Mar 17, 2025
Staying connected in a remote environment can be hard. Especially for small groups, team members can feel isolated without face-to-face interaction. Here’s the good news! Many team-building ideas are both free and virtual. They can help bring teams together, improve communication, and boost morale. Read about the full benefits of team building activities here. Below, we’ve compiled some of the best team-building ideas for small groups. Read on!
Virtual Team Building Ideas for Small Groups
For smaller teams, it’s important to choose activities that allow everyone to actively engage. Through the play, members should feel heard, empowered, and connected.
1. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Virtual scavenger hunts can be fast-pace and entertaining. It encourages players to think actively and play creatively. The host names a thing (e.g., “something red” or “your favorite coffee mug”), and players scramble to find it in their home and display it on camera. You can put a time limit on each round, giving points for speed and creativity.
2. Virtual Photo Hunt
This is a fun twist of the scavenger hunt. Instead of scavenging for objects, participants are given a list of prompts (e.g., “A picture of a childhood vacation” or “A funny pet photo”) in advance of the meeting. At the beginning of the game, everyone shows her chosen image and its story. It’s great for igniting storytelling and personal connection.
Team Building Apps allow Players to take photo, upload, and access to check out each other’s work. Perfect for Virtual Photo Hunt, interested? Read more here!
3. Two Truths and a Lie
In this activity, each team member shares three statements about themselves — two of them true and one false. The rest of the group has to guess which statement is the lie. The game encourages conversation and laughter and gives teammates a chance to learn about one another.
Workplace Virtual Team Building Ideas
These activities can be great opportunities for teams seeking workplace-friendly virtual activities that encourage bonding, relationship-building, and professional development.
4. Speed Networking Roulette
Use a randomizer to pair team members in one-on-one breakout rooms for short conversations (2-3 minutes). Before they switch pairs, have them answer a fun icebreaker question. This is particularly beneficial for relationship-building in new teams.
Randomizing and pairing people into teams can be a hassle. But Deckle can do it for you. Each member will be assigned an Emoji and team up automatically with each other. Read about the pairing tool here
5. Virtual Coffee Breaks
Set up short, informal video calls where team members can talk over coffee. You can randomly pair employees or host open “drop-in” coffee sessions to recreate the casual office vibe.
6. Department Knowledge Quiz
Create a quiz about different departments in your company. Ask employees questions to assess their knowledge of roles, projects, and company trivia. This will encourage awareness and engagement across the team.
Team-building apps can list prompts, let players answer, and collect responses for review. Check out the 5 best apps and find one that suits you.
7. Collaborative Playlist
Have team members submit their go-to work jams to a shared playlist. This is a fun way to bond over music and boost productivity. Check out the video guide on how to create a collaborative playlist on Spotify.
8. Desk Décor Challenge
Choose a theme (e.g., “Minimalist workspace” or “most creative setup”) and have employees showcase their workspaces. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about teammates’ personalities and styles.
9. Remote Escape Room
Try an online escape room where teams solve puzzles to “escape” within a set time. There are free options available, like Enchambered Escape Rooms, that make for a fun problem-solving challenge.
Create your own team-building activity using Deckle’s Amazing Race!
Virtual Team Building Ideas for Building Trust
To foster stronger relationships and trust, these activities encourage openness, teamwork, and deeper conversations.
10. Gratitude Circle
Each team member takes turns sharing one thing they appreciate about another teammate. This simple yet powerful activity boosts morale and strengthens connections.
11. The Failure Story Exchange
Normalize learning from mistakes by having team members share a past professional failure and what they learned from it. This activity builds psychological safety and encourages growth.
12. Who Said It?
Before the meeting, ask employees to submit anonymous quotes about workplace values or experiences. The team then guesses who said each quote. This game can help reinforce company culture in a lighthearted way.
13. Shared Virtual Vision Board
Use a digital tool like Canva or Miro to create a shared board where team members add personal or professional goals. This helps align team motivation and aspirations.
14. Guided Meditation & Reflection
A short, 5-10 minute meditation session can help reduce stress and refocus the team. Use Insight Timer for free guided meditation sessions.
Free Virtual Team Building Apps for Small Groups
Budget concerns should not be a barrier to hosting effective team-building activities. The free ones are just as good as the paid alternatives. This is when team-building apps come into play. They are usually free and can apply to most situations. For example, Deckle is perfect for pairing people into small groups, and it is free for groups under 20 people. Check out the best 5 team building apps and find one that suits you best.
Final Thoughts
Virtual team-building games help build trust and strengthen connections. For those wanting to engage with friends, family members, or workmates, our ideas should kickstart the journey and bring everyone close. Which one do you want to try first?
