problem-solving activity.

All you have to do is use an online crossword puzzle to create a custom puzzle for your team.

To make it more exciting and engaging for your team, you should consider your company’s niche and your teammates’ interests.

Helps with : critical thinking.

9. Online Escape Rooms

Like in-person escape rooms, their online counterpart requires participants to escape rooms and work together to solve puzzles virtually.

Digital escape rooms provide two alternatives for players: either a Zoom room led by a host or from a specialised website.

These are significant virtual problem-solving activities that are both fun and challenging.

Helps with : cooperation, communication.

10. Murder Mysteries

Murder mysteries are story-based problem-solving activities that require participants to take on the roles of suspects and detectives.

The aim of the game is to identify the killer by searching for clues and occasionally solving small puzzles.

These group exercises are complex because they require players to be observant and search for hidden clues using logic.

Luckily for you, there are many options for playing murder mystery games online .

Helps with : observation, logical thinking.

11. Virtual Hackathons

Hackathons are events where a group of people pitch a product or service in a given period.

Even though it originated in the programming world, hackathons can be easily applied to any industry.

Virtual hackathons refer to the online version of these events, where participants work together via online meeting software to design solutions.

These are great virtual team problem-solving activities because they don’t require much organisational work.

You just have to announce the event’s theme, explain the problem when the hackathon begins, and set a timeline.

Helps with : efficiency, cooperation.

12. Treasure Hunts

Like escape rooms or murder mysteries, treasure hunts are group games that require players to find hidden objects by following a trail of clues.

Treasure hunts are fun problem-solving activities that teach participants how to collaborate and communicate with each other.

They can have specific themes or be a more general hunt.

Helps with : communication, cooperation.

13. Moral Challenge

While most group problem-solving activities focus more on finding alternative problem resolutions, moral challenges lean more towards ethics.

These group techniques are just as important as the others as not all problems are factual; some are ethical.

Moral challenge exercises are better played in a group because each participant can represent a different opinion or moral belief.

The moral issue becomes harder to resolve and implicitly forces team members to find common ground.

Moral challenges are equally important in decision-making processes as rational thinking.

Some of the most well-known moral challenges online are the Moral Machine or the Dilemma .

Helps with : communication skills.

14. Improv Games

Improv games have their roots in acting and comedy and are group activities designed around participants’ acting without a script, or improvising.

These problem-solving activities force players to keep the story going in an entertaining and logical way.

This kind of group exercise helps build collaborative skills while boosting team members’ confidence.

Helps with : collaboration, imagination.

15. Poem/Story Challenge

If most of the problem-solving activities mentioned are based on logical thinking, the poem/story challenge revolves around writing skills.

While not all businesses rely on this, it’s still an excellent exercise for groups, as it stimulates the imagination and improves public speaking.

All you have to do is ask participants to create a story or a poem using a limited word bank.

After they have crafted their stories, they read them aloud in front of the group.

Helps with : creativity, public speaking.

16. What Would You Do?

“What Would You Do?” is a hypothetical problem-solving activity that challenges your team to brainstorm ideas and react to different scenarios.

To play this game with your team members, prepare some problem-solving stories in advance, then read them one by one.

Participants have to say what they would do in these circumstances.

Helps with : lateral thinking, imagination.

17. Lost at Sea

Lost at Sea, also known as Stranded at Sea, is a team-building activity that encourages interaction and teamwork.

Give participants a scenario where they’re stranded on an island with just a handful of objects.

To increase their chances of survival, they need to rate the objects based on their utility.

Players should work individually first and then together to decide which objects are most important.

If multiple groups play this game, the moderator can ask each group to compare their individual and collective rankings.

They should also consider why any scores differ.

At the end of the game, players reflect and feedback on their choices.

Helps with : decision making, collaboration, critical thinking.

18. The Hunt

The Hunt is an online social team game that uses different types of puzzles, images, and word problems.

Its purpose is to challenge players to collaborate under pressure as they compete for glory.

This is a virtual problem-solving activity suitable for a business of any size.

It works best played in small teams of four or five, so players have the opportunity to interact with one another.

Helps with : team decision making, lateral thinking, creativity.

19. Coworker Clash (formerly Coworker Feud)

Coworker Clash is a virtual problem-solving activity perfect for playing with colleagues.

This game is a new take on the classic game show Family Feud, and it consists of multiple rapid rounds.

The players are asked to provide fast answers to a fun assortment of questions the host presents.

The aim is to guess the five most popular answers to win points for the round.

The team with the most points is declared the winner of the game.

Helps with : fast-thinking, communication.

20. Virtual Code Break

Virtual Code Break is a virtual team-building activity specially designed for remote players.

Its purpose is to challenge players to think outside the box, improve problem-solving skills, and leverage their own and each other’s skills.

This game uses an intelligent video conferencing solution so that teams of all sizes can play from anywhere globally.

Players compete against each other by answering trivia questions and solving riddles and puzzles.

Helps with : better thinking, collaboration.

21. War of the Wizards

War of the Wizards is a 90-minutes virtual team-building activity that promises to be both fun and creative.

To play this game, participants roleplay as powerful wizards to conquer evil forces through the power of storytelling.

They have to play mini-games and competitions, develop their characters, and make decisions together to win.

Helps with : teamwork, imagination.

22. Ultimate Game Show

If you’re looking for high-energy virtual problem-solving activities for competitive teams, then the Ultimate Game Show is the perfect fit.

In this 90-minute virtual event, players bond together as a team while playing different quizzes to win the final prize.

This competition works for hybrid teams, as well as for fully remote teams.

Helps with : collaboration, fast-thinking.

Plenty of organisations face daily challenges that affect team productivity and get in the way of attaining business goals.

While it’s impossible to avoid those situations, there are many ways to train team members to work collaboratively to resolve problems effectively.

Problem-solving activities act as educational tools that bring all participants closer as a team and help them develop problem-solving skills. By nurturing solution-generating capabilities, your team learns to communicate better, act fast in risky situations, and find creative solutions.

The virtual problem-solving activities listed in this article are excellent practices for real-life conflict resolution that can benefit everyone within an organisation.

Stefan is a Co-Founder and a President of Brosix. His many years experience as a programmer, give him an unique perspective to lead the team and build Brosix in a way to best serve the customers.

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20 Non-Cheesy Five-Minute Virtual Team Building Activities (+ Bonuses)

Last Update

August 12, 2024

Table of Contents

Virtual team-building activities for new teams, virtual team-building activities to challenge problem-solving skills, ongoing virtual team-building ideas, virtual team-building games for large groups, self-managed remote team-building activities, bonus ideas to take your virtual team building to the next level, long-term remote team activities, bring your remote team together with deel, key takeaways.

• Team building in remote environments can be more challenging than in-person.
• Remote workers are more prone to loneliness and disengagement.
• Remote team building can be fast and fun with the right tools and approach.

Every remote manager knows how important it is to find the right team-building activities for their team, as remote team building comes with unique challenges. Remote teams are dispersed across locations and time zones, often lacking the casual interactions that unite teams who share a physical workspace. Moreover, remote teams may struggle more with loneliness and isolation, which puts team spirit and well-being in managers’ focus.

Many managers will schedule long team-building exercises and virtual happy hours to try and unite their teams. But these long meetings are often inconvenient because they get in the way of finishing work and require remote workers to meet outside of working hours. Also, most of them are painfully cheesy.

You don’t need to schedule full hour-long Zoom meetings for effective remote team bonding. The fun games and activities below can fit at the beginning or end of regular team meetings or even as ongoing Slack conversations. 

Keep reading for 20 unique activities to help your team:

• Break the ice
• Bond and build trust
• Enhance their problem-solving skills
• Get their creative gears working
• Boost morale
• Increase engagement
• Build a healthier work environment and company culture
• and more...

You can't expect your employees to work for eight hours straight and then stick around for two more hours for a team bonding exercise. They are most likely tired, hungry, and their loved ones, who have been patient all day, require their attention. This is why you need to include them in your daily schedule.

2. Resources

While you can have an amazing team building activity for remote teams without spending a single dollar, you must provide them with the right tools. Platforms like Skype, Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, etc., can be very useful for video chats, and make sure you have good tools for messaging since you will definitely use that a lot. Try a couple of different ones to see which one works best, and then choose one and stick with it.

3. The right attitude

Nobody likes change, at first. Implementing something that requires your remote employees to talk, draw, or reveal personal details won’t necessarily be met with great enthusiasm. If you really want to achieve your desired results, you need to assign a dedicated person to encourage participation and help your coworkers relax and enjoy themselves.

Make sure you choose someone who is well-liked and knows most of the employees, so their message will get across more easily.

New teams can feel a bit awkward in the beginning. Ice-breaker games and group activities can help your team feel more comfortable from their very first team meeting. 

Here are four quick team-building activities to get past the awkward phase of guess-who and start building the foundations of camaraderie in your team. 

1. Hot Seat

Hot Seat is a great team-building activity to introduce an individual to the rest of the team. Get everyone on a video conference and ask specific questions about their background. Make sure the questions stay fun and light and that everyone is comfortable participating.

Some icebreaker questions to ask: 

• What was your favorite band growing up? 
• What’s on your bucket list?
• What is the first vacation you remember? 
• What book would you bring to a desert island?
• How did you feel when you landed your first job? 
• Is there any notable accomplishment you remember from middle school? 

2. Seman Drawkcab

Seman Drawkcab (“Backward Names,” spelled backward) is a simple way for new remote employees to learn one another’s names. You can play the game, even with large groups of people, in 5-10 minutes. 

The rules: 

• Every person pronounces their name backward, one by one
• The group has to guess the real name of each person that has said their name backward

3. Two truths and a lie

Two truths and a lie is an excellent way to show off your team members’ creativity, sense of humor, and unique personal history. You can play this game with large groups but if your team exceeds 20 people, consider splitting into breakout rooms.

• Ask each team member to write down two truths and one lie about themselves on a sheet of paper before the meeting
• Make sure these facts are personal anecdotes rather than work-related facts 
• During the meeting, take each set of two truths and one lie and read it in front of the entire team
• Ask each member of the team to guess which are facts and which are lies
• The person who makes the most correct guesses wins the game

4. Dinner Party

Dinner Party is a quick trivia game that prompts new team members to reveal fun personality facts. You can limit the game to five minutes or play longer. 

• At the beginning of your meeting, ask each team member to name three people, living or dead, they would invite to a dinner party
• Have them explain why, especially if it’s a unique choice 

The following team-building games will help your team get their problem-solving skills on point—just enough to “warm up” for the real business problems your team solves. 

5. Word Association

Word Association is a fun team game that only takes 5-10 minutes, even with a large group. The goal is to stimulate your team’s creativity and show how everyone thinks differently.

• Give your team a word and ask them to say (or write) the first thing that comes to mind 
• Continue associating based on the previous word
• After a few rounds, compare responses to see each person’s association journey

6. Object Memory

Object Memory is a five-minute team-building activity that will train your team’s brains while teaching an important lesson about the power of teamwork and communication skills. Small teams can play the game in under five minutes. It may take longer for larger groups.

• Write down 30 words on a virtual whiteboard and share your screen for 30 seconds with the team 
• Ask the team to write down as many words as they remember in 30 seconds 
• Split the team into small groups 
• Ask each group to work together to remember more words and pool together everything they find

7. Get Them to Draw It  

Get Them to Draw It is a fun activity that only takes about 5-10 minutes. The game’s primary goal is to help everyone pay attention, challenge assumptions, and think outside the box. 

You can play the game in large teams, but it works best in groups of fewer than five people.

• Select one remote team member and secretly show them an image of overlapping triangles, circles, and squares drawn on a piece of paper
• Ask the selected team member to get the rest of the team to replicate the drawing without mentioning its elements (circle, triangle, and square)
• The team may struggle to perfectly replicate the image
• In the end, point out that you never mentioned whether or not the describer can show the original drawing to the team during the game

8. Dog, Rice, and Chicken

Dog, Rice, and Chicken is a logic and problem-solving game you can play in Slack or over video calls. Regardless of the group size, it will only take 5-10 minutes. 

The basic rule is simple: one of the team members is the Farmer, and the others are the Villagers. The Farmer has “a dog, rice, and chicken problem”, and the Villagers have to find a solution.

The Farmer’s problem:

• The Farmer needs to get a dog, bag of rice, and chicken across the river to get home but can only carry one item at a time on the boat 
• If they leave the dog alone with the chicken, the dog will eat the chicken
• If they leave the chicken alone with the rice, the chicken will eat the rice 
• How can the farmer safely get all three items on the other side of the river? 

The solution:

• First the farmer should carry the chicken, leaving the dog and the bag of rice behind
• Next they should go back and carry and pick up the rice
• Once the rice is safely on the across the river, they should carry the chicken back to the starting point
• Then they should leave the chicken at the starting point and pick up the dog
• Once the dog is across the river, with the bag of rice, the farmer will simply need to go back one last time to take the chicken across the river

If you enjoy Dog, Rice, and Chicken, check out this  collection of similar riddles .

Some team games can be played one time, but these games and activities can be a throughline for weeks, months, or even years.

9. Meeting Roulette

Meeting Roulette is a fun way to help your teammates get to know each other. The game is beneficial for full-remote and hybrid teams where people from different departments might not interact with each other much.

You can use  Connections (by Deel)  to automatically connect random teammates to introduce themselves and chat for a few minutes. You can set up Connections to run for as long as you want to, and it can also help  onboard new teammates  by introducing them to the rest of the group. 

10. Articulate

Articulate takes five minutes for groups of 15 or fewer people. You can play it over several weeks, taking turns as the main character. 

• Give your main player a list of 10 words 
• Ask them to describe the words in front of the other team members
• They cannot use the actual words you’ve given them, but they have to give the other members clues that indicate what the words actually are
• If the main player manages to have the team guess one of the words, they move on to the second, third, etc.
• Once all words have been guessed, select a new main player 

For an additional level of challenge, have the main player describe the 10 words with charades instead of verbal clues. 

11. The Slipper Dilemma  

The Slipper Dilemma is one of our favorite 5-minute team meeting ideas. It can be played by 5-10 people, and it’s a fun way to incorporate the unique “work from home” vibe into your team games. 

• During any of your meetings throughout the workday, if someone in your team shouts “Slippers,” everyone has to move their camera to their feet, showing what they are wearing 
• Make sure people are aware of this activity before you kick off the game!

12. The Jukebox

The Jukebox is an excellent game for teams of all sizes. The facilitator creates a Spotify playlist each month, following a theme. They ask the team members to add a song to the playlist that fits the theme.

Some “Jukebox” theme ideas could include: 

• The first band I saw in concert in high school
• The band I will always like listening to
• One song that always energizes me
• Summer vibes
• Halloween jump scares

Create a playlist with a new theme every week or every two weeks to make this a recurrent team activity. Not sure where to start? Check out some of the playlists we like to listen to at Deel for inspiration.

Larger groups and teams will require quicker and more simple games and activities if the goal is to keep them short and fun. Below is a selection of activities we find very effective for big teams.

13. Virtual scavenger hunts

Scavenger hunts energize a team, improve teamwork, and bring a bit of humor into your remote-working life. The good news is that you can play them as virtual activities too, and many versions are available—including five-minute ones. 

Create a list of items people typically have around the house and give the whole team five minutes to find those items. Whoever finds them first wins the game.

14. Meme Chat  

Meme Chat is another five-minute team-building activity people get a kick out of. Ask team members to find a meme representing the company, the day, or the project they are working on. 

You can discuss the memes in meetings (allowing no more than five minutes for each description). Alternatively, ask everyone to post their memes in a Slack channel and have the rest of the company vote for the best one. It works with emojis too!

15. This or That

This or That helps people spark discussion and get to know each other better. You can play it with a group of any size, via video chat or in your preferred chat tool. Ask a “this or that” question every week and let people discuss their answers. 

Set a time limit for all the chats or move them to a dedicated Slack channel where people can chip in whenever they have a few minutes.

Connections  is a great tool to help you automate and schedule your questions!

Possible questions include:

• Mountain or ocean?
• Jazz or rock?
• Comedy or action?
• Breakfast or lunch?

16. International Holidays

One of the best things about remote teams is their diversity. Bring this diversity into your company culture by allowing people to share their culture and holidays. 

Ask each team member to enter their country’s holidays in a spreadsheet and set up automated Slack messages a couple of days before every event to notify team members. During the next team meeting, ask the team member who added the holiday to share a quick overview of how they celebrate it back home. 

Some activities don’t need to be part of a meeting, conference call, or team-building event to effectively strengthen your team’s cohesion and engagement. Enabling employees to participate in their own activities and interact with their team members in the ways they see fit is an equally powerful tool for remote teams to bond.

While these activities aren’t strictly five-minute ones, they don’t need much time allocated either and can be easily adapted to fit any schedule.

17. Virtual book club

This is a rapport-building classic. Readers in your team can interact during virtual meetings, in their own Slack channel, or even asynchronously via email to suggest, discuss, review and discover books they love.

Similar interest groups can be started for any other topic, not just books. You might have musicians, gamers, amateur cooks, or arts and crafts experts in your organization. Give them a place to discuss what they love.

18. Virtual coffee

A lot of face-to-face bonding happens at the water cooler or by the coffee machine. You can maintain the benefits of these relaxed moments of interaction by having quick virtual coffee calls, where people from different teams or departments can have a chance to quickly get to know different members of the organization.

19. Online games

While gaming might not be for everyone, there are many online game options for all skill levels and preferences. From Pictionary to pool, to virtual escape rooms, to murder mysteries, to the latest viral success, online bonding options through gaming are truly limitless.

Letting employees wind down while playing something fun and interactive can be a great way to build connections and re-energize the team (and remember to have a company leaderboard!).

20. Show and Tell

Sometimes, simple ideas are the most effective, and this one is straight from primary school. Have a member of the team show and talk about something they are passionate about or interested in.

You can allocate just a few minutes per person, so the whole team gets a go, or ask one team member to present each week or month.

Virtual team building in Paris

Ever wished you could whisk your team off on an extravagant trip to Europe? Okay, who're we kidding - ever wished you could just treat yourself? Well, now you can and guilt-free.

Woyago Teams specializes in providing high-quality virtual team building experiences. And we're not talking about the kind of virtual reality where you put on a headset and flail your arms around an empty room. Woyago's team will take you on a guided tour of some of Europe's most iconic landmarks from the comfort of your office chair all while bringing your team closer together. 

Guinness world record

Raise the stakes and go for fame on this unusual team building idea by challenging your team to a Guinness World Record. On our to-do list as a team, beat the current world record of fastest office at 87 mph.

Don’t forget a good virtual office party

While most of our suggestions here are about short and easy activities that can be sprinkled into daily video conferencing and meetings, don’t forget that a good virtual event can work wonders. From virtual trivia to karaoke and game show activities, it’s never a bad idea to dedicate an hour to a good party.

The Amazing Online Race

If you are working with a competitive bunch, this game will definitely be the right fit. The Amazing Online Race is one of the best virtual team building activities for inspiring collaborative and competitive spirit.

Split everyone into teams, and come up with a list of challenges they need to do. On a virtual whiteboard, track their success and the number of points they've achieved. Set a fixed number of challenges or a time period, so they know they don't have all the time in the world. Come up with a prize for the winning team. Teams race to complete online assignments such as "beat the high score in Pac Man" or "make and upload a lip-sync video to Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Throughout the day, you and your group members will check-in via video call to gauge each other's progress. The team that completes all challenges first wins!

Personal User Manuals

Have you ever thought to yourself - Oh, I wish these people knew how I like to work! Or wandered that about someone else, but you were too afraid to ask? Well, now you don't have to! The goal of this game is to get to know each other better, without the pressure of revealing too much or the fear of public speaking. Have everyone in your team create a personal user manual - what they like, prefer, and can't stand when working with others. Attach them all in a single file, and share them with the team. This will guarantee better cooperation and understanding. 

It's always a great time to start a challenge!

Working with others can be highly beneficial because you can always count on support, advice, and friendship. And that can all be part of your team's culture even if you are working remotely. Start by coming up with a list of possible challenges - exercise, healthy lifestyle, vegan diet, books, number of taken steps, or water drunk throughout the day... Don't pressure anyone into participating, and let them join groups of their own volition. Track the progress in real-time and make sure that everyone who is struggling has enough support and encouragement. 

But what if your company has always been remote, and the global shift to remote work didn't change anything in your way of working? Well, that is great since it probably means you have already tried most of the games we have offered so far. But no worries. We are ready to take you to the next level. Once you are done with the easier and less time-consuming activities, you can start implementing games and initiatives that require more time, energy, and participants.

We suggest looking into these ideas to get started.

Debate club

If you have a lot of strong-willed, opinionated people in your company, this is a great activity for you. Let everyone interested sign-up, come up with teams, and give them a topic to debate about. Assign moderators, judges, audience, get as many people involved as you can. This is a great way to promote constructive and argumentative thinking that can help any business. Make sure that you choose neutral topics so the discussion doesn't get too heated. 

Virtual time capsule 

Burying time capsules has been a tried-and-tested way to get communities, classes, and teams to bond and enjoy a shared activity. Just because your team is remote, that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy this as well! Have everyone contribute with a digital item - a picture, a letter, a video... Zip all the files and set up a password. Hide the file, so only one person has access to it. Set a time limit and let everyone get excited about it. Remind them occasionally about it, to keep the interest high and the conversation frequent. 

Pen Pal Club 

And while we are on the topic of letters, and long-forgotten traditions, have you ever been a part of a pen pal club? Modern times allow for new traditions, but that doesn't mean that the old ones should be forgotten! Simply adjust this long lost custom by paring up employees that don't really cooperate or have the need to work together. Give them instructions - send at least one email every week to your Pen Pal about anything you would like. There are no limitations nor mandatory length. It is important to get them to start writing. They will do the rest themselves!

Collaborative craft projects 

If your team has been forced to work apart after spending countless days together in the office, then this is a great idea for you. Providing that you are able to use the local post office, assign them this task, and see their reaction. The idea is for the team to work on a single, physical project together. How? Well, first you should agree on what you will make, together. Then you get to organize the order. The first person starts crafting, and at a certain point, they mail the project to someone from the team. This goes on and on until the project is finished. You can even take the game to the next level by encouraging them to send little gifts and notes, as well. 

Want to achieve true team bonding even when your team lives thousands of miles apart and has little time to interact? 

Deel makes remote work feel less  remote , helping you build your company culture and keep your teams engaged and organized. 

Discover  Connections , and start building the best team today.

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22 Unbeatable Team Building Problem Solving Activities

Problem-solving is a critical skill for professionals and with team building problem-solving activities, you can sharpen your skills while having fun at the same time.  

Updated: March 1, 2024

In the professional world, one thing is for sure: problem-solving is a vital skill if you want to survive and thrive. It’s a universal job skill that organizations seek in new potential employees and that managers look for when considering candidates for promotions.  

But there’s a problem. 

According to Payscale, 60% of managers feel that new grads entering the workforce lack problem-solving abilities – making it the most commonly lacking soft skill.  

Problem-solving skill needs to be practiced and perfected on an ongoing basis in order to be applied effectively when the time comes. And while there are tons of traditional approaches to becoming a better problem-solver, there’s another (much more interesting) option: team building problem-solving activities. 

The good news? This means learning and having fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive. And you can create a stronger team at the same time. 

16 In-Person Team Building Problem Solving Activities for Your Work Group  

1. cardboard boat building challenge, 2. egg drop , 3. clue murder mystery, 4. marshmallow spaghetti tower  , 5. corporate escape room, 6. wild goose chase, 7. lost at sea  , 8. domino effect challenge, 9. reverse pyramid  , 10. ci: the crime investigators, 11. team pursuit, 12. bridge builders, 13. domino effect challenge, 14. hollywood murder mystery, 15. code break, 16. cardboard boat building challenge, 6 virtual team building problem solving activities for your work group  , 1. virtual escape room: mummy’s curse, 2. virtual clue murder mystery, 3. virtual escape room: jewel heist, 4. virtual code break  , 5. virtual trivia time machine.

• 6. Virtual Jeoparty Social

There are a ton of incredible team building problem solving activities available. We’ve hand-picked 16 of our favorites that we think your corporate group will love too. 

Split into teams and create a cardboard boat made out of just the materials provided: cardboard and tape. Team members will have to work together to engineer a functional boat that will float and sail across water without sinking. Once teams have finished making their boats, they will create a presentation to explain why their boat is the best, before putting their boats to the test. The final challenge will have teams racing their boats to test their durability! Nothing says problem-solving like having to make sure you don’t sink into the water!

Every day at work, you’re forced to make countless decisions – whether they’re massively important or so small you barely think about them.  

But your ability to effectively make decisions is critical in solving problems quickly and effectively.  

With a classic team building problem solving activity like the Egg Drop, that’s exactly what your team will learn to do. 

For this activity, you’ll need some eggs, construction materials, and a place you wouldn’t mind smashing getting dirty with eggshells and yolks.  

The goal of this activity is to create a contraption that will encase an egg and protect it from a fall – whether it’s from standing height or the top of a building. But the challenge is that you and your team will only have a short amount of time to build it before it’s time to test it out, so you’ll have to think quickly! 

To make it even more challenging, you’ll have to build the casing using only simple materials like: 

• Newspapers 
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber bands
• Popsicle sticks
• Cotton balls

Feel free to have some fun in picking the materials. Use whatever you think would be helpful without making things too easy! 

Give your group 15 minutes to construct their egg casing before each team drops their eggs. If multiple eggs survive, increase the height gradually to see whose created the sturdiest contraption.  

If you’re not comfortable with the idea of using eggs for this activity, consider using another breakable alternative, such as lightbulbs for a vegan Egg Drop experience. 

With Clue Murder Mystery, your team will need to solve the murder of a man named Neil Davidson by figuring out who had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime.

But it won’t be easy! You’ll need to exercise your best problem-solving skills and channel your inner detectives if you want to keep this case from going cold and to get justice for the victim.

Collaboration is critical to problem solving. 

Why? Because, as the old saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This expression reflects the fact that people are capable of achieving greater things when they work together to do so. 

If you’re looking for a team building problem solving activity that helps boost collaboration, you’ll love Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower.  

This game involves working in teams to build the tallest possible freestanding tower using only marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti, tape, and string.  

The kicker? This all has to be done within an allotted timeframe. We recommend about thirty minutes.  

