Work Hard, Play Harder: Group Activities for Adults & Professionals

There’s nothing like unwinding with a party game after a long day! In the fast-paced world of professional life, it’s important to strike the right balance between work and play, especially if you want to boost your performance. Looking for a board game that you can play with your friends after work? Or maybe it’s your workiversary, and you need a fun game to celebrate with your coworkers. Either way, this blog lists out all our favorite group activities for adults!

Choose an activity for your group

• Short on time? Try a check-in or a short trivia round.
• Want an indoor game session? Bring board games or pick a puzzle.
• Feeling creative? Plan a painting night.
• Want to gather outdoors? Consider a picnic.
• Joining from different places? Try an online crossword together.

Before you gather

1. Agree on the place, time, supplies and spending, including who will bring what.
2. Check access needs, participation preferences and food or drink preferences. Offer alcohol-free drinks and seated or low-pressure options; anyone can pass without explaining why.
3. For outdoor plans, agree on a weather backup. If people will join remotely, share joining details and the puzzle or other materials beforehand.

Creative & Exciting Indoor Activities for Adults

‍1. Art Night / Painting Night

Craving an outlet for your creativity? Hosting an indoor Art Night or Painting Night might be the perfect choice for you! It’s always a fun time when you get together and paint. Some ideas include following a Bob Ross tutorial, painting a landscape, or challenging each other to paint portraits of one another.

If you’re looking to drink, finding a paint-and-sip near you is another option. Various locations host this event, such as Paint and Sip in Atlanta and Paint and Sip in San Diego. You can even host a paint-and-sip night at home!

2. Themed Puzzle Night

Puzzles are another great option for a more relaxed, mellow night with friends. A great idea for a fun puzzle night is to make a theme-based puzzle – such as doing a giant Christmas puzzle! If you’re inviting your colleagues or coworkers, you could do a team-building puzzle, such as a crossword puzzle. 

Some theme-based puzzle ideas include:

• Daily themed crossword puzzles
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Movie-themed crossword puzzles
• Pop culture
• Superheroes

There are many different options for what kind of puzzle you could work on. If you’re looking to host an event with friends who live far away, consider doing a crossword puzzle online.‍

3. Movie Night

Hosting a movie night with your friends is a great way of saving money while still having fun. In the comfort of your home, you are free to indulge in some drinks and set up your snacks according to your tastes and budget. And you don’t have to get dressed – even better, you can have a pajama party! 

Some other movie night ideas could be having a themed movie night, making cocktails with friends, or having pizza.‍

4. Trivia Night / Quiz Night

Another budget-friendly fun idea is having a Trivia Night with friends! It’s the perfect team-building exercise for you and your coworkers. Since it involves an element of competition this will boost engagement as well as drive motivation. You can include fun prizes and incentives to win for your team!

5. Board Game Night

There are boundless options for Board Game Night - play games like Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Scrabble, Boggle, or Chess! The best part? You can get everyone to bring their board games to the event so that you don’t have to spend a dime! 

Outings & Outdoor Activities for Adults

‍1. Outdoor Sports

A great way to bond with coworkers or friends is through working together in a competitive environment. The best way to build rapport is to play a competitive sport or outdoor game, such as team football or basketball (just like the famous scene from The Office!).  Capture the Flag is a team strategy game you could play that’s great for exercising teamwork. 

2. Group Picnic

What better place to bond with others than in nature? Take your friends to a local park or field and have a cute picnic! It could be potluck-style, where everyone could cook their favorite meal. Another idea is to throw a picnic with a theme – for example, bringing dishes from a certain culture or cuisine. Some great party games to play include Charades and Pictionary.

3. Comedy Show

Sharing a laugh is a great way to build camaraderie. Consider booking tickets to see a comedy show or gig near you! Sharing a live comedy show with your work colleagues in real-time can especially help if you work in a hybrid or remote setting. It boosts feelings of inclusivity that might be missed from going to the office regularly to meet team members.

4. Karaoke

A fun way to really get to know your coworkers or friends is to get them to sing their favorite songs on karaoke night! This is an especially good choice for larger groups.

