How to Play Egg Drop Teambuilding Activity

Teams of 3-5 take materials and build something to protect a raw egg.  The eggs that survive a 10+ foot drop successfully completes the challenge.

• Materials Required: Raw eggs (one for each group plus extras in case of accidents), cardboard, duck tape, several thin straws (at least 40 per group), paper towels for cleanup, a way to enable a high drop
• Participants: 6 to 50, enough for at least a few groups.
• Time Required: 15 – 30 minutes

How Do You Play the Egg Drop Teambuilding Activity?

Setup

• Obtain all the materials listed above.  These are resources to be used by teams to try to protect their raw egg.
• Buy straws (the thin ones if possible), enough for approx. 50 per team.

Playing the Game

1. Divide the group into small teams of 3 – 4.  Give each team one raw egg, 40 straws, 1 meter of duck tape, and other materials as listed above.
2. Explain the rules of the teambuilding activity.  Tell them that the goal is to design and build a structure that will prevent their raw egg from breaking from a high drop.   Teams will be given about 15 minutes to make the structure.  If more than one team is successful, then the team that uses the least amount of straws wins.Should more than one team succeed in protecting their egg, the winner will be determined by the fewest straws used.
3. Separate the teams so they are not very close to each other (to prevent copying ideas).
4. Say GO! and give teams 15 minutes or so to build their structure, with an egg inside.

Winning the Game

At the end of the time limit, bring everyone back together.  Drop each structure in a consistent way.  After dropping all structures, open them up and figure out which eggs have remained intact.  The winning team is the one with the least number of straws used.

Debrief and Reflection

The goal of this teambuilding activity is to build chemistry, teamwork, and creative thinking.  It is useful to ask debrief/reflection questions afterwards.

• Ask the teams about their experiences; what went well and what was effective in terms of teamwork.
• Ask whether their designs changed or evolved over time.
• Ask about traits or characteristics of good leadership or teamwork, or meaningful contributions during gameplay.
• Ask if teams would do anything differently next time.