Company recreation ideas everyone can enjoy!
In today’s world, our connections with others have grown weaker.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, and many people found themselves interacting with others even less.
The same is true within companies.
It’s said that when interactions decrease and internal communication drops, it can negatively affect performance.
If you want to boost communication and energize your workplace, in-house recreational activities are highly recommended.
In this article, we’ll introduce some recommended internal recreation ideas.
They’re perfect not only for addressing communication gaps among employees but also for connecting with new hires.
Let’s have fun together and make our company even better!
- Recommended indoor games and recreational activities for the workplace
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- Fun activities that liven up the office: recreation games
- Games that liven up social and networking gatherings
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- [For Adults] Exciting Bus Recreation
- A fun, everyone-joins-in game that gets everyone excited!
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
- Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up your welcome event
- Recommended games for team building: How to create a team that can perform at its best
- Recommended games and activities for five people
- A roundup of recreational activities for having fun with colored balls
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for spring
Fun for everyone! Recommended company/team-building activities (11–20)
Curry party
We often make curry at camps and for school extracurricular activities, don’t we? Even with so many varieties, you can basically make it as long as you have potatoes, onions, carrots, some meat, and curry roux, so its convenience is probably why it’s so popular.
So, how about a curry party with everyone at the company? If you split into a few teams by department and cook, Team 1 could make keema curry, Team 2 an Indian-style curry, and so on—dividing up different types would definitely make it lively.
If rain is in the forecast, I recommend a house studio with kitchen facilities.
Another plus is that very few people can’t eat curry!
Quiz tournament
I believe the more smiles people share, the closer they become.
That’s why I recommend a quiz contest for mixers or recreational events.
It’s funny how everyone ends up smiling whether they get the answer right or wrong.
You can buy a quiz book from a store, but it also sounds fun to have each group come up with their own questions.
Even the time spent making the quiz starts to feel like a recreational activity.
Team battles or individual matches both work, and offering small prizes will make it even more exciting.
For this day only, let’s drop the titles—no section chiefs or department heads—and keep it casual.
If you prepare a toy that makes a “ding-dong” sound for true/false judgments, it’ll really boost the mood!
Bubble Soccer
You see bubble soccer a lot on variety shows.
It’s something you want to try at least once, right? If you have a futsal court and those bubble suits for bubble soccer, it actually seems pretty easy to set up! In that case, your company recreation activity is decided—bubble soccer it is! Since your upper body movement is restricted in bubble soccer, even if you fall, the bubble absorbs the impact, so it’s safe.
Veteran employees and female employees can all have fun together! On a futsal court, teams of about 4-on-4 might be the most enjoyable.
Make your own rules and go all out!
paper tower
A classic activity for team-building recreation is the paper tower challenge.
Using 30 sheets of A4 paper, the team that builds the tallest tower wins.
There are also a few detailed rules, such as “no cutting or gluing” and “no materials other than paper.” The flow of the game is: first, a 5-minute strategy meeting; then 5 minutes to actually build the tower; and finally, measuring the tower’s height.
Because the game involves discussing and deciding on the tower-building strategy and each member’s role during the strategy meeting, followed by each member quickly carrying out their tasks—much like real work—it’s a perfect fit for team building among working professionals.
Word Wolf
Word Wolf is a tabletop game where the fun comes from reading each other through conversation.
Players who receive cards with the common word are the Citizens (majority), and those who receive a card with a different word are the Wolves (minority).
Everyone talks while keeping their words secret, and the Citizens try to identify the Wolves based on discrepancies in the discussion.
At the end, everyone votes at once: if the top vote-getter is a Wolf, the Citizens win; if a Citizen gets the most votes, the Wolves win.
There’s also a rule that allows a comeback—if a Wolf gets the most votes but correctly guesses the Citizens’ word, the Wolves can turn the tables.
Because the game trains your ability to catch subtle differences in how people speak, it can also help strengthen communication skills.
Water Battle
If you’re looking for a perfect summer recreation activity, this water battle is highly recommended.
Although “Water Battle” is provided by IKUSA Inc., it’s also fun to create a similar recreation activity on your own.
The rules are simple: it’s like a survival game with water guns—if you get hit by a water gun, you lose.
There are multiple ways to play: team matches where the team that gets completely taken out loses, or the team that loses its base loses, as well as free-for-all battle royale-style solo matches.
foam party
At a club-style event where people enjoy music and dance, it might be fun to deepen friendships with your friends from time to time.
If you add one extra element, even people who aren’t fond of the typical club atmosphere might find it easier to join.
Imagine flooding the space with bubbles from a bubble machine—everyone gets covered, and a surreal scene unfolds before your eyes.
While foam parties are often held in music-and-dance settings, incorporating one into an event like a sports day could create a different vibe and be a lot of fun.
baseball tournament
When it comes to recreational activities that employees of all ages can enjoy together, baseball is a must.
Many people played baseball as kids, and some employees may even have been on school teams.
If you set up a league for experienced players and another for beginners, everyone can have fun.
It’s a major sport both to watch and to play, so it’s perfect for casual enjoyment and strengthening bonds among employees.
You can find plenty of bookable spots like riverside fields and baseball grounds, so try looking for a suitable venue.
Fishing Tournament
If you feel like “co-op games with everyone are fine, but they never quite get exciting…,” we recommend a fishing tournament.
Unlike the usual indoor games, an activity that engages with nature feels fresh and invigorating.
The great thing about fishing is that even beginners can enjoy it together.
If experienced participants teach newcomers how to handle the gear and how to fish, it naturally fosters communication regardless of workplace hierarchy.
And if you can cap it off with a meal using the fish you caught, you’ll likely build even deeper connections.
Disaster Preparedness Sports Day
Do you conduct disaster preparedness drills? The kind where everyone just shuffles out of the building in a single file is pretty boring, right? So how about holding a company-wide Disaster Preparedness Sports Day instead? You take drills that are usually serious and difficult and run them in a sports day format.
With events like a fire extinguisher target-shooting contest or a speed bandaging race, you can train seriously while still having fun.
You could make a simple shower out of a milk carton, turn the walking route home into a quiz, and so on—there are surprisingly many possible events.
There are also several videos about Disaster Preparedness Sports Days uploaded online, so be sure to check them out for reference!