Distance doesn’t have to be an issue when planning and engaging in fun games and learning online. Whether it’s for work, family time or having a game night with friends, these online games are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s lips.
1. Scattergories
Scattergories is a fun game to play with Zoomers of all ages. The rules are simple: there is one letter and five categories (things like "school supplies," "book title," and "girl's name"). You have 60 seconds to come up with a word that fits in each category and starts with the chosen letter. The more unique your answer is compared to your friends' answers, the more points you get.
2. Trivia
To play trivia on Zoom, plan your Trivia questions and then start asking questions. Have each person send their answer in the Zoom chat at the same time (or just use the honors system).
3. Word Generator
Players have two to three minutes to create as many words as they can from a selection of letters that you provide. Whoever ends up with the most words at the end of the game wins! Be careful, though, because if you submit a word that does not exist, you'll lose points.
4. Charades
Choose one participant to begin and then give his/her topic or idea. The students will then do movements or make gestures to act out the idea. The student who guesses the correct action, gets to act out next! Topic ideas could include Disney movies, fiction books, or sports.
5. Name, Place, Animal, Thing
This popular kids' game works well on Zoom. To play, pick a letter. Each player has to list a famous person's name, a place, an animal, and a thing that begins with that letter. The first person to type them into the Zoom chat wins.
6. Two Truths and a Lie
Everyone takes turns providing two truths about themselves and a lie. The rest of the team has to guess which of the 3 statements is the lie.
7. Find Something in Common
Using breakout groups in Zoom, you can split into sub-teams and then see how much you have in common (besides the obvious). While a good starting point would be a list of 5 things, you can go as high as you like. Once you have your list, you just rejoin the main group and share each others’ findings.
8. Spot the Difference
One player is chosen to go first, and everyone studies their background closely. Then, the player turns off their camera, changes something in the scene, and turns it back on. The rest of the group then has to guess what changed. This makes it a great party game since everyone can participate.
Another way you can play spot the difference is with images on screen where participants have to spot the difference between the original and altered image.
9. First Letter, Last Letter
This is a fun word game that helps reinforce spelling and vocabulary skills. Choose a category—for instance, animals. The first player will name an animal. For example, dog. The next player must name an animal that starts with the last letter of dog—like giraffe. The next player must name an animal that begins with the last letter of giraffe and so on.
10. What Would You Do?
Pose the question “What you would do?”... For example: “What would you do if zombies roamed around the world?” The topic can be funny or work-related. It is. completely up to your team.
Share your answers during your meeting and it sparks fun and creative discussion.
11. Scavenger Hunt
The game starts with a player who lists an item or category of item and the rest of the group must then try and find it in their own home. Then, you see how long it takes everyone to find the object. This is a great option since you can get as creative as you like while also putting your feet up as everyone rushes trying to find something fitting your description. You can create a list yourself with simple items that are likely to be found in everyone’s home.
12. Would You Rather.....?
Present students with two choices that they must pick between. For example, “Would you rather got on a vacation to the beach or to Disney World?”
Then, engage students in conversations about why they chose the item they did. You could also then split students up into breakout groups based on the answers they give to have further conversations about their trips to the beach or Disney. Students will learn they have things in common with more classmates than they thought!
13. Guess That Movie
Before playing Guess That Movie, create a playlist with movie scenes first. During the game, mute all the Zoom meeting participants and play each movie scene for them to guess. Let them submit their guesses in the chatbox. Whoever guesses the correct movie first wins.
14. Virtual Pictionary
Pictionary is an all-time favorite board game, which can be easily adapted for virtual meetings. Share screens and choose the whiteboard app in Zoom. The employee who will be tasked to draw will receive instructions, while the rest of the team has a minute to guess the image. If the team does not guess the correct answer before the time is up, the other team gets to steal.
15. No Smiling
Start your meeting by telling everyone not to smile. The first one to smile or laugh loses. You can use funny videos, jokes, stories, memes or photos to try make people laugh or smile.
16. Articulate
Provide everyone with a varied list of ten words. Set the timer for one minute. The first participant starts by describing the chosen word without mentioning the actual word. Then, the next participants go on. The winner will be the one who has the most correctly guessed words.