Holiday Team Building Activities: Active & Fun Ways to Celebrate

Strengthening workplace bonds while enjoying the holiday season’s festive feeling includes playful activities around the workplace.

This can include moving away from the office boredom by organizing holiday team building events. They can be less or more active: for the latter, you may even need an extreme sports holiday insurance.

Active engagement fosters better employee health, lowers tension levels and they get to experience a lot of fun.

From creative ideas on how to celebrate Christmas in the office, to small-scale or large holiday team events, there are plenty of productive and enjoyable options: let’s take a look at the work holiday party ideas.

Why Active Holiday Team Building?

Active team building can be a better experience than sitting in conference rooms with a few snacks because it offers more benefits like: 

• Encouraging collaboration – Teams must work together to complete challenges.
• Boosting physical and mental well-being – Movement keeps the energy levels up.
• Breaking the routine – Employees enjoy a fresh experience outside their normal work tasks.
• Fostering friendly competition – A little rivalry can strengthen bonds.
• Reducing holiday stress – Exercise and laughter help combat seasonal stress.

The best holiday team building activities to celebrate this time of the year is what we will be discussing in the following section! 

Outdoor Adventure Challenges 

Ideal for a team that seeks adventure and has a passion for the outdoors! 

• Winter Obstacle Course: Imagine a holiday-themed obstacle course where competitors have to “jump over chimneys”, and race through snowy obstacles while jamming to holiday music. 
• Holiday Scavenger Hunt: Putting together a holiday mini scavenger hunt where the teams have to find holiday-themed clues around the office, park, or even the city! 
• Tree Decorating Contest: In this challenge, the teams compete to see who can decorate a tree in the most creative style. 

Pro Tip: Assemble the trees with an eco-friendly twist by using recycled materials for decorations! 

Competitive Sports & Games 

Holiday team building activities for small groups such as sports and games are perfect for dynamic teams that are goal-oriented. 

• Reindeer Relay Races: Team members take turns ‘reindeering’ their way through funny holiday-themed challenges like carrying a sleigh which is essentially a cardboard box. 
• Holiday Themed Escape Room: Use your creativity and work as a team to save Christmas by beating the escape room before the timer hits zero! 
• Indoor Sports: Rent out a VR room or indoor sports for a great opportunity with the team to set some goals. Bowling, table tennis, and even air hockey are some options to consider.
• Office Olympics: Have a paper throwing contest, a gift-wrapping race, or even a snowman-building competition using stationery.

Fun Indoor Fitness Activities 

Ideal for groups who prefer some exercise but don’t want to go outdoors.

• Holiday Dance-Off: Get an instructor to walk everyone through an easy to learn dance or host a free-style competition with prizes for the best movers.
• Yoga & Mindfulness Session: Calm your body and mind before the holiday break with guided yoga meditation.
• Charity Walk or Fun Run: Get together for a jog, and use the funds raised to donate to some charitable cause in the spirit of the season while exercising.
• Group Workout Challenge: Teams take on fun fitness challenges like “Santa Sack Races” where one jumps in a sack or “Elf Plank Holds.”

Interactive & Creative Challenges 

You could say this encourages imagination and strengthens cooperation!

• Gingerbread House Contest: Within a time limit, each team aims to build and showcase a gingerbread house that is not only unique but also the most eagerly contested across all categories.
• Holiday Cooking Challenge: For this contest, each team is responsible for the preparation of a single dish, after which the judges will compare the dishes and determine which one is superior.
• DIY Gift Workshop: Employees assemble small gifts such as candles, ornaments, or even cookies to give to their colleagues or a charitable organization.
• Holiday Karaoke Night: Sing together in a festive spirit to some of the most recognizable songs worldwide!

Pro Tip: Engage in active movement during the creative exercises! After the gingerbread contest, have the groups do a brief funny holiday skit and introduce their creations.

Comparison of Holiday Team Building Activities

$ = Low budget, $$ = Moderate, $$$ = High budget.

Conclusion 

Instead of the usual corporate holiday party ideas, try engaging and fun holiday team building activities that get people moving!

Whether it’s a winter scavenger hunt, an office Olympics, or a gingerbread-building showdown, the best holiday team building activities for small groups and large teams can bring everyone together in a meaningful way.

If you are considering something more active, insurance may be needed: auras.insure can help with that.

The holiday season is a time to relax, bond, and celebrate successes – so pick an activity that suits your team and make it an event to remember!