15 Fall Team Building Activities Your Staff Will Actually Enjoy

The best team building activities are the ones nobody has to be talked into. Put two managers in bungee harnesses racing to fill a bucket with foam apples and the whole company stops working to watch. Put a Family Feud style game show in the cafeteria with survey questions about the office and the quiet team suddenly has opinions. Fall gives you cool weather for the outdoor challenges and a good excuse to move inside when the forecast turns, which is why October is the month most companies get this right.

Here are 15 fall team building activities organized by where they happen: outdoor challenges for a crisp afternoon, indoor options for the cold snaps and the wind-down hour that keeps people talking. Every one of them is rentable from the carnival and picnic games collection at Perfect Parties USA, and each comes with a planning tip on headcount, space or how to score it, whether your office is in Boston, Worcester or Hartford.

Outdoor Challenges for a Fall Afternoon

The competitive pieces, best on a field or a big lot with the leaves down.

1. Bobbing for Apples, Supersized

Bobbing for Apples: Two contestants in bungee harnesses sprint against the tension to fill their buckets with foam apples, and the cord pulls them back just as they reach the next one. It handles about 60 players an hour and needs a 40 by 10 foot lane. Planning Tip: Run it as a bracket by department and put the managers in the first heat. Rent Bobbing for Apples.

2. The Street Ninja Challenge

Street Ninja Challenge: A timed ninja obstacle course that turns any field into a competition show, with a leaderboard the whole company can see. Planning Tip: Time every run and post the top ten; the rematches keep the line full until the light goes. Rent the Street Ninja Challenge.

3. Big Glove Boxing

Big Glove Boxing: Oversized inflatable gloves in an inflatable ring, where the goal is to knock a coworker off balance and the result is always laughter. Planning Tip: Two-minute rounds with a referee volunteer, and pair people from different teams. Rent the Big Glove Boxing.

4. The Bungee Run

Bungee Run: Two runners in bungee harnesses race down parallel lanes to plant a marker as far as the cord allows. Planning Tip: Score the farthest marker per team across three runs so everyone gets a turn. Rent the Bungee Run.

5. Human Pig Racer

Human Pig Racer: Employees in inflatable pig suits race a short course while the crowd cheers. Planning Tip: Run relay heats of four so a whole team races together. Rent the Human Pig Racer.

6. A Corn Maze Relay

Corn Maze Inflatable: A 35 by 40 foot inflatable corn maze run as a relay, with each team member tagging the next at the exit. Planning Tip: Time the whole team, not the individual, and the fast people start coaching the slow ones. Rent the Corn Maze Inflatable.

7. The Field Goal Challenge

Field Goal Challenge: Kick field goals through an inflatable upright from marked distances, the fall activity for a company that follows the season. Planning Tip: Score by distance and run a sudden-death kickoff between the top two teams. Rent the Field Goal Challenge.

Indoor Options for Cold Snaps

When the forecast turns, these move into the cafeteria, the lobby or a function room without losing the competition.

8. A Family Feud Style Game Show

Deluxe Game Show – Survey Says: A hosted Family Feud style show with buzzers, a scoreboard and survey questions written about your own company. Planning Tip: Collect the survey answers from staff two weeks out and the show writes itself. Rent the Deluxe Game Show – Survey Says.

9. A Minute-to-Win-It Style Game Show

In It To Win It Game Show: A hosted show of quick tabletop challenges that anyone can play and nobody can practice for. Planning Tip: Run it in rounds of four teams so every department is on stage at least once. Rent the In It To Win It Game Show.

10. A Trivia Game Show

Game Show Mania: A hosted trivia show with podiums and buzzers, loaded with questions about the company, the industry and the season. Planning Tip: Mix company trivia with general knowledge so the new hires have a chance. Rent the Game Show Mania.

11. Mobile Bowling Lanes

The Lucky Pin Mobile Bowling Lanes: Portable bowling lanes that set up in a function room or a lobby, for a team tournament with a scoreboard. Planning Tip: Score by team average so the beginners matter as much as the ringers. Rent The Lucky Pin Mobile Bowling Lanes.

12. Giant Plinko

Giant Plinko: Drop a puck from the top and the slot decides the prize or the points. Planning Tip: Use it as the tiebreaker at the end of the day, one drop per team. Rent the Giant Plinko.

