Best 100 remote team building activities for 2021 (with tips on tools, software and best practices)

Want to know the top remote team building activities trending in 2021 along with tips on tools to be used, software, and best practices? Read on!

Remote team building activities 

Team building activities for remote teams are essential to make them feel part of the team. It also helps new joiners to feel excited and get acquainted with the existing team. These engagement activities help in improving communication and help your virtual team work together more effectively.

What are online team-building activities? 

As remote working culture is spreading, so is the concept of virtual teams. Online team building activities ensure that the virtual team members get acquainted with each other and communicate more often. These remote team activities also help employees to combat stress and be mentally healthy. 

Team builder activities can range from having collective coffee breaks, casual chit-chats, fun games, movie nights, group activities, quizzes, etc. The main aim of these remote team building activities is to build a more cohesive team that works together as a group to bring innovative solutions to work problems.

Also Read: Video conferencing etiquette | A how-to guide for everyone

Benefits of team building activities virtual 

Here are some of the benefits of virtual team building activities,

1. Helps in building strong relationships amongst the team members.
2. Remote team-members may often feel lonely. Team building activities virtual help them to combat loneliness by giving them a chance to communicate with team-mates.
3. Improved Productivity as everyone works collectively as a team.
4. Promotes teamwork by ensuring people get a medium where they feel comfortable talking with each other.
5. Team activities lead to improved communication within the team.
6. Fun virtual team-building activities also help in reducing stress and taking care of employee’s mental health.

Also Read: Online yoga classes | An ultimate read for best results

How to plan team-building activities for remote teams? 

1. Select a medium – Team building activities for virtual teams can be planned through apps such as unremot.com, Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, WebEx, Nextiva, etc. 
2. Select the Coordinator – Either the Manager can organize the different team-building activities or take the help of a professional event coordinator for organizing.
3. Fix a Time – Plan these activities at least once a month or weekly. Fix the time duration and block everyone’s calendars. As you work with a remote team, it is important to keep different time zones in mind before finalizing the time.

Also Read: How to work from home successfully | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Challenges in organizing team building virtual activities 

In traditional workplaces, people find it easier to connect over tea breaks but the same isn’t possible with virtual teams. Here are some of the challenges you might face while organizing team-building activities.

1. The main challenge in organizing team building virtual activities is that everyone is remotely located. Bringing everyone together can be a challenge that needs to be overcome.
2. Fixing a time that works for everyone is another challenge when the employees come from different time zones. 
3. Finding the right activities that engage everyone can be equally challenging. It is important to make the employee team building activities fun, exciting, and safe-for-work.

Also Read: Trust remote teams | A comprehensive guide

The target audience of virtual team building activities 

Team building activities for work are held for all the team-members including people in leadership roles. Virtual team bonding activities are a great way to encourage empathy and cohesiveness in the remote team. This directly has a positive impact on the productivity and mental health of the employees.

Team bonding activities create an atmosphere of trust in the team. It also builds a support system for the employees. It improves teamwork and makes new employees feel welcomed in the team. It also helps managers to understand the weaknesses and strengths of their employees.

Also Read: Virtual ice breakers | Everything you must know

Top 30 remote team activities 

Now that we have established the importance of organizing team building activities for remote employees, let us look into different categories to help you with some team building activity ideas. Let us discuss the 30 different types of remote team activities suitable for a virtual team,

Digital team building activities

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few digital team building activities that you can organize for your team,

1. Organize a Virtual Escape Room activity for your team members and have fun solving puzzles.
2. Planning virtual gaming sessions or tournaments is great team fun activities.
3. Conducting Icebreaker Quizzes help employees know each other better.

Fun virtual team building activities

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few fun virtual team building activities that you can organize for your team,

1. Plan a team movie night on apps like Netflix.
2. Two truths and a lie is a fun group activity for breaking the ice.
3. Invite your team to the Houseparty app and play the inbuilt games.

Team building activities online

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few team building activities online that you can organize for your team,

1. Ask everyone to share their bucket lists with the team.
2. Ask the team to share their baby pictures and have fun guessing who is who.
3. Organizing a quirky photo challenge can be a fun team activity.

Also Read: Team communication | A complete guide

Best virtual team building activities

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few best virtual team building activities that you can organize for your team,

1. Bond over a game of virtual bingo with your team.
2. Play online charades through a video conferencing app such as Zoom, Skype, etc.
3. Pictionary can be an interesting interactive group activity for remote teams.

Team building activities for telecommuters

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team building activities for telecommuters,

1. Have fun matching anonymously submitted fun facts to the different team members.
2. Recipe Roundups are team activities for adults who share a love of cooking.
3. Virtual trash challenges are fun club activities that can be hosted monthly. 

Fun remote team building activities

If you are looking for remote team-building activities, here are some fun remote team building activities,

1. Play Letter Hunt by picking a letter and asking everyone to grab an object whose name starts with that letter.
2. Ask everyone to pin their birthplace on a map and share stories from that city.
3. Play virtual team pursuit

Remote team building activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some remote team building activity,

1. Personality tests help remote employees assess their personality traits based on a quiz.
2. Start a virtual book club for reading enthusiasts in the team.
3. Get a peek into each other’s homes to feel connected and bonded with each other.

