10 Things You Can Do With Friends Over Video Chat - Whether you're in a long distance relationship, have friends overseas or interstate, in lock down or isolation because of the coronavirus or just want a different way to catch up with friends, we've got 10 things you can do with friends over Video Chat. From masterchef challenges and trivia nights to board games and more. Perfect for FaceTime, Zoom calls, Skype calls or whatever video call program you use.
Right now is weird. With so many countries affected by the coronavirus and more and more people around the world finding themselves under self-isolation or living in an area in "shutdown", it can seem a little bit lonely and overwhelming - but it doesn't have to be.
We live in a world full of technology - which gives us the opportunity to rethink social distancing. Whilst we should keep our physical distance, we can still connect with one another in other ways.
After being in a long distance relationship for over 5 years, Jesse and I like to think we're pretty good at connecting at a distance.
One of those ways we've already been connecting with friends and family around the world is through video calls/zoom calls - and so I thought I'd share 10 things you can do with friends or family members via videocall.
So here are some things you can do to stay connected even when you're not together in person >>
1. Play a game/board game
We love board games (have you seen our Ultimate Board Game Guide or Adult's Only Board Game Guide?) and games are actually the perfect thing to do with friends or family over video chat!
The kinds of games we find work the best are:
2. Have a Music Jam Session
Whilst it can be a little harder if your internet connection is slow, FaceTime or Zoom calls tend to be quicker and will allow you to jam it out with your friends.
Show off your skills, learn a new song together, write a song together - have fun with it!
3. Catch Up Over Coffee
Make yourself a cup of coffee and round up your friends for a coffee catch up!
Apple's Group FaceTime allows you to add up to 32 people (simply start a Group chat in messages, tap the profile photos at the top and click "FaceTime" - or open the FaceTime app, click the + button and add as many people as you like before pressing call).
Zoom calls allow you to add up to 99 other people (but there is a 40 min limit if you have a free account).
It might feel a little bit weird at first, but you may find yourself continuing it even after these days are a distant memory because you can chat with friends across the globe all at the one time!
4. Cook or Bake Together
Is your Mum or Grandma or friend a super chef? Why not bake together over a video call. You could try a new recipe, have a masterchef style cookoff (perfect for using up those random pantry ingredients!) or try to perfect their famous dish with their help step by step.
If you're not a baker, why not order a baking mix and some baking accessories to everyone's door via Amazon?
I love this Gingerbread House Kit for Christmas and Cupcake Baking Kit which provide you with everything you need!
5. Read Stories
This idea is perfect for grandparents and grandkids - and we have friends with grandparents/grandkids in other countries who do this regularly.
Grab a story book and cosy up for story time - or make up your own stories. You could even choose a book like Room on the Broom which also has a movie version and would make a great Halloween theme.
Adults can do this too! Instead of reading a story, why not share old family memories or listen to stories from the childhood of someone you love?
6. Learn Something New Together
Get out those knitting needles, grab a guitar, pull out your paints or craft materials. A paint by numbers kit would be great to do together.
We have a guitar sitting at home right now that neither Jesse or I know how to play so I think that's on our list of things to learn - and we may have to call in help from some of our talented muso friends!
7. Have a Bible Study/Book Club Meeting/Start a New Kind of Club
We're moving our in-person bible study group to an online Zoom call this week and we've heard of friends doing dungeons and dragons video calls, book club meetings and more online.
I even saw an influencer sharing links to online AA/narcotics anonymous meetings that are happening right now.
There's no limit to what kind of "club" or group you can start!
8. Watch a Movie or TV Show Together
Grab your popcorn and round up your friends for a watch party! I have some friends who do an international Bachelor video chat each season.
You can even download the Teleparty chrome extension which allows you to all watch a show simultaneously and gives you a chat section to chat about the show or movie while you watch.
9. Work on a Craft or Art Project
Get creative and create something new with friends over video chat. You could do a painting party using a Youtube tutorial like this one, start a drawing group using prompts like these or come up with a craft theme and chat whilst you get creative.
Don't have materials? Why not order some using Amazon Prime - you could even gift some to your friends and have them delivered to their door!
I have lots of people who have been sharing photos of the bunny pots they've made using my Easter Bunny Pots tutorial.
10. Have a Trivia Night
Pick a topic everyone will love and host a virtual trivia night! So everyone gets a chance to answer questions, why not have each person come up with 10 or so questions each and take turns asking.
You could even do trivia using Kahoot - but be warned. Kahoots tend to increase everyone's competitive side by 10,000%. It's free to use and really fun too!
You could even have prizes - the winner gets a gift certificate from a local business (gift certificates are one way to help small businesses during times like this!), coffee money (Starbucks gift cards are easily sent digitally worldwide) or an UberEats voucher.
Have you got any other ideas?
Share them in the comments! Tell me how you're staying connected with friends and family right now.
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I love all of these! I think the next time we call Eric's parents, I'll ask if they want to read baby a book :) Tonight we're calling a bunch of friends from college and last time we did that. we played this online/app game called Quiplash with them! Which is super fun but definitely not for little kids, lol.
ReplyDeleteThat would be super sweet! I am going to have to check out Quiplash, haha!
DeleteWe have a game night every few weeks with family across the world which started with bingo and then a form of cleudo where each person had 3 items: a hat, a murder weapon, and an accessory and everyone asked one question to someone else about what item they thought was theirs and it got narrowed down till you found the killer. We have had trivia race nights, 'say what you see' games, and we are still making up more. Going to try yahtzee next!
ReplyDeleteYasssssssssssss love it
ReplyDelete