13. Skee Ball

Skee Ball Pair: Two skee ball lanes side by side, the arcade classic that turns into a head-to-head in seconds. Planning Tip: Run a ladder tournament through the afternoon and post the standings by the coffee. Rent the Skee Ball Pair.

The Wind-Down Hour

The activities that keep people talking after the scoring stops.

14. A Corn Hole Bracket

Corn Hole: Full-size boards and a bracket on a whiteboard, the low-key competition people keep playing while the food comes out. Planning Tip: Seed the bracket by department and let the final decide the day’s overall winner. Rent the Corn Hole set.

15. A Black Light Photo Booth

Black Light Photo Booth: A glow photo booth for the team photos at the end of the day, printed or texted on the spot. Planning Tip: Put the team names and the final standings on the print and the photo becomes the recap email. Rent the Black Light Photo Booth.

How to Choose Fall Team Building Activities for Your Event

Start with your headcount and your weather plan. A team of 30 runs well on three outdoor challenges and one indoor game show, with a bracket that seeds everyone into teams of five; a company of 200 needs six to eight activities running at once so nobody stands in line for more than ten minutes. Book at least three indoor-ready pieces every time, because an October forecast changes on Thursday. The carnival games for adults list adds more competitive pieces, and the fall company party ideas guide covers the family day version of the same afternoon.

As a rule of thumb, plan for one activity per 25 to 30 people and one host-run game show per 100, and keep every round under three minutes so the line moves. Companies across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island book October Fridays early, so reserve the Street Ninja Challenge and the game show first. If you are on the North Shore, the corporate event entertainment in Peabody, MA page shows what is nearby, and the company picnic ideas pillar covers the summer version.

Rent Fall Team Building Activities From Perfect Parties USA

Perfect Parties USA is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and owns hundreds of attractions, including every rentable item on this list, so the games you book are the games that arrive, maintained and ready to play. Every rental includes delivery, professional setup, trained attendants and prizes for staffed games, and complete teardown. We are fully insured, with a certificate of insurance available for venues and schools, and we have produced events of every size across New England and the Northeast for decades, from Massachusetts, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island to New Hampshire and New York.

Ready to get this party started? Contact Perfect Parties USA to talk to one of our Party Pros. Request a Quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best fall team building activities for work?

The best fall team building activities are competitive pieces people do not have to be talked into: the supersized Bobbing for Apples race, the Street Ninja Challenge, Big Glove Boxing and a Corn Maze relay outdoors, and a Family Feud style game show or mobile bowling lanes indoors. Perfect Parties USA runs all of them for companies across New England.

What team building activities work indoors in the fall?

The Family Feud style game show, the In It To Win It show, the trivia game show, mobile bowling lanes, Giant Plinko and skee ball all run in a cafeteria, a lobby or a function room on standard outlets. Book at least three indoor-ready pieces and an October forecast never cancels the day.

How many team building activities do you need for a company event?

Plan for one activity per 25 to 30 people and one hosted game show per 100. A team of 30 runs well on three outdoor challenges and one game show, while a company of 200 needs six to eight activities running at once so nobody waits more than ten minutes. Perfect Parties USA sizes lineups for offices across New England.

Can you rent team building activities for a corporate event?

Yes, every activity in this guide is available to rent, from the Street Ninja Challenge, Big Glove Boxing and Bobbing for Apples to the hosted game shows and the mobile bowling lanes. Rentals from Perfect Parties USA include delivery, professional setup, trained attendants and hosts where needed, and complete teardown.

Does Perfect Parties USA deliver team building rentals in Massachusetts and New England?

Yes, Perfect Parties USA delivers team building rentals across Massachusetts, including Boston and the North Shore, and throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New York. The company is based in Peabody, Massachusetts, owns its inventory and provides a certificate of insurance for offices and venues on request.

Are inflatable games appropriate for a professional team building event?

Inflatable challenges work at professional events because they put everyone on equal footing; the intern and the vice president are equally bad at Big Glove Boxing. Pair two or three of them with a hosted game show, keep rounds under three minutes and score by team, and the afternoon reads as competition rather than a kids’ party.

How far in advance should you book fall team building activities?

Book fall team building activities four to six weeks ahead, and earlier for the Street Ninja Challenge and the hosted game shows, which are reserved first for October Fridays. Booking early with Perfect Parties USA also leaves time to write the company-specific survey and trivia questions.