5. Outdoor Volunteering

Doing good as a team matters beyond the workplace, too. Make a positive difference together by signing up for team volunteering events, such as helping at a charity event or leveraging your skills together to solve a problem. 

The Importance of Fun Group Activities for Adults

There are many positive effects of doing group activities as an adult or professional. From a professional point of view, doing group activities is an effective method of team building. This in turn means more engaged employees, which is good for company culture, eventually boosting general wellness and motivation. 

Listed below are reasons why partaking in group activities as an adult is important:

1. Builds Trust

Employees must trust one another in other to collaborate efficiently. A great way of building trust is through playing games as a team. Trust allows employees to feel safe and comfortable with one another, which drastically improves workplace relationships. 

2. Connects Hybrid & Remote Teams

Team building through group activities is especially important for hybrid and remote teams. Since remote teams often work from different locations, it can be difficult to bring everyone together to understand the group dynamics of the team. A great way of solving this is through hosting online group activities for the team to get to know one another.

3. Boosts General Happiness

More than anything else, it’s important to be happy! As we all know, humans are social animals and interacting with one another is imperative to our health and wellbeing. Having a games night is a good way to catch up with some friends and boost your endorphin levels!

4. Less burnout

A survey of 15,000 workers across 15 countries by McKinsey Health found that a quarter of employees experienced burnout symptoms. The promotion of a hustle culture and the expectations of a fast-paced work environment have caused an increase in dissatisfaction within the workforce. A solution for this could be to advocate for a healthier work-life balance among your peers - why not start a weekly board game event or a book club?

5. Innovation

Some of the best ideas happen when you’re outside of the workplace, doing something completely unrelated. Group activities promote the enhancement of creativity and innovation. For example, playing and beating video games often requires thinking outside of the box. Spend some time brainstorming and bouncing off of each other’s ideas!

Short Team Activities

Choose a timebox that works for your group—five minutes, for example. Use it for a short round, not a promise to finish every activity. Full-group turns and complete quizzes may need longer. Stop at the agreed timer, even if not everyone has had a turn.

1. Icebreakers

Start with an ordinary question, such as “What’s your favorite TV show right now?” Invite a few volunteers to answer, and let anyone pass. Keep prompts light and avoid private or work-sensitive disclosures. Stop when the agreed timer goes off.

Some examples of icebreaker questions include:

• What was the last book you read?
• If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
• Describe yourself in 3 words.
• What was your dream job as a kid?
• What’s your favorite TV show right now?

2. 5 Minute Trivia (Kahoot)

A classic icebreaker game is a quick, simple round of trivia. One option is to host a quick, 5-minute round of trivia on Kahoot just to get the team active and ready for the workday. It could be work-related, or movie or book-themed, for example! A fun idea is to host weekly Trivia based on a different coworker.

3. Personality Quiz

A fun way to get to know your coworkers is through doing personality quizzes! One example could be the 16 Personalities Quiz. This quiz could be a great way to understand your coworkers’ beliefs and values better.

4. Two Truths and a Lie

Have each team member take turns sharing three fun “facts” about themselves: two true things and one that is a lie. The other team members have to take turns guessing which statement is a lie. This is a great game to find out surprising facts about your team members.‍

For a short round, invite a few volunteers to share and others to volunteer guesses. Anyone can pass; avoid private or work-sensitive disclosures. Stop at the agreed timer rather than giving everyone a turn.

5. Draw Your Feelings

For an informal check-in, offer paper and invite people to draw a simple doodle or write a word about how they feel. They can keep it private or pass. Let volunteers share if they want to; don’t interpret anyone’s drawing. Stop at the agreed timer.

Conclusion

In your professional life, finding the right balance between work and play is essential for increased productivity and overall well-being. Our curated list of group activities for adults offers a variety of options to help you unwind, connect, and foster a positive atmosphere within your team or social circles.

We encourage you to explore our recommendations and make your work-life experience not just productive, but also joyous and memorable.