13 Team Building Games & Activities Outdoors
13 Team Building Games & Activities - Outdoors
13 team building games with few supplies and lost of fun. These fun outdoor games will help you as you plan exciting cub scout activities to do this spring and summer.
1. SPUD
Everyone loves a game of dodgeball and this version doesn’t disappoint. Spud is dodgeball with a twist. All you need is one foam ball or other similar ball you would normally use while playing dodgeball.
Supplies Needed:
Foam Ball
How To Play:
1. With a group of players each player is assigned a number. Example, if you have 10 players, number them 1-10.
2. While players stand around the playing area the ball is thrown up into the air by someone not playing the game. As the ball is in the air one of the numbers that was assigned to the players is called out.
3. The player with the matching number must catch the ball while the others flee.
4. Once the ball is caught the player yells “SPUD” and all other players must freeze.
5. The person with the ball gets 4 steps towards any of the players that have run away. They can spell out S-P-U-D as they take each step.
6. The person with the ball now can throw the ball and try and hit a frozen player. Players feet are frozen in place but they can duck or dodge to miss being hit.
7. If the player is hit, they earn a letter, first hit is a “S”, second time they are hit is a “P” and so on until they earn all the letters in SPUD and are out of the game. If the ball misses them they do not earn a letter. If they catch the ball, the player who threw it gets a letter.
8. Once a player has all 4 letters of SPUD they are out of the game. The winner is the last player standing.
Watch as The YouTube Family plays a game of SPUD together.
2. Alligator Swamp
This game can go by so many names, Lava Crossing, Toxic Waste Crossing, River Crossing, etc. The object of the game is for the teams to get from one side to the other and the middle is…well Lava or Toxic Waste or Alligator infested waters so they will have to get across without their feet touching the ground, I mean lava. To do this they will have to use the supplies provided and talk together as a team to figure out the best way to cross over.
Supplies Needed:
Choose from any of the following (you will need at least 3 pieces for each team) :
Cardboard (big enough for people to stand on)
Potato Sacks
Old Towels
Hula Hoops
How To Play:
1. Separate players into teams. 7-10 players a team will work best.
2. Have players line-up with their team on Side A. Hand each team a set of towels, hula hoops, etc. (whichever supply you decided to use)You will need at least 3 of the item you are using to cross. For younger or larger groups you may want to provide more.
3. When you say go they are to cross the Alligator infested waters but their feet can not touch the ground, they must be on the cardboard/potato sack or inside of the hula hoop.
4. Together they will have to figure out how to use the supplies you have provided them to get from Side A to Side B. First team who makes it across wins.
3. Longest Shadow
This is a simple game to set up and you do not need any supplies. The goal is for each team to work together to form the longest shadow. A fund outdoor game but make sure it’s sunny.
Supplies Needed:
None
How To Play:
1. Separate players into teams. 5 or more players a team is best.
2. Set up a starting line where the first player will have to be touching. Each player after will have to be touching the person behind them as they stretch and figure out the best way to stand to make a longer shadow.
3. Give teams time to talk and reconfigure their stances as they work together to get the longest shadow.
Watch as a group plays this team building activity.
4. Egg Drop Challenge
The egg drop challenge is one of those games you will have to plan ahead a bit but it is absolutely one of the most fun activities to do for team building.
Supplies Needed (optional):
Ladder
Eggs
Straws
Popsicle Sticks
Boxes
Styrofoam Peanuts
Plastic Pillow Packing Bags
Tape
Scissors
Balloons
Ideas are unlimited, bring anything that would be fun to use
How To Play:
1. The rules for an egg drop are pretty simple. Your egg has to survive a drop from a high spot such as the top of a ladder or another designated structure.
2. Set a time limit, around 30-45 minutes is a good amount of time.
3. Select the teams, show them the supplies provided and start the timer. They will have time to discuss, plan, and execute their build.
4. Winners are the one’s who eggs survive.
Watch as a Dude Perfect takes on the Egg Challenge.
5. Steal The Bacon
Steal the bacon is an exciting form of tag. You won’t need bacon but you will need something that players want to grab and “steal.”
Supplies Needed (optional):
Something to be used as “Bacon” (baton, bean bag, shirt, stick, etc.)
How To Play:
1. In a large field or basketball court split the players into teams. The amount of teams will depend on how many players you have. (I think the more teams, the more fun it is to play) You should have at least 5 players on a team.
2. Give each player on a team a number. For example, if there are 5 players on Team #1, give each player a number 1 through 5. Team #2 you will also give each player a number 1 through 5 and so on.
3. All teams will be on one side of the field behind a boundary line.
4. The leader of the game will place the “bacon” further down the field.
5. The leader will call out a number and all of the players that have been given that number will race to capture the “bacon”. The first person to grab it will have to race back to their team without being tagged by the other players on the field.
6. Once someone has stolen the “bacon”, the other players on the field should try and tag them before they get back to their team. The round ends when they have been tagged or made it safely back to their team.
7. If the person makes it safely back to their team, the team receives 2 points. If the person with the bacon is tagged, then the the team that tagged them, receives 1 point.
8. Play continues until you reach the decided upon final number.
Variations:
1. You can use math problems or riddles, instead of calling out a number. For example, you can yell, “What is 10-7+2?” once they figure out the answer, then that player can take off for the bacon.