Also Read: What is a virtual office | Critical items that you must know!

Fun group activities

Remote team building activities do not have to be serious all the time. Plan fun activities for your team to have a casual conversation. Here are some fun group activities,

1. Organize Virtual Happy Hours for the team
2. Guess Fun facts about your team members and know each other better
3. Play safe-for-work version of Never Have I Ever

Zoom activities

Remote team building activities are often held online through video conferencing, screen sharing, and telecommunications apps.  Here are some zoom activities that you can plan for your team,

1. Let Woyago plan a Virtual City Tour for your employees.
2. Ask Team members to share their workspace background and ask questions.
3. Play hangman virtually and create a light atmosphere.

Bonding activities

Here are some fun team bonding activities that you can plan for your virtual team,

1. Weekly chitter-chatter where employees can have casual conversations about their lives.
2. Icebreaker questions by QuizBreaker are great to get the conversation started within the team.
3. Learn someone’s life story in five minutes and share it with the team in your own words.

Work team building activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some work team building activities,

1. Live Remote Team Working is helpful by forming a coworking channel through mediums such as Slack.
2. Host a virtual campfire and let everyone share interesting and scary stories.
3. Cultural celebration parties where everyone can learn about each other’s cultures and appreciate workplace diversity.

Also Read: Productivity tips | A how-to guide for everyone

Teamwork activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork activities you can conduct for your team,

1. Office activity ideas include playing blind origami in virtual pairs.
2. Organize spread the knowledge events where employees can share their learnings with other team members.
3. Teamwork activities for adults can include hosting virtual team trivia games online.

Fun activities at work

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun activities at work,

1. Virtual Werewolf is a perfect game for fun work activities with a team
2. Karaoke Nights are one of the fun employee activities that everyone would enjoy
3. Organize Virtual Dance Parties if you wish to organize fun team activities

Team build activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team build activities,

1. Talk show host where one person can interview the other.
2. Prepare a board with the top 5 emojis used by each team member and take turns guessing which one belongs to whom.
3. Remote Storytelling workshop can be an engaging team building activity.

Small fun activities for employees

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some small fun activities for employees,

1. Pancakes vs Waffles is a game if you are organizing team fun activities.
2. Aliens have landed in another virtual team-building activity that everyone would have fun playing.
3. Organize Photography Competition if you plan a staff team building activity.

Also Read: Decision fatigue | An ultimate read for best results

Working activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some working activities,

1. Learning circles are collaboration activities for adults that help in enhancing knowledge horizons.
2. Spreadsheet wars are challenging and competitive activities to do with coworkers.
3. Fun activities to do with coworkers can include “ DIY craft challenges” that team members can make from available resources at home.

Group bonding activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some group bonding activities,

1. Playing Desert Island Scenarios with the team are fun activities for work.
2. Virtual Scavenger hunts can be scheduled as after-work activities for coworkers.
3. Games like Five Finger Showdown are the most liked small group bonding activities by the remote team members.

Remote employee engagement activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some remote employee engagement activities,

1. Virtual birthday celebrations are great engagement activities for remote employees.
2. Sending daily snapshots is amongst the fun activities to do as a group.
3. Use Donut for Slack to organize team-building activities for adults who do not normally interact with each other.

Teamwork development activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork development activities,

1. Winner/Loser are team activities for work development within a virtual team.
2. Blind drawing competitions are team-building activities for coworkers where participants are divided into teams of 2 people.
3. Memory Wall with positive experiences helps in teamwork development in an uplifting manner.

Also Read: Managing remote teams | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Community building activities online

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some community-building activities online,

1. Create a video conferencing channel where employees can have lunch and enjoy casual conversations with one another.
2. Five Minute Book talks are zoom activities for adults who enjoy reading books.
3. Pen pal Clubs are team building activities remote to increase communication between virtual team members.

Teamwork activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork activity,

1. Tree or bob Ross games are fun virtual activities that keep the entire team engaged.
2. Teamwork activities for work include live remote coworking so that employees can collaborate more often.
3. Words with Friends are fun bonding activities that can be played within the team.

Team Building activities for large groups

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team building activities for large groups,

1. The worst five games are digital team building activities for remote workers
2. Team builder activities for the workplace like “Memory game” can be played
3. Remote activities such as “Let’s face it” are great for team building

Team meeting activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team meeting activity,

1. Call of the Champions help in ensuring everyone is attentive during the meetings
2. Fun Geography can be played for 5-10 mins before the start of the meeting
3. Fun team meeting activities such as “Where Am I” can be played before starting the meeting

Also Read: Remote meeting | A comprehensive guide

Team development activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team development activities,

1. Activities for remote teams such as Simulated problems can be challenging.
2. Organizing icebreaker quizzes to know each other better are interactive team building activities.
3. Fun staff activities such as spelling the longest word can be held.

