Use these Fun Training Activities to energize your sessions, boost engagement, and make learning enjoyable!
These activities work for both in-person and virtual training and can be adapted to different topics or audiences.
1. Icebreakers?
Purpose: Help participants relax, connect, and get into the learning mindset.
- Two Truths and a Lie:
- Each participant shares two truths and one lie about themselves. The group guesses which is the lie.
- Virtual Tip: Use the chat or polling features in Zoom/Teams.
- Human Bingo:
- Create a bingo card with fun facts (e.g., “Speaks two languages,” “Has been to Europe”). Participants mingle to find someone who matches each box.
- Virtual Tip: Use digital bingo tools like BingoBaker or breakout rooms.
2. Scavenger Hunt????
Purpose: Encourage teamwork and active learning.
- How It Works:
- Create a list of training-related items or concepts for participants to "find."
- Examples:
- In a workplace training, ask participants to find examples of safety violations (e.g., cluttered desks).
- For virtual training, ask participants to find objects in their homes (e.g., "Find an object that represents teamwork").
- Award points to the fastest teams.
3. Role-Playing
Purpose: Practice real-world scenarios in a low-pressure environment.
- How It Works:
- Assign participants specific roles (e.g., customer, employee, manager).
- Create scenarios relevant to the training topic (e.g., resolving a customer complaint, coaching a team member).
- Participants act out the situation while the rest of the group observes and provides feedback.
- Virtual Tip: Use breakout rooms for small groups to role-play privately.
4. Quiz Show?
Purpose: Test knowledge in an exciting and competitive way.
- How It Works:
- Divide participants into teams and create a game-show-style quiz. Use formats like:
- Jeopardy: Create categories and point values.
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?: Use lifelines like "Ask a teammate."
- Tools for Virtual Training:
- Kahoot!, Quizizz, or Mentimeter to create interactive, live quizzes.
5. Case Study Challenge
Purpose: Encourage problem-solving and critical thinking.
- How It Works:
- Present participants with a real-world case study related to the training topic.
- Example: “Your team must increase sales by 10% this quarter with a limited budget. How would you allocate resources?”
- Divide into small groups to brainstorm solutions and present their ideas to the group.
- Virtual Tip: Use collaborative tools like Google Docs, Miro, or Jamboard for brainstorming.
6. Training Pictionary
Purpose: Add fun and creativity while reinforcing learning topics.
- How It Works:
- Write key terms from the training on cards (e.g., "teamwork," "innovation").
- Divide participants into teams. One member of each team draws the term while the others guess.
- Virtual Tip: Use an online whiteboard tool like Miro, Microsoft Whiteboard, or Zoom’s annotate feature.
7. Problem-Solving Relay???
Purpose: Practice collaboration and decision-making.
- How It Works:
- Create a multi-step problem or challenge that requires teamwork to solve.
- Example: “Build a paper tower that can hold a book using only paper and tape.”
- Teams must complete different steps in sequence, passing the challenge to the next person/team.
- Virtual Tip: Use shared documents or collaborative tools to create a relay-style brainstorming activity.
8. Interactive Polls and Surveys
Purpose: Foster engagement while gathering opinions or checking knowledge.
- How It Works:
- Use live polling tools to ask fun or thought-provoking questions related to the training.
- Examples:
- "What’s your biggest workplace challenge?"
- "Which of these habits is most effective for productivity?"
- Tools: Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, Slido.
9. Storytelling Session
Purpose: Help participants connect emotionally with the topic.
- How It Works:
- Ask participants to share a personal story or experience related to the training topic.
- Example: In leadership training, ask, “Share a time when a leader inspired you.”
- Trainer Tip: Start by sharing your own story to encourage participation.
10. Picture This!
Purpose: Boost creativity and understanding of abstract concepts.
- How It Works:
- Ask participants to draw, find, or take a photo that represents a concept.
- Example: “Find an object that symbolizes innovation and explain your choice.”
- Virtual Tip: Encourage participants to share photos in the chat or present them via screen sharing.
11. Learning Escape Room
Purpose: Add excitement and challenge to training.
- How It Works:
- Create a series of puzzles, clues, or riddles learners must solve to "escape."
- Tailor the puzzles to training content (e.g., solving a customer service issue).
- Virtual Tip: Use tools like Google Forms, Microsoft Teams, or breakout rooms to host a virtual escape room.
12. Peer Teaching??
Purpose: Reinforce knowledge by teaching others.
- How It Works:
- Divide participants into small groups and assign each group a subtopic to teach to the rest of the class.
- Encourage creativity (e.g., role-plays, demonstrations, or visual aids).
- Virtual Tip: Assign groups to breakout rooms to prepare, then present to the main group.
13. Debates?
Purpose: Develop critical thinking and communication skills.
- How It Works:
- Divide participants into two teams and assign them opposing sides of an argument.
- Example: “Is remote work better than office work?”
- Encourage teams to present evidence and counterarguments.
- Trainer Tip: Keep the debate friendly and focused on the learning topic.
14. Speed Networking
Purpose: Build connections and share knowledge.
- How It Works:
- Pair participants up for 2-3 minute discussions before rotating to a new partner.
- Provide prompts like:
- “What’s your biggest challenge at work?”
- “What’s one skill you’d like to develop?”
- Virtual Tip: Use breakout rooms to create one-on-one networking sessions.
15. Memory Challenge
Purpose: Reinforce learning and make it fun.
- How It Works:
- Show participants a slide with key concepts or terms for 30 seconds, then hide it.
- Ask them to recall as much as they can from memory.
- Award points for correct answers.
16. Collaborative Poster/Collage?
Purpose: Encourage teamwork and creativity.
- How It Works:
- Provide each group with a poster or digital canvas. Ask them to visually represent a concept from the training (e.g., “What does teamwork look like?”).
- Groups present their creations to the class.
- Virtual Tip: Use collaborative tools like Miro, Jamboard, or Canva.
Tips for Success with Training Activities
- Tie Activities to Learning Objectives: Ensure each activity reinforces key concepts.
- Encourage Participation: Set a friendly, inclusive tone to make everyone comfortable.
- Mix It Up: Use a variety of activities to appeal to different learning styles.
- Debrief After Activities: Discuss key takeaways to connect the activity to the training goals.
- Time Management: Keep activities short and focused (5–20 minutes) to maintain energy.?
These activities will energize your training sessions and make learning both effective and fun!