For an added dimension of challenge, try adding a marshmallow to the top of the tower to make it a little more top heavy.  

Whichever team has the highest tower when time runs out is the winner! 

If you’ve never participated in an escape room, your team is missing out! It’s one of the most effective team building problem solving activities out there because it puts you and your colleagues in a scenario where the only way out is collaboratively solving puzzles and deciphering clues.  

The principle is simple: lock your group in a room, hide the key somewhere in that room, and have them work through challenges within a set time frame. Each challenge will lead them one step closer to finding the key and, ultimately, their escape.    

At Outback, we offer “done-for-you” escape rooms where we’ll transform your office or meeting room so you don’t have to worry about:

• Seeking transportation for your team 
• Capacity of the escape rooms  
• High costs 
• Excessive planning  

That way, you and your team can simply step inside and get to work collaborating, using creative problem solving, and thinking outside the box.   

In this smartphone-based scavenger hunt team building activity , your group will split into teams and complete fun challenges by taking photos and videos around the city. Some examples of challenges you can do in this activity are:

• Parkour:  Take a picture of three team members jumping over an object that’s at least waist-high.
• Beautiful Mind:  Snap a photo of a team member proving a well-known mathematical theorem on a chalkboard.
• Puppy Love:  Take a photo of all of your team members petting a stranger’s dog at the same time.

It takes a ton of critical thinking and problem-solving to be crowned the Wild Goose Chase Champions!

Can you imagine a higher-pressure situation than being stranded at sea in a lifeboat with your colleagues? 

With this team building problem solving activity, that’s exactly the situation you and your group will put yourselves. But by the time the activity is over, you’ll have gained more experience with the idea of having to solve problems under pressure – a common but difficult thing to do. 

Here’s how it works. 

Each team member will get a six-columned chart where: 

• The first column lists the survival items each team has on hand (see the list below) 
• The second column is empty so that each team member can rank the items in order of importance for survival  
• The third column is for group rankings  
• The fourth column is for the “correct” rankings, which are revealed at the end of the activity 
• The fifth and sixth columns are for the team to enter thee difference between their individual and correct scores and the team and correct rankings 

Within this activity, each team will be equipped with the following “survival items,” listed below in order of importance, as well as a pack of matches:  

• A shaving mirror (this can be used to signal passing ships using the sun) 
• A can of gas (could be used for signaling as it could be put in the water and lit with the pack of matches) 
• A water container (for collecting water to re-hydrate ) 
• Emergency food rations (critical survival food) 
• One plastic sheet (can be helpful for shelter or to collect rainwater) 
• Chocolate bars (another food supply) 
• Fishing rods (helpful, but no guarantee of catching food) 
• Rope (can be handy, but not necessarily essential for survival) 
• A floating seat cushion (usable as a life preserver)  
• Shark repellant (could be important when in the water) 
• A bottle of rum (could be useful for cleaning wounds) 
• A radio (could be very helpful but there’s a good chance you’re out of range) 
• A sea chart (this is worthless without navigation equipment) 
• A mosquito net (unless you’ve been shipwrecked somewhere with a ton of mosquitos, this isn’t very useful) 

To get the activity underway, divide your group into teams of five and ask each team member to take ten minutes on their own to rank the items in order of importance in the respective column. Then, give the full team ten minutes as a group to discuss their individual rankings together and take group rankings, listed in that respective column. Ask each group to compare their individual rankings with those of the group as a whole. 

Finally, read out the correct order according to the US Coast Guard, listed above.  

The goal of this activity is for everyone to be heard and to come to a decision together about what they need most to survive.  

If your team works remotely, you can also do this activity online. Using a video conferencing tool like  Zoom , you can bring your group together and separate teams into “break-out rooms” where they’ll take their time individually and then regroup together. At the end, you can bring them back to the full video conference to go through the answers together. 

Many problems are intricately complex and involve a ton of moving parts. And in order to solve this type of problem, you need to be able to examine it systematically, one piece at a time.  

Especially in the business world, many problems or challenges involve multiple different teams or departments working through their respective portions of a problem before coming together in the end to create a holistic solution. 

As you can imagine, this is often easier said than done. And that’s why it’s so important to practice this ability.  

With a collaborative team building problem solving activity like Domino Effect Challenge, that’s exactly what you’ll need to do as you and your group work to create a massive, fully functional chain reaction machine. 

Here’s how it goes. 

Your group will break up into teams, with each team working to complete their own section of a massive “Rube Goldberg” machine. Then, all teams will regroup and assemble the entire machine together. You’ll need to exercise communication, collaboration, and on-the-fly problem solving in order to make your chain reaction machine go off without a hitch from start to finish. 

Being a great problem-solver means being adaptable and creative. And if you’re looking for a quick and easy team building problem solving activity, you’ll love the reverse pyramid. 

The idea here is simple: break your group out into small teams and then stand in the form of a pyramid.  

Your challenge is to flip the base and the peak of the pyramid – but you can only move three people in order to do so.  

Alternatively, rather than doing this activity with people as the pyramid, you can do another version –  the Pyramid Build  – using plastic cups instead.   

This version is a little bit different. Rather than flipping the base of a pyramid to the top, you’ll need to build the pyramid instead–but in reverse, starting from the top cup and working down. 

With this version, you’ll need 36 cups and one table per group. We recommend groups of five to seven people. Give your group 20 to 30 minutes to complete the activity. 

To get started, place one cup face down. Then, lift that cup and place the subsequent two cups underneath it. 

The real challenge here? You can only lift your pyramid by the bottom row in order to put a new row underneath – and only one person at a time can do the lifting. The remaining group members will need to act quickly and work together in order to add the next row so that it will balance the rest of the pyramid. 

If any part of your pyramid falls, you’ll need to start over. Whichever team has the most complete pyramid when time runs out will be the winner!  

The value of being able to approach problems analytically can’t be overstated. Because when problems arise, the best way to solve them is by examining the facts and making a decision based on what you know. 

With CI: The Crime Investigators, this is exactly what your team will be called upon to do as you put your detective’s hats on and work to solve a deadly crime. 

You’ll be presented with evidence and need to uncover and decipher clues. And using only the information at your disposal, you’ll need to examine the facts in order to crack the case. 

Like many of our team building problem solving activities, CI: The Crime Investigators is available in a hosted format, which can take place at your office or an outside venue, as well as a virtually-hosted format that uses video conferencing tools, or a self-hosted version that you can run entirely on your own.  

Each member of your team has their own unique strengths and skills. And by learning to combine those skills, you can overcome any challenge and solve any problem. With Team Pursuit, you and your team together to tackle challenges as you learn new things about one another, discover your hidden talents, and learn to rely on each other.

This team building problem solving activity is perfect for high-energy groups that love to put their heads together and work strategically to solve problems as a group.

Collaborate with your colleague to design and build different segments of a bridge. At the end, see if the sections come together to create a free-standing structure!   

Together as a group, see if you and your colleagues can build a gigantic “chain-reaction” machine that really works!

In smaller groups, participants work together to solve the challenge of creating sections of the machine using miscellaneous parts, and at the end, you’ll have to collaborate to connect it all together and put it in motion.

The case is fresh, but here’s what we know so far: we’ve got an up-and-coming actress who’s been found dead in her hotel room following last night’s awards show.

We have several suspects, but we haven’t been able to put the crime on any of them for sure yet. Now, it’s up to you and your team of detectives to crack the case. Together, you’ll review case files and evidence including police reports, coroners’ reports, photo evidence, tabloids, interrogations, and phone calls as you determine the motive, method, and murderer and bring justice for the victim.

You’ll need to put your problem-solving skills to the test as you share theories, collaborate, and think outside the box with your fellow investigators.

Using Outback’s app, split up into small groups and put your heads together to solve a variety of puzzles, riddles, and trivia. The team who has completed the most challenges when time is up, wins!

Can you stay afloat in a body of water in a boat made entirely of cardboard? Now that is a problem that urgently needs solving.

With this team building problem solving activity, you and your colleagues will split into groups and create a cardboard boat made out of just the materials provided – cardboard and tape.

Team members will have to work together to engineer a functional boat that will float and sail across water without sinking. Once teams have finished making their boats, they will create a presentation to explain why their boat is the best, before putting their boats to the test. The final challenge will have teams racing their boats across the water!

If you and your team are working remotely, don’t worry. You still have a ton of great virtual team building problem solving options at your disposal.

In this virtual escape room experience, your team will be transported into a pyramid cursed by a restless mummy. You’ll have to work together to uncover clues and solve complex challenges to lift the ancient curse.

You’ve probably never heard of a man named Neil Davidson. But your group will need to come together to solve the mystery of his murder by analyzing clues, resolving challenges, and figuring out who had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit a deadly crime. 

This activity will challenge you and your group to approach problems analytically, read between the lines, and use critical thinking in order to identify a suspect and deliver justice.  

If you and your team like brainteasers, then Virtual Escape Room: Jewel Heist will be a big hit.  

Here’s the backstory.

There’s been a robbery. Someone has masterminded a heist to steal a priceless collection of precious jewels, and it’s up to you and your team to recover them before time runs out.

Together, you’ll need to uncover hidden clues and solve a series of brain-boggling challenges that require collaboration, creative problem-solving, and outside-the-box thinking. But be quick! The clock is ticking before the stolen score is gone forever.

With Virtual Code Break, you and your team can learn to be adaptive and dynamic in your thinking in order to tackle any new challenges that come your way. In this activity, your group will connect on a video conferencing platform where your event host will split you out into teams. Together, you’ll have to adapt your problem-solving skills as you race against the clock to tackle a variety of mixed brainteaser challenges ranging from Sudoku to puzzles, a game of Cranium, riddles, and even trivia. 

Curious to see how a virtual team building activity works? Check out this video on a Virtual Clue Murder Mystery in action. 

Step into the Outback Time Machine and take a trip through time, from pre-pandemic 21st century through the decades all the way to the 60’s. 

This exciting, fast-paced virtual trivia game, packed with nostalgia and good vibes, is guaranteed to produce big laughs, friendly competition, and maybe even some chair-dancing. 

Your virtual game show host will warm up guests with a couple of “table hopper rounds” (breakout room mixers) and split you out into teams. Within minutes, your home office will be transformed into a game show stage with your very own game show buzzers! 

And if your team loves trivia, check out our list of the most incredible virtual trivia games for work teams for even more ideas.

6.  Virtual Jeoparty Social

If your remote team is eager to socialize, have some fun as a group, and channel their competitive spirit, we’ve got just the thing for you! With Virtual Jeoparty Social, you and your colleagues will step into your very own virtual Jeopardy-style game show—equipped with a buzzer button, a professional actor as your host, and an immersive game show platform! Best of all, this game has been infused with an ultra-social twist: players will take part in a unique social mixer challenge between each round. 

With the right team building problem solving activities, you can help your team sharpen their core skills to ensure they’re prepared when they inevitably face a challenge at work. And best of all, you can have fun in the process. 

Do you have any favorite team building activities for building problem-solving skills? If so, tell us about them in the comments section below! 

Learn More About Team Building Problem Solving Activities  

For more information about how your group can take part in a virtual team building, training, or coaching solution, reach out to our Employee Engagement Consultants.     

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I love how this blog provides a variety of problem-solving activities for team building. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to foster teamwork and collaboration!

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Are you looking to enhance your or your team’s problem-solving abilities? Engaging in activities specifically designed to stimulate your and your team’s critical thinking skills can be an excellent way to sharpen your problem-solving prowess. Whether you enjoy puzzles, brain teasers, or interactive challenges, these activities provide an opportunity to overcome obstacles and think creatively.

By immersing yourself in problem-solving activities, you can develop valuable strategies, improve your decision-making abilities, and boost your overall problem-solving IQ.

One key aspect of successful problem-solving is ensuring clear and effective communication, such as when teams use critical tools available online. For example, testing emails for deliverability and using an email spam checker to avoid spam filters can improve team efficiency. Try Maileroo’s free mail tester to validate your email campaigns effectively. Get ready to unlock your full potential and tackle any challenge that comes your way with these exciting activities for problem-solving.

In this article, we will explore activities for problem-solving that can help enhance your team’s problem-solving skills, allowing you to approach challenges with confidence and creativity.

What Are Problem Solving Activities?

Problem-solving activities or problem-solving exercises are interactive games requiring critical thinking to solve puzzles. They enhance teamwork & critical thinking. Examples include building towers, navigating simulated challenges, and fostering creativity and communication.

For instance, imagine a team working together to construct the tallest tower using limited materials. They strategize, communicate ideas, and problem-solve to create the best structure, promoting collaboration and inventive thinking among team members.

Some widely practiced problem-solving activities include:

• A Shrinking Vessel: Teams must fit into a shrinking space, testing their cooperation and adaptability.
• Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower: Participants build a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti, promoting creative engineering.
• Egg Drop: Protecting an egg from a fall challenges problem-solving skills.
• Desert Island Survival: Teams simulate survival scenarios, encouraging creative solutions.
• Rolling Dice: A simple yet effective game involving chance and decision-making.
• Build a Tower: Constructing a stable tower with limited resources fosters teamwork and innovation, etc.

13 Easy Activities For Problem-Solving Ideas to Enhance Team Collaboration

Team building activities offer a great opportunity to test problem-solving abilities and promote effective collaboration within a group to problem solving group activities. By engaging in these activities, teams can break the monotony of the workplace and create a more inclusive and welcoming environment.

Here are nine easy-to-implement activities that can bring substantial change to your team culture and overall workplace dynamics.

#1. Crossword Puzzles

Objective: To enhance problem-solving skills, vocabulary, and cognitive abilities through engaging crossword puzzles. 

Estimated Time: 15-20 Minutes 

Materials Needed:

• Crossword puzzle sheets
• Pens or pencils
• Distribute crossword puzzle sheets and pens/pencils to each participant.
• Explain the rules of crossword puzzles and the goal of completing as many clues as possible within the given time.
• Participants individually or in pairs work on solving the crossword puzzle by filling in the correct words.
• Encourage critical thinking, word association, and collaborative discussions for solving challenging clues.
• At the end of the time limit, review the answers and discuss any interesting or challenging clues as a group.
• Enhanced Problem-Solving: Participants engage in critical thinking while deciphering clues, promoting effective problem-solving skills.
• Vocabulary Expansion: Exposure to new words and phrases within the crossword improves vocabulary and comprehension.
• Cognitive Stimulation: The mental exercise of solving the puzzle stimulates the brain, enhancing cognitive abilities.
• Team Collaboration: If done in pairs, participants practice collaboration and communication to solve clues together.
• Achievement and Motivation: Successfully completing the crossword brings a sense of accomplishment and motivates individuals to explore more puzzles.

Tips for Facilitators:

• Provide varying levels of crossword puzzles to accommodate different skill levels.
• Encourage participants to share strategies for solving challenging clues.
• Emphasize the fun and educational aspects of the activity to keep participants engaged.

#2. A Shrinking Vessel

Estimated Time: 10-15 Minutes

• Materials Needed: A rope and a ball of yarn
• Prepare the Setting: Lay a rope on the floor in a shape that allows all team members to stand comfortably inside it. For larger teams, multiple ropes can be used, dividing them into smaller groups.
• Enter the Circle: Have all team members stand inside the rope, ensuring that nobody steps outside its boundaries.
• Shrinking the Circle: Begin gradually shrinking the rope’s size, reducing the available space inside the circle.
• Adapt and Maintain Balance: As the circle shrinks, team members must make subtle adjustments to maintain their positions and balance within the shrinking area.
• The Challenge: The objective for the team is to collectively brainstorm and find innovative ways to keep every team member inside the circle without anyone stepping outside.
• Collaboration and Communication: The activity promotes teamwork and open communication as participants strategize to stay within the shrinking circle.
• Adaptability: Team members learn to adapt swiftly to changing circumstances, fostering agility and flexibility.
• Creative Problem-Solving: The challenge encourages inventive thinking and brainstorming to find unique solutions.
• Trust Building: By relying on each other’s actions, participants build trust and cohesion among team members.
• Time-Efficient: The short duration makes it an ideal icebreaker or energizer during meetings or workshops.
• Observe and Facilitate: Monitor the team’s dynamics and offer guidance to encourage equal participation and effective problem-solving.
• Encourage Verbalization: Prompt participants to voice their ideas and collaborate vocally, aiding in real-time adjustments.
• Debrief Thoughtfully: Engage the team in a discussion afterward, reflecting on strategies employed and lessons learned.
• Emphasize Adaptability: Highlight the transferable skill of adaptability and its significance in both professional and personal contexts.

#3. Human Knots

• Objective: Improving Collaboration & enhancing Communication Skills

Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes

• Materials: None required

Procedure: 

• Organize your team into a compact circle. For more sizable teams, subdivide them into smaller clusters, with each cluster forming its own circle. 
• Direct each individual to grasp the hands of two other people in the circle, with the exception of those positioned directly adjacent to them. This action will result in the formation of a complex “human knot” within the circle. 
• Present the challenge to the group: to unravel themselves from this entanglement while maintaining their hold on each other’s hands. If preferred, you can establish a specific time limit. 
• Observe the team members collaborating to unravel the knot, witnessing their collective effort to devise solutions and free themselves from the intricate puzzle.
• Team Cohesion: The activity encourages team members to interact closely, promoting bonding and understanding among participants.
• Effective Communication: Participants practice clear and concise communication as they coordinate movements to untangle the knot.
• Problem-Solving: The challenge stimulates creative thinking and problem-solving skills as individuals work collectively to find the optimal path for untangling.
• Adaptability: Participants learn to adapt their actions based on the evolving dynamics of the human knot, fostering adaptability.
• Trust Building: As individuals rely on each other to navigate the intricate knot, trust and cooperation naturally develop.
• Set a Positive Tone: Create an inclusive and supportive atmosphere, emphasizing that the focus is on collaboration rather than competition.
• Encourage Verbalization: Urge participants to articulate their intentions and listen to others’ suggestions, promoting effective teamwork.
• Observe Group Dynamics: Monitor interactions and step in if needed to ensure everyone is actively engaged and included.
• Reflect and Share: Conclude the activity with a debriefing session, allowing participants to share their experiences, strategies, and key takeaways.
• Vary Grouping: Change group compositions for subsequent rounds to enhance interactions among different team members.

#4. Egg Drop

Helps With: Decision Making, Collaboration

• A carton of eggs
• Construction materials (balloons, rubber bands, straws, tape, plastic wrap, etc.)
• A suitable location for the activity
• Assign each team a single egg and random construction materials.
• Teams must create a carrier to protect the egg from breaking.
• Drop the carriers one by one and increase the height if necessary to determine the most durable carrier.
• The winning team is the one with the carrier that survives the highest drop.
• Decision Making: Participants engage in critical decision-making processes as they select construction materials and determine carrier designs.
• Collaboration: The activity necessitates collaboration and coordination among team members to construct an effective carrier.
• Problem-Solving: Teams apply creative problem-solving skills to devise innovative methods for safeguarding the egg.
• Risk Management: Participants learn to assess potential risks and consequences while making design choices to prevent egg breakage.
• Celebrating Success: The victorious team experiences a sense of accomplishment, boosting morale and promoting a positive team spirit.
• Provide Diverse Materials: Offer a wide range of construction materials to stimulate creativity and allow teams to explore various design options.
• Set Safety Guidelines: Prioritize safety by specifying a safe drop height and ensuring participants follow safety protocols during construction.
• Encourage Brainstorming: Prompt teams to brainstorm multiple carrier ideas before finalizing their designs, fostering diverse perspectives.
• Facilitate Reflection: After the activity, lead a discussion where teams share their design strategies, challenges faced, and lessons learned.
• Highlight Collaboration: Emphasize the significance of teamwork in achieving success, acknowledging effective communication and cooperation.

As a teamwork activity, Egg Drop can help team members solve problems through collaboration and communication.

Each team can design and customize their own balloons and can display their team logo, slogan, or elements related to team culture through custom balloons . Awards can also be set up, such as the most creative balloon design, the strongest frangipani structure, etc., to increase the motivation for competition and participation. 

After the activity, team sharing and feedback can be conducted to allow everyone to share their learning experience and feelings about teamwork.

This combination allows team members to experience the importance of teamwork in creativity and practice, and strengthen team cohesion by completing challenges and sharing experiences.

#5. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

Helps With: Collaboration

Estimated Time: 20-30 Minutes

Materials Needed (per team):

• Raw spaghetti: 20 sticks
• Marshmallow: 1
• String: 1 yard
• Masking tape: 1 roll
• Tower Construction: Instruct teams to collaborate and utilize the provided materials to construct the tallest tower possible within a designated time frame.
• Marshmallow Support: Emphasize that the tower must be capable of standing independently and supporting a marshmallow at its highest point.
• Prototype and Iterate: Encourage teams to engage in prototyping and iteration, testing different design approaches and refining their tower structures.
• T eamwork and Communication: Promote effective teamwork and communication as team members coordinate their efforts to build a stable and tall tower.
• Evaluation Criteria: Evaluate each tower based on its height, stability, and the successful placement of the marshmallow at the top.
• Collaboration: Participants collaborate closely, sharing ideas and working together to design and construct the tower.
• Innovative Thinking: The activity encourages innovative thinking as teams experiment with different strategies to build a stable tower.
• Time Management: Teams practice time management skills as they work within a specified time limit to complete the task.
• Problem-Solving: Participants engage in creative problem-solving to address challenges such as balancing the marshmallow and constructing a sturdy tower.
• Adaptability: Teams adapt their approaches based on trial and error, learning from each iteration to improve their tower designs.
• Set Clear Guidelines: Clearly explain the materials, objectives, and evaluation criteria to ensure teams understand the task.
• Foster Creativity: Encourage teams to think outside the box and explore unconventional methods for constructing their towers.
• Emphasize Collaboration: Highlight the importance of effective communication and teamwork to accomplish the task successfully.
• Time Management: Remind teams of the time limit and encourage them to allocate their time wisely between planning and construction.
• Reflect and Share: Facilitate a discussion after the activity, allowing teams to share their design choices, challenges faced, and lessons learned.

Objective: To engage participants in the strategic and analytical world of Sudoku, enhancing logical thinking and problem-solving abilities. 

Estimated Time: 20-25 Minutes 

• Sudoku puzzle sheets
• Pencils with erasers
• Distribute Sudoku puzzle sheets and pencils to each participant.
• Familiarize participants with the rules and mechanics of Sudoku puzzles.
• Explain the goal: to fill in the empty cells with numbers from 1 to 9 while adhering to the rules of no repetition in rows, columns, or subgrids.
• Encourage participants to analyze the puzzle’s layout, identify potential numbers, and strategically fill in cells.
• Emphasize the importance of logical deduction and step-by-step approach in solving the puzzle.
• Provide hints or guidance if needed, ensuring participants remain engaged and challenged.
• Logical Thinking: Sudoku challenges participants’ logical and deductive reasoning, fostering analytical skills.
• Problem-Solving: The intricate interplay of numbers and constraints hones problem-solving abilities.
• Focus and Patience: Participants practice patience and attention to detail while gradually unveiling the solution.
• Pattern Recognition: Identifying number patterns and possibilities contributes to enhanced pattern recognition skills.
• Personal Achievement: Successfully completing a Sudoku puzzle provides a sense of accomplishment and boosts confidence.
• Offer varying levels of Sudoku puzzles to cater to different skill levels.
• Encourage participants to share strategies and techniques for solving specific challenges.
• Highlight the mental workout Sudoku provides and its transferable skills to real-life problem-solving.

Helps With: Communication, Problem-solving, & Management

• A lockable room
• 5-10 puzzles or clues
• Hide the key and a set of clues around the room.
• Lock the room and provide team members with a specific time limit to find the key and escape.
• Instruct the team to work together, solving the puzzles and deciphering the clues to locate the key.
• Encourage efficient communication and effective problem-solving under time pressure.
• Communication Skills: Participants enhance their communication abilities by sharing observations, ideas, and findings to collectively solve puzzles.
• Problem-solving Proficiency: The activity challenges teams to think critically, apply logical reasoning, and collaboratively tackle intricate challenges.
• Team Management: The experience promotes effective team management as members assign tasks, prioritize efforts, and coordinate actions.
• Time Management: The imposed time limit sharpens time management skills as teams strategize and allocate time wisely.
• Adaptability: Teams learn to adapt and adjust strategies based on progress, evolving clues, and time constraints.
• Clear Introduction: Provide a concise overview of the activity, emphasizing the importance of communication, problem-solving, and time management.
• Diverse Challenges: Offer a mix of puzzles and clues to engage various problem-solving skills, catering to different team strengths.
• Supportive Role: Act as a facilitator, offering subtle guidance if needed while allowing teams to independently explore and solve challenges.
• Debriefing Session: Organize a debriefing session afterward to discuss the experience, highlight successful strategies, and identify areas for improvement.
• Encourage Reflection: Encourage participants to reflect on their teamwork, communication effectiveness, and problem-solving approach.

#8. Frostbite for Group Problem Solving Activities

Helps With: Decision Making, Trust, Leadership

• An electric fan
• Construction materials (toothpicks, cardstock, rubber bands, sticky notes, etc.)
• Divide the team into groups of 4-5 people, each with a designated leader.
• Blindfold team members and prohibit leaders from using their hands.
• Provide teams with construction materials and challenge them to build a tent within 30 minutes.
• Test the tents using the fan to see which can withstand high winds.
• Decision-Making Proficiency: Participants are exposed to critical decision-making situations under constraints, allowing them to practice effective and efficient decision-making.
• Trust Development: Blindfolding team members and relying on the designated leaders fosters trust and collaboration among team members.
• Leadership Skills: Designated leaders navigate the challenge without hands-on involvement, enhancing their leadership and communication skills.
• Creative Problem Solving: Teams employ creative thinking and resourcefulness to construct stable tents with limited sensory input.
• Team Cohesion: The shared task and unique constraints promote team cohesion and mutual understanding.
• Role of the Facilitator: Act as an observer, allowing teams to navigate the challenge with minimal intervention. Offer assistance only when necessary.
• Clarity in Instructions: Provide clear instructions regarding blindfolding, leader restrictions, and time limits to ensure a consistent experience.
• Debriefing Session: After the activity, conduct a debriefing session to discuss team dynamics, leadership approaches, and decision-making strategies.
• Encourage Communication: Emphasize the importance of effective communication within teams to ensure smooth coordination and successful tent construction.
• Acknowledge Creativity: Celebrate creative solutions and innovative approaches exhibited by teams during the tent-building process.

