25 team building games, activities, and exercises for teens

Team Building Games For Teens:
1. Creeping Closer:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Creeping Closer
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

Select one person from the group to be the captain. The captain has to stand on one side of the room, facing the hall.
The rest of the players have to stand on one limb, touching the opposite wall. The objective of the game is to touch the captain.
The players can move freely, but have to maintain complete silence. If the captain turns around, the players have to freeze still. If the captain catches anyone moving, then the whole team will have to return to the starting position.
You can even split the group into two teams who have to compete to touch the captain first. Or let each participant touch the captain individually. If he is caught, he can return to the start, but the other players will stay where they are.
It is one of the excellent team building exercises for teens, as everyone has to work together and communicate effectively.

[ Read: Fun Party Games For Teenagers ]

2. Three Ball Soccer:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Three Ball Soccer
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Three different colored balls
Two goals
How To:

Set up a soccer field with goals at each end.
Divide the teens into two teams.
One soccer ball will represent the boys, the other ball will represent the girls, and the third soccer ball will be co-ed. Tell each player clearly which balls is for which group.
If the player touches the wrong ball purposely, pull him/her out of the game for 2 minutes.
You do not need to restrict the game to soccer only. You can even try it with netball or AFL.
This is the fun team building games for teenagers will keep the teens as much involved as possible. With this soccer team building activities, they are more likely to spend time with each other.

3. French v/s English:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - French vs English
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

20 or more items like bowling pins, balls, etc.
How To:

Divide the teens into two teams. Make three dividing lines on the ground.
Put an equal amount of objects behind both baselines.
Now each team has to steal as many objects as it can.
Players need to make it successfully to the other team’s baseline without being tagged to steal the object.
Once they have reached the opponent’s, the players can steal one object and release one captive player.
If a teammate is tagged, he has to wait at the opposition’s baseline until he is rescued.
This game will encourage a competitive spirit in teens.

4. Spot The Difference:
You Will Need:

Paper
Pen
How To:

Divide the teens into two groups.

Make the first group stand, facing the second group. The second team has to set an amount of time to look at the appearance of the opposing team.
Once the time is up, the second group has to leave the room and change ten things about them. The things must be noticeable. They cannot change things that are out of view.
When the second group returns, the first team has to observe and write down the changes. You set an amount of time for noting down the chances.
Now swap the roles of the group and continue with the game.
The game will improve focusing ability in children.

[ Read: Outdoor Activities For Teens ]

5. The Mute Organization:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - The Mute Organization
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

Announce to all the teens to make a queue by their birth date. But the catch here is that they cannot talk.
Once the players have lined up, ask them their birthdays.
You can play the same game with the height, birthday month or shoe size.
Variation:
Give each teen a number and tell them to arrange themselves in the numerical order without talking to each other.
Neither can they hold up the fingers. But do not prohibit them from using or making up their sign language or sublanguage.
The game will improve the communication skills within the teens.

6. Actionary:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Actionary
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Paper
Pen
A giant dice
Play-dough
How To:

This game is a cross between charades, Pictionary, and sculptionary.
Make a list of Pictionary words that are easy to draw, act and sculpt.
Divide the teens into four teams and hand each team a some pens, paper and a tray of play-doh. Also, select a leader for the teams.
Each team has to send a volunteer to the leader to get the giant dice. The teams will take turns at rolling out the dice.
Designate the following numbers to the dice-

1 and 2 for charades.
3 and 4 for Pictionary.
5 and six sculptionary.
Give the player the first word from the list. The player will go back to his group and draw, act or sculpt out the word.
If the team guesses the word correctly, he gets a second chance to roll the dice and get a new word.
The first team that gets the most numbers of words in the list will be the winner.

7. Drop The Ball:
You Will Need:

Gold balls
Tape
Straws
How To:

The game is best for small groups.

Give each group 12 straws and 18 inches of masking tape.
Give the kids ten minutes to build a container that can catch a golf ball dropped from a height of ten feet. Let the player select the ‘ball dropper’.
The ‘ball dropper’ has to stand on a chair, holding the golf ball at the eye level. The group leader or player will place the container on the ground where he thinks the ball will land. Give each team three to five attempts.
The group that can get the ball in the container the most times will be the winner.
The game will encourage healthy competition and cooperation.
8. Balloon Frenzy:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Balloon Frenzy
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Balloons in two different colors (the number of balloons depends on the strength of the team.
How To:

The objective of the game is to knock down or burst the opposition’s balloons while keeping your own in the air.

