Relay Race Ideas for Team Building

Relay races help teams work together better and are fun team building activities focused on physical action. These games are classic for good reason.

They promote teamwork, group effort, and communication, inspiring players to work together towards a common goal. Your employees can take the skills they utilize in these races back to the workplace, strengthening your team. Besides, they’re just plain fun!

Traditional relay races are great, but if you want unique ideas for team building, we have some creative suggestions for you. In this article, we’ll explore some of our favorite relay races you’ve never heard of.

Our Favorite Relay Race Ideas for Team Building

Woman Playing Wet Sponge Relay: Relay Race Ideas for Team Building

Relay Races for Large Groups

Ball Hug Relay: Participants race with a ball between their knees to a line and back.
Beach Ball Relay: Teams carry a beach ball to a cone and back without using their hands.
Duck Foot Relay: Players wear duck feet, quacking and circling a chair before passing them.
Pizza Box Relay: Teams stack and carry pizza boxes, increasing the stack size each time.
Wet Sponge Relay: Teams pass wet sponges back and forth in the relay race
Bottle Fill Relay: Teams race to fill a bottle using sponges dipped in water.
Water Bucket Relay: Teams transfer water between buckets using cups, with added difficulty by poking holes.
CEO Relay Race: Participants must clip on a tie and don a suit jacket, run the race, and tag in their next team member to do the same.
Scavenger Hunt Relay: Players get clues, find objects, then tag the next player to find their object.
Drum Rhythm Relay: Teams race in a relay. The first member runs to drums, the second plays a rhythm, and the third member keeps running.
Basketball Dribble Relay: Participants dribble their ball to the finish line, then tag in the next player to do the same
Bike Build Relay: Teams are assigned different tasks to build a bike for charity, with whoever finishes the bike first winning the race.
LEGO Build Relay: Teams compete to build a specific structure using selected Lego bricks. Each team member has a role in constructing a part of the structure before passing it to the next teammate. This process continues until the entire structure is completed.

Man Playing Water Gun Relay: Team Building Relay Race Ideas

Fun Relay Race Games for Medium Groups

Big Squirt Relay: Teams race to fill a bucket using water guns from a dispenser.
Spin Me Relay: Players spin around 10 times with their chin on a bat or broom. Then, they throw it down and jump over it. Finally, they tag the next player to do the same.
Chopstick Relay: Teams use chopsticks to pick up rubber chickens and transfer them.
Cotton Ball Relay: Players use Vaseline on their noses to transfer cotton balls without hands.
Egg & Spoon Relay: Teams race carrying an egg/apple on a spoon without dropping it.
Scooter Relay Race: Teams race scooters in a course, switching roles halfway through.
Sponge Soak Relay: Teams pass wet sponges overhead, squeezing them at the end.
Water Shoot Relay: Teams use water guns to knock a foam ball off a cone.
Banana Relay: Teams race with a banana in fun ways. They can hold it under their armpit or balance it on their head.
Charades Relay: Participants act out a given charade, tagging in the next member of their team to do the same.
Drum Solo Relay: Players line up to perform drum solos back to back.
Karaoke Relay: Teams must tag in their players to sing the next line in a popular song (perfect for an 80s themed company picnic!)
Paddleboard Relay: Participants paddleboard to reach the finish line, then go back and give their board to the next players.
Hippity Hop Relay Races: Players use Hippity Hop Balls to complete the race, tagging each other in as they finish their laps.

Team Playing Cup Stack Relay: Our Favorite Relay Race Ideas

Relay Race Ideas for Small Groups

Mummy Wrap Relay: Participants take turns wrapping and unwrapping others in toilet paper and running to a traffic cone.
Clothes Relay: Teams race while wearing oversized clothes, passing them on.
Clown Relay: Players take turns donning a clown wig or nose and racing to the finish line by tricycle.
Letter Block Relay: Teams race to collect cardboard rolls spelling “Field Day Fun” and unscramble them.
Cup Stack Relay: Participants take turns cup stacking, with each teammate having 30 seconds to stack their cups.
Squirt Bottle Race: Teams use squirt bottles to move a ping pong ball or balloon across a line.
Three Armed Art: Players with tied arms must open paint cans, pour paint, and paint a wall together.
Three-Legged Relay: Players race with their legs tied to each other, passing on to the next player.
Puzzle Relay: Teams work on specific sections of a puzzle before passing it on in a relay.
Dance Off Relay: Players tag each teammate in a “dance battle” against the other team’s player, who is doing the same.
Waiter Relay Race: Teams carry Ping-Pong balls on plates waiter-style in a relay.
Cookie Decorating Relay: Players take turns doing frosting, sprinkles, and other decorations on cookies.
Surfing Relay: Participants take turns surfing to a floating finish line.

Water Balloon Toss at a Team Building Picnic

Personalized Relay Race Ideas & Team Building Expertise

We believe the most meaningful team building experiences are tailored to your particular team and workplace. Here at A Company Picnic, we’ve planned extraordinary, impactful team building activities for companies nationwide. We’d love to collaborate with you and find the perfect relay race ideas for team building for your company. We have offices nationwide. Whether you’re holding a Will Rogers State Park picnic or a picnic in one of Chicago’s iconic parks, we are here for you.

If you’d like to speak with our event coordinators, fill out the form below to be connected. We bring everything you need to the table for a meaningful and fun team building experience.