Fun work activities

While looking for remote team building activities do not forget to have fun. We would suggest the following fun work activities keep everyone engaged,

1. Each employee adds a sentence to the existing story to build an interesting storyline.
2. Organizing Clue Murder Mystery is a fun team-building activity.
3. A virtual Scavenger hunt can be an interesting team builder activity.

Fun activities for remote employees

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun activities for remote employees,

1. Reverse Charades are fun group bonding activities for a group.
2. Cool group activities include the game of reading the Instructions played within teams.
3. Fun online activities include asking everyone to build a house out of playing cards.

Collaboration activities

Here are some interesting collaboration activities to try that would help your team come closer,

1. WorkStyle is a great way to showcase your working style to fellow team members.
2. Code break is an ideal game for fun teamwork activities.
3. Go remote is great to conduct team bonding activities for work by providing a dedicated event host.

Virtual group activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some virtual activities for teams,

1. Guided Meditation is another virtual team building activity that aims at improving productivity.
2. Host a talent show where employees can showcase their hidden talents.
3. Fact Recall Mission comes under fun group activities for coworkers.

Also Read: Work life balance | Everything you must know

Team motivation activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team motivation activities,

1. Team Superlatives is fun for planning virtual team activities for the team members.
2. Fitness Challenges are perfect activities for remote teams to keep them motivated and fit.
3. Team development activities include encouraging recognition for the team members’ work and efforts.

Staff bonding activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some staff bonding activities,

1. Making a Spotify playlist together with the team members is fun staff team building activity.
2. Virtual jigsaw Puzzle is another great idea for fun virtual activities.
3. Zoom team building activity includes creating virtual break-rooms or water-coolers for employees to have casual conversations.  

Fun team bonding activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun virtual team bonding activities,

1. Game show extravaganzas are fun activities for work meetings.
2. Asking the team to share their perfect vacation is one of the several fun bonding activities you can plan.
3. Show and tell is a fun work activity idea for remote-teams. 

Fun team activities for work

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun activities for employees at work,

1. Online virtual games such as Scrabble Go are fun activities to do with coworkers.
2. 8 ball pool can be amongst fun remote team activities for employees.
3. Springwork’s Trivia has some fun activities for employees to bond over.

Also Read: Organize your life | A complete guide

Work from home activities

Here are some fun work from home activities to organize,

1. Plan Virtual Lunch Meetings and get the money reimbursed.
2. Ask the team to share pictures of their workplace and take turns guessing the person to which the workplace belongs.
3. Recipe Swap is a fun bonding activity where employees swap recipes with each other and explore different cultures.

Teamwork activities for adults

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork activities for adults,

1. Find the Common Thread is fun teamwork activities to get to know other team members.
2. Games like “Can you hear me now” are fun workgroup activities.
3. Mad Lib Mission Statement games are fun bonding activities for groups.

Also Read: Working from home with kids | Critical items that you must know!

Corporate activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some corporate activities,

1. Holding virtual team events can be team builder activities for adults.
2. Virtual holiday celebrations are virtual social activities that bring team solidarity and belongingness.
3. Organizing praise trains to appreciate each other’s work and efforts is one of the best team builder activities for work.

Office group activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some ideas for group activities for the office,

1. Work activity ideas such as giving daily writing prompts can help in engaging employees.
2. Team activities for adults like online fundraisers help employees be a part of a meaningful cause.
3. Virtual Field Trips can be organized for fun and learning.

Good group activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some good group activities,

1. Group bonding activities for coworkers such as organizing a virtual debate club.
2. Virtual Hugs are inclusion activities for adults that ensure we appreciate each other.
3. Spelling Bee is another one of the group activities for coworkers that will help to engage the team.

Also Read: Remote work | A how-to guide for everyone

How to find team building activity ideas?

Finding the right remote team building activities is important to ensure that everyone is participating with equal enthusiasm. The activities must be safe-for-work and inclusive of different genders, nationalities, etc. You can find more group activities ideas online or ask your team for suggestions that would suit both you and your team members.

Group activity ideas

Some of the most common ways to find group activity ideas are, 

1. Search online for ideas with the help of keywords such as “fun group activities”, “office group activities”, “virtual group activities”,” interactive group activities”, etc.
2. Ask your team for fun workgroup activities that can be planned and you might find something that everyone loves equally. 

Team activities ideas

Some of the most common ways to find team activity ideas are,

1. Search online for ideas with the help of keywords such as “best virtual team building activities”, fun team activities for work”, “team activities ideas”, “team work activities”, “team bonding activity”, etc.
2. Take suggestions from event coordinators and organizers for team building activity ideas for work.

Also Read: Virtual ice breaker questions | An ultimate read for best results

Remote team building activities software

unremot is the most user-friendly online resource available that can be leveraged to organize and conduct virtual gatherings and play games as a team, within the company. The platform is essentially designed to collaborate and interact among remote teams, thus most appropriate for those who regularly communicate.

It comes with a host of features like a virtual watercooler, cafeterias, game zones, group movie experiences, and reading zones. It is enabled with video conferencing and chats interfaces, which are exclusive to your team.