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This is usually a slow-paced season - team members are waiting for the holidays to arrive so they can share with their friends and family outside work.
However, actively looking for ways to boost team morale and engagement through team building games brings great benefits to both companies and workers alike.
Let’s dive deep into the best 17 fun winter team building activities to try in the workplace.
How to Choose the Best Team Building Activities for the Winter Season
Choosing a winter team building game is not as easy as selecting team building activities during other seasons.
Therefore, there are a few things to have in mind before deciding on a fun winter-themed team building game.
1. Consider Stress Levels
December team building activities are meant to strengthen your team dynamics and boost employee morale, but it is important to consider the stress factor related to this season.
A study by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (GQR) titled “Holiday Stress” shows that 68% of employees feel more tired during the holiday seasons.
Likewise, 61% of team members are constantly more stressed during the holiday season than during standard working months.
Therefore, although winter team building games bring more inspiration and reduce stress inside the office, it is important to choose the activity carefully to prevent further burnout.
2. Try Outdoor Landscapes and Energetic Games
The cold of the winter season should be taken advantage of to experience new fun games and outdoor activities outside the office.
Of course, this applies mostly to in-person teams rather than remote teams.
McKinsey shows that outdoor activities in nature can significantly reduce stress levels among the entire team.
Moreover, the previously mentioned McKinsey research shows that a leader of an organization was worried that walking into a winter trail in Norway was a waste of time.
The leader discovered that exploring outdoor winter landscapes was actually very helpful, as he says that “our guards were down, and we were able to be authentic and open” when referring to the overall spirit of the team.
3. Pick a Winter Activity that the Whole Team Enjoys
Not all team members will be on board with the suggested winter-themed team building activity, which creates the need to propose a few ideas before picking a fun game.
A study by OnRec shows that more than 50% of employees are not on board with office Christmas parties.
If you truly want to improve job satisfaction and boost morale among all team members through real quality time, check with your team ahead of time to see if they are on board with the suggested activity.
Many team members have busy schedules during the holiday season, so finding the right balance is necessary.
17 Fun Winter Team Building Activities
There are several in-office and virtual winter team building activities that can successfully boost your team’s morale by creating authentic bonds and celebrating the cold season together.
We are going to check out 17 different, fun, and engaging winter team building activities, so keep on reading to learn more.
1. Winter Olympics
It’s time for the Winter Olympics! Office Olympics consist of different games, challenges, and activities that create a friendly competition inside the office.
The goal is to pick winter-related activities to do as a team, such as snowboarding and curling.
Adding a fun twist to this classic game boosts employee engagement and promotes team bonding during the winter months.
Don’t forget about the Award Ceremony - recognize the winning team and motivate those who didn’t accomplish their goals!
- Group Type: Small, medium, and big-sized in-office groups.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 3 hours.
2. Virtual Winter Party
Virtual Holiday Parties form strong bonds among remote members who don’t get the chance to meet each other in person.
A winter-themed virtual party provides a relaxing setting and enjoyable space to forget about the hassle of work-related activities and focus on charging energies.
It is possible to include a virtual happy hour or a virtual wine-tasting activity to make the activity even more fun.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized remote teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 2 hours.
3. Winter Chalet
Are you ready to enjoy the cozy vibes of the winter season as a team? Teamland’s Winter Chalet is a virtual and hybrid team building event that celebrates the joy of the winter months.
Traditional holiday content is guaranteed - share holiday experiences, participate in ice-breaking games, and enjoy a hot chocolate while forgetting about the stress of work-related activities.
Winter Chalet includes many different virtual games provided by Teamland, which facilitates everything for everyone.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized hybrid groups.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
4. Play Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is a popular winter sport, and although not all team members are good at ice hockey, it is certainly worth a try!
Find a local ice rink and divide your coworkers into two different teams. Let the winter fun begin as both teams play against each other to become the Ice Hockey Champion of the office!
Sports help team members to develop their communication skills and teamwork abilities organically.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized in-person teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 2 hours.
5. Winter This or That
This or That is a simple yet highly engaging team building game that consists of learning the preferences of all team members inside the workplace.
To play This or That with a winter twist, ask team members to decide between two winter-related options, such as:
- Hot or cold?
- Summer or winter?
- Soccer or winter sports?
- Gingerbread or Christmas cake?
Due to its simplicity, Winter This or That is also considered one of the best remote team building activities for the winter season.
- Group Type: All group sizes and types.
- Activity Duration: From 45 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating is not always easy, but if you have experienced team members or get skating lessons from professionals, then it’ll turn into a memorable activity to have fun during the winter.
There are two ways to approach ice skating activities: organize a healthy competition, or simply learn how to ice skate together - either way, long-lasting winter season memories will be created!
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 2 hours.
7. Winter-Themed Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger Hunts are a classic among team building game lovers - they are easy to do, highly engaging, and can be modified to match the current season.
Both in-person and virtual teams can participate in scavenger hunt activities by following a couple of predetermined rules.
In this case, the scavenger hunt list should be focused on winter-themed objects, such as beanie hats, winter socks, and wrapping paper.
- Group Type: Remote and in-person teams of all sizes.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
8. Gingerbread of Greatness
Gingerbread of Greatness is a fun gingerbread decorating competition organized by Teamland’s experts.
Cookie-decorating kits will be shipped to all team members so they can assemble their own gingerbread house.
As team members are divided into different teams, they compete to create the best gingerbread house, which improves their teamwork and collaboration skills.
