Our kids are already feeling isolated from their friends, even though we homeschool so this is less disruptive for us than I imagine it is for others. I think the same thing is going to happen for us adults, though perhaps not as fast. I’ve been trying to collect some ideas for activities the kids can do online with their friends so they will still be connected, rather than just watching movies and playing computer games, etc. Our kids range in age from 3 to 13, so I’m mostly thinking of kids in that age range.

I’ve also received some helpful tips on staying connected while working remotely, etc., so I’ll pass those on too.

Suggestions on all points are welcomed in the comments!

Potential kids’ fun activities for COVID-19

Things which look interesting for my kids’ age range

Here’s the ideas I received for things can do with their friends virtually; we haven’t tried all of these yet, but some look quite good!

  • Play your favorite board game in its online version (e.g. Chess) with a friend, and open up a Google Hangout or similar on the side while doing it.
  • Role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons; some have suggested:
  • Pretty much any party game will work remotely via a video chat, e.g. Pictionary, or Signs
  • The game Impostors – “Easy to do on FaceTime etc. A card lists 4 items and you have to guess which one doesn’t belong and why. Great fun!”
  • A painting party
  • The game Battleship (which can even be done just with graph paper!)
  • The electronic game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes; looks like it might be better suited to my older two kids and up but we haven’t tried it yet.

With a large number of siblings, my kids have all also been really enjoying playing this older Google doodle https://www.google.com/doodles/halloween-2018 – they join simultaneously and then talk with each other while playing.

Perhaps better for older kids

Educational resources for COVID-19

I know lots of people are suddenly homeschooling, or have their kids at home, and are looking for educational activities for them. A friend on Facebook shared this list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closures; it looks like it may be helpful.

We also homeschool, so I’m also happy to field questions and pass them on to my wife who has considerable experience in this area (since we have five kids who are homeschooled).

On the homeschooling front, friends also shared:

  • Emergency learning plan – a free homeschooling curriculum that is somewhat tailored towards emergencies.
  • “Amazing Educational Resources” - list of free learning resources online; most temporary due to school closings. Be sure you’re aware of Khan Academy, which is great for many things at many levels.

Our friend Sharon Tseng also has a list of helpful resources. Some are focused on education, others more on fun.

Ideas for staying connected as adults

There are a variety of good tools for videochats with significant numbers of people. I tend to prefer Zoom, though this requires a paid membership for calls longer than 40 minutes. Google Hangouts, Slack, and Facebook Messenger are other reasonable options in addition to Skype. Are there others?

How do we use these to stay connected?

  • Open up a videochat at a specified time for folks to just “drop by”, e.g. if you’re working remotely, have a “coffee hour” where a videocall just sits open and people can drop in and out
  • Have lunch break “together”, or other meals
  • Meet with whatever group you meet with regularly; we’re continuing our normal Bible studies, just online
  • Many of the kids’ ideas above will translate well to adults, too, when you’re looking to do something fun.

What else? Please use the comments section to share your ideas.

Other posts in this series: