This Christmas is a bit of a peculiar one – granted! But just because it’s different, doesn’t mean that we have to miss all of the special traditions that make Christmas the most wonderful time of the year!
A festive tradition that will rate highly on most people’s lists is get get-togethers with family and friends. And while there are certain restrictions in place that will prevent too many households from mixing in person, some things are too special to be skipped entirely.
With that being said, Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, and other virtual platforms will be put to great use this festive season! But how can you make virtual meet-ups fun and entertaining for the youngest members of the family? All you need is a bit of creativity and a bit of inspiration from yours truly!
Keep reading for our top three game suggestions that work just as well in the virtual world, helping to get the kids involved and prevent them from losing interest during your Christmas meet-ups!
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Pictionary
Who doesn’t a classic game of Pictionary? It’s great for all ages, irrespective of drawing ability, and it translates brilliantly to the virtual realm. You can either use cards from a Pictionary set that you already have at home, or use an online word generator.
What do you need?
Each household needs a something to draw on, pens, a timer, and a way of keeping score.
Teams
This is completely up to you – you could have two teams or you could just draw for everyone to guess?
How to play online
Simply draw the word and people will have to guess what your word is. Each person can either draw a word for everyone to guess and then move on when they do. Or, if you’re in teams, you could have a set amount of time to guess as many words as possible in that time. You’ll need to hold your paper up to the camera for everyone to guess. Or Zoom has a whiteboard function, which comes in pretty handy for virtual Pictionary! To access this, simply hit the share screen when you’re on Zoom, and you’ll see the whiteboard option.
Photo by Askar Abayev from Pexels
Charades
Another classic, and another game that works well over Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc!
What do you need?
You’ll need a bit of space and a well-lit room to make sure the video is clear. If you don’t already have a game of Charades lying around the house, the internet is a wonderful thing! You can use this Charades generator on your phone and act it out for the rest of their team to guess.
Teams
Those on the video call can watch, keep track of time and make sure there’s no cheating! Otherwise, if you’d prefer (and the video is clear enough), you can always mix the teams up, or play just like we suggested for Pictionary above – act for everyone to guess.
How to play online
If you need a refresh of the rules, click here.
Photo by Christmas Scavenger Hunt
A sure-fire way of keeping the kids entertained during virtual meet-ups is with a scavenger hunt!
What you need
Well, you can decide exactly how much or how little you need for this. The only must is a bit of forward-planning! Have a chat with the other parents who’ll be jumping onto the call and hide specific items around your respective homes. If you’re able, you could hide some special items around the house, but it can be even simpler than this – generic items work just as well! But what would be nice is if the kids are all looking for the same items, as it’ll really help make it a shared activity, in spite of the fact that they’re not in the same house.
Either type up your lists, hand write them, or use this cute template – the choice is yours!
Teams
Siblings can play together or on their own, it’s nice and flexible!
How to play online
Have the lists ready before the virtual celebration. Make sure all items are in place, and then challenge the children to see who can find all their items first!
Main image credit: Photo by Kool Shooters from Pexels