35 fun group activities for adults: Exciting ideas for 2024
Finding group activities for adults can be challenging because people have different interests and personalities. There are dozens of unique and fun things to do for adults, each with different rules and formats.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Group activities for adults
- Indoor recreational activities for adults
- 35. Online office games
- 34. Virtual escape rooms
- 33. Team meal or cooking class
- 32. Board game contest
- 31. Indoor scavenger hunt
- 30. Karaoke
- 29. Charades
- 28. Book club
- 27. Indoor maze
- 26. Indoor fort and structure building
- 25. Dancing classes
- 24. Video games
- 23. Keep the balloons up
- 22. Indoor group yoga
- 21. Painting
- 20. Indoor card games
- 19. Two Truths, One Lie
- Outdoor fun activities for adults
- Indoor recreational activities for adults
- Frequently asked questions
Fun activities for adults help people manage stress and free their minds. They also promote team bonding among employees, turn acquaintances into friends, and put smiles on people's faces.
Group activities for adults
To select the suitable team-building activity for your group, you should consider several factors, such as your team's needs, preferences, and personalities. The game should also encourage inclusivity and fit your budget. Here is a breakdown of the activities.
| Online games | Karaoke | Dancing classes | Card games | Charity work | Ball games | Paintball |
| Escape rooms | Charades | Video games | Two Truths, One Lie | Boat riding | Fun runs | Bicycle tours |
| Team meal or cooking class | Book club | Keep the balloons up | Tree Planting | Snorkel | Climbing | BBQ |
| Board game contest | Indoor maze | Indoor group yoga | Egg drop | Rafting | Amazing Chase | City history tour |
| Scavenger hunt | Indoor fort/ structure building | Painting | Tug-of-war | Fishing | Ziplining | Camping |
It is widely known that people who regularly interact in groups remain optimistic and courageous. Group activities provide emotional and physical connection, education, support, and encouragement. Group activity and therapy is traced back to Joseph Pratt, as per Positive Psychology:
Pratt (1907) believed that the connection and support of group activities led to increased hope and physical improvement.
Indoor recreational activities for adults
Indoor team-building activities for adults can be played in offices or remote places where people feel happier. Explore some of the ideas below.
35. Online office games
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- Best for: Remote
- Examples: Mentimeter, codenames, and detective stories
- Materials needed: Computer, phone, or iPad
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
These are exciting virtual office Olympics games where employees answer multiple-choice questions or pick numbers. Each team member must log in to the platforms to access the games.
34. Virtual escape rooms
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Playing video indoor games that involve escaping from certain facilities, such as prisons or spaceships, is also a great idea for group activities.
- Best for: Remote
- Examples: Gold Rush, Ruins: Forbidden Treasure, God of War, Prison Break
- Materials needed: A virtual escape room provider
- Average duration: 45 minutes to 2 hours
33. Team meal or cooking class
Fun indoor cooking activities are also suitable for team building. They provide a platform to embrace food from other cultures and countries and learn how to prepare tender and juicy recipes.
- Best for: Small and medium-sized office teams
- Examples: Cooking a traditional meal
- Materials needed: A recipe and cooking materials
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
32. Board game contest
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Board games are among the best indoor team-building activities for small groups. They involve placing the games on tables and chairs in a room and allowing each member to join a team.
- Best for: In-door small groups
- Examples: Scattergories, codenames, chess, Checkers (draughts)
- Materials needed: A board game
- Average duration: 45 minutes to 1 and a half hours
31. Indoor scavenger hunt
These highly active group games encourage participants to move, explore, and work together to complete the lists.
- Best for: Medium and smaller teams
- Examples: Retrieving office objects, completing small tasks
- Materials needed: Set up of the rules
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
30. Karaoke
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Karaoke is an exciting indoor singing activity in which people take turns singing songs by famous singers into a microphone over pre-recorded backing tracks.
- Best for: Medium and smaller teams
- Examples: Singing a favourite song
- Materials needed: Sound systems, screen, microphone, song
- Average duration: 1 hour
29. Charades
Charade is a word-guessing game for all ages that will keep teams entertained. It involves choosing a preferred topic, such as music band names or inside jokes in the office, and letting other participants guess the word.
- Best for: Small in-office and remote groups
- Examples: Picking words from preferred topics
- Materials needed: List of acceptable words to play
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
28. Book club
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Book clubs are ideal group activities for students and adults who love to read. It involves teams coming together to discuss a book they have all read or listened to.
