Brainstorming Warmup Activities: 6 Games to Boost Your Team’s Creativity

#1: 30 Circles

Objective

• Draw as many objects as you can using 30 circles on a piece of paper.

Tools Required

• Writing utensil
• Paper
• Timer
• An open mind!

How It’s Done

• Have the team bring something to write with & a piece of paper.
• Instruct them to draw 30 circles on their piece of paper.
• Set a timer for 3 minutes. Have the team work individually or in pairs to draw as many recognizable objects as they can using the circles.
• After 3 minutes are up, have the team regroup and discuss their creations together.

Bonus Tips

• Allow the team to use multiple colors to really allow their creativity to flourish.
• There are no rules! Team members can think outside the box (or outside the circle for that matter) and draw outside the lines, use multiple circles for one creation, etc. The possibilities are endless!
• For an extra challenge, have the team create objects within a certain theme. For example, if you’re brainstorming a campaign for a sports team – the team is only allowed to draw objects that have to do with sports.

#2: Wordle

Objective

• Try to solve the 5 letter mystery word.

Tools Required

• Computer or smartphone

OR 

• Whiteboard
• 3 different colored markers

How It’s Done

• Inform the team that they will be working to guess the mystery 5 letter word in 6 or fewer guesses. The kicker? You have no starting point. You’ll have to come up with a random 5 letter word at first and use the color coding to determine your next guess.
  • Letters in GRAY mean that the letter is not in the word.
  • Letters in YELLOW mean that the letter is in the word, but is in the wrong place.
  • Letters in GREEN mean that the letter is in the word and is in the correct place. Good job!

2 Ways to Play

• Individually:
  • Have the team bust out their phone/computer and visit Wordle – The New York Times (nytimes.com). Or, they can download the Wordus app in the iOS App Store.
  • Set a timer for any amount of time (we suggest 5-10 minutes) and let everyone play until time is up.
  • Afterward, regroup and discuss. Who solved the most amount of words? How many guesses did it take?
• As a Group:
  • If you have the tools, visit the Wordle website and project your screen to where the entire team can see.
  • Play as normal, but let each person take turns guessing the next word. Play a few rounds until the team is ready to dive into your brainstorm.
  • If you do not have the tools to share your screen, make your own game! Use a random word generator, and play using a whiteboard and 3 different colored markers.

#3: Random Word Story

Objective

• Create goofy stories using a selection of random words.

Tools Required

• Pen/paper or computer
• Random Word Generator 

How It’s Done

• • Either think of 5 random words or use a Random Word Generator.
  • Set a timer for 3 minutes. Have the team draft up their own short stories using each of the 5 random words.
  • After time is up, have everyone share their stories with the rest of the team & discuss. 

Bonus Tips:

• For an added challenge, create rules for the words the team uses. For example, only the 3rd random word can be used in the first sentence of the story, etc.
• If you’re really wanting to challenge everyone’s creativity, limit how many sentences their story can be. For example, team members have to use all 5 words in 2 sentences or less.

#4: Squiggle Art

Objective

• Create drawings out of random scribbles.

Tools Required

• Something to write with
• Paper

How It’s Done

• Have the team bring paper & something to write with
• Give them a few seconds to make 3 random scribbles/squiggles/lines on their sheet of paper. There are no rules!
• Have everyone pass their paper to the person on their left.
• Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Instruct everyone that they are to create a drawing out of the scribbles that are left on their papers.
• No need to be an artist to participate! No judging allowed.
• After time is up, have everyone take turns sharing their drawings & discuss. Is there a story behind their art?

Bonus Tips

• Feel free to make this game unique to you. Is there a certain topic you’re getting ready to brainstorm? Make that the theme of everyone’s drawings. For example, maybe you’re getting ready to brainstorm a rebrand for a restaurant! Instruct everyone that their drawings are to be food-related only.
• Add another twist! Let each person draw for 30 seconds before they have to pass their paper to the next person to continue the drawing, until everyone has contributed to each work of art.

#5: Alternative Uses

Objective

• Brainstorm as many possible uses as you can for any random object.

Tools Required

• Pen/paper or computer

How It’s Done

• Select any random object you can think of. 
• Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. Have the team write down as many uses as they can think of for said random object.
• After time is up, have everyone take turns sharing one of their alternate uses. No repeats! whoever had the most unique ideas is the winner!

#6: Run-On Story

Objective

• Create a goofy story one sentence or one word at a time.  

Tools Required

• Nothing but your team and open minds!

How It’s Done

• Decide on who is going to start the story. This person will blurt out a random sentence, which will be followed by the next person to continue on.
• Continue the story one sentence at a time until the entire team has had a turn or until the story reaches a natural conclusion.

Bonus Tips

• Add an extra challenge by only letting each person say 1 word instead of a sentence! See if you can drag out the sentence long enough for each person on your team to have a turn. Adjectives are ALWAYS key 😉

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