2. You can call out more than 1 number so more people are on the playing field.
3. Instead of numbers you can use animals or other objects to assign to each player.
6. Crab Soccer
Crab Soccer is a really fun game for kids. This game is played just like a standard game of soccer but the players are in a crab position.
Supplies Needed:
Soccer Ball
Goals (cones or small soccer nets)
How To Play:
1. Set up players similar to how you would for soccer, around 6 players on each side as well goalies . I do recommend a smaller playing area then a traditional soccer field.
2. Simple rules of the game are that a team scores when they get the ball in the opponents goal.
7. Giants, Wizards, & Elves
How fun is this outdoor game?!? An easy to set up game with zero supplies. It is literally a giant game of rock, paper, scissor. You can use marking objects to mark off the middle “battle” area if you need to.
Supplies Needed:
Line Marker (optional)
How To Play:
1. Set up 2 teams of players.
2. Your playing area can be a field, gym, or other space with room to run. The middle of the playing area will be the battle zone. This is where both teams will stand facing off with each other.
3. The game will play just like Rock, Paper, Scissors, except you will use the titles Giants, Wizards, Elves.
Giants (Rock) – Squish Elves
Wizards (Paper) – Zap Giants
Elves (Scissors) – Outwit Wizards
Each team will talk together and decide whether they are going to be Giants, Wizards, or Elves. The teams meet in the battle area and on the count of 3 they will announce what there team chose to be and the action that goes with it.
Actions:
Giants – Roar
Wizards – Wave their wands and yell “Expecto Patronum”
Elves – Shoot arrows from their bows
4. The team that loses must run to their wall or base. The winning team chases the losing team and anyone tagged before they are safely on their base moves to the winning teams side.
5. Game ends when one team has captured all the players.
8. Human Shapes
Players will move their bodies to form different letters, words, and shapes. You can have them work by themselves, as small groups, or as a team
Supplies Needed:
None
How To Play:
1. Split up players and space them out so they have room to move.
2. Start off by having them individually make letters or shapes with their body. A, C, T, bridge, tree, etc.
3. Now group them with 3 or 4 people and give them words to make. Dog, Cat, etc. or objects to make. Can they work together to look like a bicycle?
4. Next you can have all of them work together to make a phrase or sentence.
Tip:
To keep the game exciting, keep the game fast pace. For younger kids, I would recommend 10 seconds to make individual letters, 30 seconds for a group to form a shape or word. For adults, 5 seconds to form letters, 10 seconds to form a word or shape.
Watch a group of drama students play the 10 second game.
9. Fireman Relay Race
Outdoor water games are great for those crazy hot days where you have a group to entertain outdoors. This game will require a water source or large portable containers that are filled with water.
Supplies Needed:
Water Source
Cups
Buckets
How To Play:
1. Split players into teams. Each team should have around 4 or more players.
2. Set up the starting line for the players. Each team will need a large bucket filled with water. If you have large enough containers, 2 teams can share it. Give each player a large plastic cup similar to these.
3. Another bucket like a Lowes or Home Depot bucket is placed at the other end of the playing area. You will need 1 bucket per team. With tape mark off the line that the teams will have to fill up the bucket with water to.
4. When the game starts one by one a player will fill their cup with water, run down the field and pour it into the bucket. Whichever team fills their bucket to the line first wins.
Watch some cute littles play the water relay game.
10. Magic Helium Stick
This is a great team building activity that is challenging and causes the players to really communicate and work together as a team. The objective is the team will need to lower the stick to the ground using only 1 finger from each member.
Supplies Needed:
tent pole or other long, light stick
How To Play:
1. Split your group into 2 and have them face each other. They will be standing close to each other during this game. Have each of them put out their hand with their index finger out at chest level.
2. Lay the long magic helium stick across their fingers. Once the magic stick is laying across their fingers they will need to lower the stick to the ground.
3. Sounds easy but it is very tricky especially if the stick is very light. The players will have to work heavily on communication and working together to complete the task.
Watch as a group of scouts try to lower the magic helium stick.
11. Blind Retriever
Blind Retriever is a game that helps teach the importance of listening. Players will be blindfolded and have to listen to direction to find the object on the playing field.
Supplies Needed:
Blindfolds
Any object that the retriever can find (ball, cone, toy, etc.)
How To Play:
1. Split the group into teams of 4-6 players.
2. Have them line up in single file order behind a designated starting line.
3. The first person in line for each of the teams will be blindfolded. The second person in line will give directions. No one else on the team is to give directions. Other teams may not give wrong direction to their opponents.
4. Place the object the blindfolded person is to retrieve somewhere in the playing area. Once the object is placed down you can tell the players to go.
5. Once the object has been found the blindfold goes to the next person in line. The object is placed back on the play area again and the game continues.
6. At some point spend a minute discussing what is working and not working communication wise. Have everyone discuss better ways to provide instructions to the blindfolded player.
12. Balloon Volleyball
An easy game to set up and play with your group.
Supplies Needed:
Balloon
Volleyball Net
How To Play:
1. Split the group into 2 teams.
2. Play a fun game of volleyball but using a balloon.
13. Blob Tag
Everyone loves tag but the same old game can get boring. How about a fun twist called Blob Tag.
Supplies Needed:
None
How To Play:
1. In your group pick one person to be “It” and they are to tag the other players.
2. Each time “It” tags someone they link arms with that person and they become a bigger “It” that can tag other players.
3. Eventually you have one big blob of an “It” and one player who has never been tagged. They are the winner.