Divide the teens into two teams.
Handover a balloon to each player and tell them to blow it up.
After they have blown up the balloons, have the teams to stand at the opposite ends of the room.
At the call of ‘go’, the players have to launch the balloons into the air by hitting it.
The balloon will be eliminated if it hits the ground. Make sure the team members collect the sunken balloon.
The first team to knock down the opposing team’s balloons will be the winner.
We’d recommend you to play the game in three rounds as its super fun This is a super exciting team building games for your teenage son or daughter.

9. Cups And Downs:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Cups And Downs
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

20 or more cups
How To:

Place the cups in the middle of the room. Half should be upside down, and the other half should be right up.
Divide the teens into two teams and name one team ‘up’ and other ‘down’.
The ‘up’ team has to turn the right way cups down, and the ‘down’ team has the flip the upside down cups. Assign a specific time to complete the task.
After the allotted time gets over, count the cups.
The team that has the most up turned cups will be the winner.

10. The Game Of Responsibilities:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - The Game Of Responsibilities
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Cloth napkins
How To:

You can play this game with one or multiple groups.
Give a cloth napkin to each group of 10 participants. One player from the team has to demonstrate the use of the napkin, but without speaking. The demonstration must be original, and the player needs to stand while describing.
The game will not only let the kids learn about the plethora of ways to use a napkin but will also stimulate ideas, conversation and laughter.

Team Building Activities For Teens:
1. Human Knot:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Human Knot
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

Have the teen make a circle.
Now tell them to put their hand in the middle and grab two hands without looking at each other.
Now the teens have to talk to each other How To untangle without letting go of the hands. It may involve climbing over arms or crawling under.
The players will become more tangled if they don’t communicate with each other.
The human knot is an excellent team building activity for teens. It will help teens express their ideas and opinions and listen to others.

[ Read: Social Skills Activities For Teens ]

2. Hot Lava:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Hot Lava
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

The game requires teens to figure out ‘How To’ cross an imaginary stream of lava.
The players have three rocks that they can use to get across the lava stream. But before that, they need to follow some rules and regulation.
The players cannot step on the floor. They can stand on the furniture or anything, but the floor.
The players cannot remain still. They have to move from one piece of furniture to the other. You can even set up obstacles to make the games more challenging.
The game will improve problem-solving capabilities in teens. They will learn to work together to find a solution to the problem.
3. Egg Rocket:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Egg Rocket
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Paper
Eggs
How To:

Divide the group into two or more teams.
Give each team papers, tape, and one egg. Tell them that they have to build a rocket that will be thrown up in the air or dropped from the height. The rocket has to protect the egg from smashing.
Once the kids have made the rockets, put the egg in the rocket.
Now drop or throw all the rockets from the same height.
The egg that is in the best condition will win.
If none of the eggs break, then throw again to decide the winner.
The game will encourage kids to strive for the best. The players will look and think about different solutions if the first one does not work.

4. Trust Me:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Trust Me
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Scarf to blindfold the kids.
Objects to create the obstacles.
Stopwatch.
How To:

This game is ideal for kids aged 10 and above.

Divide the teens into groups of 5.
Now let the kids create an obstacle course. They can create either one or two obstacle course.
Blindfold the kids and let one member of the team guide the blindfolded kids around the course.
Assign a time for this activity, the maximum should be 3 minutes.
When they get back to the starting point, either let them swap or select another pair.
This game will help the kids develop trust in each other.

[ Read: Indoor Activities For Teens ]

5. Truth And Lie:
 Team Building Activities For Teens - Truth And Lie
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

Have each player introduce themselves by telling their name and one truth and lie about themselves.
After each participant has introduced himself/herself, allow the players to question each other on their two statements. The primary objective of the game is to convince the other participants that their lie is the truth. They even have to guess the truth and lies of other participants.
After the questioning session is done, tell the players to vote on each statement.
Each correct guess will earn 1 point.
This teen team building activity will let the team members know each other better by interacting and communicating.

Team Building Exercises For Teens:

1. Lap Sit:
You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

The game is ideal for a group consisting of more than ten players.
Have the team stand in a circle, facing counter-clockwise. Each player must meet the participant back in front of him or her.
Now tell the players to put their right leg in, towards the circle.
Now tell them to move in and shrink the size of the circle. The players have to keep moving closer until each player is touching the other player’s side.
On a count of three, the players have to put their hands on the shoulders of the player in front of them.
Then tell them to sit down slowly. If the kids do it correctly, they will end up sitting on each other’s lap.
[ Read: Pilates For Teens ]

2. Scatter Ball:
 Team Building Exercises For Teens - Scatter Ball
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nerf ball
How To:

Scatter ball is a dodge ball with a twist. It’s best played with a group of more than 10 people.

