Here is our list of New Year’s team building activities.
New Year’s team building activities are games, events and experiences that you do to build teams on or around New Year’s. For example, you could do a quick round of icebreaker questions, play some New Year’s tradition themed trivia, or make a time capsule. Leaders use these activities to create connectivity in the workplace.
These activities come soon after holiday team building activities and can be part of Christmas spirit week at work.
This list includes:
- New Year’s team building activities for in-person meetings
- New Year’s team building activities for virtual meetings
- New Year’s team building activities for small groups
- New Year’s team building activities for large groups
Let’s get into it!
List of New Year’s Team Building Activities
From end of year superlatives and time capsules to gratitude cards and creating a team photo album, here are some of the best New Year’s team building activities.
1. Wall of Wins
A wall of wins, also known as a success wall, is a team building activity that can help groups of people become more aware of their accomplishments and recognize each other for their hard work over the last year.
The activity involves everyone in the group writing down their successes on a poster or large chalkboard. This activity allows everyone to reflect on the team’s successes, as well as their individual accomplishments. This visual representation can help foster a sense of pride and collective accomplishment, as well as encourage open dialogue between team members.
This activity can be done in-person or virtually for groups of any size.
2. End of Year Superlatives
The office superlative team building activity is a great way to get to know your colleagues on a more personal level. This activity works by having each employee write down a superlative they would give to another employee. This title can be anything from “most likely to be successful” to “best dressed.” All the superlatives are then placed in a basket and each employee takes turns picking out one and reading it aloud.
The goal of this activity is to create an atmosphere of appreciation and recognition for each team member. By recognizing each other’s strengths, employees can gain a greater understanding of one another and build stronger relationships. Additionally, this activity can motivate employees to strive for excellence in their work.
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3. Guess the New Year’s Resolution
Guess the New Year’s Resolution is a great way to get everyone to talk about their aspirations and goals for the coming year. The activity is also a great way to get to know your teammates better, as many people feel more comfortable talking about their resolutions in a group setting.
The activity is simple. Each person in the team takes turns writing down their resolution on a piece of paper. Once everyone has written down their resolution, the papers are collected and shuffled. Then, each person takes turns guessing who wrote the resolution they have in their hand.
This activity is an effective way to bring teams closer together as they discuss and share their individual goals. The experience also serves as a great reminder of the importance of setting goals, and provides a way for team members to encourage each other to stay on track throughout the upcoming year.
4. Create a Time Capsule
Time capsule team building activities are an excellent way to foster team spirit and collaboration among your team members. Creating a time capsule is a fun, creative and unique way to bring your team together and help them bond while also allowing them to reflect on the year that has just passed.
A time capsule team building activity involves creating a time capsule that will be opened at a later date. This setup can be done in a variety of ways, such as having each team member write a letter to their future selves, or having the team come up with ideas for items to put in the capsule that represent the team and its values. Once all the items have been collected, they are sealed in an airtight container and buried or stored away until the time comes to open it.
The time capsule is also a great way to document the team’s progress over time. By opening the capsule at a later date, you can look back and see how far the team has come and how much everyone has learned and grown together over the year.
5. New Year’s Debrief
One popular way to wrap up the year and kick off the new one is through a New Year’s debrief team building activity. This activity is designed to bring teams together to reflect on their successes and challenges from the past year and to look forward to the opportunities and challenges of the new year.
The activity can be as simple or as complex as you would like it to be. You can start by having each team member share their thoughts and feelings about the past year, including their successes and challenges. You can even ask these team members to think of one thing they would like to accomplish in the following year. From there, you can move into a discussion about the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Ask team members to brainstorm ideas on how they can work together to improve their performance and to strengthen the team’s overall morale. Make sure that everyone has a chance to share their ideas and to be part of the conversation.
Finally, you can wrap up the activity by having team members come up with a plan of action for the upcoming year. This plan can include setting goals, identifying areas for improvement, and creating a timeline for how the team will achieve their goals.
6. Gratitude Cards
Gratitude cards are a great way to bring your team closer together and foster positive relationships. These cards also help boost morale and encourage more productive collaboration. A gratitude card team building activity is a great way to show appreciation for each other and recognize the value that each team member brought to the team over the last year.
