Staying Connected with Family and Friends

5 Creative Activities to Keep Your Grandchildren Entertained Over Zoom!

The days of COVID19 and lockdown seem to be never-ending. These days we may feel cut off from our social circles, but thanks to growing technology, our family and friends are just a click away. For families and grandparents around the country, virtual dates through Zoom or Skype are now the best way of keeping the connections between generations.

If you’re looking for new ideas of virtual activities and games to play with your grandkids over Zoom, read on for some of our current favorites!

Pictionary

The classic game of Pictionary is a simple game loved by all ages. The game requires just very few things to play, so it’s quite accessible to almost anyone. All you need is a video call connection and some pen and paper! If you’re using Zoom, you can use the whiteboard feature to draw. Otherwise, you can draw on a piece of paper and show it to the camera.

Using a word generator can make it easier for you to come up with random words to draw; alternatively, you can have slips of paper with pre-chosen words to draw from or choose your own word for every round. Playing with multiple people and having points for whoever guesses correctly will make the game much more fun and competitive!

Word Train

This is a game I play with my nieces and nephews who range in age from eight to ten years old. They tend to get quite loud and excited about this one, and it is always enjoyable as there is no need for equipment.

All you have to do is choose a subject like animals or food and start with any word under the selected category. The next player will have to say a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. For example, we choose fruit as the topic, and the first word is banana, the next person will have to think of a fruit that starts with ‘A.’ There can be a limit of 3-5 seconds to come up with the next word (longer for younger children), or you will be eliminated, and the last one standing wins.

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt is a bit more of an active game that will get you off your feet and is excellent for younger children who have difficulty staying engaged on a video call. You will need one person telling the other participants what they need to collect, and the first person to return with the item gets the point. Make the game even more exciting for the children by upping the score. A correct answer can be worth 100 or even 1000 points. Kids love big numbers!

To make the game more difficult for older kids, the referee could ask for items that rhyme with another word, or an item that starts with a particular letter.

Blind Drawing

This is another favorite that is played not only with my younger family but even with my friends. You simply need one person to describe to everyone else what to draw while the rest have a blindfold or eyes closed with a pen to paper.

Try to make your instructions as descriptive as possible such as “draw a tall man with a suit and a hat on the bottom, right-hand corner.” Then get everyone to show their drawing once done. Seeing all the wacky pieces of art is always the main attraction!

Heads Up!

The last game I have to recommend is definitely one of the most popular within groups, no matter what age. For this one, you will need to download the ‘Heads Up!’ game on your mobile phone and have it on while using Zoom on another device such as your laptop/PC/tablet. You can choose many categories on the app, so finding a subject that everyone is familiar with should be easy.

Then decide who will be guessing the words and who will be describing. The game will display a word or phrase that other players must try and convey to the guesser without saying the actual word or phrase. Usually, when a turn is done, the phone would be passed to the next player or team. However, you will have to adjust for this non-contact version by either having multiple phones in play or playing with teams. If the player with the phone is guessing, they will have to be careful not to peak at the phone or their screen!

When the player guesses a word correctly, the phone is flipped downward. If the word is too hard to guess, and the player wishes to skip to the next word, the phone is flipped upward. You can use the Zoom whiteboard to keep score and see your progress.

Let us know if you try out any of these games or have any games you are enjoying with your family! We hope you are staying safe and connected with your loved ones.

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Written by

Allyshia Tran, Artful Journeys Virtual Intern

Allyshia is an Aussie born, aspiring Public Relations Student who is completing her final year of study while interning for Artful Journeys. With music, art, and beauty being some of her passions, Allyshia thoroughly enjoys singing, writing, and visiting Australian museums and art galleries (when a global pandemic hadn’t taken over our lives) whenever she isn’t swamped with school assignments. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her upcoming blogs, and please leave comments in reply to them!