Tell every player to put his hand on a Nerf ball. Now throw the ball up in the air.
If someone grabs the ball, tell him to take just two steps. After the second step, the player has to throw the ball to another player in the dodge ball style.
If the ball hits the player, he will sit right down where he is. He can still play, but cannot move from the seated spot.
If the player catches the ball; the thrower has to sit down. The sitting players can snag the ball if it comes to them and can then throw it and the standing player. The aim of the seated player should be to get the standing players out.
The game will end when just one player is standing.
3. Four On The Couch:
 Team Building Exercises For Teens - Four On The Couch
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

A couch
How To:

The objective of the game is to get four people on a team on the same couch.

Divide the players into two teams and tell them to write their name on a paper chit and put it in the bowl.
Now tell the players to come forward and pick a name. The name will become the player’s game name. But remember, the names have to be a secret. They players cannot share it with anyone.
The player to the left of the couch has to call out a name. The player has to switch the name with the person who called out his name. Repeat the process.
So the players have to try to get to the empty couch and call their original names to get their team members on the sofa.
[ Read: Sports For Teens ]

4. Red-Hot Poker:
You Will Need:

A Red-Hot Poker
How To:

Place a red-hot poker in the middle of the room.
Tell the children to stand around the red-hot poker holding hands.
The teens then have to push, drag and pull one another into the red-hot poker. If any player touches or breaks it, then he will be disqualified.
The game will end when every player gets out except one.
5. Tug-Of-War:
 Team Building Exercises For Teens - Tug-Of-War
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

A rope
How To:

Divide the teens into two teams.
Hand each team an end of the rope.
At the blow of the whistle, the teams have to pull the ropes to bring down the opposing team. Or you can even mark a distance where the teams have to bring the rope against the force of the opponent’s pull.
You can even team the strongest against the weak. Take ten high school students and place them on 20 middle school students.
6. The Consensus Exercise:
 Team Building Exercises For Teens - The Consensus Exercise
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

Divide the children into three or four teams, depending on the strength of the players.
At the leader’s signal, each team has to huddle and come up with a sound and action to perform for the other teams. Each time must perform for other teams at least twice.
The goal for all the teams is to make the same sound and do the same action at the same time.
The game will continue until all the groups perform the same sound and movement combinations.
7. Pass The Hula Hoop:
 Team Building Exercises For Teens - Pass The Hula Hoop
Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

Hula-hoops
How To:

Make the teens stand in line with one kid holding the hula-hoop over his arm.
Now tell every player to join the hands and try doing the shuffle, shove, and shimmy together.
They have to shuffle the hula-hoops over the shoulders, arms, legs and pass it to the partner next to him without breaking the chain.
[ Read: Physical Activities For Teens ]

8. Wheelbarrow Race:
You Will Need:

Nothing
How To:

Divide the team into pairs.
One teammate will play the role of the driver, and the other has to play the role of the wheelbarrow. The driver needs to hold the ‘wheelbarrow’s ankles as he walks with his hands.
This classic game will not just get the teens moving, but moving together to reach the end of the race.
9. Helium Stick:
You Will Need:

Rods
How To:

Divide the children into two teams.
Now line the players, shoulder to shoulder with one hand and palm up and pointer finger straight out.
Place a rod so that it sits on each player’s finger.
On the count of three, the teammates have to place the rod on the ground or floor, without dropping it.
10. Seated Basketball:
 Team Building Exercises For Teens - Seated Basketball
Image: Shutterstock

Basketball team building ideas are a fun way to interact each other.
You Will Need:

Basketball
Laundry basket
Chairs
How To:

The game will be played in rounds.
Divide the participants into two teams.
At the beginning of round one, the players will get just a short amount of time to place their chairs in a position. They cannot move their spot after placing the chairs.
Then the teammates have to pass the ball to each other, without being intercepted by the opposing team.
After making the pass, the player has to toss the ball to the basket.
The team that makes the maximum baskets will be the winner.
We hope these team building games, exercises, and activities help your teen bond with his playmates. Remember to award the winners with a chocolate or anything you think they’ll like. What team building activities and exercises did you use to help the teams get to know each other and trust one another? Share with us by commenting below!