#9. Dumbest Idea First

Helps With: Critical Thinking & Creative Problem Solving Activity

Estimated Time: 15-20 Minutes

Materials Needed: A piece of paper, pen, and pencil

• Problem Presentation: Introduce a specific problem to the team, either a real-world challenge or a hypothetical scenario that requires a solution.
• Brainstorming Dumb Ideas: Instruct team members to quickly generate and jot down the most unconventional and seemingly “dumb” ideas they can think of to address the problem.
• Idea Sharing: Encourage each participant to share their generated ideas with the group, fostering a relaxed and open atmosphere for creative expression.
• Viability Assessment: As a team, review and evaluate each idea, considering potential benefits and drawbacks. Emphasize the goal of identifying unconventional approaches.
• Selecting Promising Solutions: Identify which seemingly “dumb” ideas could hold hidden potential or innovative insights. Discuss how these ideas could be adapted into workable solutions.
• Divergent Thinking: Participants engage in divergent thinking, pushing beyond conventional boundaries to explore unconventional solutions.
• Creative Exploration: The activity sparks creative exploration by encouraging participants to let go of inhibitions and embrace imaginative thinking.
• Critical Analysis: Through evaluating each idea, participants practice critical analysis and learn to identify unique angles and aspects of potential solutions.
• Open Communication: The lighthearted approach of sharing “dumb” ideas fosters open communication, reducing fear of judgment and promoting active participation.
• Solution Adaptation: Identifying elements of seemingly “dumb” ideas that have merit encourages participants to adapt and refine their approaches creatively.
• Safe Environment: Foster a safe and non-judgmental environment where participants feel comfortable sharing unconventional ideas.
• Time Management: Set clear time limits for idea generation and sharing to maintain the activity’s energetic pace.
• Encourage Wild Ideas: Emphasize that the goal is to explore the unconventional, urging participants to push the boundaries of creativity.
• Facilitator Participation: Participate in idea generation to demonstrate an open-minded approach and encourage involvement.
• Debriefing Discussion: After the activity, facilitate a discussion on how seemingly “dumb” ideas can inspire innovative solutions and stimulate fresh thinking.

This activity encourages out-of-the-box thinking and creative problem-solving. It allows teams to explore unconventional ideas that may lead to unexpected, yet effective, solutions.

#10: Legoman

Helps With: Foster teamwork, communication, and creativity through a collaborative Lego-building activity.

Estimated Time: 20-30 minutes

• Lego bricks
• Lego instruction manuals

Procedure :

• Divide participants into small teams of 3-5 members.
• Provide each team with an equal set of Lego bricks and a Lego instruction manual.
• Explain that the goal is for teams to work together to construct the Lego model shown in the manual.
• Set a time limit for the building activity based on model complexity.
• Allow teams to self-organize, build, and collaborate to complete the model within the time limit.
• Evaluate each team’s final model compared to the manual’s original design.
• Enhanced Communication: Participants must communicate clearly and listen actively to collaborate effectively.
• Strengthened Teamwork: Combining efforts toward a shared goal promotes camaraderie and team cohesion.
• Creative Problem-Solving: Teams must creatively problem-solve if pieces are missing or instructions unclear.
• Planning and Resource Allocation: Following instructions fosters planning skills and efficient use of resources.
• Sense of Achievement: Completing a challenging build provides a sense of collective accomplishment.
• Encourage Participation: Urge quieter members to contribute ideas and take an active role.
• Highlight Teamwork: Emphasize how cooperation and task coordination are key to success.
• Ensure Equal Engagement: Monitor group dynamics to ensure all members are engaged.
• Allow Creativity: Permit modifications if teams lack exact pieces or wish to get creative.
• Focus on Enjoyment: Create a lively atmosphere so the activity remains energizing and fun.

#11: Minefield

Helps With: Trust, Communication, Patience

Materials Needed: Open space, blindfolds

• Mark a “minefield” on the ground using ropes, cones, or tape. Add toy mines or paper cups.
• Pair up participants and blindfold one partner.
• Position blindfolded partners at the start of the minefield. Direct seeing partners to verbally guide them through to the other side without hitting “mines.”
• Partners switch roles once finished and repeat.
• Time partnerships and provide prizes for the fastest safe crossing.
• Trust Building: Blindfolded partners must trust their partner’s instructions.
• Effective Communication: Giving clear, specific directions is essential for navigating the minefield.
• Active Listening: Partners must listen closely and follow directions precisely.
• Patience & Support: The exercise requires patience and encouraging guidance between partners.
• Team Coordination: Partners must work in sync, coordinating movements and communication.
• Test Boundaries: Ensure the minefield’s size accommodates safe movement and communication.
• Monitor Interactions: Watch for dominant guidance and ensure both partners participate fully.
• Time Strategically: Adjust time limits based on the minefield size and difficulty.
• Add Obstacles: Introduce additional non-mine objects to increase challenge and communication needs.
• Foster Discussion: Debrief afterward to discuss communication approaches and trust-building takeaways.

#12: Reverse Pyramid

Helps With: Teamwork, Communication, Creativity

Materials Needed: 36 cups per group, tables

• Form small groups of 5-7 participants.
• Provide each group with a stack of 36 cups and a designated building area.
• Explain the objective: Build the tallest pyramid starting with just one cup on top.
• Place the first cup on the table, and anyone in the group can add two cups beneath it to form the second row.
• From this point, only the bottom row can be lifted to add the next row underneath.
• Cups in the pyramid can only be touched or supported by index fingers.
• If the structure falls, start over from one cup.
• Offer more cups if a group uses all provided.
• Allow 15 minutes for building.

Teamwork: Collaborate to construct the pyramid.

Communication: Discuss and execute the building strategy.

Creativity: Find innovative ways to build a tall, stable pyramid.

Clarify Expectations: Emphasize the definition of a pyramid with each row having one less cup.

Encourage Perseverance: Motivate groups to continue despite challenges.

Promote Consensus: Encourage groups to work together and help each other.

Reflect on Failure: Use collapses as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and improving.

Consider Competitions: Modify the activity for competitive teams and scoring.

#13: Stranded

Helps With: Decision-making, Prioritization, Teamwork

Materials Needed: List of salvaged items, paper, pens

• Present a scenario where teams are stranded and must prioritize items salvaged from a plane crash.
• Provide teams with the same list of ~15 salvaged items.
• Instruct teams to agree on an item ranking with #1 being the most important for survival.
• Teams share and compare their prioritized lists. Identify differences in approach.
• Discuss what factors influenced decisions and how teams worked together to agree on priorities.
• Critical Thinking: Weighing item importance requires analytical thinking and discussion.
• Team Decision-Making: Coming to a consensus fosters team decision-making capabilities.
• Prioritization Skills: Ranking items strengthen prioritization and justification abilities.
• Perspective-Taking: Understanding different prioritizations builds perspective-taking skills.
• Team Cohesion: Collaborating toward a shared goal brings teams closer together.
• Encourage Discussion: Urge teams to discuss all ideas rather than allow single members to dominate.
• Be Engaged: Circulate to listen in on team discussions and pose thought-provoking questions.
• Add Complexity: Introduce scenarios with additional constraints to expand critical thinking.
• Highlight Disagreements: When priorities differ, facilitate constructive discussions on influencing factors.
• Recognize Collaboration: Acknowledge teams that demonstrate exceptional teamwork and communication.

Now let’s look at some common types of problem-solving activities.

Types of Problem-Solving Activities

The most common types of problem-solving activities/exercises are:

• Creative problem-solving activities
• Group problem-solving activities
• Individual problem-solving activities
• Fun problem-solving activities, etc.

In the next segments, we’ll be discussing these types of problem-solving activities in detail. So, keep reading!

Creative Problem-Solving Activities

Creative problem solving (CPS) means using creativity to find new solutions. It involves thinking creatively at first and then evaluating ideas later. For example, think of it like brainstorming fun game ideas, discussing them, and then picking the best one to play.

Some of the most common creative problem-solving activities include:

• Legoman: Building creative structures with LEGO.
• Escape: Solving puzzles to escape a room.
• Frostbite: Finding solutions in challenging situations.
• Minefield: Navigating a field of obstacles.

Group Problem-Solving Activities

Group problem-solving activities are challenges that make teams work together to solve puzzles or overcome obstacles. They enhance teamwork and critical thinking.

For instance, think of a puzzle-solving game where a group must find hidden clues to escape a locked room.

Here are the most common group problem-solving activities you can try in groups:

• A Shrinking Vessel
• Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower
• Cardboard Boat Building Challenge
• Clue Murder Mystery
• Escape Room: Jewel Heist
• Escape Room: Virtual Team Building
• Scavenger Hunt
• Dumbest Idea First

Individual Problem-Solving Activities

As the name suggests, individual problem-solving activities are the tasks that you need to play alone to boost your critical thinking ability. They help you solve problems and stay calm while facing challenges in real life. Like puzzles, they make your brain sharper. Imagine it’s like training your brain muscles to handle tricky situations.

Here are some of the most common individual problem-solving activities:

• Puzzles (jigsaw, crossword, sudoku, etc.)
• Brain teasers
• Logic problems
• Optical illusions
• “Escape room” style games

Fun Problem-Solving Activities

Fun problem-solving activities are enjoyable games that sharpen your critical thinking skills while having a blast. Think of activities like the Legoman challenge, escape rooms, or rolling dice games – they make problem-solving exciting and engaging!

And to be frank, all of the mentioned problem-solving activities are fun if you know how to play and enjoy them as all of them are game-like activities.

Team Problems You Can Address Through Problem Solving Activities

Fun problem-solving activities serve as dynamic tools to address a range of challenges that teams often encounter. These engaging activities foster an environment of collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, enabling teams to tackle various problems head-on. Here are some common team problems that can be effectively addressed through these activities:

• Communication Breakdowns:  

Activities like “Escape,” “A Shrinking Vessel,” and “Human Knots” emphasize the importance of clear and effective communication. They require teams to work together, exchange ideas, and devise strategies to accomplish a shared goal. By engaging in these activities, team members learn to communicate more efficiently, enhancing overall team communication in real-world situations.

• Lack of Trust and Cohesion:  

Problem-solving activities promote trust and cohesiveness within teams. For instance, “Frostbite” and “Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower” require teams to collaborate closely, trust each other’s ideas, and rely on each member’s strengths. These activities build a sense of unity and trust, which can translate into improved teamwork and collaboration.

• Innovative Thinking:  

“Dumbest Idea First” and “Egg Drop” encourage teams to think outside the box and explore unconventional solutions. These activities challenge teams to be creative and innovative in their problem-solving approaches, fostering a culture of thinking beyond traditional boundaries when faced with complex issues.

• Decision-Making Challenges:  

Activities like “Onethread” facilitate group decision-making by providing a platform for open discussions and collaborative choices. Problem-solving activities require teams to make decisions collectively, teaching them to weigh options, consider different viewpoints, and arrive at informed conclusions—a skill that is transferable to real-world decision-making scenarios.

• Leadership and Role Clarification:  

Activities such as “Frostbite” and “Egg Drop” designate team leaders and roles within groups. This provides an opportunity for team members to practice leadership, delegation, and role-specific tasks. By experiencing leadership dynamics in a controlled setting, teams can improve their leadership skills and better understand their roles in actual projects.

• Problem-Solving Strategies:  

All of the problem-solving activities involve the application of different strategies. Teams learn to analyze problems, break them down into manageable components, and develop systematic approaches for resolution. These strategies can be adapted to real-world challenges, enabling teams to approach complex issues with confidence.

• Team Morale and Engagement:  

Participating in engaging and enjoyable activities boosts team morale and engagement. These activities provide a break from routine tasks, energize team members, and create a positive and fun atmosphere. Elevated team morale can lead to increased motivation and productivity.

The incentives of event prizes can further stimulate the enthusiasm and participation of team members. The choice of prizes is crucial, as it can directly affect the attractiveness and participation of the event. Among them, Medals are essential prizes.

Medals are symbols of honor awarded to winners and represent the value and achievement of an event.

Medals also have a motivational effect, they encourage team members to pursue higher achievements and progress.

Medals are artistic and aesthetic. They are usually designed by designers according to different occasions and themes and have high collection value.

By incorporating these fun problem-solving activities, teams can address a variety of challenges, foster skill development, and build a more cohesive and effective working environment. As teams learn to collaborate, communicate, innovate, and make decisions collectively, they are better equipped to overcome obstacles and achieve shared goals.

The Benefits of Problem Solving Activities for Your Team

#1 Better Thinking

Problem-solving activities bring out the best in team members by encouraging them to contribute their unique ideas. This stimulates better thinking as team managers evaluate different solutions and choose the most suitable ones.

For example, a remote team struggling with communication benefited from quick thinking and the sharing of ideas, leading to the adoption of various communication modes for improved collaboration.

#2 Better Risk Handling

Team building problem solving activities condition individuals to handle risks more effectively. By engaging in challenging situations and finding solutions, team members develop the ability to respond better to stressful circumstances.

#3 Better Communication

Regular communication among team members is crucial for efficient problem-solving. Engaging in problem-solving activities fosters cooperation and communication within the team, resulting in better understanding and collaboration. Using tools like OneThread can further enhance team communication and accountability.

#4 Improved Productivity Output

When teams work cohesively, overall productivity improves, leading to enhanced profit margins for the company or organization. Involving managers and team members in problem-solving activities can positively impact the company’s growth and profitability.

How Onethread Enhances the Effect of Problem Solving Activities

Problem-solving activities within teams thrive on collaborative efforts and shared perspectives. Onethread emerges as a potent facilitator, enabling teams to collectively tackle challenges and harness diverse viewpoints with precision. Here’s a comprehensive view of how Onethread amplifies team collaboration in problem-solving initiatives:

Open Channels for Discussion:

Onethread’s real-time messaging feature serves as a dedicated hub for open and seamless discussions. Teams can engage in brainstorming sessions, share insightful observations, and propose innovative solutions within a flexible environment. Asynchronous communication empowers members to contribute their insights at their convenience, fostering comprehensive problem analysis with ample deliberation.

Centralized Sharing of Resources:

Effective problem-solving often hinges on access to pertinent resources. Onethread’s document sharing functionality ensures that critical information, references, and research findings are centralized and readily accessible. This eradicates the need for cumbersome email attachments and enables team members to collaborate with precise and up-to-date data.

Efficient Task Allocation and Monitoring:

Problem-solving journeys comprise a series of tasks and actions. Onethread’s task management capability streamlines the delegation of specific responsibilities to team members. Assign tasks related to research, data analysis, or solution implementation and monitor progress in real time. This cultivates a sense of accountability and guarantees comprehensive coverage of every facet of the problem-solving process.

Facilitated Collaborative Decision-Making: Navigating intricate problems often demands collective decision-making. Onethread’s collaborative ecosystem empowers teams to deliberate over potential solutions, assess pros and cons, and make well-informed choices. Transparent discussions ensure that decisions are comprehensively comprehended and supported by the entire team.

Seamless Documentation and Insights Sharing:

As the problem-solving journey unfolds, the accumulation of insights and conclusions becomes pivotal. Onethread’s collaborative document editing feature empowers teams to document their discoveries, chronicle the steps undertaken, and showcase successful solutions. This shared repository of documentation serves as a valuable resource for future reference and continuous learning.

With Onethread orchestrating the backdrop, team collaboration during problem-solving activities transforms into a harmonious fusion of insights, ideas, and actionable steps.

What are the 5 problem-solving skills?

The top 5 problem-solving skills in 2023 are critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and data literacy. Most employers seek these skills in their workforce.

What are the steps of problem-solving?

Problem-solving steps are as follows: 1. Define the problem clearly. 2. Analyze the issue in detail. 3. Generate potential solutions. 4. Evaluate these options. 5. Choose the best solution. 6. Put the chosen solution into action. 7. Measure the outcomes to assess effectiveness and improvements made. These sequential steps assist in efficient and effective problem resolution.

How do you teach problem-solving skills?

Teaching problem-solving involves modelling effective methods within a context, helping students grasp the problem, dedicating ample time, asking guiding questions, and giving suggestions. Connect errors to misconceptions to enhance understanding, fostering a straightforward approach to building problem-solving skills.

So here is all about “activities for problem solving”.No matter which activity you choose, engaging in problem-solving activities not only provides entertainment but also helps enhance cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, decision making, and creativity. So why not make problem solving a regular part of your routine?

Take some time each day or week to engage in these activities and watch as your problem-solving skills grow stronger. Plus, it’s an enjoyable way to pass the time and challenge yourself mentally.

So go ahead, grab a puzzle or gather some friends for a game night – get ready to have fun while sharpening your problem-solving skills!

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14 Best Team Building Problem Solving Group Activities For 2024

The best teams see solutions where others see problems. A great company culture is built around a collaborative spirit and the type of unity it takes to find answers to the big business questions.

So how can you get team members working together?

How can you develop a mentality that will help them overcome obstacles they have yet to encounter?

One of the best ways to improve your teams’ problem solving skills is through team building problem solving activities .

“86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.” — Bit.AI

These activities can simulate true-to-life scenarios they’ll find themselves in, or the scenarios can call on your employees or coworkers to dig deep and get creative in a more general sense.

The truth is, on a day-to-day basis, you have to prepare for the unexpected. It just happens that team building activities help with that, but are so fun that they don’t have to feel like work ( consider how you don’t even feel like you’re working out when you’re playing your favorite sport or doing an exercise you actually enjoy! )

What are the benefits of group problem-solving activities?

The benefits of group problem-solving activities for team building include:

• Better communication
• Improved collaboration and teamwork
• More flexible thinking
• Faster problem-solving
• Better proactivity and decision making

Without further ado, check out this list of the 14 best team-building problem-solving group activities for 2024!

Page Contents (Click To Jump)

Popular Problem Solving Activities

1. virtual team challenge.

Virtual Team Challenges are popular problem-solving activities that involve a group of people working together to solve an issue. The challenge generally involves members of the team brainstorming, discussing, and creating solutions for a given problem.

Participants work both individually and collaboratively to come up with ideas and strategies that will help them reach their goals.

Why this is a fun problem-solving activity: Participants can interact and communicate with each other in a virtual environment while simultaneously engaging with the problem-solving activities. This makes it an enjoyable experience that allows people to use their creative thinking skills, build team spirit, and gain valuable insights into the issue at hand.

Problem-solving activities such as Virtual Team Challenges offer a great way for teams to come together, collaborate, and develop creative solutions to complex problems.

2. Problem-Solving Templates

Problem-Solving Templates are popular problem-solving activities that involve a group of people working together to solve an issue. The challenge generally involves members of the team utilizing pre-made templates and creating solutions for a given problem with the help of visual aids.

This activity is great for teams that need assistance in getting started on their problem-solving journey.

Why this is a fun problem-solving activity: Problem-Solving Templates offer teams an easy and stress-free way to get the creative juices flowing. The visual aids that come with the templates help team members better understand the issue at hand and easily come up with solutions together.

This activity is great for teams that need assistance in getting started on their problem-solving journey, as it provides an easy and stress-free way to get the creative juices flowing.

Problem Solving Group Activities & Games For Team Building

3. coworker feud, “it’s all fun and games”.

Coworker Feud is a twist on the classic Family Feud game show! This multiple rapid round game keeps the action flowing and the questions going. You can choose from a variety of customizations, including picking the teams yourself, randomized teams, custom themes, and custom rounds.

Best for: Hybrid teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Coworker Feud comes with digital game materials, a digital buzzer, an expert host, and a zoom link to get the participants ready for action! Teams compete with each other to correctly answer the survey questions. At the end of the game, the team with the most competitive answers is declared the winner of the Feud.

How to get started:

• Sign up for Coworker Feud
• Break into teams of 4 to 10 people
• Get the competitive juices flowing and let the games begin!

Learn more here: Coworker Feud

4. Crack The Case

“who’s a bad mamma jamma”.

Crack The Case is a classic WhoDoneIt game that forces employees to depend on their collective wit to stop a deadly murderer dead in his tracks! Remote employees and office commuters can join forces to end this crime spree.

Best for: Remote teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: The Virtual Clue Murder Mystery is an online problem solving activity that uses a proprietary videoconferencing platform to offer the chance for employees and coworkers to study case files, analyze clues, and race to find the motive, the method, and the individual behind the murder of Neil Davidson.

• Get a custom quote here
• Download the app
• Let the mystery-solving collaboration begin!

Learn more here: Crack The Case

5. Catch Meme If You Can

“can’t touch this”.

Purposefully created to enhance leadership skills and team bonding , Catch Meme If You Can is a hybrid between a scavenger hunt and an escape room . Teammates join together to search for clues, solve riddles, and get out — just in time!

Best for: Small teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Catch Meme If You Can is an adventure with a backstory. Each team has to submit their answer to the puzzle in order to continue to the next part of the sequence. May the best team escape!

• The teams will be given instructions and the full storyline
• Teams will be split into a handful of people each
• The moderator will kick off the action!

Learn more here: Catch Meme If You Can

6. Puzzle Games

“just something to puzzle over”.

Puzzle Games is the fresh trivia game to test your employees and blow their minds with puzzles, jokes , and fun facts!

Best for: In-person teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Eight mini brain teaser and trivia style games include word puzzles, name that nonsense, name that tune, and much more. Plus, the points each team earns will go towards planting trees in the precious ecosystems and forests of Uganda

• Get a free consultation for your team
• Get a custom designed invitation for your members
• Use the game link
• Dedicated support will help your team enjoy Puzzle Games to the fullest!

Learn more here: Puzzle Games

7. Virtual Code Break

“for virtual teams”.

Virtual Code Break is a virtual team building activity designed for remote participants around the globe. Using a smart video conferencing solution, virtual teams compete against each other to complete challenges, answer trivia questions, and solve brain-busters!

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Virtual Code Break can be played by groups as small as 4 people all the way up to more than 1,000 people at once. However, every team will improve their communication and problem-solving skills as they race against the clock and depend on each other’s strengths to win!

• Reach out for a free consultation to align the needs of your team
• An event facilitator will be assigned to handle all of the set-up and logistics
• They will also provide you with logins and a play-by-play of what to expect
• Sign into the Outback video conferencing platform and join your pre-assigned team
• Lastly, let the games begin!

Learn more here: Virtual Code Break

8. Stranded

“survivor: office edition”.

Stranded is the perfect scenario-based problem solving group activity. The doors of the office are locked and obviously your team can’t just knock them down or break the windows.

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Your team has less than half an hour to choose 10 items around the office that will help them survive. They then rank the items in order of importance. It’s a bit like the classic game of being lost at sea without a lifeboat.

• Get everyone together in the office
• Lock the doors
• Let them start working together to plan their survival

Learn more here: Stranded

9. Letting Go Game

“for conscious healing”.

The Letting Go Game is a game of meditation and mindfulness training for helping teammates thrive under pressure and reduce stress in the process. The tasks of the Letting Go Game boost resiliency, attentiveness, and collaboration.

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Expert-guided activities and awareness exercises encourage team members to think altruistically and demonstrate acts of kindness. Between yoga, face painting, and fun photography, your employees or coworkers will have more than enough to keep them laughing and growing together with this mindfulness activity!

• Reach out for a free consultation
• A guide will then help lead the exercises
• Let the funny videos, pictures, and playing begin!

Learn more here: Letting Go Game

10. Wild Goose Chase

“city time”.

Wild Goose Chase is the creative problem solving activity that will take teams all around your city and bring them together as a group! This scavenger hunt works for teams as small as 10 up to groups of over 5000 people.

Best for: Large teams

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: As employees and group members are coming back to the office, there are going to be times that they’re itching to get outside. Wild Goose Chase is the perfect excuse to satisfy the desire to go out-of-office every now and then. Plus, having things to look at and see around the city will get employees talking in ways they never have before.

• Download the Outback app to access the Wild Goose Chase
• Take photos and videos from around the city
• The most successful team at completing challenges on time is the champ!

Learn more here: Wild Goose Chase

11. Human Knot

“for a knotty good time”.

The Human Knot is one of the best icebreaker team building activities! In fact, there’s a decent chance you played it in grade school. It’s fun, silly, and best of all — free!

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: Participants start in a circle and connect hands with two other people in the group to form a human knot. The team then has to work together and focus on clear communication to unravel the human knot by maneuvering their way out of this hands-on conundrum. But there’s a catch — they can’t let go of each other’s hands in this team building exercise.

• Form a circle
• Tell each person to grab a random hand until all hands are holding another
• They can’t hold anyone’s hand who is directly next to them
• Now they have to get to untangling
• If the chain breaks before everyone is untangled, they have to start over again

Learn more here: Human Knot

12. What Would You Do?

“because it’s fun to imagine”.

What Would You Do? Is the hypothetical question game that gets your team talking and brainstorming about what they’d do in a variety of fun, intriguing, and sometimes, whacky scenarios.

Best for: Distributed teams

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: After employees or coworkers start talking about their What Would You Do? responses, they won’t be able to stop. That’s what makes this such an incredible team building activity . For example, you could ask questions like “If you could live forever, what would you do with your time?” or “If you never had to sleep, what would you do?”

• In addition to hypothetical questions, you could also give teammates some optional answers to get them started
• After that, let them do the talking — then they’ll be laughing and thinking and dreaming, too!

13. Crossing The River

“quite the conundrum”.

Crossing The River is a river-crossing challenge with one correct answer. Your team gets five essential elements — a chicken, a fox, a rowboat, a woman, and a bag of corn. You see, the woman has a bit of a problem, you tell them. She has to get the fox, the bag of corn, and the chicken to the other side of the river as efficiently as possible.

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: She has a rowboat, but it can only carry her and one other item at a time. She cannot leave the chicken and the fox alone — for obvious reasons. And she can’t leave the chicken with the corn because it will gobble it right up. So the question for your team is how does the woman get all five elements to the other side of the river safely in this fun activity?

• Form teams of 2 to 5 people
• Each team has to solve the imaginary riddle
• Just make sure that each group understands that the rowboat can only carry one animal and one item at a time; the fox and chicken can’t be alone; and the bag of corn and the chicken cannot be left alone
• Give the verbal instructions for getting everything over to the other side

14. End-Hunger Games

“philanthropic fun”.

