Summertime means endless sunshine, warmer weather, and plenty of outdoor activities. It’s also an opportunity for corporate teams to push the reset button and build stronger, long-lasting connections.
The best summer team building ideas are not only fun, but also yield several beneficial outcomes to the workplace – including stronger communication, improved trust, and heightened morale. This article will cover 10 tried-and-true team building activities, who they’re ideal for, and how they can benefit any team.
Why Team Building in Summer Works So Well
With the winter season in the rearview, summer is an ideal time to revamp all team building strategies to improve morale, communication, collaboration, and more. Seasonal events and activities boost teamwide engagement and serve as a welcome break from a team’s typical work environment or routine.
Holding team building events in the summer can also support various short and long-term organizational goals year-round, including improved:
- Employee onboarding initiatives
- Cross-team engagement efforts
- Employee recognition
- Morale-building team-wide
How to Choose the Right Summer Team Building Activity
Before choosing summer team building ideas for your organization, it’s important to consider several factors. Begin by assessing the number of potential participants, the best venue for outdoor or indoor activities, and the amount of time the organization is willing to dedicate to these activities.
After you have a clear understanding of the basic logistics, consider the following criteria that will guide you towards the team building ideas that will work best for your team and their unique needs:
- Determine how introverted, extroverted (or both) the team may be.
- Consider physicality and all accessibility needs.
- Determine how competitive the team wants to be.
- Assess whether a backup venue indoors is available in case of inclement weather.
- Always consider your organizational goals and desired outcomes.
Finally, after narrowing down the right summer team building activities, assign a clear, desirable outcome to each activity. For instance, one activity may be best for improving problem-solving skills or creativity, while another might be ideal for fostering collaboration and trust.
10 Summer Team Building Ideas Your Workplace Will Love
No matter the organizational goals or team demographics, the following 10 summer team building ideas are ideal for a wide range of teams and goals. Most of these activities can be customized to accommodate different venues and team participation styles and preferences.
Each activity below includes a brief description and the type of outcomes the team can expect to achieve.
1. Team Olympics
Ideal for large groups and high-energy teams, the Team Olympics team building event promotes friendly competition and inclusive participation with its “challenge by choice” (CbC) format. This format empowers team members to choose their level of participation, removing any pressure to give more time and energy than they are willing to.
With its Olympic-style event rotations, participants will enjoy a shared sense of team pride and a lot of laughs along the way.
2. Amazing Chase SmartHunt®
For teams that are up for an adventure and ready for any challenge, the Amazing Chase SmartHunt® is the perfect fit. Participants will solve puzzles and engage in interactive missions through a tech-driven scavenger hunt.
This activity is fun and engaging, featuring live scoring and video missions. Ideal for groups of 30 to 1000, this activity encourages clear communication, collaboration, and on-the-spot decision-making.
3. Build-a-Raft Competition
Some summer team building games test whether a team will sink or swim. The Build-a-Raft Competition does this by requiring each team to collaborate on designing, constructing, and racing a seaworthy vessel.
Before they race, however, teams can test whether their vessel will float, allowing them to identify any design flaws and collaborate to problem-solve any defects in real time. This test-then-improve element also encourages clear communication and inspires participants to step into a leadership position to accomplish the task.
4. Go-Kart Competition
Drive effective communication and collaboration with the Go-Kart Competition event — a high-energy, competitive exercise. Team members will assume the roles of pit crew or driver by designing, building, and racing a go-kart. They’ll exercise fast-paced communication, strategic decision-making, and their creativity as they compete against the other teams to cross the finish line.
5. Food Truck Face-Off
The Food Truck Face-Off is a chef’s kiss for teams wanting to stretch their creativity and strengthen their collaboration across roles. Each team will create a food truck concept, choosing a type of cuisine and a specific theme to put their culinary creativity, communication skills, and teamwork to the test.
From designing their food truck to creating a logo, cooking up an original dish, and marketing their brand, teams will enjoy this five-star-worthy low-physicality event under the summer sun.
