Whether you’re having an official office party this coming summer, or the team just needs to decompress for a bit, the following fun office party games are a great way to bond and unwind.
Mind you, some of these games will sound silly at first…
But, when people get silly, they let their guard down and they start to see their coworkers in a more human light.
Try one, try them all!
1. Fix Me!
Fix me is a cool game that has the added benefit of potentially fixing problems that are bothering coworkers.
Get everyone to write down a pressing issue or question that’s weighing them down on a piece of paper, and throw them into a large container.
No names or other identifying information.
Everyone randomly grabs a piece of paper, reads the problem, and the entire team brainstorms for solutions.
2. Three-Legged Race.
Don’t think of this as any more childish than truth or dare is.
Three-legged races bring people “close” together and are great for bonding.
Try to team people up who don’t work together often.
3. Funny Face.
This office party game is literally as fun and hilarious as it sounds.
Everyone sits or stands in a circle and takes turns making their funniest face.
Anyone other than the funny-face-maker that laughs is knocked out until the next round.
Last man or woman standing wins the round.
4. Trash-ket-ball.
Just as you might have guessed, all this game requires is a waste basket and a ball of rolled up paper.
A recycling bin works well too, if people aren’t keen on reaching into a wastebasket to remove the paper ball.
Wrap some elastics around a wadded up ball of paper to make it heavier and easier to handle.
5. Soundcloud Jeopardy.
Have someone open their Soundcloud or iTunes account.
Get them to play totally random 10-second clips of songs from random genres.
The rest of the team has to brainstorm and “guess that song.”
This is a great office party game for bringing different generations together and encouraging storytelling.
6. Who’s Line is it Anyway?
This one might take some advanced planning — if you’ve never watched the show check it out below.
Have the manager or a coworker (“host”) come up with five or ten fun scenarios that can be acted out by small teams.
Split everyone up into four or five-person teams to act out the improv skits described by your host.
After everyone’s had a chance to act out a skit or two, the host pics a winning team and acts out a scene with them (just like the original show with Drew Carrey).
7. Post-it Story Time.
Pic a wall in the office or building that Post-it notes will stick to.
Have everyone write down a random word or phrase (or two, or three).
Stick them on a wall and have everyone alternate picking and sharing a story related to a Post-it.
Don’t discourage people from picking a Post-it that’s been chosen already, the object of the game is to share interesting stories and bond.
8. Truth or Dare.
Listen, we’ve all played this game before and know how it’s played.
Keep it PG-13 or people’s job/reputation could be put at risk!
Try to keep work-related topics and “dares” out of the mix.
9. Latest Fun Trend Challenge.
Note that this might not be the best option if the office is full of shy types.
Pick the latest trend, such as the Hobby Lobby, blind-folded slime making, or the fun mannequin challenge.
Have someone film or take pictures while team members complete the challenge.
This can get really fun if you’re able to get everyone out of the office, film the challenge, and put it up on YouTube or the company website!
10. Office Pick Em’.
Plan for a random day in advance and have a vote as to a fun game you’ll all participate in.
It’s great if you can plan to leave the office for a portion of the day.
Suggestions include a trip to the local bowling alley, waterpark, game center, or whatever fun and exciting thing the team collectively wants to do.
Main Image Credit: Split the Kipper/Flickr