The activity begins by having each team member write out a few sentences expressing gratitude for another team member. These messages can be as simple as “I appreciate you for your hard work and dedication” or as detailed as you like to include specific things he or she has done over the last year. Once all the cards have been written, the team can take turns reading them aloud. This process will allow everyone to hear the kind words and express their own gratitude in response.
Here is a list of employee appreciation quotes to include in your cards..
7. Create a Team Photo Album
Team photo albums are a great way to build team spirit and create a lasting memory of the team with photos from the previous year. This fun team building activity can be used to encourage collaboration, foster creativity, and strengthen relationships.
Encourage the team to submit their photos of the group from the last year. Ask each team member to provide a description of their photo, which will give the album a personal touch. Then, gather the photos together and arrange them in the album. A virtual album is a simple way to complete the project in the most affordable and easily accessible way.
Lastly, the team should review the album together. Participants can share their thoughts and stories about the photos. This process will help colleagues bond and build relationships. Creating a team photo album is a fun activity that the team can look back on for years to come.
8. New Year’s Tradition Round Robin
The New Year’s Tradition Round Robin activity is an interactive game that requires little to no preparation and can be done by teams of any size. The activity is perfect for companies looking to get employees to know each other better and build strong relationships in the workplace.
The way the round robin works is simple: each team member takes turns sharing their favorite New Year’s tradition. This share-out can be anything from a resolution activity, a tradition that the person loves to do each year, or anything else that they think would be a great way to start off the year.
Once everyone has shared their ideas, the group can then discuss each one, expanding on the idea or offering suggestions to help make it more achievable. This process allows employees to engage with each other and come up with creative ideas that they can all work towards. This team-building activity is a great way to get the year started off on a positive note.
9. Best of the Year Lists
This best of the year lists activity encourages collaboration, creativity, and friendly competition, while also allowing team members to learn more about one another.
To get started, brainstorm a list of categories that your team can create a “Best of the Year” list for. Some examples could include: best movie, best restaurant, best album, best vacation spot, best work accomplishment, best team moment, or best team member. You can also get creative and create a unique list of categories specific to your team or industry.
Team members should research or think about each category and come up with their own personal “Best of the Year” list. This activity can be done individually or as a team. Once all of the lists have been completed, have each team member take turns presenting their list and explaining why they chose the items they did. This activity is a great way to learn more about each team member’s interests and preferences, and it also encourages participants to think critically about the previous year.
10. New Years Trivia
Trivia is a fun, competitive activity that can be done in a variety of ways for a great team building experience.
First, you could host trivia with questions about New Year’s Eve customs and traditions around the world. Questions can focus on everything from the origins of the holiday to the foods traditionally served.
Another interesting New Years trivia could revolve around the team’s challenges and successes over the last year. This format encourages the group to reflect on the last year while also looking forward to the next year.
For any of these trivia games, players can work in teams or individually and the team or person with the most correct answers wins. New Year’s trivia can be a great way to get everyone in the spirit of the holidays and add some extra fun to the evening.
Here is a list of trivia ideas for adults.
11. Create a New Year’s Playlist
This New Year’s team building activity is centered around creating a New Year’s playlist. This activity encourages your team to work together and think creatively while having fun.
To start, have each member of the team pick out three of their favorite songs that best capture the spirit of the new year. These songs can be anything from pop hits to classic favorites. Make sure everyone is aware that they should come up with songs that will lift the mood and bring out the fun in the room.
Once everyone has chosen their songs, you can create a collaborative Spotify playlist or another streaming service playlist. Have each member of the team add their three songs. As the playlist is being created, you can also encourage conversation by asking questions like: What does this song make you think of? How does it make you feel? What do you think the message of the song is? This type of discussion helps to further encourage collaboration and understanding between team members, while also providing a fun and relaxed environment.
This type of team-building activity is an excellent way to help your team start the new year with a positive outlook and an appreciation for one another. With the right songs and a little bit of creativity, your team will be ready to tackle the year ahead.
Final Thoughts
No matter the size of your team, New Year’s team building activities are a great way to encourage camaraderie and success in the new year. This list of ideas for New Year’s team building activities will help you create a fun and thought provoking experience for your team.
Next, check out this list of virtual New Year’s ideas and these virtual Chinese New Year’s ideas for work.
Grace He