Does anything bond people quite like acts of kindness and compassion? The End-Hunger Games will get your team to rally around solving the serious problem of hunger.

Best for: Medium-sized teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Teams join forces to complete challenges based around non-perishable food items in the End-Hunger Games. Groups can range in size from 25 to more than 2000 people, who will all work together to collect food for the local food bank.

• Split into teams and compete to earn boxes and cans of non-perishable food
• Each team attempts to build the most impressive food item construction
• Donate all of the non-perishable foods to a local food bank

Learn more here: End-Hunger Games

People Also Ask These Questions About Team Building Problem Solving Group Activities

Q: what are some problem solving group activities.

• A: Some problem solving group activities can include riddles, egg drop, reverse pyramid, tallest tower, trivia, and other moderator-led activities.

Q: What kind of skills do group problem solving activities & games improve?

• A: Group problem solving activities and games improve collaboration, leadership, and communication skills.

Q: What are problem solving based team building activities & games?

• A: Problem solving based team building activities and games are activities that challenge teams to work together in order to complete them.

Q: What are some fun free problem solving games for groups?

• A: Some fun free problem solving games for groups are kinesthetic puzzles like the human knot game, which you can read more about in this article. You can also use all sorts of random items like whiteboards, straws, building blocks, sticky notes, blindfolds, rubber bands, and legos to invent a game that will get the whole team involved.

Q: How do I choose the most effective problem solving exercise for my team?

• A: The most effective problem solving exercise for your team is one that will challenge them to be their best selves and expand their creative thinking.

Q: How do I know if my group problem solving activity was successful?

• A: In the short-term, you’ll know if your group problem solving activity was successful because your team will bond over it; however, that should also translate to more productivity in the mid to long-term.

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23 Problem-solving games for busy work teams

Problem solving is a skill that can serve almost anyone, in any role, in any industry. The ability to think critically, and resolve issues is a welcome talent that is helpful for every organization. How can you encourage such thinking in your team? In this article, we are talking about our favorite problem-solving games, activities, and exercises for work. Use these activities to sharpen the reasoning and decision-making skills of your department or your entire company. Without further ado, let’s dive into the best problem solving games for getting the most of your next work event. 

In-person problem solving games

If you have the opportunity to get your team together in person, that’s a gift! Perhaps you are planning a company retreat or a department-wide in-person meeting. Whatever the circumstances, in today’s more digital workspace, it’s not always easy to have everyone in the same room. When you actually do, make the most of it! These activities are set up for in-person groups. They are part team-building activity, part icebreaker, and all fun! All of these activities are guaranteed to get people thinking, communicating, and having fun. If you have a particularly big group, you may want to browse our article on large group games too. 

1. Treasure hunt

Similar to a scavenger hunt, a treasure hunt is a lot of fun but with a bit more intention. Rather than collecting a random list of items, participants use clues to find more prompts and hints, until the group solves a mystery (or finds a treasure). You can also create a treasure map if you want to play into the “pirate” fantasy a little more. The important thing is that only clues point toward the next stop - areas of the map should not be spelled out, but involve some problem solving and critical thinking to figure out what the clue means. 

2. Story challenge

For the language lovers on your team, try this version of an ongoing story icebreaker. To play, each person receives a number of words (a word bank) that they can use to create a story. Then, everyone reads their piece out loud or presents it to the group. To come up with the words available for each person, you can use a random word generator online, or get creative. For example, consider instructing participants that they can only use words from the company website, or from the emails they received in their inbox yesterday. 

3. Moral dilemma

Similar to a “ would you rather ” game, this activity centers on ethical dilemmas. Players should try to flex their moral problem-solving muscles by tackling a social issue. For example, Scruples is a popular board game that can be played. Or, you can look online for versions of games like Dilemma or Quandary. This is a great way to learn more about your colleagues while getting a peek at the way they think. 

4. Build a shelter

How would you survive if you were stranded in an isolated place with a blizzard coming? Use this activity to find out! As an added complication, you can pretend that everyone is blinded by frostbite (by using blindfolds). The team leader must give the group instructions for building a shelter that can withstand the arctic winds. To play, you need a large space and some supplies. Then, select a leader (who can see) and blindfold everyone else. You’ll also need a large fan. The leader guides everyone in putting together their shelter (remember, while blindfolded). When everyone feels confident that their shelter is up to the test, turn on the fan and see if the structure can withstand the wind! This game is sure to lead to a lot of laughs and you’ll be surprised at some of the clever ideas that people come up with. This is also a powerful exercise for effective leadership - it’s not easy to reach a goal with a group that is blindfolded! Check out our article on team activities especially for leadership as well.

5. Improv games

You may think of improv games as more of an icebreaker activity, but the truth is there is a lot of brain power that goes into well-done improv. Look for ways to add both logic and entertainment to your next improv effort. Consider scenarios like banned words, where people cannot use a certain list of words, or “miracle cure”, where one person shares a problem they’re having and the other person must come up with the solution on the spot. Both are fun and easy ideas that don’t require anything but willing participants! If you need some other quick and easy team building activities , make sure to follow our blog. 

6. Spaghetti tower

In this classic team building game, users try to build a tower using uncooked pasta noodles and marshmallows. The instructions are simple: use the tools at your disposal to design and build the tallest tower in order to win the challenge. You can judge on height alone, or weigh other factors like innovation, number of towers, or stability. For more simple team building activities , make sure to follow our blog. 

7. What would you do?

Another classic icebreaker, this game involves coming up with some scenarios that require brain power to address. Here are some prompts you can use with your group: 

• What would you do if you were at the zoo and all the animals escaped? 
• What would you do if you were the first person to find out about an upcoming zombie apocalypse? 
• What would you do if you were in line for a really important item, and a person cut in front of you, getting the last item? 
• What would you do if you were invited for dinner at the home of someone you really needed to impress, and the food was terrible? 
• What would you do if an imposter that looks and acts just like you infiltrated your organization? How can you convince everyone that you’re the “real” you?

8. “MacGyver” challenge

MacGyver is an older television program where the hero escaped sticky situations by improvising tools made of unlikely materials. You can recreate this set-up in your event space or office. To play, challenge participants to use 3-5 items to reach a desired end result. For example, something like “a way to pick the door lock” or “escape vehicle” are fun options. You can either set out some various equipment, or have people collect their own based on what they can find around the office. Note: if you are doing this in a conference room or other rented space, it makes sense to have a table set up with random odds and ends for people to pick from. 

9. Egg drop challenge

This one will take you back to high school physics class! Break a larger group into smaller teams and challenge them to come up with a container that will protect an egg even when it’s dropped from up high. You can either let people know far enough in advance that they can discuss, design, and collect materials; or you can have supplies ready and have everyone build their creation on the spot. If you go that route, you’ll want to provide a variety of boxes, packing supplies, rubber bands, fabric, etc. Then set up a ladder and have each team drop their container and see if their egg remained intact. 

10. Shrinking circle

Adaptability and flexibility are huge in the business world. One way to focus on both of those items is by playing this simple and silly game. Start out by using a rope to create a large circle that everyone can fit in. Then, every few minutes, make the circle a bit smaller. Depending on how large the circle is in the first place, you can take away an inch or a foot each round. The challenge is for everyone present to stay inside the circle. This will require some serious innovation once the circle gets small, and lots of laughs almost always ensue. Note: People are likely to end up touching each other in this exercise. It’s difficult not to once the space gets small, like a game of Twister. You know your colleagues best - if that level of closeness would make anyone uncomfortable, it’s probably best to try a different exercise. 

Out-of-the-office problem-solving activities

Everyone once in a while, it can be really valuable to get out of your usual work environment and into a new mental space. If your team is planning a multi-day retreat, don’t be afraid to include an organized activity that will help everyone to think more critically. Most towns have at least one option for getting your group together and learning some new ways to problem solve. Do some research on what you have available locally, or work with an organization like Surf Office who can plan your next retreat - including the fun elements that your employees will be talking about for months to come! If you know that you can’t get out of the office right now, stick to this list of indoor team building activities . 

11. Escape room

The goal of an escape room is to follow a series of clues and take on some challenges in order to unlock the space that everyone is locked in. There are usually 5 - 10 puzzles that teams will work together to figure out. Typically finishing one leads to another clue, so that participants can move onto the next phase. Only when they’ve successfully completed all of the tasks can they find the key and escape. While you can definitely set up an escape room on your own, we think it’s worth finding a local version in your town (or wherever your retreat is taking place). These are professionally set up and usually in really cool spaces like an underground bunker or a historic building. An escape room is a good excuse to get out of the office and spend time with coworkers in a new environment. 

12. Murder mystery

These story-based games have people take on a role in a pretend scenario. They may take on a role like detective, dinner guest, or even killer in their dinner. Most of the time the games involve reading lines from a script, searching for clues, or even solving some simple challenges to move onto the next phase. Participants have to pay attention to conversations and context clues in order to get an understanding of who the killer might be. Observation and logic are key to catching the killer. Some murder mysteries involve getting dressed up and having a nice dinner, so if you’re looking for an idea for a big night out capping off your next retreat, this is perfect. 

13. Ax throwing

What do axes have to do with problem solving? You might be surprised. This is definitely an activity you’ll want to go to a professional venue for. Ax throwing outfits have everything you need, plus the right safety precautions. They have everything set up with the proper distances, buffers between throwing stations, safe ax materials, etc. Plus, many of them offer food and drinks! Ax throwing can help with problem solving because most people don’t excel at it their first time. It takes some practice and careful consideration to figure out where to stand, the best stance, the force of the throw, etc. As you take turns, you’ll make adjustments and also consider new methods based on observing your teammates. The more you watch and the more you try, the better you’ll get. In fact, instead of having people compete against each other, we suggest having the team compete against themselves, aiming for a higher total score in their second or third consecutive game. This activity allows you to observe others and then optimize - essentially learning from each other. 

14. Paper boat race

If you are able to visit a location by water, you can try this really fun activity. In this fun and creative exercise, participants build a small boat with paper (and other supplies) and then race them in a small body of water like a pond or stream. The boats are usually made by folding paper into a boat shape, but you can also try offering cardboard, balloons, popsicle sticks, or other crafty materials. You’ll also want to supply materials for decorating so that everyone can really have their creation stand out. Obviously the person who reaches the finish line first is the winner, but you can offer a few other prizes just for fun, like most beautiful boat or best effort. Make sure to check out our article on other creativity and innovation games , too. 

Problem-solving puzzles

When it’s just not possible to get everyone together, you can still encourage your team to put on their thinking caps and hone their skills. There are tons of critical thinking games, puzzles , and even apps that people can use to practice problem solving. You can encourage your team members to play these games in their spare time, or even set up a competition where people log minutes playing such games or using the apps. If you’re feeling really generous, give everyone a small stiped to be used on a problem solving app of their choice. This special touch makes a nice addition to a holiday gift, too!

Sudoku has become one of the most popular problem solving games for adults. There are dozens of free app options, as well as paperback books that you can pick up. The goal of this game is to fill each box on a 9×9 grid so that every row, column, and letter contains each number from one to nine. It sounds tricky - and it is - but players tend to find it addicting and the game has grown a huge following in recent years. Encourage people to play on their own by downloading an app or purchasing a puzzle book, or as a team by having the puzzles available in your office or at your next event. 

16. Crossword puzzles

These classic word games have players fill out words based on clues. Words interconnect, and people must think critically about the context clues of what they’ve filled out so far. These puzzles are super versatile and one of the best things about them is that you can make them yourself so they are themed. You can use an online crossword puzzle maker to create a custom puzzle with clues about your business or other relevant subjects. For your next event, it might be fun to have a custom crossword puzzle about your company history or trivia! 

17. Tic-tac-toe tournament

It sounds a little silly, but tic-tac-toe requires more brain power than one might think. Set up an ongoing tic-tac-toe board in your office and encourage people to use it on their breaks or when they have a few minutes to kill. You can set up a scoreboard and keep track of the leader; it’s a lot of fun to see the rankings change and to challenge the top performers. If you need an even simpler version of the same concept, simply set up the Connect Four game board in your break room and let people have at it! 

Problem-solving for virtual teams 

If your team is a bit scattered, it doesn’t mean that you can’t practice solving challenges together. In our digital world, there are plenty of options for online activities that teams can work on either independently or as a group. In the section above, we shared some ideas for independent work. These ideas are designed to bring your team together, no matter where they are. Set a time and have everyone hop onto your preferred communication tool, and then work together tackling these challenges. 

18. Virtual hackathon

A hackathon normally refers to an event where participants have a set amount of time to design and pitch a new product or solution. It’s normally used in the tech space for pitching things like new apps, but you can apply the concept in lots of other ways too. In this online version, teams work with each other using virtual meeting software and pitch ideas to a panel of judges. This type of event requires some advance notice for the participants, as they’ll want to collect a team and come up with some designs. If you want to raise the stakes, offer a prize for first place.

19. Online escape room

Just like an in-person escape room, in an online version people must solve a variety of puzzles in order to make it “out”. Digital escape rooms normally come in one of two ways: in a Zoom “room” led by a host, or in a choose-your-own-adventure style via Google Forms or other websites. To play virtually, staff will enter the meeting and follow the prompts they get, and it might involve screen sharing some Google tools to work on puzzles together. Because of the platforms and tools that may be involved, this activity is better for teams who are a bit more tech-savvy and comfortable with online meetings, apps, etc. 

20. Survival plans

Prioritizing is an important mental exercise. You can work on this with a game about survival. Have everyone imagine they are stranded on a desert island, and they must decide the correct order to perform life-saving steps in. Have this list handy, and ask everyone to pair off or get in small groups and number the list according to the best likelihood of survival: 

• Set up shelter
• Look around the island
• Signal for help
• Create weapons for self-defense
• Build a raft for water
• Start a fire
• Select a group leader
• Find other survivors
• Anything else you think of! 

The catch is that everyone must agree on the order of events!  That will typically involve discussion and coming to some sort of consensus. Once everyone is done with the exercise, have them present to the larger group and explain their reasoning. This exercise is good for team-building, communication, and problem resolution. Plus, you will be better prepared if you ever get stuck on a deserted island! 

21. Online role-playing games (like Dungeons and Dragons)

Seeing how people react in real-world situations is a really interesting way to get to know them better. Find an online game that has real-world actions and consequences, like Dungeons and Dragons. Or, you can make things even simpler by hopping on a Zoom together and reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book aloud, with the reader getting group consensus before making a decision. The important part is the discussion that will occur before choosing the next action. This is helpful for bonding and also helps you to see how your colleagues tick. These activities can be difficult to organize for big groups, so if you have a substantial team, try some of these team building activities for large groups instead. 

22. Google Docs story

Similar to an ongoing story icebreaker, this game is easy to do online as people have time. You start by creating a Google Doc that everyone on the team has access to. Then, have people go into the Doc and add to the story that’s developing. If you want, you can pick a prompt to kick things off - or you can just let the first person get creative and go for it! The more specific or bizarre the scenario, the more creative and clever people will have to get to add their portion. 

23. Model UN

Chances are you might be familiar with this concept from high school. Fortunately, adults can have a lot of fun with it too. You can play this virtually as long as everyone is a strong communicator. Each participant should take on the role of an international diplomat, and work together to form alliances and solve crises. Come up with a potential scenario that the UN must work through. Consider things like a global food shortage, natural disaster, or cyber-security threats. If your group is particularly large, you can have multiple people assigned to a country and they will have separate roles. If politics is a sensitive topic on your team, you might want to tweak this exercise to be focused on a business and treat participants like board members - or even a musical group! 

Set the tone of your next company retreat

These problem solving games and activities are great virtually any time - there is something for everyone, whether you’re remote or in person, on a large team or a small one. One of the best ways to implement a problem solving exercise is at the beginning of a team retreat. If you have organized a large meeting or team building event, consider getting things started with such an activity. Many of these problem solving games will get everyone thinking and make people more comfortable, plus a lot of them also serve as a form of icebreaker.

The next time you plan a work retreat , consider including a few of these on the agenda to set the tone for a fun, energizing event. Need help ensuring that your retreat is, in fact, fun and energizing?

Let Surf Office help ! We can help with organizing your next team retreat or all-company meeting so that you can focus on the fun.

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Building Stronger Teams with Virtual Problem-Solving Activities

In today’s evolving work environment, where remote operations are becoming increasingly prevalent, the need for maintaining strong team cohesion is more critical than ever. Problem-solving serves as a key pillar in building and strengthening remote teams, offering a dual benefit of enhancing collaborative skills while resolving real-life challenges. At our core, we recognize that well-coordinated teams are the bedrock of high-performing organizations, particularly when distant geographical locations could easily become a barrier.

Through carefully curated virtual problem-solving activities, we aim to bridge the gaps in remote team interactions. These activities not only encourage members to communicate effectively but also push them to rely on each other’s strengths. Engaging in problem-solving exercises fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose among team members, qualities essential for a collaborative and productive remote work environment.

By integrating strategic problem-solving sessions into our routine, we actively shape a culture where every team member feels connected, valued, and understood. This, in turn, translates into a workforce well-equipped to tackle complex tasks with a collaborative spirit, driving organizational success anywhere in the world.

Table of Contents

The Role of Problem-Solving in Strengthening Remote Teams

Problem-solving is not just about overcoming business challenges; it’s a vital tool that strengthens remote teams extraordinarily. In a remote setting, the clarity of communication and the ability to collaboratively solve issues are tested more rigorously than in face-to-face environments. This is why we place a strong emphasis on developing these skills among team members. Through problem-solving, team members learn to communicate clearly, parse through complex information, and make decisions together, which are essential skills for remote professionals.

Moreover, when teams come together to solve problems, they simulate a shared obstacle experience, which in itself is a bonding activity. The collective effort required to brainstorm solutions, evaluate options, and implement strategies helps in fortifying trust and interdependence among team members. These experiences are not only vital for productivity but also help in building a cohesive team culture that transcends physical boundaries.

Top Virtual Problem-Solving Activities for Team Building

To enhance teamwork and problem-solving capabilities within remote teams, engaging in specific activities designed to challenge and stimulate collaborative thinking is key. Here are some top virtual problem-solving activities we actively use:

• Virtual Escape Rooms: These require teams to work together to find clues and solve puzzles within a set time frame, promoting quick thinking and teamwork.
• Online Treasure Hunts: Teams navigate through a series of clues peppered across the internet, fostering not only problem-solving but also digital navigation skills.
• Scenario-Based Challenges: We pose hypothetical business challenges or client scenarios that teams must solve within a stipulated time, encouraging strategic thinking and collective decision-making.
• Brainstorming Sessions Using Digital Whiteboards: Utilizing tools like digital whiteboards for brainstorming allows every team member to contribute their thoughts and solutions in real-time, ensuring an inclusive and comprehensive problem-solving process.
• Interactive Webinars with Problem-Solving Workshops: These sessions are led by experts and are interactive, including real-time problem-solving exercises that require active participation from all team members.

These activities are designed not just to entertain but to build a robust set of skills that are indispensable for remote teams to function effectively and efficiently.

Techniques for Facilitating Effective Virtual Problem-Solving Sessions

Establishing effective virtual problem-solving sessions requires more than just gathering team members on a call; it necessitates strategic planning to ensure every participant is actively engaged and contributing. As facilitators, it’s crucial for us to set clear objectives for each session, outlining what we aim to achieve and how we expect each team member to contribute. Moreover, employing the right digital tools is essential. Using interactive platforms that allow real-time collaboration and feedback can drastically enhance the efficiency of these sessions.

We also focus on creating an inclusive environment where every member feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas without hesitation. This often means setting ground rules for communication, encouraging quieter team members, and ensuring that discussions remain focused and productive. Recognizing and celebrating effective solutions generated during these sessions not only boosts morale but also motivates team members to be actively involved in future problem-solving endeavors.

Measuring the Impact of Problem-Solving Activities on Team Cohesion

To truly understand the value of virtual problem-solving activities, we systematically measure their impact on team cohesion and performance. This involves collecting feedback from team members about their experience and the skills they believe they’ve enhanced through these activities. Additionally, we monitor changes in work efficiency and collaboration levels before and after sessions to gauge the direct effects of our problem-solving initiatives.

Using analytical tools, we track various metrics such as engagement rates during sessions, completion rate of tasks assigned during problem-solving exercises, and improvement in communication flows within teams. Over time, this data helps us refine our approaches, ensuring that we are continually adapting to the needs of our teams and maximizing the benefits of our problem-solving activities, thus continually enhancing team cohesion and productivity.

In conclusion, virtual problem-solving activities are not just about addressing immediate business challenges; they are a critical tool in strengthening the fabric of teamwork, especially in remote settings. By carefully designing these activities and measuring their impact, we ensure that our teams are not only equipped to handle complex problems efficiently but are also growing closer and more collaborative through every challenge encountered.

At BreakoutIQ, we are dedicated to helping your team achieve its fullest potential through engaging, thought-provoking, and interactive experiences. Discover how our tailored team building virtual activities can transform your team’s dynamics and propel your business forward. Connect with us today and let us help you build a more resilient and cohesive team!

15 Free Virtual Team Building Activities to Bring Your Team Together

As remote work continues to grow in popularity, it's becoming more crucial than ever for virtual teams to find ways of maintaining strong connections and a sense of teamwork. Research has shown that team members working remotely can feel more isolated, disengaged and eventually become uninterested in their work. This is where virtual team building activities come into play! These activities not only enhance communication and collaboration, but they are also great at creating a sense of belonging and support amongst remote teams.

In this article, we'll take you through 15 engaging virtual team building activities that will help bring your team closer together. From icebreakers and problem-solving tasks to creative adventures and relaxation exercises, these activities are designed to ensure that your team remains motivated, connected, and inspired.

The best part is that these activities are all free, making them accessible to teams of all sizes no matter what budget you might be working with. Incorporating these cost-effective virtual team building exercises into your remote team's work routine periodically will motivate and engage them, creating a team that is more connected and productive.

Benefits of Team Building Activities for Remote Teams

The benefits of a well-orchestrated team building activity are numerous, as it not only improves team dynamics but it also contributes to increased success and well-being. Some of the key benefits that virtual team building activities bring to remote work teams include:

1. Enhanced Communication:

Team building activities help break down communication barriers and foster open, transparent dialogue among team members. Improved communication leads to better collaboration, which results in things like smoother project execution and fewer missed deadlines. These are foundations to a more efficient and productive work environment.

2. Strengthened Relationships:

Virtual team building activities provide opportunities for employees to connect on a personal level, allowing them to understand and appreciate each other's unique skills, perspectives, and working styles. Strengthening relationships in a positive way allows team members to better trust each other and pave the way for a more supportive and cohesive work environment.

3. Increased Employee Engagement:

Enjoyable and stimulating team building activities help boost employee morale and motivation. This creates a more positive work environment which increases job satisfaction and overall engagement, leading to higher retention rates and a more committed workforce.

4. Improved Problem-Solving and Creativity:

Many team building activities are designed to challenge participants to think critically, work together, and devise innovative solutions. Encouraging creative thinking and collaborative problem-solving makes teams more resilient and able to adapt, innovate, and excel in the face of obstacles or changing circumstances.

5. Greater Sense of Belonging:

For employees working remotely, feeling connected to their team and organization can be challenging. Team building activities help create a sense of belonging and shared purpose, reminding team members that they are part of a larger community who are all working towards the same common goals.

Incorporating virtual team building activities into your team's remote work strategy can unlock these invaluable benefits and cultivate a thriving, connected, and high-performing remote team.

Now that we know how virtual team building activities can benefit your team, let's get into the 15 highly effective virtual team building activities that are practically guaranteed to bring your team closer together.

I. Icebreakers

Icebreakers are an excellent way to kick off any virtual team building session. They help team members warm up, get to know each other better, and create a relaxed atmosphere that sets the stage for more in-depth activities. Here are three engaging icebreaker activities that are perfect for remote teams:

1. Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie is a classic icebreaker that can be easily adapted to a virtual team activity. In this game, each team member shares two true statements and one false statement about themselves. The rest of the team then tries to guess which statement is the lie. This activity gets team members to share fun and interesting facts about themselves, which helps foster connections and a sense of familiarity among their remote colleagues.

To organize this activity, simply set up a video conference call and have each participant take turns sharing their statements. Use a chat or polling feature to collect guesses from everybody and reveal the correct answers.

2. Virtual Scavenger Hunt

A Virtual Scavenger Hunt is a fun and interactive way to engage remote team members while also getting a glimpse into their home environments. Create a list of common household items or work-from-home essentials, and challenge your team members to find them as quickly as possible. The first person to gather all items and show them on camera wins!

To add an extra layer of fun and challenge, include riddles or clues that team members must decipher to identify the items. This will add a problem-solving element to the activity and encourage creative thinking.

3. Online Pictionary

Online Pictionary is a fun and creative activity that brings out the inner artist in everyone. In this game, team members take turns drawing a word or phrase assigned to them, while the rest of the team tries to guess what it is. You can use online drawing tools like Skribbl.io, Drawasaurus, or even a shared whiteboard on your video conferencing platform.

To play, start by dividing your team into smaller groups. Going round in turns, assign each group with team words or phrases related to your industry, team goals, or just a general topic, and give them two minutes to come up with a Pictionary drawing. At the end of the activity have the groups vote on the best drawings.

This activity not only encourages team members to think creatively, it also promotes camaraderie as they work together to on the drawings.

II. Communication and Collaboration Activities

Effective communication and collaboration are crucial components of successful remote teams. The following activities are designed to help team members practice these essential skills while also having fun and bonding with each other:

4. Virtual Escape Room

Virtual Escape Rooms are a fantastic way to promote teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills within remote teams. These online experiences offer immersive, interactive challenges that require participants to work together in solving puzzles, riddles, and uncovering hidden clues to "escape" within a set time frame.

Numerous free and paid virtual escape room options are available online. Simply choose one that fits your team's interests and size, and organize a video call to guide your team through the adventure. Virtual escape rooms are a fun way to get your team thinking creatively and working together as they navigate a room full of challenges and puzzles together.

5. Online Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge

Online Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge is a relaxing yet engaging activity that encourages your team to collaborate and communicate. In this activity participants work together to complete a virtual jigsaw puzzle, which can be customized to feature images that relate to your team, industry, or general interest photos like beautiful landscapes.

