8 of the Best October Team Building Ideas

Let’s face it… Keeping your team motivated and engaged is not always easy. Especially when you consider that employee engagement begins to dip in the fall as summer concludes and winter approaches. 

To help you stay ahead of the curve at this time of year, we’ve listed our top 8 October team building ideas that are sure to get your employees excited about coming back to work after a season of vacations and long weekends. 

From spooky-themed activities to interactive storytelling experiences, there’s something for every team size and budget. Here are 8 of the best October team building ideas that you cannot afford to miss…

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Some of the most memorable fall team building events happen in the dark. From blindfolded walking to navigating a maze with a partner, there’s a lot of potential for creativity inside a blacked-out room. 

Get to know our team building activities.

One of the best October team building ideas is to organize a Blackout Bowling Session. This can be done indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather. Simply put the lights out in the bowling alley or mark a lane off with a piece of tape to make it a blackout lane! 

For a fun DIY option, plastic water bottles filled with water and activated glow sticks can be used for the bowling pins and soccer balls can be used as the bowling ball. Take it up a notch and bowl a hamster wheel filled with glow sticks or a glow-in-the-dark ball. 

You can also try a Blackout Scavenger Hunt. This Halloween-inspired team building idea works well in both indoor and outdoor settings. Use blackout paint to create cryptic clues that will lead your teams to find hidden items or take pictures that reveal the next step of the hunt when the lights come back on.

Go on a Virtual Adventure

Virtual reality team building activities are more popular than ever. From exploring a haunted house to walking into a cemetery, there are now plenty of VR adventure games that can be played by individuals or teams. One of the best October team building ideas is to organize a VR Scavenger Hunt. 

This team building activity can be played inside or out, depending on your team’s preferences. Simply create a list of items that each team has to find in the VR world. You can pick any VR world you like and even let your employees choose what they want to explore. This gives them a chance to explore a new world in a new way.

Other popular ideas include virtual reality based themed murder mysteries that take place on a train, at the mansion, or on the ski slopes.

Play Some Games

One of the best October team building ideas is to host a board game afternoon. Not only is this a great way to bring the team together, but it’s also a great way to learn more about your coworkers in a casual setting. You can host a board game afternoon in the office or at a nearby coffee shop. 

Another team building idea is to organize a competitive field day or olympic games tournament between different departments inside your organization. This is a great way to bring employees together from different parts of the company and build a sense of camaraderie between teams. There are plenty of game options that can be played indoors and outdoors. 

Have an Escape Room Experience

Escape rooms are one of the best October team building ideas you can use to encourage collaboration and problem-solving skills among your employees. You can create a themed escape room or select one that’s less Halloween-focused and more generic. 

An outdoor escape room experience works particularly well when you have a large team to accommodate. You can also try hosting an indoor escape room event and have smaller team sizes participate. Escape rooms are great for team building because they are often challenging enough to really get employees working together to solve the puzzles. 

If you don’t have the resources to create your own, Onyx offers multiple escape room options and we can handle the planning for you.

Organize a Fitness Activity

Another great October team building idea is to organize a fitness-focused event. This could be anything from a running club to a crossfit class. 

Organizing a fitness activity gives your team members a chance to explore new ways to get fit and stay healthy while having fun with their coworkers at the same time. Take it up a notch with a full day of wellness and reinvigoration activities, including speakers and multiple wellness workshops.

Wellness at work is essential.

Try an Art Activity

Art is a great way to bring team members together and help them learn more about each other as people. One of the best October team building ideas is to organize a team art night. You can choose a specific theme, such as Halloween art or pumpkin carving, or let your employees choose something they want to create. 

This is a great opportunity for employees to show off their creative skills and bond while having fun together. 

For the Foodies: A Cooking Class Together

Food is always a great team building activity. One of the best October team building ideas is to organize a cooking class for your employees. You can choose a specific holiday cuisine to learn or let your team members pick the cooking class they want to attend. Cooking is a great way to bring people together and help them get to know each other better. 

Cooking classes are great because you can cook together in person or from your remote workspace with a virtual cooking class.

Learn about our special activities and celebrate the holidays with your team.

Another great team building idea is to organize a food truck rally. This is a fun way to bring your team together while sampling different types of food at the same time. You can organize this event at a nearby food truck park or let your employees choose the type of food they want to try.

Add a Little Competition

Another great October team building idea is to organize a Halloween thematic obstacle course. This can be done indoors or outdoors and works well for team building events of all sizes. You can either have your employees do the obstacle course as a team or break them up into smaller groups to compete against each other. This is a great way to get employees moving and let them have some fun outside the office while building camaraderie.

October is a great time to get your team together for a team building event and boost morale. There are plenty of fun and creative ideas to choose from and a lot of them will work well throughout other parts of the year as well. With these October team building ideas, you’re sure to get your team excited about coming back to work and ready to tackle the new season ahead.

At Onyx, we create the best experiences for a successful and fun team building that will spread the spirit of camaraderie in this fun season. Do not hesitate to contact us to find the perfect adventure for your team.