Click here to read 13 No-Prep Games to Play Over FaceTime (or Skype) on Hands On As We Grow®
These games to play over Facetime, or Skype, will be so much fun to still stay connected!
There are occasionally times in life when getting together with a friend or family member just isn’t possible.
Maybe your child is sick, maybe Daddy is working a late shift and can only see you virtually on his dinner break, or maybe Nana and Papa live far away.
Here are some activities you can do with grandma!
When you can’t get together and play a game in person, you can try one of these thirteen no-prep games to play over Facetime, Skype, or Zoom!
Many of the games below can also be used in the car, at a restaurant, or anywhere you need some time filled.
These games use few or no supplies and require basically zero prep. This is a huge win for any parent who has ever needed something to do with their child–and fast!
13 No-Prep Games to Play Over Facetime
Twenty Questions
This age-old favorite can be played anywhere and needs no supplies.
One person thinks of a person, place, or thing, and then the other players can ask up to 20 yes or no questions to figure out the answer.
Even younger kids can play this.
But you may want to have them share their person, place, or thing with an adult to make sure things stay accurate and on track.
A fact checker of sorts!
Clap the Song
Think of a song and then clap it. Simple!
See if the other players can guess what song!
Alternatively, you can leave out the words and just hum the song until the other players can guess what it is.
Props Game
This one is sure to get giggles all around!
Collect a bunch of medium to large common household objects. Things like plates, blankets, books.
The options are endless as long as both parties have the same objects!
Make sure people on each end of the screen have a set!
Then, take turns pretending the item is something else.
For example, you might pretend that the plate is a hat, or a moon, or even an egg… and you are a bird!
Say something silly to go along with each way you use your prop, such as “Don’t you just love my fancy new hat?” or “The moon is full tonight!” or “This egg is getting bigger and bigger every day!”
Check out these ideas for incorporating technology in a hands-on way!
Charades
A classic! All you need to do is act anything out without making noise.
You can prepare cards with things to act out, or players can make their own choices as they go.
Pictionary
My kids love this one! One person begins drawing something of their choice. The first person to guess what it is takes the next turn.
You can limit the drawings to a certain theme if you want, such as “school” or “travel.”
Grab the actual game of it (affiliate link), or just play it on a whim like this.
The Alphabet Game
Choose a topic (animals, food, names, etc.) and everyone takes a turn thinking of something that starts with the letter A that fits in that category.
Let the youngest player go first! And repeat for each letter of the alphabet.
These ideas will help you manage your child’s screen time.
Rainbow Race
On your mark, get set, go!
The first person who returns with three items of a predetermined color is the winner.
Repeat with other colors.
To make it more challenging, you can create rules such as the objects “must be in this room” or “must be smaller than your hand.”
You can also do this with the alphabet. Who can be the first to find three things that all start with B?
That’s already 7 games to play over Facetime! Want 6 more?
Let’s keep this fun going virtually! These games are so easy and simple, you’ll wonder why you never thought to do this over Facetime before.
What’s Missing?
Collect a group of 8-10 objects.
Have the other player study the set of objects and then close their eyes.
Then, while their eyes are closed, remove one of the objects.
Can they figure out which one is missing?
Use more or fewer objects depending on the children’s ages.
One of These Things is Not Like the Other
Think of a series of three or four items. One of the items should not be related to the other three.
For example, you might say “Person, stove, clock, dog.” The odd one out is the stove because it does not have a face!
You can make your themes more or less obvious depending on the age of the children you are playing with.
Category Race
Pick a category: candy bars, cereal, Disney characters, whatever you find interesting!
Set a timer.
Then, each team has a set amount of time to write down as many things as they can think of that fit into that category.
When the timer goes off, see how many you each got!
What did you think of that your opponent did not?
What did you both think of?
Alphabet Beat the Clock
Choose a letter and set a goal for how many of those words you want to think of.
For example, the letter is B and the goal is 15.
Then, set a timer to a length of your choice. One minute? Two?
You can make the time shorter or longer depending on the age of the child you are playing.
Then, work together to brainstorm!
Can you meet your goal before the timer goes off?
Though this works great for a virtual game over Skype, Facetime, or Zoom, we also like to play this on walks when little legs start getting tired.
“How many words that start with M can you think of before we get to the corner?”
Sentence Story Building
Create a story together, one sentence at a time!
One person says the first sentence, then the next person adds on to that.
This activity is great for reinforcing early writing concepts of needing a beginning, middle, and end.
Of course, just being silly and having fun is fine too!
Virtual Hide and Seek
What? Hide and seek? Yes!
Play it like Twenty Questions.
Think of a hiding place, then the other players have to ask you questions to figure out where you are “hiding.”
“Are you in the kitchen?”
“Are you in a drawer?”
“Are you underneath the napkins?”
Since it’s just pretend, any hiding place is fair game!
These Games to Play Over Facetime are Great with Friends!
Kids, mom, dad, grandma and grandpa are sure to love these games to play over Skype or Facetime (or Zoom… or whatever virtual meeting place you can hang out in).
But don’t forget to try these games with their friends, too!
It shows that technology can be more than just staring at video games. It’s a great tool for communication.
When you are all done, be sure to blow a big virtual kiss!
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