- Best for: Small groups (eight and ten people)
- Examples: Attend an author event, plan a table read
- Materials needed: Book, chart paper, digital devices
- Average duration: 2 to 2 and a half hours
27. Indoor maze
You can organise an indoor maze inside an ample office space. Team members complete the maze, which is designed to test their intelligence and cooperation while having fun.
- Best for: Small and medium-sized in-office teams
- Examples: Maze with one solution and those with multiple solutions
- Materials needed: A large room to create an indoor maze
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
26. Indoor fort and structure building
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Team members show their creativity and engineering skills by building forts or other structures using common materials. Each group receives building materials, which take at least half an hour to construct. A judge or panel decides who wins.
- Best for: All group sizes
- Examples: Building a fort, house
- Materials needed: Building materials such as sheets, cardboard
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
25. Dancing classes
Organising dancing classes, especially for those interested, is a fulfilling activity that creates beautiful memories.
- Best for: Small and medium-sized teams
- Examples: Ballet, ballroom, breaking, salsa
- Materials needed: A spacious office space and a dance instructor
- Average duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour
24. Video games
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Setting up indoor video games where team members contribute and guide their leader on what to do is also fun. It is also suitable for remote people if the team members are in different locations.
- Best for: Remote teams
- Examples: Mario Kart, FIFA
- Materials needed: A video game
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
23. Keep the balloons up
This is a simple and quite silly game that generates more fun. The aim is to stop the balloons from touching the ground. One team member can only play the balloon up in the air five times in a row or less.
- Best for: Small in-office teams
- Materials needed: Balloons and space
- Average duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour
22. Indoor group yoga
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Yoga is an excellent activity for sharpening your mind and improving your mood. It can be done with friends or colleagues in a spacious office space while listening to soothing meditation music.
- Best for: All group sizes
- Examples: Different poses and movements
- Materials needed: Mat, comfortable clothing, instructor
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
21. Painting
Painting is a thrilling activity for adults interested in art. It involves painting anything, or something agreed upon while sipping wine. The best paint wins the contest.
- Best for: Small in-office teams
- Examples: Painting objects, drawings
- Materials needed: Paints, board, sheet or a place to paint
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
20. Indoor card games
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People can enjoy playing several card games in the office as a team. Each participant should understand the game's rules and work together to help their team win.
- Best for: Small in-office teams
- Examples: Patience, poker, spades, rummy, hearts
- Materials needed: Cards
- Average duration: 30 to 40 minutes
19. Two Truths, One Lie
In this activity, team members take turns saying two truthful statements and one false statement about themselves while the others try to guess which one is a lie.
- Best for: Small in-office teams
- Examples: Statements about countries you have travelled, people you have met, favourite drink
- Materials needed: Office space
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
Outdoor fun activities for adults
Outdoor social activities for adults are ideal for those who want to experience the outside environment and landscape. We have compiled some of the best ideas for your friends.
18. Tree Planting
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Planting trees is an environmental conservation initiative and a fun activity. Corporate tree-planting events strengthen the bond between employees and their employers and supervisors.
- Best for: All group sizes
- Examples: Planting baobab, Moringa, Shea, or any type of tree species
- Materials needed: Tree to be planted, shovel, water
- Average duration: 2 to 3 hours
17. Egg drop
This is an exciting game where each team builds a protective contraption around a raw egg to protect it from breaking when left to fall from a given height. The group whose eggs survive the fall wins.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Egg dropping from different heights
- Materials needed: Eggs, tape, newspaper, rubber bands,
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
16. Tug-of-war
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The tug-of-war is an ancient game that originated thousands of years ago. It involves two teams of equal members, each pulling a rope to ensure their opponents cross the line in the middle. The game requires muscle power and concentration.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Team or two-people competition
- Materials needed: Strong rope
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
15. Charity work
You can visit a nearby orphanage or hospital to donate items as a team. Giving back to society is a fulfilling exercise and a gesture of generosity.
- Best for: All group sizes
- Examples: Donating stuff, cooking for the needy
- Materials needed: Food or clothing for donation
- Average duration: 4 to 6 hours
14. Boat riding
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Boat rides offer a perfect platform to enjoy the breeze, environment, and vegetation. They help colleagues unwind their minds.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Speed boat rides
- Materials needed: Boat, safety gears
- Average duration: 1 to 3 hours
13. Rafting
Rafting is a more rigorous and risky water activity where people use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. It is an adrenaline-pumping recreational outdoor activity that can cause severe injury and death.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Whitewater rafting, Grand Canyon rafting
- Materials needed: Boat, helmet, life jacket, swimsuit, paddles
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 3 hours
12. Snorkelling
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Snorkelling is another exciting water activity in which you enjoy the underwater beauty. Divers use swimming goggles and diving masks while breathing ambient air through the snorkel tube.