Websites like Jigsaw Explorer or JigsawPuzzles.io offer free online jigsaw puzzles that can be shared with your team. You can adjust the difficulty level by choosing the number of pieces and setting a time limit for completion. This activity not only promotes teamwork but also offers a calming and satisfying break from the daily work routine.

6. Remote Team Trivia

Remote Team Trivia is the same classic trivia game played in bars and pubs around the world, but adjusted for virtual teams. Create a list of trivia questions that relate to your industry, company, or general knowledge . Alternatively you can use free platforms like Kahoot! or Quizizz to host the quiz.

To play, either divide your team into smaller groups or have everyone compete as individuals. Set up head-to-head challenges to see who can answer the trivia questions fastest. This activity promotes healthy competition and lively conversation as team members bond while testing their knowledge.

III. Problem-Solving and Creativity Exercises

Developing problem-solving skills and fostering creativity are necessary for remote teams to thrive in today's ever-evolving work environment. The following activities will challenge your team to think outside the box:

7. Virtual Brainstorming Sessions

Virtual Brainstorming Sessions bring team members together to share ideas, discuss potential solutions, and work together to overcome challenges. Brainstorming sessions can be organized around specific projects your team is currently working on, industry trends, or topics related to your team's goals.

Use video conferencing tools and virtual whiteboards or mind mapping tools like Miro or MURAL to facilitate the brainstorming process. Encourage open and constructive communication, and make sure everyone's ideas are heard and considered. Brainstorming sessions promote effective communication, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills within your team.

8. Online Lego Building Challenge

Online Lego Building Challenge is a fun and engaging activity where team members use virtual Lego bricks to create structures and designs based on a given theme or objective. These challenges can include themes like recreating famous landmarks, designing futuristic vehicles, or constructing scenes from well known movies and books.

Platforms like MiniPlay allow your team to collaborate on their virtual Lego creations in real-time. Set a time limit and provide a specific theme or challenge to guide what everyone builds. Online Lego Building Challenges are a great way to develop teamwork, communication, and creative thinking as team members work together to create their Lego masterpieces.

9. Remote Design Thinking Workshop

Remote Design Thinking Workshop is an opportunity for remote teams to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems using the design thinking process. Design thinking involves empathizing with users, defining the problem, brainstorming ideas, prototyping and testing. Ultimately this leads to more user-centric products and services.

To organize a workshop, use visual mind mapping collaborative platforms like MURAL or Miro that allow some amount of free access. Provide a specific challenge or problem that your team needs to address, and guide them through the design thinking process. This activity not only fosters group creativity and problem-solving skills, but it also encourages a sense of empathy and a user-centric mindset within your team.

IV. Bonding and Cultural Exchange Activities

Creating a sense of camaraderie and fostering cultural exchange among remote team members is necessary for building a strong, connected workforce. These activities are designed to promote bonding, share personal experiences, and celebrate the diverse backgrounds and interests of your team:

10. Virtual Coffee Breaks

Virtual Coffee Breaks are an informal and relaxed way to encourage your virtual team to connect, chat, and unwind. Schedule regular video calls where team members can grab their favorite beverage, take a break from work, and engage in casual conversations just like they would in a physical office. To make virtual coffee breaks even more engaging you can utilize any of these creative team building activities .

These breaks offer an opportunity for team members to discuss non-work related topics, share personal stories, and generally get to know each other better. Virtual coffee breaks help create genuine connections and friendships leading to a more supportive and cohesive remote work environment.

11. Remote Team Show and Tell

Remote Team Show and Tell is a great way for team members to share a glimpse of their personal lives, hobbies, and interests with everyone. Each team member is invited to showcase an object, photo, or story that holds some special meaning to them and explain its significance to the rest of the team.

Organize a video conference call and allocate a few minutes for each participant to share their item or story. This virtual team building activity not only promotes bonding but also helps team members gain a deeper understanding of each other's backgrounds, values, and experiences. This ultimately enhances the feelings of trust and empathy within the team.

12. International Recipe Swap

International Recipe Swap is a delightful virtual team building activity that celebrates the diverse cultures and culinary traditions of your entire team. Invite your team to share their favorite recipes from their home countries or regions, and encourage everyone to try making and tasting these dishes.

You can create a shared online cookbook where team members contribute their recipes, including photos and cooking tips. To make this a really fun event, organize a virtual cooking session where everyone learns how to make the dishes together and learn more about each other's cultures. International Recipe Swap not only fosters team bonding but it also encourages cultural exchange and appreciation, enriching the overall team dynamic.

V. Fun and Relaxation Activities

It's essential to incorporate fun and relaxation into remote team routines, as they help relieve stress and create a positive work environment. These activities offer enjoyable and calming experiences that can strengthen connections and enhance overall team morale:

13. Virtual Game Night

A Virtual Game Night is an entertaining way to bring remote team members together for some friendly competition and bonding. Make this an online office Olympics event and select from a wide variety of office game activity ideas that cater to different interests and skill levels.

Organize a video call and divide your team into smaller groups or have everyone play together, depending on the game. This virtual team building activity not only provides a fun break from work but it also heightens the sense of competition which can be great for elevating team performance .

14. Online Movie Watch Party

An Online Movie Watch Party is a great way for remote team members to enjoy a shared entertainment experience, even when they are miles apart. Choose a movie or TV series episode that appeals to your team, and using a widely accessible streaming platform like Netflix Party, Amazon Prime Watch Party, or Teleparty, synchronize watching the show together and chat about it in real-time.

Schedule a time that works for everyone and encourage team members to grab their favorite snacks and join the virtual watch party. This activity not only offers a shared bonding experience but it also creates opportunities for lively discussions about shared interests within the team.

15. Remote Team Meditation Session

Remote Team Meditation Session is a calming and rejuvenating activity that promotes mindfulness, stress relief, and mental well-being amongst remote teams. Meditation can help improve focus, boost emotional resilience, and increase overall job satisfaction.

Organize a video conference call and either invite a meditation instructor, or use self-guided meditation resources available online. Have the entire group go through it and then discuss their experience afterwards. Schedule regular meditation sessions to encourage team members to take a break, clear their minds, and recharge. This not only supports their personal well-being, but it also fosters a more mindful and emotionally balanced remote work environment.

Tips to Making Your Virtual Team Building Event Fun and Effective

Organizing a successful virtual team building event requires careful planning and attention to detail. Here are some tips to ensure your event is not only fun but also achieves its goals successfully:

1. Mix it up:

Offer a variety of activities that cater to different learning styles, personalities, and interests. This will keep your team members engaged and excited about participating in future events.

2. Set clear expectations:

Provide clear instructions and guidelines for each activity, and ensure that everyone understands their role and the objectives of the event. This will help your team members stay focused and engaged throughout the session.

3. Allow for flexibility:

Be prepared to adjust the schedule or activities as needed, depending on the flow of the event and the needs of your team. This will ensure that everyone feels accommodated and has a positive and enjoyable experience.

4. Schedule events at a convenient time:

Coordinate with your team members to find a time that works best for everyone, consider the different time zones and personal commitments of all. This will maximize attendance and ensure that everyone can fully participate in the activities.

5. Use the right technology:

Familiarize yourself with the tools and platforms you'll be using for the event, and ensure that your team members have access to and are comfortable using them. Test everything in advance to avoid technical glitches during the event.

6. Gather feedback and iterate:

After each virtual team building event, solicit feedback from your team members to understand what worked well and what could be improved. Use this information to fine-tune your future events and ensure that they continue to be engaging, enjoyable, and effective in building a stronger remote team.

Virtual team building activities can play a pivotal role in fostering connection, collaboration, and camaraderie among virtual teams. By incorporating a mix of icebreakers, communication exercises, problem-solving challenges, bonding activities, and relaxation events into your remote work routine, you can create a more engaged, productive, and cohesive team.

Remember to choose activities that align with your team's interests and objectives, encourage participation, and be open to feedback and adjustments. With the right approach and a commitment to making these activities fun and effective, you'll see a positive impact on your team's morale, communication, and overall performance. So, embrace the power of virtual team building and unlock your remote team's full potential!

Related Articles:

15 Virtual Team Building Activities for Diversity & Inclusion

12 Virtual Activities to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day With Your Team

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11 Problem Solving Activities That Will Blow Your Mind!

  Problem solving activities is a vital skill in the professional world, but many new graduates lack this skill.

Team building problem-solving activities offer a fun and interactive way to develop problem-solving skills while creating a stronger team.

Whether in-person or virtual, these activities provide an opportunity for teams to enhance their problem-solving skills and collaboration.

List of In-Person / Virtual Problem Solving Activities

Key takeaways.

• Problem-solving activities for team building are essential in developing problem-solving skills and creating a stronger team.
• Both in-person and virtual options are available for team building problem-solving activities.
• In-person activities include the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge, Egg Drop, Clue Murder Mystery, Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower, Corporate Escape Room , Wild Goose Chase, Face-2-Face Feud, Reverse Pyramid, Move it.
• Virtual activities include Virtual Escape Room: Mummy’s Curse, Virtual Clue Murder Mystery, Jewel Heist, and Virtual Trivia Time Machine.
• Each activity offers a unique challenge that requires teamwork and problem-solving skills.

In-Person Team Building Activities to Solve Problems

In-person team building problem-solving activities are a great way to strengthen your work group while developing crucial problem-solving skills.

These activities offer a hands-on and interactive approach to team building .

They allow participants to work together towards a common goal. Below are 11 engaging in-person activities that will challenge your team’s problem-solving abilities:

In-person team building problem-solving activities offer a fantastic opportunity to enhance problem-solving skills and foster collaboration among team members.

Here are 8 exciting activities that will challenge and engage your work group:

• Cardboard Boat Building Challenge:  Teams will design and construct a functional boat using only cardboard and tape. The objective is to create a boat that can float and navigate through water without sinking.
• Egg Drop:  Participants will create a protective casing for an egg using limited materials like newspapers, straws, tape, and balloons. The challenge is to prevent the egg from breaking when dropped from a height.
• Clue Murder Mystery:  Teams will work together to solve a murder mystery by deciphering clues and identifying the culprit, motive, and means. This activity tests participants’ problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills.
• Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower:  The goal is to build the tallest freestanding tower using marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti, tape, and string. This activity promotes teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving.
• Corporate Escape Room:  Participants must collaborate to solve puzzles and uncover clues that will help them escape a locked room. This activity encourages teamwork, problem-solving, and quick thinking under pressure.
• Wild Goose Chase:  Teams will embark on a smartphone-based scavenger hunt, completing challenges and riddles in the city. This activity fosters problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.
• Team Pursuit:  Teams compete in a series of challenges that require problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. The objective is to accumulate points by successfully completing each challenge.
• Family Feud: Teams face off in a wild, yet friendly and funny game of revealing top surveys.  Questions can be customized specifically to your group. This activity requires problem-solving, communication, and coordination.

1. Cardboard Boat Building Challenge

Teams are tasked with designing and constructing a functional boat using only cardboard and tape.

The challenge lies in creating a boat that can sail across water without sinking.

This activity requires creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills to engineer a sturdy and seaworthy vessel.

This activity not only fosters collaboration and teamwork but also encourages participants to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions.

It requires teams to analyze the principles of buoyancy, weight distribution, and structural integrity to design a boat that can support their team members.

Throughout the process, participants will face challenges and setbacks, but these obstacles provide valuable learning experiences and opportunities for growth.

The Importance of the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge

The Cardboard Boat Building Challenge offers several benefits for teams in the workplace.

Firstly, it promotes effective communication and collaboration as team members brainstorm ideas, delegate tasks, and work together towards a common goal.

Also, this activity enhances problem-solving skills as participants encounter unexpected obstacles and devise creative solutions.

By engaging in the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge, teams also develop resilience and adaptability.

They learn to embrace failure as a stepping stone towards success and understand the importance of persistence and continuous improvement.

This activity fosters a positive team culture, encouraging individuals to support and motivate each other throughout the challenge.

Overall, the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge is a fun and interactive team-building activity that not only strengthens bonds among team members but also cultivates essential problem-solving and communication skills.

It provides a memorable and engaging experience that can be applied in a professional setting, helping teams become more effective, innovative, and collaborative.

2. Egg Drop

The Egg Drop activity is a challenging and engaging team-building exercise that tests creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaboration.

Teams are given the task of designing a contraption that can protect an egg from a fall using limited materials.

With only items such as newspapers, straws, tape, and balloons at their disposal, teams must think quickly and strategically to build a casing that can withstand a drop without breaking the egg.

This activity not only promotes critical thinking and innovation but also encourages effective communication and teamwork.

Teams must work together to brainstorm ideas, share their knowledge and expertise, and come up with the best possible solution.

It requires a combination of individual creativity and collective effort to design and construct a successful contraption.

By participating in the Egg Drop activity, teams learn valuable lessons about problem-solving under pressure, thinking outside the box, and the importance of collaboration.

It provides a fun and interactive way for team members to bond and develop their problem-solving skills while facing a common challenge.

The Egg Drop is an exciting team-building activity that will leave participants feeling accomplished and motivated to overcome future obstacles together.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs

3. Clue Murder Mystery

Teams become detectives in a thrilling murder mystery scenario.

By gathering clues, analyzing evidence, and working together, participants must solve the mystery by identifying the culprit, motive, and means.

This activity requires critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication to crack the case.

the Clue Murder Mystery is a popular choice. In this interactive and engaging activity, teams must put their problem-solving skills to the test as they work together to solve a murder.

By gathering clues, analyzing evidence, and collaborating effectively, teams can uncover the truth and identify the culprit, motive, and means.

This activity not only fosters critical thinking and problem-solving abilities but also promotes teamwork and communication.

Participants must work together to share information, brainstorm ideas, and piece together the puzzle.

The Clue Murder Mystery is a thrilling and challenging experience that will keep teams engaged and motivated while honing their problem-solving skills.

“The Clue Murder Mystery activity requires teams to think critically and collaborate effectively to solve the mystery and uncover the truth.”

5 Benefits of the Clue Murder Mystery Activity

• Promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Fosters teamwork and collaboration
• Enhances communication and information sharing
• Provides a thrilling and engaging experience
• Promotes creativity and analytical thinking

Overall, the Clue Murder Mystery activity is an excellent choice for in-person team building problem-solving activities.

It challenges teams to think critically, work together, and communicate effectively while having fun and solving a thrilling mystery.

By participating in this activity, teams can develop and enhance their problem-solving skills, which are essential for success in the professional world.

4. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower is a popular team-building activity that encourages collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

In this activity, teams are tasked with building the tallest freestanding tower using only marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti, tape, and string.

The challenge lies in constructing a stable structure within a given timeframe.

This interactive exercise promotes teamwork as team members must work together to brainstorm ideas, share perspectives, and delegate tasks.

It requires critical thinking skills as participants analyze the strengths and weaknesses of different tower designs.

Additionally, the activity encourages creativity as teams experiment with different techniques to construct a sturdy tower.

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower activity is not only a fun and engaging team-building exercise but also serves as a metaphor for problem-solving in the workplace.

It highlights the importance of strong communication, adaptability, and resourcefulness when facing challenges.

By participating in this activity, teams can develop their problem-solving skills while strengthening their bonds and fostering a collaborative environment.

Example of a Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower:

In the example above, Team C built the tallest tower, standing at 32 inches.

This showcases the competitive nature of the activity and the determination of each team to excel.

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower activity not only fosters healthy competition but also reinforces the importance of teamwork and problem-solving skills in achieving success.

5.  Wild Goose Chase

The Wild Goose Chase is an exciting and interactive team-building activity that combines the thrill of a scavenger hunt with the power of problem-solving and teamwork.

In this smartphone-based adventure, teams explore the city and complete challenges by taking photos and videos.

It’s a thrilling race against time as teams navigate their way through a series of clues, collecting points along the way.

Engaging in the Wild Goose Chase activity not only promotes problem-solving skills but also enhances communication and collaboration within teams.

The challenges require teams to think creatively and work together to come up with innovative solutions.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for team members to showcase their individual strengths and contribute to the collective success of the team.

The Wild Goose Chase is a versatile activity that can be customized to fit different team sizes and goals.

Whether it’s a small team bonding exercise or a large-scale company-wide event, this interactive game is sure to leave a lasting impression.

So gear up, grab your smartphones, and get ready for a thrilling adventure that will take your team to new heights!

“The Wild Goose Chase activity was both challenging and fun. It brought our team closer together and forced us to think outside the box. We had a great time exploring the city and completing the various challenges. Highly recommended!” – Participant from ABC Company

Get ready to embark on an adventure like no other with the Wild Goose Chase!

This team-building activity will not only strengthen your problem-solving skills but also foster collaboration and camaraderie within your team.

So, put on your thinking caps, keep your eyes peeled, and prepare for an unforgettable experience that will leave you with memories to cherish.

Benefits of the Wild Goose Chase:

• Promotes problem-solving skills
• Enhances communication and collaboration
• Encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking
• Builds camaraderie and teamwork

So why wait? Plan your Wild Goose Chase adventure today and watch your team bond, laugh, and conquer challenges together!

6.  Reverse Pyramid

The Reverse Pyramid activity is a fun and challenging team-building exercise that requires problem-solving and communication skills.

In this activity, teams are tasked with rearranging themselves from a pyramid shape horizontally, by flipping the base and the apex using only three movements.

It may sound simple, but it requires strategic planning, coordination, and effective communication among team members.

By participating in the Reverse Pyramid activity, teams can strengthen their problem-solving abilities and learn to work together more efficiently.

This exercise encourages creative thinking as teams explore different strategies to achieve their goal.

It also fosters collaboration and trust, as team members rely on each other’s input and support to successfully complete the task.

Through the Reverse Pyramid activity, participants develop their communication skills by effectively conveying ideas, coordinating movements, and adapting to changes in the team’s plan.

It promotes a sense of unity and camaraderie as teams celebrate their accomplishments together.

This activity can be adapted for various group sizes and is suitable for in-person team building events.

Benefits of the Reverse Pyramid Activity:

• Encourages creative thinking
• Fosters collaboration and teamwork
• Develops effective communication
• Builds trust and unity within the team

Overall, the Reverse Pyramid activity is an engaging and effective way to enhance problem-solving abilities and strengthen team dynamics.

It provides an opportunity for team members to work together towards a common goal, while also having fun and building stronger connections with one another.

Incorporating this activity into a team building event can lead to improved problem-solving skills and a more cohesive and productive team.

7.  Move It!

As a team-building activity, Move It! requires two teams to navigate specific movement restrictions and switch places.

This dynamic challenge promotes teamwork, decision-making, and adaptability.

The objective is to communicate, strategize, and problem-solve effectively to achieve a successful switch.

The activity tests the team’s ability to think on their feet and work together seamlessly.

Move It! encourages teams to work collaboratively and find innovative solutions to overcome the restrictions imposed.

By embracing open communication and actively seeking out strategies, teams can optimize their chances of a successful switch.

This exercise fosters a sense of unity and camaraderie, as team members learn to rely on each other’s strengths and support one another.

With its emphasis on teamwork, decision-making, and adaptability, Move It! cultivates essential skills that are vital in the professional world.

By participating in this activity, teams can enhance their problem-solving abilities, learn to make quick and effective decisions, and develop their capacity to adapt to changing circumstances.

Ultimately, Move It! provides a fun and engaging experience that strengthens team dynamics and encourages growth.

8.  Face to Face Feud

Looking for a  fun and interactive office game idea  for team building? Consider adapting the  classic game show Family Feud !

This game encourages communication, collaboration, and friendly competition among team members.

How to Set up Family Feud Style Game for the Office

To set up Feud  for the office, you’ll need to:

• Divide your team into two groups
• Hire a facilitator  to read the questions and keep track of points
• Create a list of questions related to your workplace or industry
• Create a survey to gather responses for each question from your team members
• Display the game board and prepare buzzers for each team

Once the game is set up, it’s time to play!

Teams take turns answering survey questions and earning points for the right answers.

The team with the most points at the end of the rounds wins the grand prize.

3 Main Benefits of Face-2-Face Feud

Face-2-Face Feud is a great game for team building because it:

• Encourages communication and collaboration among team members
• Promotes friendly competition and team bonding
• Allows team members to share their knowledge and insights with each other
• Builds team momentum and boosts morale

Basically, playing this game played in the office is just a fun and engaging way to build stronger teams  and enhance team morale.

Virtual Team Building Problem Solving Activities | Top 3

Virtual team building problem solving activities are an effective way to enhance collaboration and problem-solving skills for remote teams.

These activities provide an opportunity for team members to work together and tackle challenges in a virtual environment.

Here are five engaging virtual problem-solving activities that can transform your work group:

1.  Virtual Escape Room: Mummy’s Curse

In this virtual escape room, team members must solve puzzles and unravel the mystery of the Mummy’s Curse to successfully escape.

It requires critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication to work together and solve the challenges within a given time limit.

Team members will need to utilize their creativity and collaborate effectively to crack codes, decipher clues, and escape the room.

This activity fosters teamwork and encourages participants to think outside the box.

2.  Virtual Escape Room: Jewel Heist

In this virtual escape room scenario, teams are tasked with planning and executing a daring jewel heist.

Participants must work together to solve puzzles, decipher codes, and navigate through a virtual environment to successfully complete the mission.

This activity encourages problem-solving, teamwork, and effective communication as team members collaborate to achieve their common goal.

It’s an immersive and engaging way to enhance problem-solving skills in a virtual setting.

3.  Virtual Trivia Time Machine

The virtual trivia time machine is an interactive activity that combines problem-solving and general knowledge.

Teams travel through time, answering trivia questions and solving puzzles from different historical periods.

By working together, participants can pool their knowledge, brainstorm solutions, and strategize to win the game.

This activity fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and effective communication while having fun in a virtual team environment.

Frequently Asked Questions – Problem Solving Activities

frequently asked questions

What are some problem-solving activities for team building?

Some problem-solving activities for team building include the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge, Egg Drop, Clue Murder Mystery, Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower,

Corporate Escape Room, Wild Goose Chase, Reverse Pyramid, CI: The Crime Investigators, and Team Pursuit.

Are there virtual problem-solving activities for remote teams?

Yes, there are virtual problem-solving activities for remote teams. Some examples include Virtual Escape Room: Mummy’s Curse,

Virtual Clue Murder Mystery, Virtual Escape Room: Jewel Heist, Virtual Code Break, and Virtual Trivia Time Machine.

What is the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge?

The Cardboard Boat Building Challenge is an in-person team building activity where teams create a functional boat using only cardboard and tape.

Teams must work together to engineer a boat that can float and sail across water without sinking.

How does the Egg Drop activity work?

The Egg Drop activity challenges teams to design a contraption that can protect an egg from a fall using limited materials.

Teams must think quickly and creatively to build a casing for the egg using items such as newspapers, straws, tape, and balloons.

What is the Clue Murder Mystery activity?

In the Clue Murder Mystery activity, teams must solve a murder by identifying the culprit, motive, and means.

This activity requires problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and collaboration.

How does the Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower activity work?

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower activity promotes collaboration and problem-solving skills.

Teams must work together to build the tallest tower possible using only marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti, tape, and string.

What is the Corporate Escape Room activity?

The Corporate Escape Room activity immerses teams in a scenario where they must solve puzzles and decipher clues to escape a locked room.

Participants must collaborate, think critically, and use problem-solving skills to work through challenges and find the key to their escape.

How does the Wild Goose Chase activity work?

The Wild Goose Chase is a smartphone-based scavenger hunt activity where teams complete challenges by taking photos and videos in the city.

This activity requires problem-solving, communication, and teamwork as teams work together to complete fun challenges.

What is the Lost at Sea activity?

Lost at Sea is an in-person activity that simulates being stranded in a lifeboat with limited supplies.

Teams must work together to rank survival items in order of importance, making decisions under pressure.

This activity tests problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate and make tough choices in a high-stakes situation.

How does the Reverse Pyramid activity work?

The Reverse Pyramid activity challenges teams to rearrange themselves from a pyramid shape horizontally.

The goal is to flip the base and the apex of the pyramid using only three movements.

This quick and fun team-building activity promotes problem-solving and communication skills.

How does the Move It! activity work?

Move It! is a team-building activity where two teams must switch places while following specific movement restrictions.

Teams must communicate, strategize, and problem-solve to successfully switch places. This activity promotes teamwork, decision-making, and adaptability.

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November 14, 2023, events & game shows, recent posts.

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25 Team Building Problem Solving Activities

In this article you will find:

• 25 problem-solving activities for your team to master
• Frequently asked questions about team building

Here are 25 problem-solving activities for your team to master:

25 Team Building Problem-Solving Activities

1. a shrinking vessel.

"A Shrinking Vessel" is a team building problem solving game that requires participants to work together in a confined space that gradually gets smaller. The objective is to stay within the shrinking boundaries while completing various problem solving tasks. This game is not only a test of physical adaptability but also a powerful exercise in strategic thinking and decision making.

Why adaptability is important for problem-solving:

Adaptability is highly associated with cognitive diversity, which helps teams solve problems faster, according to the Harvard Business Review . Innovation and disruption are happening faster than ever before. People, teams, and organizations that can adapt will come out on top.

What You'll Need:

A rope or string

Instructions:

1. Using the rope, make a shape on the floor everyone can fit into.

2. Slowly shrink the space over a time period of 10-15 minutes.

3. Work together to figure out how to keep everyone within the shrinking boundaries.

Looking for Problem Solving Team Building games that’s fully hosted? See our team building activities on this page.

2. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower is of the most hands-on problem solving group activities where teams are tasked with building the tallest free-standing structure they can using only a limited set of materials: uncooked spaghetti, tape, string, and a single marshmallow. The marshmallow must be placed on top of the tower, which adds an extra layer of difficulty to the challenge.

Helps with: Collaboration

Why collaboration is important for problem-solving: “Collectively, we can be more insightful, more intelligent than we can possibly be individual,” writes Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline. We can solve problems better as a team than we can alone, which means developing your team's collaboration skills will lead to better problem-solving outcomes.

What You'll Need (per team):

• 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti
• 1 roll of masking tape
• 1 yard of string
• 1 marshmallow

1. The goal of this exercise is to see which team can use the materials provided to build the tallest tower within an allotted time period. The tower must be able to stand on its own.

2. To make this exercise more challenging, try adding a marshmallow to the top of the tower. This team problem-solving exercise helps teams think on their toes while building camaraderie and leadership.

