Team building is a great way to deepen relationships between colleagues, while also sharpening a variety of skills including problem solving and communication. And getting out of the office and into the fresh air while doing it is a win-win.
So, what kind of outdoor team building activities can you do with your coworkers? Check out our epic list of outdoor team building activities, organized by category, to get some inspiration for your next event:
Charitable Outdoor Team Building Activities
1. An Organized Charity Walk/Run
Sign up for a walk/run that benefits a specific cause. If you collect donations, you can contribute proceeds to the event’s supporting organization. Try using a tool like Active Network’s charitable race finder to help you find a race in your area – just set your criteria and then browse through the list.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in any city.
2. Random Acts of Kindness
This philanthropic-themed scavenger hunt team building activity has teams racing against one another to try and complete as many good deeds as possible before time runs out. Our Sky Asia Travel smartphone app-based activity features a mix of 60 photo and video challenges – all teams’ photos will be stored in the app and available for download when the event is over. Here are some examples of challenges you’ll be doing:
In the Bag: Find a local grocery store and help someone bag their items
You’re Awesome!: Write a personal note to a total stranger with an inspiring message on it.
Movers & Shakers: Find someone who is moving large items and offer to lend them a hand.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in any city.
3. Tree Planting
With over 80,000 acres of forests disappearing every day, your team can come together to improve our environment by organizing a corporate tree planting event.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: Arrange your tree planting activity through a reforestation organization or check with your local city office with regards to tree planting regulations.
4. Flower Pot Decorating
With your colleagues, decorate terracotta pots and plant some seasonal flowers in them. Then, deliver and donate the flower pots to a local nursing home.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in any open outdoor space.
5. Beach Cleanup
Head down to a local beach and spend the day picking up garbage and debris from the shoreline. Make sure to take all the recyclable stuff that you collect to a recycling depot afterwards.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: You don’t need to limit yourself to beaches – the cleanup is just as applicable at local streets, lakes, rivers, and even public parks.
6. Feed the People
Prepare care packages filled with items like sandwiches, juice boxes, and fruit, and head out into your community to hand the packages out to those in need. Our Outback team recently put together 200 lunch kits to give out and it was an extremely rewarding experience.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: Go out into your community and offer care packages to those in need.
7. End-Hunger Games
This facilitated team building activity has teams complete in fun challenges – including our signature End-Hunger Games archery tag challenge, which is, of course, done blindfolded – to earn boxes and cans of non-perishable food. Once groups have earned their items, they will use them to assemble an inventive structure (it can be anything – use your imagination!). At the end of the event, all non-perishables will be donated to a local food bank of your choice.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in a park or any open outdoor space.
Hands-On Outdoor Team Building Activities
8. Cardboard Boat Building Challenge
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 across the water!
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place at any outdoor location that has a safe body of water to swim in. Outdoor pools are ideal but ponds, lakes, and even calmer ocean waters can be perfect for this challenge.
9. Pipeline
At work, sometimes projects fail when they pass from person to person in the absence of adequate communication and collaboration. During this game, the marble represents those work goals. You must work together to see it flow seamlessly from start to finish.
10. Egg Drop
Break your team out into separate groups. Each group will be given a raw egg and supplies to build a protective contraption around the egg. Teams will design their contraptions with one objective in mind – to protect the egg from large falls. Supplies can include things like:
- Newspaper
- Tape
- Pencils
- Pipe cleaner
- Bubble wrap
- Rubber bands
- Yarn
Allow teams 20-30 minutes to build their protective contraption. When time runs out, teams will put their contraptions to the test by dropping them all, at the same time, from a high ledge. Ideally, 20-30 feet high. If more than one egg survives the fall, have a tie breaker by increasing the height until one egg remains!
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in any open outdoor space. You could even do it in your office parking lot.
11. Eagle Glider Construction Challenge
Remember how fun paper airplane competitions were when you were a kid? The Eagle Glider Construction Challenge will bring back all the nostalgia of paper plane building while challenging you to take your plane to new heights. This facilitated activity has teams design, build, and then test the functionality of custom mini-airplanes using cardboard, tape, and other materials.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in a park or any open outdoor space.
12. Bridge Build
Before entering into meetings that require serious brain power, warm up with this game. Split the group into two teams. Then explain how they each have to build half of a bridge with the materials provided. At the end, the bridges should be similar in design and connect. The trick is they can’t see each other, so they’ll have to rely on verbal communication. Remember to set the room up first and place the sheets to divide them. Also, provide the same number of items to each team. In terms of timing, give them 10 minutes to come up with a design, and 30 minutes for building.
13. Catapult Launchers
Split into teams and, using materials such as popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and milk bottle caps, design and build your own catapult launchers – in 30 minutes or less. Then, line up side-by-side and see which team can launch items like oranges, water balloons, and eggs the furthest!
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in a park or any open outdoor space.
Physical Outdoor Team Building Activities
14. City Chase
With City Chase, your team will embark on a fun, fast-paced, and high-energy downtown scavenger hunt adventure. Teams will compete to complete 12 rounds of photo, video, trivia, and text message-response challenges focused on famous locations and landmarks in your city.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: On the streets of your hometown–or any city you happen to be visiting with your team!
15. The Amazing Race
Inspired by the popular reality TV show The Amazing Race – on which teams race around the world, with each leg of the competition requiring the groups to solve puzzles, interact with locals, and complete challenges – this interactive scavenger hunt has teams following clues around their city and taking on physical and mental challenges to move on to the next destination. This is one of our most popular activities because people get the chance to bond with one another while exploring their location.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place in any city. It’s a great way to see your location in a new light or explore a new location if, for example, your team is out on a corporate retreat or participating in an out of town conference.