The winning team gets a sweet prize to remember how much fun they had while becoming the gingerbread house master!
- Group Type: Hybrid small, medium, and big-sized teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
9. Winter-themed Trivia
Trivia games encourage team members to test their general knowledge skills as they respond to winter-related trivia questions.
The questions can be focused on pop culture, Christmas-themed movies, holiday songs, and more. Playing Trivia improves both cognitive and listening skills, according to Healthline.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized hybrid teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
10. Winter Presents
Winter presents on activities such as Secret Santa or Gifts in Socks connect team members closer to each other while also celebrating the upcoming holiday season.
Get into the holiday spirit by organizing a Winter Presents event - set a budget for the presents, and create a list so each team member gets a present.
Teamland’s winter’s night knit beanie hat gift set is a great present idea, but imagination is the limit when it comes to spreading some festive cheer!
- Group Type: All in-office group sizes.
- Activity Duration: From 45 minutes to 1 hour.
11. Virtual Escape Room
Escape rooms promote teamwork and problem-solving skills as team members work to get out of an isolated space before running out of time.
Teamland’s Virtual Escape Room is a virtual game tailored to the needs of your team, which means that it can be modified to fit the holiday season.
If you are looking for fun virtual games to play with remote workers, this winter team building activity won’t disappoint!
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized remote teams.
- Activity Duration: From 30 minutes to 1 hour.
12. Winter Baking Class
Desserts and pastries are part of the winter spirit, but not all of us know how to prepare delicious baked goods.
Teamland’s Baking Class teaches team members how to bake popular desserts with the help of an expert pastry chef.
This hybrid event provides the required materials and knowledge to make chocolate cookie chips, pies, cakes, and more - baking will make the winter blues go away!
- Group Type: Small, medium, and big-sized hybrid teams.
- Activity Duration: From 45 minutes to 2 hours (depending on the group size).
13. Ice Sculpting and Carving
The winter temperature creates the perfect setting to build frozen sculptures as a team.
Teamland’s Ice Sculpting and Carving will teach team members the unique and interesting skill of ice carving with the help of professionals.
Divide team members into multiple teams and make them create something beautiful with their own hands.
- Group Type: Small, medium, and big-sized teams.
- Activity Duration: 2 hours.
14. Ice Cream Tasting Social
The sweet flavor of ice cream can elevate your mood and make you happier, even during the winter months!
They say that winter and ice creams go together, which is why this is a great season to go on an Ice Cream Tasting Social adventure.
Teamland’s ice cream chefs have a passion for unique ice cream flavors, so it’s possible to discover a completely new landscape of scoops by engaging in this heartwarming activity.
- Group Type: All in-person group size.
- Activity Duration: 1 hour.
15. Heartwarming Holiday Party
Not all parties have to be vibrant and energetic - relaxing in a heartwarming environment is also a possibility.
Add some holiday cheer to the office, laugh together, tell stories that took place through the year, go to a local park, and unwind while forming true friendships with coworkers.
- Group Type: All in-person group sizes.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 2 hours.
16. Office Space Decoration
Decorating the office for the upcoming holiday season is always a great idea to get into the spirit of the winter.
Gather the required materials to decorate the office and divide team members into multiple task forces.
Some will be in charge of decorating the break room, whereas others will decorate the main office - it’s a collaborative effort to bring some joy into the office during the winter months.
- Group Type: All in-person group sizes.
- Activity Duration: From 1.5 to 2 hours.
17. Virtual Talent Show
Talent shows are always fun and highly engaging, and they are even more fun inside the office, but don’t forget about remote employees - isolation affects most team members who work remotely (Forbes).
Gather remote team members into a video conference and make them show their hidden talent.
It can be singing, telling jokes, magic tricks, and everything you can imagine!
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized remote groups.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
Summary: How to Find the Perfect Winter Team Building Activity!
It has been proven that both winter in-person and virtual team building events have a positive impact on team members’ morale, engagement levels, and productivity.
By choosing the right winter team building activity, it is possible to overcome the challenges of the cold season as a united team. This is a summary of the best winter team building activities to try with your team:
- Winter Olympics: Classic Office Olympic games with a winter twist.
- Virtual Winter Party: Participate in a vibrant and fun winter party remotely.
- Winter Chalet: Go to a winter-themed chalet and have some hot chocolate with team members.
- Play Ice Hockey: Learn a new skill and engage in friendly sports competitions.
- Winter This or That: Decide between two different winter-related options.
- Go Ice Skating: Test your skating skills and have fun along the way.
- Winter-themed Scavenger Hunt: Find certain winter-related items within a previously set timeframe.
- Gingerbread of Greatness: Engage in a gingerbread house-building competition.
- Winter-themed Trivia: Answer winter-related trivia questions.
- Winter Presents: Bring the holiday spirit to the office by gifting winter-themed presents.
- Virtual Escape Room: Participate in a remote holiday-themed Escape Room event.
- Winter Baking Class: Let an expert chef teach you how to make delicious baked goods.
- Ice Sculpting and Carving: Learn the beautiful skill of ice carving with your team.
- Ice Cream Tasting Social: Discover new flavors of ice creams with the team.
- Heartwarming Holiday Party: Go to a party meant to relax and forget about stressful tasks.
- Office Space Decoration: Decorate the office for the upcoming holiday season together.
- Virtual Talent Show: Unravel the hidden talent of your remote workers while bonding with each other.