3. Egg Drop

The Egg Drop involves teams designing and building a device to protect a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a considerable height. As a quintessential example of problem solving group activities , the Egg Drop fosters creativity , teamwork, and strategic decision making.

Why decision-making is important for problem-solving:

Making decisions isn't easy, but indecision leads to team paralysis, stagnant thinking, and unsolved problems. Decision-making activities help your team practice making quick, effective choices. Train your team's decision-making muscle and they will become more adept at problem-solving.

• A carton of eggs
• Basic construction materials such as newspapers, straws, tape, plastic wrap, balloons, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, etc., tarp, or drop cloth
• A parking lot, or some other place you don't mind getting messy!

1. Each team gets an egg and must select from the construction materials. ‍ 2. Give everyone 20-30 minutes to construct a carrier for the egg and protect it from breaking. ‍ 3. Drop each egg carrier off a ledge (i.e. over a balcony) and see whose carrier protects the egg from breaking. ‍ 4. If multiple eggs survive, keep increasing the height until only one egg is left.

4. Stranded

Stranded is an immersive decision making group activity designed to enhance teamwork, strategic thinking, and problem solving skills. In this engaging game, teams are presented with a scenario where they are stranded on a deserted island or remote location. Their objective is to work together to prioritize resources, make crucial decisions, and develop a plan for survival and rescue.

Helps with: Communication and Decision-Making

More employees work remotely than ever before. Good communication skills are vital to solving problems across increasingly virtual teams. Working on communication skills while your team is together will help them better solve problems when they're apart.

Your team has been stranded in the office. The doors are locked, and knocking down the doors or breaking the windows is not an option. Give your team 30 minutes to decide on 10 items in the office they need for survival and rank them in order of importance. The goal of the game is to have everyone agree on the 10 items and their ranking in 30 minutes.

In this fun and interactive decision making group activity , teams are tasked with constructing a LEGO structure based on instructions provided by a designated "communicator." The twist is that the communicator cannot physically participate in the building process, relying solely on verbal instructions to guide their team.

1. Divide everyone into small teams of two or more.

2. Select an overseer who isn't on a team to build a random structure using Lego building blocks within 10 minutes.

3. The other teams must replicate the structure exactly (including size and color) within 15 minutes. However, only one member from each group may look at the original structure. They must figure out how to communicate the size, color, and shape of the original structure to their team.

4. If this is too easy, add a rule that the member who can see the original structure can't touch the new structure.

Escape is a thrilling decision making group activity that challenges teams to solve a series of puzzles and riddles to "escape" from a locked room within a set time limit. This game is designed to foster teamwork, enhance problem solving skills, and improve strategic decision making among participants.

Collaboration

• A lockable room
• 5-10 puzzles or clues (depending on how much time you want to spend on the game)

The goal of this exercise is to solve the clues, find the key, and escape a locked room within the time allotted.

Hide the key and a list of clues around the room.

Gather the team into the empty room and "lock" the door.

Give them either 30 minutes or 1 hour to find the key using the clues hidden around the room.

7. Frostbite

Imagine your team as brave explorers navigating a frozen tundra, working together under tough conditions to build a shelter that can withstand a simulated storm. It’s a fantastic way to boost problem solving skills, improve communication, and sharpen strategic decision making.

Decision Making, Adaptability What You'll Need:

• A blindfold
• 1 packet of construction materials (such as card stock, toothpicks, rubber bands, and sticky notes) for each team
• An electric fan

Picture this... Your employees are Arctic explorers adventuring across an icy tundra! Separate them into teams of 4-5 and have them select a leader to guide their exploration. Each team must build a shelter from the materials provided before the storm hits in 30 minutes. However, both the team leader's hands have frostbite, so they can't physically help construct the shelter, and the rest of the team has snow blindness and is unable to see. When the 30 minutes is up, turn on the fan and see which shelter can withstand the high winds of the storm.

8. Minefield

Minefield is an engaging decision making group activity designed to enhance strategic thinking, teamwork and communication . In this challenging game, team members must navigate a "minefield" filled with obstacles while blindfolded, relying on the verbal guidance of their teammates to reach the other side safely. It’s a perfect example of decision making group activities that foster collaboration and problem solving skills.

• An empty room or hallway
• A collection of common office items

1. Place the items (boxes, chairs, water bottles, bags, etc.) around the room so there's no clear path from one end of the room to the other.

2. Divide your team into pairs and blindfold one person on the team.

3. The other must verbally guide that person from one end of the room to the other, avoiding the "mines." 4. The partner who is not blindfolded can't touch the other.

5. If you want to make the activity more challenging, have all the pairs go simultaneously so teams must find ways to strategically communicate with each other.

9. Blind Formations

In this game, team members are blindfolded and must work together to form specific shapes using a rope, relying solely on verbal instructions. This activity is a prime example of decision making group activities that emphasize the importance of clear communication and strategic thinking.

1. Have the group put on blindfolds and form a large circle.

2. Tie two ends of a rope together and lay it in a circle in the middle of the group, close enough so each person can reach down and touch it.

3. Instruct the group to communicate to create a shape with the rope a square, triangle, rectangle, etc.

4. If you have a very large group, divide them into teams and provide a rope for each team. Let them compete to see who forms a particular shape quickest.

10. Line up Blind

Line Up Blind is a fascinating decision making group activity that challenges participants to work together without the benefit of sight or speech. This engaging exercise requires team members to line up in a specific order while blindfolded, relying solely on non-verbal communication and collaboration. It’s a perfect example of decision making group activities that enhance teamwork, trust building , and strategic thinking.

1. Blindfold everyone and whisper a number to each person, beginning with one.

2. Tell them to line up in numerical order without talking.

3. Instead of giving them a number, you could also have them line up numerically by height, age, birthday, etc.

11. Reverse Pyramid

Reverse Pyramid is a fast-paced decision making group activity that challenges teams to think strategically and work together efficiently. In this exercise, participants must rearrange themselves from a pyramid formation by moving only three people, flipping the base and the apex. It’s a fantastic example of decision making group activities that promote quick thinking, teamwork, and problem solving skills.

1. Have everyone stand in a pyramid shape, horizontally.

2. Ask them to flip the base and the apex of the pyramid moving only three people.

3. This quick exercise works best when smaller groups compete to see who can reverse the pyramid the fastest.

12. Move It!

"Move It!" is an engaging team building activity aimed at developing adaptability and collaboration skills. Teams must work together to strategize and communicate effectively to switch places with the opposing team. This exercise promotes problem solving, quick thinking, and coordination among participants, making it a fun and effective way to strengthen team dynamics.

• Chalk, rope, tape, or paper (something to mark a space)

1. Divide your group into two teams and line them up front to back, facing each other.

2. Using chalk, tape, rope, or paper (depending on the playing surface), mark a square space for each person to stand on. Leave one extra empty space between the two facing rows.

3. The goal is for the two-facing lines of players to switch places.

Place these restrictions on movement:

Only one person may move at a time.

A person may not move around anyone facing the same direction.

No one may not move backward.

A person may not move around more than one person on the other team at a time.

13. Human Knot

Participants must communicate effectively, be patient, and work together to solve the physical puzzle of untangling themselves. The activity requires strategic thinking and flexibility, helping participants learn to adjust their approach and support each other. This fun and challenging exercise is ideal for enhancing problem solving skills and fostering a sense of unity within the group.

1. Have everyone stand in a circle, and ask each person to hold hands with two people who aren't directly next to them.

2. When everyone is tangled together, ask them to untangle the knot and form a perfect circle without letting anyone's hand.

Our last two problem-solving activities work best when dealing with an actual problem:

14. Dumbest Idea First

By encouraging participants to come up with the most absurd solutions, it breaks down mental barriers and promotes creative thinking. Often, what initially seems like a "dumb" idea can spark a new perspective or lead to a surprisingly effective solution. This exercise not only boosts creativity but also helps teams develop a more open-minded approach to problem solving and collaboration.

1. "Dumb" ideas are sometimes the best ideas. Ask everyone to think of the absolute dumbest possible solution to the problem at hand.

2. After you have a long list, look through it and see which ones might not be as dumb as you think.

3. Brainstorm your solutions in Wrike. It's free and everyone can start collaborating instantly!

15. What Would X Do

A creative problem solving activity that encourages participants to step into the shoes of a famous person. By doing so, they can explore new and diverse solutions that they might not have considered otherwise. This exercise promotes empathy, broadens thinking, and fosters innovation by allowing participants to break out of their usual thought patterns.

Instant Problem Solving What You'll Need:

1. Have everyone pretend they're someone famous.

2. Each person must approach the problem as if they were a famous person. What options would they consider? How would they handle it?

3. This allows everyone to consider solutions they might not have thought of originally.

16. Lost at Sea

Lost at Sea is a captivating team building activity designed to enhance problem solving under pressure. Imagine the high-stakes scenario of being stranded in a lifeboat with your colleagues. This exercise not only tests your team's adaptability but also promotes effective communication and decision-making.

• A six-column chart for each participant
• A pack of matches
• A list of survival items
• Setup: Provide each participant with a six-column chart. The columns are for:
• Listing survival items
• Individual ranking of items
• Group ranking of items
• Correct ranking (revealed later)
• Difference between individual and correct rankings
• Difference between group and correct rankings
• Individual Assessment: Each participant has ten minutes to rank the survival items in order of importance.
• Group Discussion: Teams then have ten minutes to discuss and agree on a collective ranking for the items.
• Comparison and Analysis: Teams compare their individual rankings with the group rankings.

‍ Reveal and Reflect: Finally, reveal the correct item rankings as determined by the US Coast Guard and discuss the differences.

17. Coworker Feud

"Coworker Feud" is a fun and engaging team building activity that mimics the popular TV game show Family Feud. It challenges teams to guess the most popular answers to various questions, fostering collaboration and friendly competition.

• Prepare the Survey: You'll need a set of survey questions to play. While creating your own can be time-consuming, companies like Confetti offer pre-made surveys tailored for team building purposes.
• Form Teams: Split the participants into two or more teams.
• Gameplay: Teams take turns trying to guess the top answers to the survey questions. Points are awarded for each correct guess.
• Collaboration: Success in the game relies on effective teamwork. Participants must pool their knowledge and communicate well to score the highest points.

‍ Competition: This activity ignites a sense of competition, helping to boost morale and increase productivity.

18. Virtual Code Break

Virtual Code Break is an engaging team building activity specifically designed for remote participants. Teams compete in a series of challenges, such as puzzles and trivia, which enhance communication and problem solving skills as they work together to claim victory.

• Assess Team Needs: Conduct a brainstorming session to identify the specific needs and preferences of your team.
• Event Facilitation: An event facilitator will manage all the setup and logistical details.
• Participant Preparation: Provide participants with logins and a detailed guide on how to play.
• Join the Game: Sign in to the virtual platform and join your pre-assigned team.

19. Improv Challenge

Improv is an engaging and creative method for enhancing communication skills through story-telling. This activity encourages participants to build on each other's ideas, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.

• Suggest a Topic: Start the process by proposing a topic for the story.
• Build the Narrative: The first player begins the story based on the suggested topic and adds to the narrative.
• Listen and Contribute: Each subsequent player must carefully listen and contribute to the story, ensuring they have all the information to move the plot forward.
• Inventive Plotlines: As the game progresses, participants will need to come up with creative plot twists and storylines, similar to a brainstorming session but without the pressure.

The key to Improv is the "yes, and..." format, which encourages participants to accept and build upon each other's contributions, promoting unconventional thinking and enhancing workflow.

20. Picture Perfect Puzzle

A unique team building activity that blends problem solving with creativity and teamwork. In this game, teams are challenged to complete jigsaw puzzles, but with a twist: each team's puzzle includes pieces from other puzzles, adding an extra layer of complexity.

• Prepare the Puzzles: Before starting, mix pieces from several different jigsaw puzzles, ensuring each puzzle has a unique image or pattern.
• Form Teams: Divide the participants into small groups.
• Distribute Puzzles: Give each team one of the mixed-up puzzles.
• Complete the Puzzle: Teams work against the clock to complete their puzzle, requiring effective communication and collaboration to sort and assemble the correct pieces.

‍ Add Creativity: Once the puzzle is completed, each team should name their creation and come up with a short story or description about the images.

21. Reverse Brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming is an unconventional problem solving technique that encourages participants to view problems from a different angle. This activity is particularly valuable for teams aiming to overcome challenges and devise innovative solutions.

• Identify the Problem: Begin by clearly defining a specific issue or challenge your team wants to tackle.
• Reverse Thinking: Instead of brainstorming solutions, think about what could make the problem worse. Consider potential causes or aggravating factors.
• Generate Ideas: Encourage participants to creatively identify and list various factors that contribute to or exacerbate the problem.
• Discussion: Review the list of negative factors and discuss each one, exploring how addressing these in reverse could lead to innovative solutions.
• Regular Brainstorming: Transition back to conventional brainstorming, using the insights gained from the reverse brainstorming to generate effective solutions.

22. Dog, Rice, and Chicken

Dog, Rice, and Chicken is a light-hearted problem solving game that encourages team members to relax and unwind. The objective is to collaboratively figure out how to transport three items across a river without any mishaps.

• Roles: Select one team member to play the role of the farmer. The remaining participants will act as villagers.
• Scenario: The farmer has three items—a dog, rice, and a chicken—that need to be taken across a river using a boat. However, the boat can only carry one item at a time.
• Challenge: The villagers must work together to advise the farmer on the best way to transport the items without the dog eating the chicken or the chicken eating the rice.
• Strategy: The villagers propose various strategies, and the farmer decides which one to follow. They must figure out the correct sequence to ensure all items are safely transported.

23. Web of Wools

Web of Wools is a fun and engaging activity that promotes teamwork and effective communication. Teams work together to create and then solve a tangled web, enhancing their collaboration and problem solving skills.

• Yarn or string, blindfolds
• Setup: Grab a spool of yarn or string for this activity.
• Form Teams: Divide the group into two teams.
• Create the Web: Each team entangles themselves in yarn or string, creating a web.
• Switch Webs: Once the webs are created, teams switch places and take on the challenge of untangling the other team's web.

‍ Blindfolded Challenge : One member from each team is blindfolded and tasked with untangling the web. The blindfolded participants must rely on instructions from their teammates to solve the puzzle.

24. Jeopardy Social

Virtual Jeopardy Social transforms your team into contestants on a game show, complete with buzzer buttons for answering questions and a professional actor to host the event. This activity combines trivia with social mixer challenges to foster engagement and team bonding.

• Setup: Organize a virtual Jeopardy game with a professional actor as the host and provide buzzer buttons for participants.
• Game Play: Teams or individuals answer trivia questions to score points, just like on the classic game show.
• Social Mixer Challenges: Each round incorporates social mixer challenges, allowing participants to interact, share stories, and get to know each other better.
• Scoring: Teams or individuals compete to score the highest number of points by correctly answering questions and completing challenges.

25. What Would X Do

The Great Team Recipe Swap is a delightful and interactive activity that combines culinary creativity with team bonding. Participants share their favorite recipes, cook together , and enjoy a meal, promoting cultural exchange and camaraderie.

You’ll need: 

• Recipe cards, ingredients, and a kitchen setup (virtual or physical)
• Preparation: Ask each participant to submit a favorite recipe ahead of time. Compile these recipes into a shared document or handout.
• Assign Recipes: Randomly assign each participant or team a recipe submitted by another team member.
• Cooking: Set up a virtual meeting where participants can cook together in real-time, or organize an in-person cooking session. Each participant or team prepares the assigned recipe.
• Share and Enjoy: Once the cooking is complete, have everyone present their dish, explaining why the recipe is special to them. If virtual, participants can share photos and descriptions.

‍ Discussion: Encourage a discussion about the different recipes, ingredients, and cultural backgrounds. Participants can share cooking tips and personal stories related to their dishes.

People also ask these questions about decision making team building activities ‍

What is the team building process.

This process of learning to work together effectively is known as team development. Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, identified a five-stage development process that most teams follow to become high performing. He called the stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

What is team building?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines team building as: “The action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.”

How often should you schedule team-building activities?

One of the most important aspects of team building is that it is an ongoing process. One team-building session can be effective, but your team could benefit more from multiple sessions. In fact, it may be beneficial to make it a part of your regular program. For team building to be effective, you should repeat it as often as you feel it is useful. This largely depends on the activity you choose. You can do quick activities on a more regular basis since they don't interfere with the regular work schedule. You will probably conduct longer, more elaborate activities less frequently so the team can get work done.

How can decision making group activities benefit a team?

Decision-making group activities are invaluable for developing a team's ability to make informed and collective decisions. Activities like "The Marshmallow Challenge," where teams must build the tallest structure using marshmallows and spaghetti, promote creativity and critical thinking. Similarly, "The Sinking Ship" activity, where teams decide which items to save from a sinking ship, encourages discussion and consensus-building. These decision-making team building activities not only enhance problem solving skills but also foster a sense of unity and cooperation among team members.

What are some effective decision-making group activities for building strong team dynamics and ensuring better decision outcomes?

Decision-making group activities play a crucial role in building strong team dynamics and achieving effective decision outcomes. One such activity is the consensus workshop, where team members discuss various viewpoints and work towards a mutual agreement, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. Conducting a SWOT analysis allows the team to systematically evaluate options by assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, leading to informed decision-making.

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15 Team Building Problem Solving Activities for Work

Some employers focus more on practical skills than problem-solving abilities. However, no team can overcome various challenges without solving problems together. As such, problem-solving skills are critical whether you work in a physical office or remotely.

If an entire team cannot work together, their synergy crumbles, and all other teams are affected equally.

One fun and exciting way to bring together a successful team and promote creative problem-solving is by holding team-building problem-solving activities.

These team-building activities boost communication skills, critical thinking, and collaboration in various games, mental tests, and situations.

If you want to learn more about how we can help upgrade your next team building activity, book a demo with us and explore our various options and activities.

From competitive yet creative challenges to exciting races across an office room or city, our guide to these team-building games will help bring team members closer and boost problem-solving processes for everyone.

1. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

Whenever a problem comes up at work, every team member has various creative solutions that reflect their strengths and abilities.

However, the Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower requires unified critical thinking and communication skills for an entire team to win.

How the Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower Challenge Works

This fun game uses only four construction materials: marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti pasta, tape, and string.

As the name suggests, this game has one goal: build an entire random structure using these four materials and ensure it does not break apart afterward . The group with the sturdiest and most functional design wins the game.

From the premise alone, this game already sounds like an interesting problem. The difference in the marshmallow’s softness and the pasta’s rigid shape makes combining both items into one unified build a unique challenge.

Additional rules, like a height and time limit, may be added to increase teamwork . Some players can even receive limits, such as using only a set number of pasta and marshmallows to build a free-standing tower.

All the teams must work together and use creative problem-solving to build the structure. The group members pitch various unique ideas to build the structure, and team dynamics are tested as they race to finish building within the time limit.

Every member gets to help out, increasing speed and precision. Whether it is to think of the initial design or to ensure every marshmallow keeps multiple pasta noodles together, everybody has to use their skills with speed and accuracy to ensure a win.

How Building Marshmallow Towers Strengthens Collaboration

With this team-building activity, every material used to combine everything matters . If one part falls apart, the team must redo everything and start again.

Despite this, their collaboration increases as everyone tries to reason with one another to combine all ideas into one . They will have to check that everyone suggests an idea, helps in the building, and does not clash with others over their design ideas.

More than racing against other teams while building the tower, it allows all teams to implement combined ideas.

Each player contributes their idea for the structure — such as the areas where the marshmallows go and how to construct it best so it does not fall over. When the real challenge of constructing their build idea starts, players are tested on how well they follow team instructions .

As they synchronize as a group and use their problem-solving abilities, all group members gain more creative thinking abilities while having fun. This game even brings out the leadership skills in everyone, as each team player guides and helps one another while building the tower.

Their communication and collaboration skills strengthen, boosting the company culture and forming new bonds. Every group ends the game with more respect, understanding, and knowledge of the creative talents and logical ideas of other people in the team.

2. Egg Drop

What better way to spend a day with your coworkers than with an egg-throwing competition? The egg drop is a classic team-building activity that tests critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills.

While some may have experienced playing this fun game during their school years, it remains one of the best team-building problem-solving activities that can carry over to your working life.

Like the Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower challenge, this game tests your physics skills while pushing your creative ideas to the limits to ensure the egg does not break.

How to Play the Egg Drop Challenge

To play the egg drop challenge, every team member must help make a contraption that protects only one egg . The contraption may be any shape or size as long as it only uses the given materials and does not crack the egg when released from a certain height.

Each team will be given thirty minutes to an hour to brainstorm and construct a shape housing the egg. After giving a signal, each team drops their contraption from a higher level to the ground. A judge checks for an unbroken egg to decide the winning team.

The egg drop team-building game requires eggs, basic construction materials, and outdoor free space for team-building activities. It is recommended that the outdoor space is more on a grassy area to make the activity less messy.

However, a concrete space provides an exciting twist to the existing challenge if you want to test each team’s construction and building skills.

These are the common construction materials needed for the egg drop game:

• Plastic wrap
• Rubber bands
• Popsicle sticks
• Cotton balls

While these are commonly used, the decision over what materials to use is in the hands of the team leader. What matters is that the team uses their best construction and brainstorming skills to protect the egg while working with their creative abilities.

Why the Egg Drop Game Helps Team Harmony

With their leader’s direction and the team’s collective creative thinking, this team-building exercise tests the creativity of everyone in the team and helps develop problem-solving skills.

Will they use geometric shapes or be more creative?

The possibilities for what structure they can build to encase an egg are endless. Since they can build in so many ways, every member has the chance to contribute, strengthening team synergy and self-confidence.

As they use these basic construction materials and work together to protect the egg, each moment helps improve team collaboration and critical thinking .

Not only are the teams working better together, but they also discover new skills within themselves. With their logical thinking and creative talents strengthened, all members learn to work efficiently while forming bonds with each other.

3. Minefield

Another popular option for team-building problem-solving activities is playing Minefield. This exciting game requires small teams, such as two team members each, to work together and get from one end of a room to another without bumping into “mines.”

How to Play Minefield

This game starts with team members filling an empty room with objects that work as “mines” or things you cannot touch . These mines can be anything, from a stack of books to a chair.

After putting the objects around the room, players must go through the room without walking into the obstacles. The goal locations may be from one end of the room to another or in a different direction, adding to the challenge.

When you form two teams (or more), only one person per team wears a blindfold. The non-blindfolded team member must guide the blindfolded member with their directions to get through the mine-filled room before the other teams.

After the two teams complete the challenge, the other team member gets to wear the blindfold. The “mines” can be rearranged or changed into larger objects to increase the challenge.

You can even shorten the time limit to make things more exciting or change the goal location entirely. Another fun idea is to swap teams after each player gets to navigate through the mines, strengthening the skills of a larger group while providing a thrilling experience.

Why Is Minefield a Good Team-Building Game?

This problem-solving exercise tests how well each team member communicates with the other. Since only one person can direct the other, the blindfolded member must use their listening and creative problem-solving skills to win the game.

The other exercises their coaching and leadership skills. This added skill is especially beneficial to team members who are soft-spoken or do not have as much leadership experience.

The minefield game makes team-building problem-solving activities more fun and thrilling. It also boosts the decision-making muscles of each team on how to best communicate directions to one another.

These are skills they can use for various work-related conflicts over time. It is also fun to build happy memories and trust as players struggle not to bump into the mines and listen to the instructions of their teammates.

4. Reverse Pyramid

While building a pyramid out of plastic cups from the bottom upwards is easy, have you ever tried building an entire pyramid from the top downwards?

Now, you can try making a reverse pyramid with this challenging and creative team-building activity.

How to Do the Reverse Pyramid Game

The Reverse Pyramid game requires five to seven team members to construct a pyramid out of plastic cups, but with a twist: they need to start from the top and only move its base to add new levels.

To add to the challenge, only one person at a time can move the plastic cups and build the pyramid. Other team members must act quickly and hold the plastic cups in place so they do not fall over .

Such a unique challenge causes everyone to cooperate, think quickly, and move as one to win the game.

With the added challenge of the lighter weight of a plastic cup and limited movements, everyone will surely face a challenging yet rewarding experience.

If any part of their pyramid falls, they must start over . With the added pressure from a time limit and competition from other teams, the patience and ability of everyone involved to solve problems quickly is tested.

After building the reverse pyramid, a judge checks each team’s area to see which group managed to keep theirs standing.

How the Reverse Pyramid Game Strengthens Adaptability

These creative problem-solving activities measure how well every team member adapts to a challenging situation. Additionally, it tests how efficiently everyone communicates and collaborates to succeed.

Since no more than one person can move the plastic cups on the bottom row, everyone must agree on the responsibilities of each member, building their leadership skill and team synergy.

Not only does it push their team-building problem-solving skills, but it also encourages them to work fast and rely on the strengths of fellow teammates.

Even if some high-pressure moments show weaknesses, the team helps one another continue and do their best to win. As every second passes, you see how each team learns to work together on the spot to match the abilities of others.

This strategy carries over past the game and into their work as the team unites to help each other during challenging moments and stressful situations . With their adaptability increased, working as a united team becomes easier than before the challenge.

Despite the limitations, every team learns to grow from their mistakes and work efficiently. Even as parts of the pyramid fall, strong teams can power through it rather than blaming each other for such mistakes.

Whether they win or not, all team members end the game feeling more mentally stimulated and closer to their team. By understanding their roles, they gain more confidence.

5. Cardboard Boat Building Challenge

While most team-building activities gain their challenging nature from time or material limitations, what happens when team members need to adjust and work with natural challenges that are out of their control?

The cardboard boat-building challenge pushes everyone to solve problems most creatively and functionally. After all, how often do you get to build a boat out of cardboard while including all of the structural ideas your team comes up with?

What Is the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge?

To play the cardboard boat-building challenge, all team members must construct a boat that floats and sails across a body of water using only one large piece of cardboard and tape .

With the added difficulty of the water current and cardboard quickly falling apart when wet, this problem-solving challenge will test every player’s creativity and building skills.

The game moderator can encourage participants to exercise their creative thinking skills, consider the movements of the water, and build a functional cardboard boat within a time limit.

With just a few materials, everyone must provide ideas, agree on a final design, and help each other create the boat. Not only will they have to face the strength of the water, but they also have to race against time and other teams to construct a functional boat .

