10 Team Building Activities Everyone Can Enjoy This Summer

Can you believe this is England?

The sun has been shining for weeks, possibly months now. Honestly, it feels like a dream.

On the one hand that's great for business owners - everyone's in a great mood.

But on the other, many will face a sudden decline in productivity... especially on a Friday (and when the football is/was on)!

I get it, honestly, we all sit staring out of the window sometimes, wishing that we could be getting our daily dose of vitamin D.

But instead, we're cooped up in an office, arguing over the air-con and counting down until the weekend.

Really, it shouldn't be that way.

That's why I've come to the conclusion that it's about time we upped our employee engagement game and lifted the atmosphere in the office.

How? Team building, of course!

And it's okay, because even if the weather isn't great we've got you covered with a few ideas.

Check them out:

Outdoor Activities

Fancy a day out of the office?

Then I've found just the thing for you and your colleagues.

These ideas are more than likely going to last the day, or a good chunk of it anyway!

1. Zorb Football

I'm sure you've all seen the massive inflatable balls which you climb into the middle of.

Turns out, it's not just fun to run into people whilst inside of them, but also to try and play football, too.

What better way to get your frustrations out than ramming into your colleagues in a giant inflatable ball, all with a bit of healthy competition?

Not to mention it's hilarious to watch. In fact, don't take my word for it, check this video out.

2. Go-Kart Racing

This is a classic.

Round up the team, take them to the track, and let them satisfy their need for speed.

You'll have a lot of healthy competition going around the place, and the adrenaline will be pumping too.

You could even put people into teams and have the first team to get across the line as the winner, just to make it a bit more interesting.

That way, there's a better chance of people winning - and less of a chance of sore losers (since everyone's in it together).

3. Nerf Gun Wars

If you aren't aware of what Nerf guns are, they're plastic guns which shoot out foam sticky "bullets".

It's sort of like a non-painful paint balling.

So, ready to get competitive? Why not head across to the park (or any open space really... a wood or forest would be brilliant!) and host a nerf gun war!?

You could even get into teams and mix in a game capture the flag!!!

With Nerf wars, the soldier in everyone is released.

Crawling along the floor; hand signals that everyone seems to understand; sweat dripping from your brow - it's coordinated chaos.

Plus, if your team are especially competitive, you'll probably have bonds and friendships formed forever.

Nothing says "we're a team" like forming the best tag-team Nerf wars has ever known.

NB: Alternatively, what about a water-gun fight? Same rules apply. Just make sure your team bring some spare clothes!

4. Picnic in the park

Reckon your team would prefer something a little less energetic (it is really hot out to be fair!)

You could host a picnic! And bring some lawn games along too.

For example... giant Jenga!

We've all played Jenga! Well, there's a better version. It's human sized!

This makes it ten times better for people to get involved, rather than a one-on-one game.

Just a precaution, though, it hurts when it falls (I talk from experience). Try not to stand directly underneath...

Nights out

Maybe you don't want to take up too much company time.

That's okay, but you should still let people finish an hour or two earlier (it will boost morale).

You could take your employees out of an evening by organising one of these nights out:

5. Pub crawl

There is nothing better, in this hot weather, than plonking yourself in a beer garden and watching the world go by.

Plan out your route and try out every bar in the town if you want to! (There are SO many non-alcoholic drink choices out there for non-drinkers, these days!)

Or just bed down for the night in one pub.

This will give your team a chance to really bond and get to know each other a bit better.

6. Outdoor Cinema

In Birmingham, I recently went to a brilliant outdoor cinema, to watch The Greatest Showman! It was great.

Have a quick search online and see if anything like that is going on in your area! There are more around than you might think.

It really is a great way to spend a warm night - and you're not going to have that option for that much longer so take advantage of it!

Office Based

What if the weather isn't that great? Like I said earlier, we've got you covered.

(Not that I'm a pessimist or anything...)

7. Office party

Simple, effective, cheaper than drinks down the pub!

Why not just let people have a few drinks at the office? Pop some music on, offer some snacks and beverages and watch people bond.

If things get a bit stale then you could introduce some drinking games!

If you need some ideas for drinking games, check out this blog post by Rule Recruitment: The Recruitment Drinking Game

8. Game Night!

If you think your team need a little bit more of a push to interact with each other (perhaps you have a lot of newbies) then host a game night (alcohol included).

Twister? Mario Kart? Musical chairs? (All even more fun when alcohol is involved).

A real favourite is Cards Against Humanity! (Although I must warn you, this can get a little bit uncouth...)

Honestly, the introvert of the office is probably going to surprise you... keep an eye out for that dark horse.

If you do want something a little more PG, check these ideas out.

9. Karaoke

There is always that one person singing in the office without any alcohol, but get the drinks flowing and your numbers will rise.

Once one person goes up, everyone else will have that sudden rush of confidence that they've got to take part too.

You'll be surprised, you know! Karaoke creates hilarious memories for everyone to enjoy.

And if you're feeling really into it, maybe add a dress code (fancy dress) or give people some props.

After all, you're more likely to get people involved if they can hide behind a disguise.

10. Movie time

The other day, I found a projector I had completely forgotten we had in the storage part of our office.

It gave me the idea "movie of the month," letting people pick a film and settle down in the board room on the last Friday of the month.

With this one, it's cheap and you can get snacks (popcorn) and drinks in too.

Everyone can chill, chat and watch the movie. A great wind down for a Friday afternoon, if you ask me!

Summary

Got some ideas you think would work? Let us know via Twitter or in the comments below!

We'd love to see how you're building a team bond this summer.

In fact, next week we're off out for a (weather permitting) team game of rounders! That's another idea to add to the list.

If you're after some Friday giggles, check these blog posts out:

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