Recommended indoor games and recreational activities for the workplace
We’re introducing recommended indoor games and recreational activities you can enjoy at the office!
Good communication with your coworkers is essential to keeping work running smoothly.
But with everyone so busy, many people end up “only talking about work,” don’t they?
If you feel like it’s hard to ask for help or there’s no one you can consult with, we recommend trying some recreational games.
These days, opportunities like icebreakers—aimed at building rapport with those around you—are becoming more common.
By playing together and sharing enjoyable moments, conversations will naturally increase, and your work may become easier too!
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Fun activities that liven up the office: recreation games
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- [Part 2] Recommended Indoor Activities and Recreation Games for December
- Games that liven up social and networking gatherings
- Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up your welcome event
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- [For Adults] Fun recreational games. Perfect for short breaks too!
- Brain-teasing game roundup
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
Recommended indoor office games and recreational activities (1–10)
Pose Matching Game
It’s a “pose matching game” where you strike a pose that fits the given prompt, and if your pose matches your partner’s, you win! For example, if the prompt is “What pose represents baseball?”, what pose would you choose? A pitcher’s pose, or a batter’s pose? It sounds simple, but getting an exact match might be trickier than you think!
Hula hoop down
In “Hula Hoop Down,” everyone holds a hula hoop using only one index finger per person.
Rather than gripping it, rest it on your index fingers.
Then, as a group, crouch down little by little and try to lower the hula hoop to the ground without upsetting its balance or dropping it.
If you can land it on the ground, you’ve succeeded.
It’s trickier than you’d think!
Telephone game
The “telephone game” that was often played in elementary and middle school.
Communicating accurately using only words might be relatively easy for society at large.
However, with a few twists—banning gestures, using longer words, or switching to English—it can be enjoyable even for adults.
If you play it in the office, it helps build accurate communication skills, teamwork, and listening skills.
It’s recommended when you want to strengthen teamwork or improve the atmosphere.
Recommended Indoor Office Games and Recreational Activities (11–20)
NG word game
The “NG Word Game” is played by each person sticking a piece of paper with an NG (forbidden) word on their forehead, visible to everyone else.
If you say your own NG word during the conversation, you lose.
Use skillful conversation to coax others into saying their NG words.
Of course, you don’t know your own NG word, so be careful not to be tricked into saying it!
human disentanglement puzzle
In the “Human Knot” game, all participants first form a circle facing inward.
With their right hand, they each grasp the hand of someone who is not standing next to them.
Then they do the same with their left hand, again choosing someone who is not next to them.
From this tangled position, they work to untangle themselves until they form one large circle.
You can also make it a team competition and race against the clock.
Without Katakana
We use katakana for many names in daily life.
Katakana is familiar, but let’s try playing without using it.
First, show items that have katakana names and have people describe them without using katakana.
For example, for “pen,” someone might answer, “something you write with that isn’t a pencil.” It’s a game where you shift your thinking a bit, describe the given topic without using katakana, and have others guess.
If the topic is “game,” you could describe it as “something where you use your fingertips to control characters on the screen.” From there, everyone tries to guess the topic together.
Explaining with your current vocabulary makes for a good brain exercise.
Picture shiritori
Games you can play in short spare moments are popular too, right? If you’re looking for something like that, I recommend this game: “Picture Shiritori.” The basic rule is to play the classic time-killer shiritori using drawings.
Since the quality of the drawings can make it unclear what’s being depicted, you’ll sometimes need to guess what the picture is.