Regardless of whether one team member suggests the most unusual idea or the most functional one, each team has complete freedom to decide what their boat will look like.

After finishing the boat, they explain to the other groups why their boat is the best before testing it on the water.

You may add additional criteria to pick the winner, such as the best-designed boat or the boat that lasts the longest before falling apart.

Why the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge Promotes Collaboration

This fun problem-solving activity has everyone collaborating and doing their best to help the team.

From brainstorming the best design that lasts on the water to using the limited, weak materials to build the boat, everyone plays their part to ensure the team’s success.

Every small win they have strengthens their bonds and improves the overall company culture.

Afterward, each group can carry these learned skills to their work. They will know how to work better together when a new challenge arises.

Collaboration is more than simply working together to reach a goal. Thanks to the cardboard boat-building challenge, every member understands how their teammates collaborate and how they can use these abilities to help the entire company.

6. Lost at Sea

If the last team-building game had each player working together to build a boat, how challenging would it be to be stuck on a boat with your team members?

This next team-building activity will simulate an interesting situation that will have everyone thinking outside the box.

What is the Lost at Sea Game?

The Lost at Sea team-building activity is an exciting game with one main goal: letting every team member decide on the most essential survival items while on a stranded boat.

This game pushes everyone to solve problems logically, individually, and as a group while surviving on the open water.

Playing Lost at Sea requires everyone to have a chart, writing materials, and their imagination. It is a relatively quick yet fun mental challenge that provides insight into how different employees prioritize the same materials for survival.

How to Play Lost at Sea

The game starts with all team members receiving a six-column chart. If you are setting up this game, check that everyone receives a copy of it and a pen first before starting. Here are the details included in the chart:

• First Column: This column includes various survival items that team members must use. The complete list will be included below.
• Second Column: This column should remain empty so that team members can rank the items in the first column in order. The order should go from the most important survival item to the least important.
• Third Column: This column is meant for the team’s overall ranking, where they combine individual rankings and put them into an order that everyone agrees on.
• Fourth Column : This column is used to write the correct ranking in order of importance. Specific criteria from the US Coast Guard determine the most essential survival items for getting help.
• Fifth and Sixth Columns: These two columns are reserved for the team members to note the difference between their individual and correct scores from the ranking by the US Coast Guard.

Using their problem-solving skills, each member needs to analyze various items and imagine how they would use them if stuck at sea.

These are the survival items that team members must work with and note in the correct order of importance:

• Pack of Matches: Though some believe a pack of matches would be useless out on the sea, it has many benefits if paired with good problem-solving skills. Additionally, this item helps keep you warm during cold evenings out in the open water.
• Shaving Mirror: When a mirror is faced towards the sun, its light reflects onto the mirror and acts as a signaling beacon to passing ships.
• Can of Gas: While some believe it useless, it is incredibly helpful with a lit match. By causing a large flame and using it like a torch, calling for help to ships passing by significantly boosts survival.
• Water Container: As many people lost in the sea die quickly from dehydration, having a water container with you helps collect rainwater and stay hydrated.
• Emergency Food Rations: These quick meals fight off starvation, especially when lost at sea for a long time.
• Plastic Sheet: Plastic sheets are a great alternative to a water container as they help collect rainwater and provide shelter.
• Chocolate Bars: Other than being a necessary food supply, the sugar within chocolate bars provides a quick boost of energy that keeps a survivor going while waiting for help.
• Fishing Rods: While this item helps catch food, the chances of successfully catching fish are small, especially without bait or fishing experience.
• Rope : Though rope may be helpful to repair the surface or boat you are standing on, it does not guarantee survival and sees little usage.
• Floating Seat Cushion: If your raft or boat sinks, a floating seat cushion may be helpful as a life preserver.
• Shark Repellant: Shark repellents are useful for protecting yourself in the open sea, but the chances of running into sharks or even having shark repellents are minimal.
• Bottle of Rum : Rum helps clean wounds, which is crucial, especially at sea. While it may also be a way to combat dehydration, rum may not be the best choice to keep you hydrated for a long time.
• Radio: Radios help you call for help from nearby ships or coast guards, but there may also be a high chance that you are out of their range. The radio may also break easily, especially when surrounded by water.
• Sea Chart or Map: Though helpful, sea charts or maps are useless without navigational equipment. Without knowing your direction, these items are more useful for building a fire.
• Mosquito Net: This net would be useless unless you are near an area with many mosquitos.

The first step to playing this game is dividing everyone into groups of five. After each member gets a paper and pen with the listed materials, give them ten minutes to rank each item depending on how useful they are for survival.

After ten minutes, let them discuss their rankings with their group. The group then combines individual rankings into their group ranking. Afterward, show each team the correct order listed above and explain the reasons why.

This team-building game may also be played virtually. Using video conferencing platforms, remote teams can be divided into small teams, and their ranking can be decided individually and as a group.

How the Lost at Sea Game Impacts Communication

The Lost at Sea game helps encourage participants to think logically yet creatively while boosting their communication abilities.

Since the game requires you to explain why you ranked various materials in such an order, it increases confidence in presenting thoughts and opinions.

This game also teaches team members to boost their listening skills while collaborating.

Do you want to experience fun and customized team building activities? Book a demo to see how we can improve your next team building sesssion.

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7. Escape Room

Imagine being stuck in an eerie room with your coworkers, with puzzles and cryptic escape instructions.

With an added time limit challenge and a prize for the winning team, members need to use the best of their problem-solving skills to survive an escape room .

What Are Escape Rooms?

Escape rooms are popular team-building activities that strengthen teamwork, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. These rooms often have a dark, foreboding design, such as an abandoned basement or a broken, horror house-esque bedroom.

Each team is placed inside a room where they must solve puzzles, decipher codes, and use clues to figure out ways to escape before the timer ends. You can add a competitive factor by pitting two teams together and seeing which group escapes first.

Escape rooms combine exciting challenges and problem-solving opportunities, from challenging logic puzzles to math equations. These unique rooms have a variety of themes, puzzles, and limitations that let everyone exercise their brain and work fast.

Escape room puzzles are popular among players for various difficulty levels . They may sometimes be as simple as memorizing a number pattern or as tricky as using answers from previous puzzles to decode them.

The best part about escape rooms is that they can also be done as a virtual team-building activity. A virtual escape room mimics the challenge, suspense, and intrigue of an in-person escape room but with the added element of it all being completely online.

The virtual escape room experience allows remote teams to collaborate outside work and encounter problem-solving games and puzzles.

The remote team strengthens their collaboration skills while trying to escape and work in the same direction.

The Benefits of Escape Rooms

As every team faces a puzzle, they hear and experience each member’s logical and creative ideas.

Since everyone tries to solve puzzles differently, the team must communicate and learn the most efficient way to solve the puzzle while combining solutions from everyone.

Such a challenging situation often happens in our real working lives, especially when faced with difficult team decisions or deadlines.

By knowing the logical and creative strengths of each team member when faced with an unforeseen situation, everyone is better prepared for when real-life puzzles come their way. This strengthened teamwork is incredibly important for any company to survive.

Whether these problem-solving games are done as a virtual team-building activity or in-person, everyone plays a vital role in the group’s success, enhancing company culture and friendships.

8. Code Break

While escape rooms combine our innate sense of survival in unfamiliar territory with challenging puzzles, Code Break is a fun team-building activity filled with brainteasers, interesting trivia, and tricky codes.

How to Play Code Break

In Code Break, teams must finish fun problem-solving activities like deciphering codes, answering trivia questions, and unlocking riddle answers within a time limit.

You can make Code Break even more exciting with a time limit and sought-after prize . As every team player works together to determine the meaning of a code and answer riddles, they learn to listen to one another and discover how each person views puzzles differently.

Why Is Code Break Great for Team Building?

These team-building exercises simultaneously test everyone’s mental skills, creativity, and logic capabilities while strengthening collaboration and quick thinking within a team.

Even a remote team can enjoy the fun with a virtual code break. Like the in-person equivalent of the game, virtual code break provides challenging problem-solving group activities requiring the input and cooperation of everyone involved.

By understanding how each player understands the challenge and uses creative thinking to solve it, they work better as a team by complementing the strengths and weaknesses of everyone involved.

If you want to test logic skills, then this is the team-building problem-solving activity for you.

9. Murder Mystery

Suppose escape rooms and code-breaking games get your excitement flowing.

In that case, murder mysteries are thrilling team-building problem-solving activities that combine suspense, logic, and teamwork into one gruesome mystery.

The Murder Mystery Game Defined

In a murder mystery game, a group is given key details about an unsolved murder case . These murders are sometimes explained in gruesome detail, so ensure that team players can handle the suspense before splitting into groups.

Using various pieces of evidence like coroner reports, police statements, witness testimonials, and possible suspects, each member must review the case details and work together to determine the culprit.

Each member gets to see how their teammate views and makes inferences about the situation. Not only do they need to name a suspect, but they have to figure out how the murder happened and its motive.

A significant aspect of murder mystery games is that they can also be done as a virtual team-building game. A virtual murder mystery tests collaboration as the team races toward the truth and solves a gruesome mystery before the time runs out.

How Murder Mysteries Increase Critical Thinking

These problem-solving group activities put collaboration and critical thinking skills at the forefront.

By roleplaying as investigators, the thrill of chasing after the suspect and solving the case brings everyone together to agree on the correct answers.

Whether done virtually or in person, murder mystery problem-solving activities allow everyone to flex their logical thinking muscles, listen to everyone’s opinions, and agree on the actual suspect.

10. Wild Goose Chase

Have you ever wanted to explore a city and solve puzzles like “The Amazing Race” but do not want the added pressure of a time limit as you go around?

With team-building activities like Wild Goose Chase, you experience a combination of an escape room, code break, and scavenger hunt in one fun package.

How to Do the Wild Goose Chase Challenge

Armed with a list of items or places to take pictures of , each team must work together to solve puzzles and codes that block directions.

A wild goose chase event can start from within your office and extend to your surrounding city. As each team goes from one location to another, they must finish a set of problem-solving activities to proceed.

For example, they will have to take a photo of a nearby building from a particular viewpoint with a specific group pose.

They could solve a puzzle detailing where to go next or decipher a code that explains the group activities required to reach the next spot.

You can even increase the fun and challenge by setting up a points system for groups to reach every location or various fun prizes whenever they answer a puzzle.

Another idea is to instruct everyone to take videos instead of photos for more funny moments between players.

Wild Goose Chase Benefits

With the Wild Goose Chase game, teams boost their collaboration and relationship.

Whether they need to take a funny photo or search for a hidden spot in the city, these problem-solving group activities mix the thrill of an adventure with newfound knowledge for their office or city.

Whichever additional feature you add, each player will have fun unlocking new locations and creating enjoyable memories with everyone while exploring a city.

11. Shrinking Vessel

As a child, you may have played musical chairs at least once.

Team problem-solving group activities like the Shrinking Vessel game work similarly, where everyone aims to stay within a “safe spot” as the areas around them shrink gradually.

Shrinking Vessel Game Mechanics

This exciting problem-solving game only needs a rope or string. First, you will have to gather everyone into teams. Each team will have to stand together and be surrounded by the rope.

After a minute passes, the rope or string is adjusted to be smaller than before. This smaller space forces everyone to stick closer together until the circle is so small that all players must start thinking of creative ways to stay within the circle.

Whether some players carry the others or keep one foot in the circle and the other raised above the rope, every team has to think of a unique problem-solving way to keep everyone inside and not lose the challenge.

Adaptability With the Shrinking Vessel

As the shrinking vessel game tests teamwork and collaboration skills, it also increases adaptability .

Adapting to various situations and challenges in the workplace is a vital skill for any employee, but the best solutions come from teams working together to face these issues.

Throughout the game, everyone shares their ideas about keeping their teammates in their safe spots without falling over themselves.

As the circle shrinks around them, they must think quickly and work with the challenge to keep everyone within the circle. This quick-thinking ability helps in adapting to real-life difficulties and work conflicts.

This game gives more opportunities for funny memories with all the teams and teaches everyone to work as one unit and help each other succeed.

Thanks to this exciting problem-solving activity, everyone reaches the end feeling more appreciation for one another and a stronger sense of community.

12. Dumbest Idea First

All the team-building activities we discussed up until now required at least one material.

However, the Dumbest Idea First game is a unique challenge that does not require physical materials or preparation. Instead, it only needs a mix of humor, creativity, and logic to win.

How to Play Dumbest Idea First

This unique problem-solving game requires players to form teams and solve problems with the most unusual, useless, or dumb ideas.

The team with the dumbest idea out of everyone else wins the challenge, especially if their idea actually ends up solving the problem.

This game is perfect for teams without thinking of logically intricate or complicated solutions to various problems. It is a hilarious game that makes everyone see solutions to different issues with an entirely new perspective , opting for more funny than practical solutions.

For example, the situation concerns leaving your home to go to the office, but you forget to bring your wallet.

Team players will have to think of unusual answers to solve this problem, like doing an “invisible wallet song” where you chant for your wallet to magically appear in your pocket on your way to work.

After everyone gives their idea, compile all the dumb answers within a list and run through them to decide which idea may realistically solve the problem . You may also choose a winning idea depending on how much it makes everyone laugh.

Why the Dumbest Idea First Game Matters

As everyone laughs at each other’s ideas, the creativity and communication between the team strengthen.

It gets everyone to think outside the box and go beyond what basic logic and common sense tell them. Additionally, it puts a spotlight on the creative ideas of each member.

The Dumbest Idea First game may be part of virtual team-building activities, where a remote team uses video conferencing programs to discuss hilarious problem-solving ideas.

13. What Would X Do

Suppose the murder mystery game had teams roleplaying as detectives. What Would X Do is an exciting problem-solving activity that lets everyone act like a famous Hollywood celebrity, writer, or musician.

However, it is not just a roleplaying game. What Would X Do pushes everyone to solve various challenges simultaneously without breaking character .

What Would X Do? Rules and Benefits

Each person and their celebrity character is given a specific challenge or problem. As their character, they have to solve it with key characteristics that the celebrity they chose will do.

Let us say that a player chooses to act like Tom Cruise and is faced with a situation where they are stuck in an office building with no escape.

They could suggest ideas similar to Mission Impossible, acting out lines Cruise said or daring actions he would make to get out. The main rule is that their solutions have to explicitly match their character .

As everyone acts like their celebrity and gives answers to the problems, the team decides which person acted out their celebrity the best or used the specific talents of their celebrity to solve the problem best.

With many possible celebrity options and unusual situations to give players, this problem-solving game is a huge favorite among many.

It teaches everyone to go beyond conventional ideas and think like their character, adapting quickly to limitations, boosting self-confidence, and increasing creativity.

14. Domino Effect Challenge

Have you ever seen videos where a machine is set to produce a chain reaction through different triggers and points?

Those are called Rube Goldberg machines, and with strategic team-building activities like the Domino Effect challenge, players work together to build their machines.

What Do You Need to Play the Domino Effect Challenge?

The Domino Effect challenge requires deep collaboration, teamwork, and problem-solving to build a structure that produces a chain reaction.

Everyone works together for a shared goal, whether to get dominoes moving together to form a particular shape or create intricate designs and words.

Materials used in the domino effect challenge may range from various things. Some players use smaller items and more straightforward mechanics, while more skilled teams include a wider range of materials and goals for their chain reaction to reach.

Every team must work together to brainstorm the best design their structure can have and how the chain reaction does not stop.

You can add an extra challenge by setting a time limit for everyone to adapt and work better under pressure or a smaller space to place their designs.

After everyone completes their structure, each team presents what they built and demonstrates the chain reaction. The team with the most intricate, structurally sound, and best-designed Rube Goldberg machine wins the challenge.

How the Domino Effect Increases Collaboration

This team-building game is more than just building machines and winning prizes.

Whether a team wins or loses, the Domino Effect perfectly symbolizes how team collaboration is essential to reach any goal using each member’s talents, strengths, and innate skills.

Teams composed of employees who have not previously worked together complete the challenge, feeling closer and more in tune with one another.

Everyone gains a new perspective on how each person strategizes, conceptualizes, and applies various ideas to one working product.

15. Bridge Builders

Among the various team-building activities discussed on this list, the Bridge Builders problem-solving challenge is one of the many activities that take creative inspiration from real-life items.

Bridge Builders Game Definition and Mechanics

Bridge Builders requires teams to come together and build different bridge segments, connecting one or multiple points.

Using only a few materials, such as straws or popsicle sticks, each team must construct a sturdy bridge that does not fall over after a few minutes.

These bridges face challenges similar to those of the Domino Effect or Cardboard Boat Building. Not only are teams limited to weak materials , but they also face a time and space limit.

After each person builds their segment of a bridge, they bring their portion to their team and combine it into one free-standing bridge.

To ensure the bridge works properly, every player must do their best to work with a unified structure while adding their creative ideas.

How the Bridge Builders Game Affects Team Creativity

Rather than hindering teams, these problem-solving challenges further boost their creative and teamwork skills.

Teams may have many possible strategies to build a bridge while working with these limitations. They could focus more on functionality than design or find a way to include more features without affecting the size and weight of the bridge.

Whichever way the teams decide to put their problem-solving skills to good use, the bridges that come from this challenge take many forms.

Regardless of whether they look like an architectural model or are as simple as bridges get, what matters is that each team learns to work and collaborate .

The problem-solving techniques required for the Bridge Builders challenge affect each player long after the game.

As everyone works as one to build the best bridge, all players learn how every person tackles the same problem, which is something they can apply to work-related issues.

Key Takeaways on Team Building Problem Solving Activities

Various businesses and employees strive to provide problem-solving strategies for their audience. However, they may sometimes forget that the employees themselves need fun, collaborative, and creative challenges to enhance company culture and productivity .

Problem-solving is extremely important in any office, regardless of rank or niche. Conflicts and challenges appear randomly. As such, it’s important to ensure that everyone knows how to solve these issues accurately and responsibly and keep the company working smoothly.

By holding team-building problem-solving activities once in a while, either physically or virtually, you help foster better collaboration and teamwork skills while increasing friendships and happy memories.

Morale increases as everyone collaborates with fun games, challenges, and prizes. 

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38 Team Building Problem-Solving Activities

Looking for some inspiration on team-building activities that also double as problem-solving exercises? Then look no further!

In our Management Training we often stress that a strong team is essential for achieving organisational goals, improving productivity and creating a positive work environment, and team building activities are one of the essential tools that really can make this a reality!

Designed to be interactive and fun, they encourage employees to work together and solve problems – increasing creativity and collaboration across your workplace.

So, whether you are looking to improve communication, or are just looking to build stronger teams within your organisation, these 38 engaging problem-solving activities are a sure-fire way to help you achieve your goals.

32 In-Person Team Building Problem-Solving Activities

If you want to implement more team-building activities, problem-solving activities, and other communication exercises into your team strategy, these 32 in-person options are all great ones to start with:

1. A Shrinking Vessel

The shrinking vessel helps you and your employees work on adaptability and learn to solve problems faster, especially in high-pressure situations.

This game involves using a rope or string to create a circle on the floor. Everyone stands inside the circle. Then, you will gradually shrink it, and everyone must work together to stay inside.

2. Blind Formations

Blind formations is another group activity that involves a rope. Instead of focusing on adaptability, though, this game helps you and your employees develop better communication skills.

For this activity, you’ll just need a rope and a blindfold for each team member.

The group will don their blindfolds and stand in a circle. Then, you’ll tie the ends of the rope together to form a circle that everyone reaches down and touches.

Once everyone has their hands on the rope, you will call out shapes (square, triangle, etc.), and the group must work together to form that shape.

3. Bonding Belt

The bonding belt activity allows your employees to work on communication and problem-solving.

For this activity, divide the team into groups of five. Then, bind each group with rope or tape.

Once everyone has been bound together, each group must move from one point to another as quickly as possible. Use a stopwatch to track each group’s time as accurately as possible.

4. Cardboard Boat Building Challenge

The cardboard boat-building challenge gives team members a chance to get creative and think outside the box (or boat).

The goal is simple: Use cardboard and tape to create a boat that floats across a body of water without sinking.

In addition to building such a boat, each team must also deliver a presentation explaining their reasoning for creating the boat the way they did. Then, they’ll put it in the water and test its functionality.

5. Clue Murder Mystery

Everyone loves a good murder mystery, and Clue is the ultimate murder mystery game!

When playing Clue, you and your team members will collaborate and analyse a collection of clues to determine which character committed a murder.

It sounds simple at first. However, this game requires critical thinking, effective communication, and problem-solving to discover the correct answer.

6. Corporate Escape Room

Depending on where your business is located, you might have easy access to a corporate escape room.

Corporate escape rooms are businesses that allow customers to work together — while locked in a specially decorated room — to solve clues and figure out how to get out of the room as quickly as possible.

Many escape rooms have fun themes, from Sherlock Holmes-style murder mysteries to fantasy. Regardless of the theme, though, this activity allows everyone to work on collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

7. Crack The Case

Crack the case is another version of a murder mystery game.

This activity is similar to Clue, but it allows in-person and remote employees to work together with the help of video conferencing platforms. Your team members can collaborate to review case files, discuss clues, and solve the mystery.

8. Create Your Own

If you really want to challenge your employees’ creativity, task them with creating their own team-building activity.

Divide your team into smaller groups. Then, assign each group to develop an activity that is unique to the business and aligns with its mission and values.

Not only does this challenge encourage team members to think outside the box and communicate effectively, but it also provides an opportunity for them to reflect on the company values and what they mean to them.

9. Dog, Rice, And Chicken

Dog, rice, and chicken is a silly problem-solving game that encourages your team members to let loose and blow off some steam.

One team member plays the role of the farmer, and the other team members are villagers. The farmer has three items: a dog, rice, and a chicken, which they must take across the river on a boat one at a time.

The villagers must work together to advise the farmer and propose the best way for them to transport the items without the dog eating the chicken or the chicken eating the rice.

10. Domino Effect Challenge

The domino effect challenge requires team members to create a fully functioning chain reaction machine. Divide the team into groups, then ask each group to design and build one part of the machine.

This game puts employees’ communication and collaboration skills to the test, as well as their ability to adapt and solve problems quickly.

11. Dumbest Idea First

This is another fun game for employees who need to stop taking themselves so seriously. It doesn’t require any equipment and encourages employees to think quickly on their feet.

The instructions for this game are simple. Ask everyone to think of the dumbest solution to a problem you’re trying to solve at the office.

After each person shares their ideas, you might find that there are actually some good ones that you and your employees can implement.

12. Egg Drop

The egg drop activity is useful in various situations, not just in science class. The egg drop activity challenges employees to work together to create a vessel that will support an egg and prevent it from breaking when it’s dropped from a great height.

This activity encourages problem-solving, communication, creativity, and collaboration. It also gives employees a chance to break out of their daily routine and do something with their hands.

13. End In Mind

Sometimes, you and your employees have to work backwards to find a solution. End in mind challenges team members to do precisely this.

For this activity, you’ll need to write down the steps, dates, and milestones involved in completing a specific project. Write each one down on a separate piece of paper.

Tell employees what the end result is. Then, encourage them to rearrange the pieces of paper in order, working backwards to figure out how the project was completed.

Can’t make it to a corporate escape room? No problem!

You can play Escape at your office easily. All you need is a room that locks, the key, a rope, and a series of puzzles or clues.

Use the rope to “lock” employees in the room after hiding the key. Then, challenge them to complete the puzzles or solve the clues to find the key and “escape.”

15. Frostbite

Frostbite helps your employees develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Crank up an electric fan to mimic an icy tundra. Then, tell your employees that they are Arctic explorers.

Divide them into groups of four or five, then ask each group to appoint a leader. The goal is for each team to build a shelter out of construction materials (paper, cardboard, toothpicks, rubber bands, etc.) with a 30-minute time limit.

There’s a catch, though. The leader has frostbite on their hands and can’t help, and the rest of the team members have snow blindness and can’t see.

While wearing blindfolds, the team members will have to listen to the leader’s instructions to build a reliable shelter.

16. Human Knot

Human knot encourages employees to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems creatively.

Stand in a circle, then ask each employee to grab the hands of two people not directly next to them. After everyone has found two hands to hold, the goal is to untangle the human knot (without letting go of any hands) and stand in a circle once more.

17. Legoman

This is another activity that allows your team members to be creative, think outside the box, and have some fun.

Divide the group into small teams of at least two people. Then, select one person to create a random structure out of Lego bricks in a 10-minute period.

When this person is finished, the other teams must replicate the structure in just 15 minutes. However, only one person gets to look at the structure. They must then relay information to their team members(s) and help them replicate it perfectly.

18. Line Up Blind

Here’s another activity that involves a blindfold!

For this activity, everyone is blindfolded. You’ll go around the room and assign each person a number.

When you’re finished, instruct the group to line up in numerical order without talking. You can also ask them to line up based on other factors, like height, age, etc.

19. Lost At Sea

Lost at sea challenges your employees’ problem-solving abilities in stressful situations. Each person receives a six-column chart that includes the following:

• Column 1 features a list of survival items
• Column 2 is empty; each team member will rank the survival items in order of importance
• Column 3 is reserved for group rankings
• Column 4 is dedicated to the “correct” rankings (revealed at the end of the activity)
• Columns 5 and 6 allow team members to enter the difference between individual and correct scores, as well as the team and correct rankings.

Form groups of five. Then, ask each team member to rank items in order of importance individually.

Give the team 10 minutes to discuss their individual rankings and create a group ranking. When the 10 minutes are up, you’ll read out the official correct order, which goes as follows:

• Shaving mirror (to signal passing ships using the sun)
• Can of gas (for signalling if it’s poured in the water and lit with matches)
• Water container (for collection and re-hydration)
• Emergency food rations (essential for survival)
• One plastic sheet (for shelter or rainwater collection)
• Chocolate bars (additional food)
• Fishing rods (helpful for catching food)
• Rope (helpful but not essential for survival)
• Floating seat cushion (potential life preserver)
• Shark repellent (for safety)
• Bottle of rum (for cleaning wounds)
• Radio (helpful if you’re within range)
• Sea chart (worthless without navigation equipment)
• Mosquito net (not very useful unless you’re shipwrecked)

20. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

The marshmallow spaghetti tower activity encourages team members to work together, be creative, and communicate effectively. Each team will need the following:

• 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti
• 1 roll of masking tape
• 1 metre of string
• 1 marshmallow

Give each team a specific amount of time to build the tallest tower using the materials provided. It must be able to stand without help.

