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
- Liven up even first meetings! A collection of fun games perfect for welcome parties
- 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 games and recreational activities at the office (21–30)
Minority wins! The Minority Game
This is a game where the people who choose the minority—the less popular answer—win.
First, split into groups and set a prompt and two choices.
Since there are only two options, pick one based on your own thinking.
After choosing, hold a debate—i.e., a discussion—within your group about the prompt.
After the discussion, think again about which option to choose as your answer, then everyone reveals their choice at the same time.
If you picked the minority answer at that moment, you win; if you picked the majority answer, you lose.
Does an English conversation telephone game work?
Let’s try playing a game of telephone in English, where each person passes along the same phrase to the next! First, present an English sentence as the prompt.
It’s recommended to have an AI tool read it aloud rather than a person pronouncing it directly.
The first person listens to the sentence and passes it on to the next person.
If the last person can accurately state what the original English sentence was and provide its Japanese translation, the group succeeds.
You could also make the sentence a question and have the last person give an appropriate answer to that question.
It’s a fun communication game that will make you laugh while also testing everyone’s English skills.
Recommended Indoor Office Games and Recreational Activities (31–40)
No equipment needed! Air catch ball
“Air Catch,” a make-believe game of tossing an imaginary ball without any props, is a very simple team-building activity.
Participants form a circle.
Someone calls another person’s name while miming a throw of the “air ball,” and the next person pretends to catch it and continues in the same way.
The rules are: make eye contact and call the person’s name before you throw.
Once everyone gets used to it, you can increase the difficulty by tossing multiple balls at once or speeding things up.
It builds communication skills and concentration and gets people laughing, making it great for training icebreakers and strengthening team cohesion.
It takes about 5–15 minutes, so give it a try!
Straw Tower
The straw tower is a game where you compete to see how tall a tower you can build using straws, and its high degree of freedom really puts your strategy to the test.
It’s typically played by collaborating over a long time limit, where sharing ideas and dividing roles are key points.
If the tower isn’t freestanding when time is up, it’s a failure, so work together while managing your time wisely.
Balancing opinions can be tricky too—progress stalls when views clash, but leaving everything to others isn’t good either.
Do-Re-Mi Song Game
Many people probably sang “Do-Re-Mi” during music class when they were students.
The “Do-Re-Mi Song Game” is a recreation that uses that very song.
You’re given specific notes from the Do-Re-Mi scale, and you have to instantly sing the melody and lyrics for that pitch.
Because you have to sing on the spot, the pitch or lyrics often come out a bit funny—which is part of the fun.
late hand in rock-paper-scissors
A normal rock-paper-scissors game is too easy! In that case, try playing “after-the-fact rock-paper-scissors.” The leader plays as usual by saying “Jan-ken-pon” and showing rock, paper, or scissors.
The participants must then respond after seeing it and beat that hand.
Because you have to instantly recognize what the leader showed and choose the winning hand, it’s trickier than it sounds.
A few people will slip up and lose or end in a tie.
Try turning it into a knockout format or speeding it up to increase the difficulty and have fun!
Lyrics Shiritori Game
A fun game where you play shiritori using song lyrics.
Sing a line from a song, then continue with lyrics from another song that start with the last character of the previous line.
It’s great for everyone from kids to adults—you’ll recall familiar tunes and discover new ones.
Not only for people who love singing, it’s also a chance to encounter songs you don’t know.
Perfect for karaoke, parties, and school activities.
Even those who aren’t confident singers will naturally smile—simple yet surprisingly deep.
Put your musical knowledge and creativity to use and have fun playing!