- Best for: Smaller teams
- Examples: Deep sea dive
- Materials needed: Swimming goggles, masks, snorkel, swimsuits
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
11. Fishing
You can also organise a fishing exercise with your team. It allows members to showcase their unique skills while enjoying the fun. Fishing together also increases team communication and chemistry.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Spearfishing, netting, angling, bow fishing, trapping
- Materials needed: Fishing rod and reel, hook, fishing weight or sinker, fish baits, net, spear
- Average duration: 1 to 3 hours
10. Ball games
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Playing ball games such as football, volleyball, basketball, and netball are also excellent group activities to explore for your team building. Members should understand the rules of each game before playing.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Beach football, volleyball, field hockey, outdoor basketball
- Materials needed: Ball, boots, posts, hockey stick
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
9. Fun runs
Running is a traditional game that does not require much equipment. You can opt for long-distance or short races.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: 100m, 200m, relays, laps
- Materials needed: Running shoes
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
8. Climbing
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In climbing, people use their hands, feet, or other body parts to ascend a steep place or object. Teams can also race up and back down a climbing wall panel. It is a dangerous exercise that needs precaution.
- Best for: Smaller teams
- Examples: Rock climbing, mountain climbing, wall climbing
- Materials needed: Climbing rope, climbing shoes, helmet, safety harness, chalk
- Average duration: 1 to 3 hours
7. Amazing Chase
The outdoor game has become increasingly popular because of the British TV show The Chase. It involves physical and mental exhaustion as members move from one position to another, using clues to find answers to a puzzle.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Cookie stacking, coffee pong, aeroplane contests
- Materials needed: Pen, paper, phone
- Average duration: 1 to 3 hours
6. Ziplining
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Adventure seekers can enjoy ziplining by riding a steel cable from one end to another. The team can observe the surrounding scenic views and appreciate nature.
- Best for: Smaller teams
- Examples: Riding on the trolley, individual slide
- Materials needed: Harness, helmet, trolley
- Average duration: 30 minutes to 2 hours
5. Paintball
The activity involves two groups trying to hit opponents with paintballs while avoiding being hit. In some cases, one hit knocks a participant out of the competition, while in others, the hits are tallied at the end to determine the winner (with fewer hits).
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Capture the flag, attack and defend, elimination, king of the hill
- Materials needed: Paints of different colours
- Average duration: 1 to 2 hours
4. Bike tours
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Cycling trips for pleasure and adventure are also ideal team-building activities. They are a great way to explore the world, showcase your skills, and bond with each other.
- Best for: Smaller teams
- Examples: Cycling in fields, along the roads
- Materials needed: Bicycle, helmet and other safety gears
- Average duration: 1 to 3 hours
3. Barbecue in the garden
Employees enjoy good music, food, and drinks in barbecue gardens, ideal for get-together events. Members can also dance and crack jokes.
- Best for: Small to medium teams
- Examples: Field day, hot sauce competition
- Materials needed: Food and drinks, outside catering, music equipment
- Average duration: 6 to 24 hours
2. City tour
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A group of adults can team up and visit historic sites, museums, cities, or popular tourist places to learn more about the treasures and interact with each other. People also take photos to cherish the moments.
- Best for: Medium to large group
- Examples: Touring museums, parks, stadiums, breweries, malls
- Materials needed: Food and drinks, means of transport, visitation permits
- Average duration: A day or more
1. Camping
Team camping involves staying outdoors in a temporary shelter. It is ideal for relaxation, bonding, and team building. At campsites, people enjoy multiple fun activities and a calm environment.
- Best for: Medium to large group
- Examples: Tent camping, car camping, survival camping, free camping
- Materials needed: Food and drinks, tent, sleeping bag, pillow, flashlights, first aid kits
- Average duration: A day or more
Frequently asked questions
Team building activities help employees learn more about their colleagues and create a conducive working environment. Here are some frequently asked questions about the activities.
- What is the best fun game to play in groups of people? Exciting group games include charades, scavenger hunts, ball games, paintball, and tug-of-war.
- What are the indoor games for adults? They include online office games, karaoke, charades, indoor fort building, keep the balloons up, and card games.
- What can you do with 15 people? The best activities include city tours, ball games, camping, organising a barbecue garden, or playing a chase.
Some of these group activities for adults are dangerous but exciting. They help establish a strong bond among colleagues and teach them new things.
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