Are you looking to strengthen the bond between employees in your workplace?
Are there cliques or outsiders within your sports team or organisation?
Or are you part of a sports team and you want to increase morale and teamwork?
Look no further!
We have compiled a list of the best outdoor team building activities that will let you see a different side to your work colleagues/team mates and are a guaranteed laugh!
Read about the benefits of team building activities.
The Best Outdoor Team Building Activities
Raft Building
If you tell everyone in your group that they have to work together or else they sink in the lake – they will do it!
For that reason, raft building is the ultimate water-based outdoor team building activity.
What You Do
Each team member must chip in and help build a raft that floats within a certain timescale, and then go to test it out.
The rafts can be built using planks of wood, empty barrels or containers and pieces of rope.
Let’s face it – not everyone is going to create the perfect raft to float but that’s what’s so fun about it!
After all, who wouldn’t like to see their team members abandon ship and get soaked?
Learning Outcomes of the Activity
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Leadership
- Relaxation
- Laughter
Canoeing
Paddling out on an open lake with people you work with or play sports with sounds a lot better than being cooped in a room together, doesn’t it?
Canoeing is a great water activity for team building because there’s something so relaxing and therapeutic about floating out on the lake.
Activities like this relax group members and make them come out of their shell more – that’s if they aren’t afraid of water!
Even if some group members do have a fear of water, this is an excellent way to get them to test themselves and push through that fear barrier.
It might sound like we are contradicting ourselves here but even though canoeing is very relaxing, it is also a great form of exercise.
That’s what makes canoeing a top choice of outdoor team building activity for sports team in particular.
You can all experience the beauty of the lakes, it’s surroundings, push yourselves to do something new, all the while getting an extra fitness session on-board!
Outcomes of the Activity:
- Relaxation
- Teamwork
- Mindfulness
- Pushing your limits
- Exercise
Gutter Ball
This team bonding exercise is a great way to get your group working together.
How to Play
Team building instructors will set a course in which team members must work together to transport a ball from one end of the course to the other while moving it between gutters that each member will be holding.
By lining up along the course, the first person will slide the ball from their gutter to the next persons, and then make his/her way to the end of the line to be ready to receive it again later.
The ball is not allowed to touch the ground so it’s really important that everyone communicates well and work in tandem to ensure it doesn’t fall.
This group bonding activity is great fun and really easy to set up and play!
Outcomes of the Activity:
- Communication
- Coordination
- Teamwork
- Patience
- Laughter
Laser Tag
If you’re looking a thrilling and action-packed outdoor team building activity, then laser tag should be high up your list!
How to Play
Competitors can be split up into teams and, using our hi-tech LSD laser guns, their mission will be to shoot down the opposition together, and at the end one team will have claimed more points to win.
Individual, fun games can also be played such as Capture the Flag and Last Man Standing – each of which encourage hard work and determination.
Outcomes of the Activity:
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Determination
- Communication
- Coordination
Plank Walking
Are you looking for an outdoor team building activity that is a guaranteed laugh?
Then look no further than plank walking!
How to Play
Also known as Centipede, this game will challenge the team of walking in harmony upon 2 planks with rope handles.
This team game is absolutely chaotic – but that’s why it’s so fun!
Everyone needs to communicate effectively, work out a system and find a good rhythm in order to succeed while participating in plank walking.
This is one group bonding activity where you can really see the leaders in the group step forward.
They are various ways to play this fun outdoor team game:
- It can be set up as a short ice breaker where the goal could be to take 10 successful steps together.
- A course can be set up where the group have to make their way around in a certain length of time.
- Two teams can be selected who then have to race each other to get from one point to another.
We recommend 6 people in each team for plank walking.
Outcomes of Activity:
- Leadership
- Coordination
- Communication
- Patience
Camping
Spending a night out in the wild with people from work may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we beg to differ.
By spending a night out camping as an outdoor team building activity, you will get to see a different side to your colleagues and team mates that you have not seen before.
By working together to pitch up a tent and build a campsite, you will feel like you have achieved something together, which will make the drinks around the camp fire taste that bit sweeter!
To take things up a notch, you could go camping on an island or up a mountain after a challenging hike.
Outcomes of Activity:
- Teamwork
- Endurance
- Patience
- Mindfulness
Bush Craft
Another fun group bonding exercise outdoors is Bush Craft.
How to Play
Bushcraft encourages groups to connect with nature, learn something new and work together.
Everyone participating will take part in a range of activities such as collecting firewood, building campfires, cooking outdoors and building shelters, plus much more.
Bear Grylls has made these outdoor team building activities extremely popular and anyone who enjoys the beautiful outdoors will have a fantastic time.
Outcomes of the Activity
- Learn survival skills
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Mindfulness
- Patience
Human Table Football
Football teams will absolutely love playing the Human Table Football team building game.
You know what, we reckon anyone will love it!
How to Play
This hilarious hybrid of football and table football will see the team members become real-life versions of the guys that spin within the table!
The aim of the game is simple, score more goals than the opposition.
To do so, the players must show good communication skills in order to move the bar that they are connected to, across the football pitch to get the ball.
This will only work if other team members that are connected to the same bar move in the same direction, at the same time.
Human table football can be used as an outdoor team building activity or indoors – a huge bonus in countries such as the UK and Ireland where we get a lot of rain!
Outcomes of Activity:
- Coordination (fancy footwork to put the ball in the net!)
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Laughter
Tree Top Adventure
This is not for the faint-hearted as you scale to heights you have never been before!
Although it’s not as scary as you may think and could be the ideal outdoor team building activity to help boost confidence and challenge your team.
How to Play
During the Tree Top Adventure activity, your group members will be securely connected to the safety wires that are up amongst the trees and have to navigate their way through many obstacles throughout the high wire course.
Some high wire courses have obstacles that will make your spine tingle, from Tarzan swings to parachute drops!
Tree Top Adventures are great for team bonding as each member will need to encourage those who are struggling and be patient with anyone in front of them.
Outcomes of the activity:
- Patience
- Encouragement
- Teamwork
- Confidence
- Communication
- Leadership
- Coordination
Pinball Team Game
A real quick, fun and easy team game is pinball.
How to Play
The pinball table can be a hexagon type shape where team members each hold a side to keep the table in the air.
Within the table there is a maze, through which everyone has to help to navigate the ball out of the middle, and out through one of the gaps at edge.
Everyone must work in unison or else the ball is not going to go the direction in which it is intended to!
Pinball is a brilliant ice-breaker and one that everyone will enjoy.
Outcomes of activity:
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Coordination
- Patience
What will you choose for your outdoor team building activities?
When choosing your team-building exercises in the outdoors, be sure to speak with your colleagues or team members first so that you can judge what activities suit them best.
The last thing you want is to arrive at a team-building centre and find out that some people can’t/won’t take part because that can cause some people to be unhappy – the exact opposite of what this trip is supposed to do!
If you need any help arranging a bonding trip, feel free to contact any of our experienced instructors who can develop a tailor-made package to suit your group’s needs.
Happy planning and enjoy the fun that’s in store!
Want to know more about outdoor activities?
Check out the activities which we believe are the best outdoor activities in Ireland!
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