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7 cheap but creative team building activities
You want to connect with your team, but your budget is a little tight.
Or worse, you have to pay for work team building out of pocket (give me your CFO’s name if that’s the case 👀).
In either case, we’ve collected seven low-cost team building activities for you. We made sure not to copy-paste from other articles and came up with a few fresh ideas instead.
We also dedicated an entire article to free ideas if you need to cut costs to zero.
Need more activity ideas for a specific situation? We’ve covered the following topics in the past:
7 inexpensive team building ideas & events
Here comes the good stuff.
#1 Play Random Fairytales (virtual)
A virtual team building activity your team hasn’t done before is Random Fairytales.
Inspired by the telephone game, you and your teammates take turns drawing and guessing what the drawings are about. The result is a sequence of absolutely absurd images.
Random Fairytales is free to try.
#2 Play Smash Karts over coffee or drinks (virtual)
Smash Karts is, hands down, our absolute favorite virtual game to play. If you’ve ever played Mario Kart, this is the closest free version you’ll find.
There’s nothing as fun as kicking your boss out of the game or getting your a** beaten by your team. It levels the ground and is just plain fun. We typically embed Smash Karts into our Veertly meeting room so we can talk while playing.
To show your team some appreciation, send everyone a $5 coffee gift card or another drink. It’s not free but still super affordable.
Check out this gameplay video of Smash Karts to get a feel for the game.
#3 Buy and play indie board games (virtual or in-person)
Board games may be traditional but don’t have to be boring. Shop your local game store or go online to find games from independent game creators. You can also ask each team member to suggest their favorite board game.
You’ll get to discover fun and/or nerdy additions to the board game world at a reasonable price. Best of all, you can do so together
If you’re not able to get together in person, consider playing Card Against Humanity or Secret Hitler - games your team probably isn’t already tired of.
#4 Host an affordable picnic (in-person)
What’s better than sitting outside, the sun hitting your face, and snacking on your favorite treats? Granted, I used to live in Missouri where it was way too hot for picnics. But let’s assume you live in a milder climate.
Picnics don’t have to break the bank.
Here’s the bare minimum you’ll need to provide:
- Plates, bowls, cups (better: ask everyone to bring their own, re-usable items)
- Affordable fruits (e.g., apples and bananas)
- A few bags of snacks (e.g., chips, pretzels)
- Bake-at-home bread (bake them at home the morning of!)
- A bit of quality ham & cheese (two slices per person for a French-style sandwich)
- A bottle of water for each person
- Optional: Cheap beer or wine
Ask everyone to bring
- Plates, bowls, cups, cutlery
- Drinks
- Blankets
- Bug spray, if needed
- Sunscreen
Almost everyone likes free food, and spending a few hours with your team to eat outside is a great way to connect with each other.
#5 Go on a hike (in-person)
We’ve found that hiking during our Gomada team retreats is a great way to connect. The team is outside without distractions and has plenty of time to chat.
If you’re in Europe, apps like Komoot let you choose from hundreds of hiking routes in your area.
As the team lead, you want to bring sunscreen and some drinks. The outdoors does 90% of the work in providing entertainment, while the drinks do the remaining 10%.
Cheap, healthy, fun.
#6 Watch a lower-tier sports game (in-person)
Sports tickets are typically expensive. Not every company can afford to hand them out like candy.
Why not pick a lower-tier team in your area instead? Tickets and concessions will be cheap while you get to enjoy a local, possibly obscure match you’ll be talking about for years to come.
#7 Host a watch party (virtual)
Every team I’ve been a part of has at least one “movie person”. They’ve seen every movie out there, and are constantly disappointed that no one else has.
Sounds like your team? Try a virtual watch party.
With tools like Scener, you can watch Netflix, YouTube, or most popular streaming platforms together. You can also chat and talk right in the tool instead of having to use tools like Slack on the side.
If you’re a great team lead, order everyone some popcorn or a snack box to their house ahead of time 😉.
#8 Trust fall (kidding)
Are trust falls still a thing? Were they ever (outside of stock images)? Let’s pretend like that phase of corporate team building never happened.
Final words: Don’t just rely on low budget team building activities
You probably landed here because you have to conserve your budget. More expensive team building activities just aren’t happening right now, but you still want to do something.
But in case you HAVE the budget, consider investing in your team.
At Gomada, we get our entirely remote team together twice a year. Flight, accommodation, meals, etc., aren’t cheap, but the momentum, bonds, and ideas we get from that week are invaluable. For a fast-paced startup like ourselves, there’s no other choice but to invest in the team.
Share fun facts and bond with a team quiz
Have your participants choose from a list of questions they’d like their coworkers to answer about them, before watching as they guess the right answer.
01. Yes
share-fun-facts-and-bond-with-a-team-quiz
Run a guided recognition activity
Have your participants choose from a list of questions they’d like their coworkers to answer about them, before watching as they guess the right answer.
01. Yes
run-a-guided-recognition-activity
Organize a virtual cooking class
Hire a professional chef to help your team cook a delicious lunch or dinner. May be difficult for co-workers with families. To find providers and get tips, read our blog about virtual cooking classes.