6. Catapult
Perfect for outdoor spaces and events, such as corporate picnics or promotional ceremonies, the Catapult team building event is a fun way to improve communication and teamwork in a hands-on setting. Team members will combine forces and compete to design and launch an operable catapult.
This high-energy event tests participants’ ability to work together and communicate effectively, especially during the design and trial-and-error phases. With a focus on iteration, team members learn to take shared accountability for their successes (and any catapult catastrophes).
7. Corporate Survivor
Loosely based on the popular reality TV show, Corporate Survivor is a challenge-based team building activity that tests the physical, mental, and creative limits of each team. This fun, well-structured event requires participants to strategize and collaborate on unconventional yet meaningful challenges. This format is spot on for teams that enjoy a fast-paced competition. It will also reveal strengths and areas for improvement across teams, including trust, communication, and more.
8. Bridge to the Future
Bridge to the Future is an interactive, low physicality team building event that requires teams to work together to plan, build, and test a bridge strong enough to support their collective weight.
Working side by side to build a bridge serves as a metaphor that spotlights the importance of group alignment and collaboration. The bridge-building process requires team members to communicate clearly as they plan and take on a specific role that will help the team achieve its shared goals—a vital exercise for any team.
9. Mini-Golf Build and Food Donation
Some team building activities have far-reaching benefits beyond any one corporate team or organization. The Mini-Golf Build and Food Donation event is a hole-in-one when it comes to interactive, charitable activities. Teams will design and build a mini golf course using food and non-perishables. Once they compete, they’ll donate the food and supplies to a local food bank or charity.
Knowing they’ll be giving back to the community, team members are more likely to participate and ultimately connect with their teammates, sharing a sense of collective pride and benevolence. Organizations benefit as well by showing employees that they value and prioritize Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives that simultaneously benefit employees.
10. Fiesta Fun!
Teams of ten will combine their culinary creativity during Fiesta Fun, where they’ll collaborate to plan and execute their own recipes inspired by Mexico. This summer-friendly culinary competition invites teams to create and present themed recipes, such as salsa, guacamole, and even margaritas.
Once plated, participants will present their dishes to the judging panel. This event encourages clear communication, creativity, and friendly competition — a chef’s kiss for organizations aiming to improve teamwide engagement and collaboration.
Practical Planning Tips for Summer Team Building
While the summer season offers plenty of sunny days, the weather can sometimes prove unpredictable. With high winds or an unexpected thunderstorm possible, it’s best to always have an indoor backup plan. That way, team members can still participate and work towards their desired goals, rain or shine.
Consider these additional practical tips when planning your organization’s summer team building events:
- Choose a suitable date and time to maximize participation.
- Factor in heavy-stress periods or imminent deadlines when planning events.
- Ensure the indoor and outdoor venues are accessible for all participants.
- Assign a single primary goal/desired outcome per activity.
- Provide rest areas and ample shade throughout the venue.
- Provide lunch or snacks and hydration options.
- Empower team members to participate by embracing a “challenge by choice” approach.
More Summer Ideas to Bring Your Team Together
There are plenty of low-key summer team building ideas that can promote connection and collaboration without feeling like an official, much less structured, team building event. Such low-pressure activities work well for diverse personalities, such as introverts, and even cross-functional teams.
Here is a list of casual summer team building ideas that will appeal to most teams:
- Weekly coffee walks, scheduled before or after work.
- A teamwide summer book club
- Outdoor lunch gatherings, such as teamwide picnics or potlucks.
- End-of-week, post-work social hour at a local bar or restaurant
- Daily sunshine stand-up breaks to promote physical activity and casual connections
These indoor or outdoor team building activities work well when they are recurring and remain low-pressure. Over time, team members can build and strengthen relationships with one another through consistency rather than during a single major event.
Ready to Book a Summer Team Building Event?
Organizing the right summer team building events for your team(s) can boost morale and strengthen relationships well after the event ends. Choose one or more activities from the list above based on your venue options, organizational goals, and employee needs.
Best Corporate Events summer activities and events are customizable and work for all team sizes. Request a quote from the team at Best Corporate Events today to secure an event date on your team’s summer calendar.