16. Beach Volleyball
There’s nothing like a little friendly competition out on the court to bring colleagues together. Head to a local beach, set up some nets (most beaches have nets and balls available to rent for a day – or bring your own), split up into teams, and… spike! To make things a little sillier – and a little less competitive – consider using a giant beach volleyball!
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place at any beach or park – just make sure to be considerate of your surroundings at busier locations.
17. Hiking
Pick a local trail to explore, gather your coworkers, and enjoy an invigorating day out in nature. You could even start a hike club. One of our Outback team members recently put together a monthly hike club that’s been a hit with members of our team.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: Any local hiking trail. Depending on your group, you may want to consider choosing easier or harder hikes to generate more interest.
18. Field Day
We’ll keep this one open-ended because really, there’s a lot you can do with it. All you need is a big outdoor space, your co-workers, and any and every outdoor activity you can dream up. The only rule is to do your field day your way, whether you’re into rugby, throwing discus, or rocking some 80s-style cardio aerobics.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity is ideal for open parks and fields.
19. Blind Retriever
In this challenging outdoor activity, teams compete against each other to try to retrieve an object – while blindfolded and in 5 minutes or less! One person is blindfolded on each team and, using only directions and simple commands from their teammates, they must try to find the object before their opponents do. Take turns with each member being blindfolded trying to find an object in a new place. This is a great way for groups to work on communication and leadership skills.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity can take place at any open parks, field, and beach.
20. Running Club
Sometimes, the simplest things can be the most effective. Gather your coworkers and go for a light run around your office block, a local park or beach, or a school track. You can chat and bond as you go! If you’re looking to make things more interesting (and have the budget for it), you could provide each running club participant with a FitBit to help track their personal fitness goals or encourage some friendly competition.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: You have endless outdoor location options when it comes to running.
21. Paintball
Paintball is a competitive team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents by hitting them with dye-filled capsules that splatter upon impact. It’s a fast-paced, fun, and exhilarating group activity. Be aware that getting hit by paintballs can be painful, though, and that this activity may not be suitable for all groups.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: Check your local listings for paintball locations.
22. Capture the Flag
Form two teams. Set up two zones for each team, as well as two “jails” for each, and give each team their own flag. The goal of this childhood-favorite game is to grab the opposite team’s hidden flag and bring it back to your side – if you get tagged in their territory, though, you’re stuck in jail! The first team to steal the other’s flag wins.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity is ideal for open parks and fields.
23. Kayaking/Canoeing
Kayaking and canoeing are great ways to get your teammates out into nature. Just be mindful of your group’s skill and comfort levels, so that everyone feels safe. Check your local listings for kayak rentals – most rental places are located at popular paddling spots.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: A quick google search will help you find kayak rentals near you.
Venue: This activity is ideal for open parks and fields.
Laid-Back Outdoor Team Building Activities
24. Mini-Golf
Split into teams and hit the links – the little ones, that is. Mini-golf is a great way to infuse some friendly competition into a decidedly slower-paced activity.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: Golf Link features a directory of miniature golf locations across Vietnam. A quick Google search will also help you find mini-golf locations near you.
25. Live Sporting Event
Take your team out to a live sporting event. Check out the game schedules of your local sports teams, pick a game that everyone agrees on, and then enjoy an exciting day of comradery and entertainment. Bonus fun points if you paint your faces the team colors! You can attend major or minor league sports events and even unique sporting events. Try to purchase a block of tickets across a few rows or look into a suite so that team members can sit close enough to interact with each other. There are often corporate discounts for this sort of thing, too.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: Live sports venues in your area. Most sporting events offer discounts for corporate groups – alternatively, you could check out Stub Hub for deals.
26. Pebble Mosaic
Head to your local beach, collect rocks, pebbles, and sea glass, and then come together to create your team’s own unique pebble mosaic in the sand or on a grassy patch. You can even make this a charitable team building activity by combining it with a beach clean-up and creating a piece of art using items like bottles that you collect.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity is ideal for beaches, parks, and fields.
27. BBQ Potluck
Pick a date, a theme, and a park, and have each member of your team contribute a special dish for a BBQ. Sitting and eating together is one of the best and easiest ways to bond as a group. Make sure to be mindful of any food allergies or sensitivities so that you can be inclusive of all team members.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity is ideal for large open parks, fields, and beaches.
28. Badminton
This easygoing racquet game can be played with or without a net, ideally on grass or sand. All you need is a few badminton racquets, a couple of shuttlecocks, and a sense of team spirit.
Recommended Outdoor Venue: This activity is ideal for large open parks, fields, and beaches. Be mindful that you will be creating a lot of noise so you may want to do this activity at larger or more secluded outdoor space.
29. Beach Day
Grab a beach ball, sunscreen, towels, and your colleagues, and go to the beach for an easy day in the sunshine. Some low-key activities you can do while soaking up those rays are:
- Build a sandcastle
- Bocce ball
- Fly a kite
- Toss a football
Recommended Outdoor Venue: It’s all in the name. Head to your nearest beach.
Sky Asia Travel is one of the leading companies organizing MICE, Team building and Holidays in Vietnam with high benefits and cost-effective for the customers, providing diverse programs, multiple solutions and different venues for your choice of team building activities. We are committed to offering superior services making us the ideal choice for a team building trip and event destination in Vietnam, even it is virtual.
Contact us
Hanoi Head Office: 5 Ly Nam De, Hang Ma ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City Branch Office: 5th floor, Halo Building, 3-5 Road 3-2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Singapore Marketing Office: 547 Jurong West Street 42 #08-141, S640547
Hotline: +84 989345302 (phone/whatsapp/zalo)
Mail: dos@skyasiatravel.com