21. Minefield

Grab the blindfolds and challenge employees’ communication with the minefield game.

Lead everyone into an empty room or hallway. Place everyday office items throughout the room or hallway. Divide the group into pairs and blindfold one member.

The non-blindfolded member must verbally guide their partner from one end of the room to the other without hitting any “mines.”

22. Move It!

This activity gets your employees away from the desk and working together to solve problems.

Divide the group into two teams. Line them up front to back, so they’re facing each other.

Use chalk, tape, or rope to mark a square for each person to stand on. Leave an empty space between the facing rows.

The facing players must switch places. However, there are rules:

• Only one person can move at a time
• A player cannot move around anyone facing the same direction
• No one can move backwards
• A player cannot move around more than one person on the other team at a time.

23. Organisational Jenga

If you have access to a Jenga game, grab it and use it to develop communication and collaboration skills.

Label each block in a hierarchical order that aligns with your company’s hierarchy. Then, challenge team members to play the game as they normally would.

This activity emphasises the importance of the entire organisation working together to survive and thrive.

24. Reverse Pyramid

This activity doesn’t require any equipment. You just need your employees, who will stand in a pyramid shape.

Challenge them to flip the base and point of the pyramid by moving just three people.

25. Scavenger Hunt

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned scavenger hunt to build a team. Divide your team into groups, then give each group a list of items to find and bring back within a set time period.

Whether you limit them to the office or set them loose in the neighbourhood, this activity is sure to get people talking and laughing.

26. Stranded

Instead of being locked in a room, your team is now locked in the office and unable to escape. Give them 30 minutes to decide which 10 items they need to survive and rank those items in order of importance.

27. Team Pursuit

Team Pursuit is an app-powered game that allows team members to learn more about each other and their unique talents. They’ll complete challenges by taking photos or videos or typing messages into the app.

Whichever team completes the most challenges before the timer goes off is the winner.

28. The Barter Puzzle

For this activity, you’ll need a collection of jigsaw puzzles with the pieces mixed up.

Divide the group into teams of five, and challenge them to compete to finish a puzzle first. They’ll need to negotiate, barter, and assign tasks to find all the pieces for their puzzle.

29. The Crime Investigators

This game is another murder mystery-style activity. Tell your team about a crime that has occurred. Then, challenge them to review evidence, decipher clues, and figure out who’s guilty.

30. Web Of Wools

Grab a spool of yarn or string for this fun and engaging activity.

Divide the group into two teams. Then, assign each team to entangle themselves using yarn or string. Then, tell the teams to switch webs.

One team member on each team will be blindfolded and tasked with untangling the web. They must take instructions from their other team members to solve the puzzle.

31. What Would X Do

This activity gives employees a chance to think creatively and have fun at the same time. Assign everyone to pretend they’re a famous person. Then, ask them how they would solve a particular problem if they were that person.

32. Wild Goose Chase

Wild Goose Chase is a smartphone-based scavenger hunt. Split the group into teams. Then, send them out into the city to take fun photos and videos suggested by the app.

6 Virtual Team Building Problem Solving Activities

Even if you manage a remote team, you can still use virtual team-building and problem-solving activities to bring team members closer together. Here are 6 suggestions that you can try during your next virtual group gathering:

1. Clue Murder Mystery

For many of us, Clue was our first introduction to the world of murder mysteries. You don’t have to gather around a board to play it anymore, either.

Virtual Clue brings your employees together to solve a murder mystery, analysing clues to identify the person with the means, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime. This game is a fun way for employees to work on their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

2. Code Break

Virtual Code Break gives your employees a chance to overcome interesting challenges and strengthen their problem-solving skills.

You can use video conferencing tools to work with team members and complete all kinds of puzzles and games, from Sudoku to Cranium. You can even work together to solve virtual jigsaw puzzles!

3. Escape Room: Jewel Heist

Escape rooms are all the rage these days for team-building activities. You don’t have to all be trapped in the same room together to enjoy them though.

Many virtual escape rooms exist for remote teams, including Escape Room: Jewel Heist.

When playing this game, you and your team will work together to recover stolen jewels before time runs out. You’ll have to use your problem-solving skills and creative thinking to solve the puzzle and escape.

4. Escape Room: Mummy’s Curse

Mummy’s Curse is a virtual escape room that traps your team in a pyramid with an awakened and agitated mummy. You’ll have to collaborate to solve clues, complete challenges, and lift the curse to escape the pyramid.

5. Jeopardy Social

Virtual Jeopardy Social puts you and your employees into your own game show. You even get a buzzer button to answer questions and a professional actor to host the vent.

In addition to answering questions and trying to score the greatest number of points, Virtual Jeopardy Social also incorporates social mixer challenges into each round. These challenges allow you and your employees to get to know each other better and develop stronger relationships.

6. Trivia Time Machine

Trivia games are popular team-building activities, and you and your employees can participate even if you can’t gather at a local pub together.

For example, Outback Time Machine takes participants back to the 1960s and features a series of fun, nostalgic questions that will get everyone talking and laughing. The virtual game show host also splits the group into teams and warms guests up with mixers to get everyone more comfortable.

Why Are Team Building Problem-Solving Activities Necessary?

Team-building activities, problem-solving exercises, and other group activities offer numerous benefits, regardless of the type of business you run. The following are some of the greatest advantages you and your employees can enjoy:

Get To Know Each Other Better

It’s remarkable that you can work next to someone everyday for years and still know next to nothing about them.

When you create opportunities for your employees to participate in team-building activities, you make it easier for them to get to know each other in a low-stress environment.

Playing games and solving puzzles together allows employees to learn more about each other’s personalities, their approach to difficult situations, and how they communicate.

Improve Communication

Speaking of communication, team-building activities also gives all employees a chance to work on their communication skills.

When team members collaborate to solve problems or complete a task, they get better at presenting issues, asking questions, and developing solutions. All of these insights help employees better understand each other when dealing with work-related tasks.

Improve Teamwork And Team Performance

Better communication leads to improved collaboration and teamwork.

If your employees know how to communicate with one another, it’s easier for them to come together and get things done. They’ll likely face fewer roadblocks along the way to completing projects and will have better attitudes throughout the process, too.

Foster Friendly Competition

Problem-solving and team-building activities might seem frivolous at first. However, they actually create friendly competition, which can help to motivate employees and push them to challenge themselves.

Contests and challenges can also help employees to feel more confident in themselves and their skills. If they’ve doubted their abilities, taking a break and engaging in a fun, competitive activity can motivate them and encourage them to trust themselves in the future.

Increase Innovation And Creativity

Many managers and team members notice that team-building activities and problem-solving challenges help them to be more innovative and creative. These activities allow them to practice thinking outside the box and looking at situations in a new way.

Create Better Company Culture

According to 57 per cent of UK adults, workplace culture matters more than salary when it comes to job satisfaction. Your company culture will suffer if your workplace is focused on productivity and task completion 24/7 and you never make room for fun.

Company culture doesn’t just make your existing employees happier, either. When you strive to improve company culture, you can also enhance your business’s reputation and attract talented job seekers in the future.

Increase Engagement And Improved Morale

When you enhance communication, strengthen relationships between employees, and improve the company culture, you’ll notice that employee engagement increases and morale improves.

Happy employees are productive employees who want to put their best foot forward each day.

If you invest in your employees’ well-being and provide opportunities for them to work together, solve problems, and have fun, they’ll thank you by being more invested in their responsibilities and producing better results.

Show Appreciation

Nearly 75 per cent of UK employees say they deserve more recognition for their work.

Regular team-building and problem-solving activities give you a chance to show appreciation to your employees. For example, you can use these events as a way to celebrate team members who have just met a milestone or accomplished a major goal.

Identify Leadership Potential

When you host team-building activities for adults, problem-solving challenges, and other events, you have opportunities to evaluate employees in different settings and assess their leadership potential.

It’s not always easy to tell who might make a good leader when your employees are going about their everyday tasks. When you put them in a new environment, though, and challenge them to solve a unique problem, you might be amazed at who stands out.

Whether your team gathers in a traditional office or is spread out across the globe, you can use team-building and problem-solving activities to bring them closer together, create a better company culture, and improve productivity and engagement.

So why not use the 38 activities discussed above as inspiration for your next group gathering? Or get in touch to find out about our Team Building Training where we can cover the techniques required to achieve a great team spirit – whilst delivering the fun!

Alternatively, check out our MBTI Training or DISC Assessments – both great for team building, whilst also giving you the essential tools to understand and work with your team better.

Thanks again

Sean McPheat

Managing Director

MTD Training

• Team Building

Updated on: 29 June, 2023

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25 Team Building Problem Solving Activities

25 problem solving team building activities.

While we are in lockdown (transition to or from) and acclimating to virtual life, these activities will engender trust, create strong bonds, and improve the problem solving abilities of everyone that plays them!

Benefits of Team Building Problem Solving Activities

Problem solving skills are one of the most essential components of a competent workplace. When we attempt to solve problems within a group, we need strong communication skills, adaptability, and collaborative clarity. The team building activities in this list house a smattering of interactive and creative approaches that can help foster these skills in any healthy team. 

Scavenger Hunt

Embarking on a cityHUNT Scavenger Hunt is a thrilling team-building activity designed to enhance problem-solving skills, creativity, and communication. The goal is for each team to navigate a list of items and bring them all back within a set time frame, with the first team to return winning. The experience begins with a Discovery Call to tailor the event to your needs, followed by detailed planning and preparation. On the event day, teams use our state-of-the-art mobile app or receive full support from our Adventure Guides to explore the city, solve riddles, and complete tasks, all while earning points and fostering collaboration.

This cityHUNT Scavenger Hunt not only breaks up the workday with outdoor fun but also promotes critical thinking and effective teamwork. The activity’s customizable nature ensures it fits your team’s unique dynamics and objectives. Post-event, participants can relive the excitement through photos and videos shared in a thank-you email. Book your Discovery Call today and discover why cityHUNT is a top choice for enhancing team dynamics and creating lasting memories.

This cityHunt Scavenger Hunt is a fantastic way to get your group problem solving together!

Making decisions isn’t always easy, but the inability to make decisions can stagnate a team and lead to thought paralysis. Decision-making team-building activities, like the Egg Drop, help your staff make quick and effective choices, often relying on their gut instinct, which is usually spot on.

For the Egg Drop challenge, gather a carton of eggs and various construction materials such as newspaper, tape, and rubber bands. Head to the parking lot or any outdoor space with a safe ledge or platform. Divide your team into smaller groups and give each team an egg and the same set of materials. Set a timer for twenty minutes and let each team design and build their egg carrier. Once the time is up, take turns dropping the eggs from the ledge to see whose design can protect the egg from breaking. Continue this process until only one egg remains unbroken. Afterward, discuss the decision-making strategies and thought processes behind each team’s design, highlighting what worked and what didn’t. This activity not only encourages creativity and quick thinking but also fosters teamwork and problem-solving skills.

A Shrinking Vessel

Adaptability is a crucial aspect of effective problem-solving, enabling teams to navigate shifting needs and unexpected challenges with agility. Teams that excel in adapting on the fly can solve problems more efficiently and innovate even in the midst of a crisis. The “Shrinking Vessel” activity is designed to enhance these skills by putting your team’s adaptability to the test.

To set up the activity, lay a piece of rope or string on the floor to form a large shape that your team can comfortably fit within, such as a circle or rectangle. Over a period of fifteen minutes, gradually reduce the size of the shape by moving the rope or string inward. The challenge for the team is to work together to adjust and stay within the ever-decreasing boundaries. This requires continuous real-time communication and collaboration as team members must strategize and reposition themselves to ensure everyone remains within the shrinking space. The exercise emphasizes the importance of adaptability and quick decision-making, helping teams develop the flexibility needed to thrive under pressure and respond effectively to changing circumstances.

Virtual Team Building 

Remote work can present unique challenges, especially for teams that are accustomed to in-person interactions. Adapting to this new way of working can be daunting, but virtual team building offers a wealth of opportunities to foster connection and collaboration. The virtual world is brimming with engaging activities designed to bring teams together, even when they’re miles apart.

There’s no shortage of virtual team-building options that can be seamlessly integrated into your remote work routine. Virtual scavenger hunts, game shows, trivia competitions, and various team-based challenges can all be conducted via popular virtual conferencing platforms. These activities are not only fun but also serve as effective tools for problem-solving and strengthening team dynamics. For instance, virtual scavenger hunts can be tailored to include items or tasks that are relevant to your team’s interests or current projects, encouraging collaboration and creativity. By leveraging these virtual tools, teams can enjoy interactive and rewarding experiences that help bridge the gap created by physical distance, making remote work both productive and enjoyable.

Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower challenge might sound like a recipe for chaos, but it’s actually a fantastic exercise in collaboration and creative problem-solving. The goal isn’t to cook anything—just to use dry spaghetti noodles, marshmallows, and a few optional extras like tape and string to build the tallest and most stable tower possible.

This activity underscores the importance of teamwork and innovation. To start, divide your group into teams and provide each with a set of materials: dry spaghetti noodles, marshmallows, and, if you choose, tape and string. Set a specific timeframe for the challenge—typically 20 to 30 minutes is ideal. The teams must strategize and work together to design and construct their towers using only the materials provided. The catch is that the tower must be free-standing and able to support itself without collapsing.

As the teams work, they’ll need to communicate effectively, make quick decisions, and adapt their strategies based on what’s working and what isn’t. This process of trial and error fosters collaboration and encourages creative thinking. At the end of the allotted time, measure the height of each tower to determine the winner.

The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower exercise not only brings out the competitive spirit but also demonstrates how effective teamwork can lead to innovative solutions and impressive results. It’s a fun and engaging way to build trust and cooperation among team members, proving that with the right mix of creativity and collaboration, even the simplest materials can lead to extraordinary achievements.

Dumbest Idea First

What’s more fun than a dumb idea? For this game, encourage your team to unify and quickly think of the dumbest ideas they can to solve a specific problem. Once accomplished, consult the list and flesh out the ideas that aren’t actually dumb so you can serve up a good solution to your problem. You might find that these so-called “dumb” ideas are actually fairly creative and host some original solutions!

This game helps everyone build strong communication standards and enhances the foundations of decision-making among your employees. It’s imperative that your teams learn proper communication strategies, especially when it comes to problem solving. In our remote-work world, communication skills are extremely important to mitigate frustrations and smooth the channels that lead to impactful problem solving.

To play Stranded:

• Your team is stranded in the office!
• The doors and windows are locked and cannot be opened.
• Give your team half an hour so they can choose up to ten items necessary to survive.
• Rank their ten items in order of necessity.
• The goal of this game is that at the end, each team member of each team will agree on the ten items needed and their ranked order, coming to a conclusion that will rescue them from being stranded.

End in Mind

The “End in Mind” activity is a dynamic problem-solving exercise designed to help your team approach projects from a unique perspective. By starting with the end result and working backward, this activity encourages strategic thinking and creative problem-solving.

Here’s how it works: Begin by defining the final goal or outcome of a project. Present this end result to your team first, then provide a series of milestones, deadlines, and steps in reverse order. The challenge is for the team to piece together these elements to construct a coherent plan that leads from the final goal back to the initial starting point.

The reverse order of the milestones forces team members to consider how each step contributes to achieving the end result. This method encourages them to think critically about each component’s role in the project, identify potential obstacles, and develop innovative solutions to ensure all pieces fit together seamlessly. By analyzing the project in reverse, teams gain a deeper understanding of the dependencies and sequences needed for successful completion.

The “End in Mind” activity not only sharpens problem-solving skills but also enhances strategic planning and foresight. It’s a valuable exercise for developing a comprehensive view of how complex projects come together and for honing the ability to anticipate and address challenges before they arise.

Legoman is an engaging team-building activity that leverages the nostalgia of childhood toys to improve communication and collaboration within your team. This exercise challenges participants to work together, translate verbal instructions into action, and build a shared understanding.

To start, divide your team into small groups of two to three people each. Select a person who is not part of any team to create a random Lego structure within a set time limit of ten minutes. This person will build the model out of sight from the other participants.

Once the structure is complete, each team is given the same ten-minute timeframe to replicate the model. However, there’s a twist: only one member of each team can view the original Lego construct. This person must describe the model to their team without directly showing it, relying solely on their ability to communicate details clearly and accurately. The rest of the team listens and interprets the description to assemble the structure as closely as possible to the original.

This activity highlights the importance of effective communication and listening skills, as well as the need for clear and concise instructions. It challenges team members to collaborate and problem-solve in real-time, fostering a deeper understanding of how well they work together and how they can improve their communication strategies. By using a familiar and playful medium like Legos, the exercise makes learning these essential skills enjoyable and memorable.

This fun game enhances collaboration amongst your staff. Utilizing clues and tools, they will attempt to unlock a room within a given time frame. You will need a room that you can (safely) lock, a key for that room, rope, and a set of puzzles and/or clues.

The basic idea of this game is to solve all the clues presented and find the key so that they can unlock the room. Hide the key somewhere in the room, and make sure that the list of clues and puzzles that lead to the key are solvable and not too obtuse. Once your team is ready to go, you can give your team a time limit to complete the activity.

This game truly shows why team building is important!

Let’s take a break from the communication problem solving activities and play a game that requires decision making and adaptability. To play Frostbite, you will need an electric fan, some card stock/sticky notes/rubber bands, and a blindfold.

Your team is out on an exploration of the arctic. Separate them into groups of about four or five people, and have them choose a leader for the adventure. Your teams need to construct shelters that will protect them from an oncoming storm front that will ruin them in thirty minutes. Like the name of the game, your team leaders are suffering from frostbite, and the rest of the team is blinded because of the snow. Using the provided materials, team leaders and team members must rely on one another to build shelters that can endure the “high winds” when the storm hits (the electric fan). When the time comes, turn on the fan and see whose shelter can weather the storm!

This is another fun adaptability game that encourages collaboration and communication among your staff. To play this game you will need at least one item that can “mark” a space, such as tape, paper, chalk, etc.

• Divide the group into two teams, and align these teams so that they’re facing one another. 
• Using your space marking item, label an area for each person to stand in.
• Make sure you leave some space between the rows of people facing each other.
• To solve the objective, have the two lines of facing team members swap places.

Caveats: Only one person can move at once, moving backward isn’t allowed, a person can only move around the people from the other team one at a time, and a person can’t move around anyone if they’re both facing the same direction.

It’s tough! 

What Would X Do

Is your team stagnating on new ideas? This problem solving activity might stimulate your staff toward innovation.

In order to play What Would X Do, allow your teams to pretend to be someone famous. As a famous person, address an issue at hand. Have them ask themselves, what might they do in this particular situation? What might they consider? What choices would they make? This helps your team consider things in a new light.

Bonding Belt 

For this game, divide your groups into five participants, binding them together with tape or rope in order to limit their movements. You want the teams to go from designated Point A to Point B, and make sure you record the time. Each team will work together in order to beat their previous scores. 

To play Minefield, we are going to place items around the room in a randomized fashion so that the path from one side to the other is properly occluded and confusing. Divide up your team. Blindfold one team and have the other team serve as the guides.

The guide team then navigates the blindfolded team through the minefield, being certain that players don’t touch (any players that touch are out!). This is a team building activity of trust and survival, one that requires concise communication and collaborative problem solving.

Reverse Pyramid

Direct your team to stand together in the shape of a pyramid. What you want to do here is “flip” the base and apex of the pyramid, limiting who can move to only two or three people. Your team will want to work together in order to flip the pyramid successfully, and this game works as a great communicative device that will need a lot of proper decision making. 

The Human Knot is a dynamic and engaging team-building activity that focuses on enhancing group coordination, communication, and problem-solving skills. This classic game is not only fun but also a powerful tool for fostering teamwork and developing collaborative strategies.

To begin, gather your team and instruct them to form a circle. Each participant should reach across the circle to grab the hand of someone who is not directly next to them, ensuring that everyone is connected. Once all members are linked, the challenge is to untangle the knot without releasing anyone’s hands. The group must work together to maneuver and twist their bodies to gradually unravel the knot and restore the circle.

The Human Knot exercise encourages participants to communicate clearly and strategize collectively. As they work through the physical and spatial challenges of untangling themselves, team members must discuss and agree on the best approach to achieve the goal. This requires a high level of cooperation and flexibility, as well as the ability to listen to and incorporate ideas from all team members.

Throughout the activity, team members will learn about the importance of coordination and the value of each person’s input in solving complex problems. The exercise also highlights how diverse perspectives and teamwork can lead to successful outcomes, even in seemingly difficult situations.

Dog, Rice, and Chicken

This is a fun, silly problem solving activity that might help your adult staff cut loose. Direct one team member to play the role of the farmer, and the other team members are the villagers that advise them. The farmer will get three items: a dog, some rice, and a chicken, which they take across a river via boat.

You may have played this game before, or maybe you’re aware of the narrative device: only one item can be taken across at a time, and there are limits. The dog will eat the chicken. The chicken will eat the rice. Your team will have to work together to figure out how to properly bring everything across the river.

Crack The Case

Have you ever played a classic murder mystery group game? These virtual “Whodunnits” force employees to work collectively to crack a case or solve a murder. Remote games are super fun, and everyone from commuters to remote workers to in-house staff can play together.

Virtual Clue Murder Mystery Games use video conferencing platforms and apps to let coworkers solve cases together. They can study case files, look over clues, and work together to parse out motive, method, and everything else behind classic mysteries. It’s a great time.

What Would You Do

This hypothetical question game will favor communication and brainstorming efforts by gathering your team together for a problem solving activity that is intriguing and silly. This game works by asking absurd questions and getting thoughtful answers. 

For example, you could ask someone “If you didn’t have to breathe, what would you do?” or “If you never had to eat, what would you accomplish?” Your hypothetical questions should be fairly optional and open, and they need to get your team talking. Try to come up with an inventive, fun list that garnishes thoughtful responses.

Can You Tell What I Changed?

This great communication-based problem solving activity doesn’t take too long and is fun for everybody. To play it, divvy up your team into groups and have them face each other in a line. Observe the individuals standing across from one another, giving them a minute or so to look. Then have them close their eyes.

Instruct the other line of people to make a bunch of quick changes to their appearances. They can put their hair up or down, take off their jackets, turn out their ties, and whatever else they might come up with in that short period of time. Have the other group open their eyes and identify each change as quickly as they can. Play this game as many times as you want, making it more and more complicated.

This is a fun problem solving activity that makes a great team icebreaker or just a quick break from office work.

Organizational Jenga

Organizational Jenga is a thought-provoking team-building activity designed to illustrate the importance of various departments within a company and how each role contributes to the overall stability of the organization. This game uses the familiar mechanics of Jenga to highlight the interdependence of different teams and the impact of removing key elements from the structure.

To set up the game, you’ll need a Jenga set or some similar blocks, each labeled to represent different departments or roles within your organization, such as HR, management, IT, support staff, and so on. Ensure the number of blocks for each department corresponds to the actual composition of your office.

Divide your team into small groups, giving each group an equal number of labeled blocks. Provide guidelines for the structure they must build, such as specific dimensions or shapes, and set a time limit for the construction phase. Once the structures are built, begin removing blocks in a manner similar to traditional Jenga, challenging the teams to maintain their structure’s stability as pieces are taken away.

This activity is more than just a physical challenge; it serves as a powerful metaphor for organizational dynamics. As blocks are removed, teams will see firsthand how the absence of certain roles or departments can destabilize the entire structure. This emphasizes the critical importance of each role within the company and the potential consequences of losing any individual team member.

Web of Wools

For this game, divide your team up into equal parts. Have your team form up a “web of wools,” one that should be as intricate as they can manage. Using yarn or string, your teams should entangle themselves together. Then switch the teams up so that everyone has a different web. Have one team member on each side be blindfolded and attempt to untangle each web only by the provided instruction of the other team members. Whoever does it first is the winner! 

This is a fairly difficult game that can come with its own unique frustrations. The blindfolded person will have to balance their own preferences and instincts with the instructions of their teammates. This is a great team building activity that balances communication with problem solving.

The Barter Puzzle

The Barter Puzzle is an insightful team-building exercise that challenges your groups to perform under pressure while honing their negotiation and communication skills. This activity is designed to highlight how well teams can collaborate, negotiate, and delegate tasks to achieve a common goal.

To begin, divide your participants into teams of about five people each. Provide each team with a jigsaw puzzle of varying complexity, but with a twist: the puzzle pieces are mixed among all the teams, meaning no single team has all the pieces needed to complete their puzzle. The objective is for one team to be the first to complete their puzzle, but this can only be achieved through negotiation and bartering with the other teams to acquire the missing pieces.

Teams must strategize and communicate effectively to determine which pieces they have and which ones they need. They’ll need to negotiate with other teams to trade puzzle pieces, assign roles within their team, and make decisions about how to best use their resources. It’s crucial that teams work together and avoid having individuals work independently, as the collaborative nature of the task is key to solving the puzzle efficiently.

This activity is a practical way to observe and assess several important skills: negotiation tactics, communication effectiveness, and the ability to function under pressure. It reveals which teams excel at strategizing and working cooperatively, and which may need to improve their communication and negotiation strategies. The Barter Puzzle is not only a fun and engaging challenge but also a valuable exercise in understanding and enhancing team dynamics.

Create your own

This is a unique version of the above games. The point of this game is for the team to brainstorm and come up with their own problem solving activity that is unique to your business and supports your values, ideals, and needs. By conquering this team building game, your team will build creativity and decision making skills.

Give them an hour to craft a team building exercise that is based on problem solving. Divide your staff into teams where they will be encouraged to develop new exercises that fit into your organization. The exercises should be unique, fun, and engaging. Then, have each team show off their created activities to everyone else. Have the others show the pros and cons of the created activities, and discuss how they came to the idea and what the benefits are.

No matter what you decide to play, we are certain that there are enough ideas on this list to get your group up and problem solving together! These team building activities are such a great way to get your team to communicate and negotiate, and best of all these games will bring your staff together during this tumultuous time. Problem solving is one of the backbones of any successful, growing business, and these games are sure to be celebrated by your staff for years.

If you’re looking for ways to bond beyond the rigors of the office, consider these virtual happy hour ideas that will bring your staff together in a relaxing way.

Related Resources

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