Outdoor team building activities

This page gives you some ideas on outdoor activities for team building and corporate events. There are three types: individual activities, team activities or a category in between that are individual activities where other team members can get involved.

Individual Activities

These are examples of individual sports, but can be used on team events: you compete in teams and add your scores together:

• Archery
  There are different types of bows, requiring different degrees of strength.
  
  
• Shooting
  Eg: pistol or clay pigeon shooting. There are laser versions available; in laser clay pigeon shooting, for example, there is no "recoil" so is more suitable for team members concerned about the physical aspect of shooting a gun.
  
  
• Quad Biking
  A small motorbike, but it has four wheels, and is fun to ride. Team events usually involve timed or relay races (each member of the team takes turn to ride the bike around a course).
  
  
• Falconry
  The bird is the star!
  
  
• Reverse Steer
  You drive a car that has been modified so that when you turn right, the car goes left. Your team colleagues are in the car with you to provide... er... 'encouragement'.
  
  
• Gliding
  This usually has to be done individually - there is only room for you and the pilot. But it can be a great experience to share and discuss as a team afterwards.
  
  
• Go Karting
  A traditional form of racing.
  
  
• Paintball
  You roam the countryside, shooting at each other using guns filled with paint. (The paintballs can hurt if they hit you on a part of your body not protected by armour).
  
  
• Amphibious Vehicle Driving
  You steer a special four wheel drive vehicle around a course, on and off the water, sometimes with your colleagues as passengers.

Team Activities

In these activities, the team has to work together

• Physical Brain Teasers
  The team are given problems to solve - eg: a large version of the game mastermind.
  
  
• Bucket on a pole
  The team have to put a bucket of water on top of a 6'-high pole using only ropes and without going up close.
  
  
• Human Table Football
  Team members are attached to poles in a giant inflatable table football (soccer), and teams compete against each other.
  
  
• Spiders web
  Team members have to get through a spiders web, without touching the web, and using each hole only once.
  
  
• Rocket Building
  You construct a water-powered rocket, and the team that sends their rocket the furthest wins.
  
  
• Bridge building
  The team have to get from one side of a beach or lawn to another, using only the pieces of wood provided. and without them or the wood touching the ground. Requires good planning and balance.
  
  
• Egg Throwing
  You construct a package to protect an egg, and then the team that throws it the furthest (without breaking) wins. Another version involves constructing a parachute and dropping it out of a second floor window.

Individually-focused team activities

In these 'in between' examples, one person in the team has to lead, or do most of the work, but is aided and abetted (or hindered, perhaps!) by colleagues.

• Sheep driving
  You can play the role of shepherd or sheepdog. Herding stubborn sheep into a pen could be good training for management.
  
  
• Blind Driving
  One person is blindfolded and then put in the driver's seat. Other team colleagues provide instructions on how to get from the start of the course to the end.
  
  
• Crystal Maze
  Team members take it in turns to solve problems or accomplish physical challenges, but colleagues can provide advice from their observation vantage point.
  
  

These are just a few ideas; in fact, the list is endless. Providers of team building services, in competing for business, are often producing wilder and wackier things to do than you can imagine.

For information on how to make the right choice of activity, see our article on choosing the right team building exercises.

Return to main article on team building actitivies.

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