02. No
organize-a-virtual-cooking-class
Hire a stand-up comedian
Have your participants choose from a list of questions they’d like their coworkers to answer about them, before watching as they guess the right answer.
02. No
hire-a-stand-up-comedian
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Table of contents
You want to connect with your team, but your budget is a little tight.
Or worse, you have to pay for work team building out of pocket (give me your CFO’s name if that’s the case 👀).
In either case, we’ve collected seven low-cost team building activities for you. We made sure not to copy-paste from other articles and came up with a few fresh ideas instead.
We also dedicated an entire article to free ideas if you need to cut costs to zero.
Need more activity ideas for a specific situation? We’ve covered the following topics in the past:
7 inexpensive team building ideas & events
Here comes the good stuff.
#1 Play Random Fairytales (virtual)
A virtual team building activity your team hasn’t done before is Random Fairytales.
Inspired by the telephone game, you and your teammates take turns drawing and guessing what the drawings are about. The result is a sequence of absolutely absurd images.
Random Fairytales is free to try.
#2 Play Smash Karts over coffee or drinks (virtual)
Smash Karts is, hands down, our absolute favorite virtual game to play. If you’ve ever played Mario Kart, this is the closest free version you’ll find.
There’s nothing as fun as kicking your boss out of the game or getting your a** beaten by your team. It levels the ground and is just plain fun. We typically embed Smash Karts into our Veertly meeting room so we can talk while playing.
To show your team some appreciation, send everyone a $5 coffee gift card or another drink. It’s not free but still super affordable.
Check out this gameplay video of Smash Karts to get a feel for the game.
#3 Buy and play indie board games (virtual or in-person)
Board games may be traditional but don’t have to be boring. Shop your local game store or go online to find games from independent game creators. You can also ask each team member to suggest their favorite board game.
You’ll get to discover fun and/or nerdy additions to the board game world at a reasonable price. Best of all, you can do so together
If you’re not able to get together in person, consider playing Card Against Humanity or Secret Hitler - games your team probably isn’t already tired of.
#4 Host an affordable picnic (in-person)
What’s better than sitting outside, the sun hitting your face, and snacking on your favorite treats? Granted, I used to live in Missouri where it was way too hot for picnics. But let’s assume you live in a milder climate.
Picnics don’t have to break the bank.
Here’s the bare minimum you’ll need to provide:
- Plates, bowls, cups (better: ask everyone to bring their own, re-usable items)
- Affordable fruits (e.g., apples and bananas)
- A few bags of snacks (e.g., chips, pretzels)
- Bake-at-home bread (bake them at home the morning of!)
- A bit of quality ham & cheese (two slices per person for a French-style sandwich)
- A bottle of water for each person
- Optional: Cheap beer or wine
Ask everyone to bring
- Plates, bowls, cups, cutlery
- Drinks
- Blankets
- Bug spray, if needed
- Sunscreen
Almost everyone likes free food, and spending a few hours with your team to eat outside is a great way to connect with each other.
#5 Go on a hike (in-person)
We’ve found that hiking during our Gomada team retreats is a great way to connect. The team is outside without distractions and has plenty of time to chat.
If you’re in Europe, apps like Komoot let you choose from hundreds of hiking routes in your area.
As the team lead, you want to bring sunscreen and some drinks. The outdoors does 90% of the work in providing entertainment, while the drinks do the remaining 10%.
Cheap, healthy, fun.
#6 Watch a lower-tier sports game (in-person)
Sports tickets are typically expensive. Not every company can afford to hand them out like candy.
Why not pick a lower-tier team in your area instead? Tickets and concessions will be cheap while you get to enjoy a local, possibly obscure match you’ll be talking about for years to come.
#7 Host a watch party (virtual)
Every team I’ve been a part of has at least one “movie person”. They’ve seen every movie out there, and are constantly disappointed that no one else has.
Sounds like your team? Try a virtual watch party.
With tools like Scener, you can watch Netflix, YouTube, or most popular streaming platforms together. You can also chat and talk right in the tool instead of having to use tools like Slack on the side.
If you’re a great team lead, order everyone some popcorn or a snack box to their house ahead of time 😉.
#8 Trust fall (kidding)
Are trust falls still a thing? Were they ever (outside of stock images)? Let’s pretend like that phase of corporate team building never happened.
Final words: Don’t just rely on low budget team building activities
You probably landed here because you have to conserve your budget. More expensive team building activities just aren’t happening right now, but you still want to do something.
But in case you HAVE the budget, consider investing in your team.
At Gomada, we get our entirely remote team together twice a year. Flight, accommodation, meals, etc., aren’t cheap, but the momentum, bonds, and ideas we get from that week are invaluable. For a fast-paced startup like ourselves, there’s no other choice but to invest in the team.
Have a blast with your remote team 🔥
Our team building activities are rated 9/10 by over 900 remote teams.
It's the easiest way to feel close when working remotely!
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