As the pandemic spread its clutches all over the world, people realized the importance of staying at home. Companies also restricted the scope of their employees coming to the office. This implied that all the people had lots of free time at hand. It also meant kids, as well as other members of the family, were left bored and stressed out as they had no outlet to release their frustrations. Apart from that, social gatherings were not permitted, and spending time with family was the only choice left. However, with us, that is nothing to worry about. There are alternatives you can use to keep yourself occupied during these trying times. Here are some social distancing games that we suggest you should play with your family and beat the boredom blues away.
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Social distancing games for family
As a family, you need games that do not require unnecessary closeness and yet inculcate a feeling of companionship among the players. Plus, the games should not be boring or something that keeps your children locked in the home for long. Here are some games that you may play with the entire family.
Charades
This is one game that you would have played since your childhood. From adults to kids, everyone enjoys this game of guesses. It is not only a fun game but also encourages the family members to rack their brains a bit. Just pick up titles of famous TV shows, actors, movies, and books and start the act.
You will have to enact the title in front of the opposing team. They then have to guess the name basis your acting clues. If enacted out cleverly, the game becomes rather exciting and, thus, a good time pass. Moreover, if you have the time, you could use props and costumes and add to the fun element.
Scavenger or treasure hunt
Social distancing games like this can be made quite a rather exciting event. However, you will have to plan many things in advance, that is if you want everyone to have a good time. Prepare a list of clues and decide what items should be hidden.
If going for a scavenger hunt, you could also ask your family members to find any items of interest and add a share of a fun twist to them before bringing them back. For example, if they collect flowers, they would have to make a collage out of them to bring back something useful out of it. Besides keeping all of you occupied, you will get items to store and cherish for the future.
Hide and seek
This is one game that never loses its exclusivity. Moreover, you can become as creative as you want with this option. The rules are simple, but there is always a scope of alterations. For example, you could introduce a small prize for the person who gets caught last.
Apart from that, a small appreciation for the most creative choice of the hiding place. Try to play this game in a large area as only then will it be interesting to look around. Moreover, you should keep in mind the social distancing norms as well.
Field games
Who does not appreciate some physical games outside? Especially if you have kids around you, let them soak out in the sun. Carry the football, badminton, and other items needed to organize tournaments. You could also look around for some twisty games planned around. Here are some ideas that you could choose from.
- Water balloon toss
- The obstacle course
- 100-yard race
- Egg and spoon race
- Sack race
At the end of it do not forget to reward the players. You could prepare award certificates or give them small items as gifts, purely your choice.
Hula hoop
Social distancing games have to be engaging, too; otherwise, most participants would lose their interest too soon. The hula hoop is unisex as any gender can enjoy some time on it. Plus, it keeps the activity level of your kids high.
You may add a competitive feel to the same game. Just time out how far the team members can go in a stipulated time. You could also incorporate some prizes for the fastest, creative or efficient player. Or just leave it as a time for your entire family to fall, rise and laugh about the time you spend together.
I Spy
You must have heard of the I Spy books, but this is the time when you could apply them at your home. If you are playing this inside your home, start by asking the family members to guess what you are spying on. The person who gets it correct will get a chance to ask the next question.
The fastest the kids can answer, the crazier the game becomes. You could suggest a twist and ask your family members to bring back an item similar to the one that you’re spying on. A perfect companionship game, you do not have to be close enough, thus maintaining the social distancing norms.
Field day
While on a Covid break, everyone in the family gets bored of staying inside the house all time. However, if you have a massive ground around you, having a field day is one of the best Social distancing games. You can invite your neighbors as well and plan out different kinds of games.
We are sure you would be short of ideas on games. So here are some clues that you could start with:
- Pillowcase potato sack race
- Don’t drop the egg relay using spoons
- Bedsheet tug of war
- Balloon throwing on the fence (with colored water inside)
Dance battle
When you are relatively short of time and ideas, the dance battle is a perfect choice. You could start by asking all the children to pick their favorite song. Then one of them can become the leader. The rest will follow his steps, and obviously, the best dancer gets the award for the same. Repeat the exercise and change the leader and song each time you do so.
Bingo
Bingo again works for all ages. In fact, for smaller kids, Bingo helps in recognizing the numbers and identifying them. The whole concept is relatively simple, and kids have no problems playing it. Apart from that, if you are just a group of adults, Bingo can also be a fun event with drinks and light snacks. Do not forget to keep awards and strict practicing of all the rules mentioned.
Cookie decorating
Cookie decoration, as the name suggests, can be an excellent and fun exercise. However, this activity is more for mothers and kids rather than the whole family. You can incorporate more fun into it by making new shapes and designs. This could include the kid’s favorite cartoons or numbers and alphabets. If you have more than one kid, you could allot them separate bowls and plates to do the cookie decoration work.
Social distancing games for adults
This is a difficult time for people of all ages. Not only children but adults too need their share of fun to keep their motivation high. Here are some socially distant games that you and your friends can indulge in. However, do not forget to maintain the social distancing rules.
Global quiz
How about testing your friends on their knowledge levels? Get your friends seated at a round table and bring out the rapid-fire questions. You could also divide them into teams and offer a grand prize to the winning team. Decide the categories you would like to question them on. For fun, you could ask crazy trivia questions that you know none of your friends will be able to answer.
Garden party Scattergories
Allot a time like 90 seconds and ask your friends to name as many things as they can in a particular category. Each answer gets the point, and the more they are able to answer, the better it is. The best is that this game could be played as an individual or as a whole team. The categories you can choose are:
- Birds
- Plants
- Garden shed items
- Cocktails
- Bugs
- Sandwich fillings
- Countries
Giant Pictionary
You must have played the regular Pictionary on your normal days. However, this is the giant version and perfect social distancing games option. If you have got a flipchart or Blackboard, you could use the same. Or, if it is not possible, just cut out large areas of paper onto the garden fence wall. You could also use chalk and make the drawings if you have a blank wall. Use the word generator to get word clues that would serve the purpose well.
Who are we/Who am I?
Give all the participants a party hat, write a celebrity name on it so that they cannot see it. Now create teams of two members each. One person has to give the other one clues about the name written on his cap. If the other person is able to guess the correct answer, they get the point. They can use hints like male or female, actor/ politician, etc., to help their teammate guess the right answer.
Some examples that you could start from are:
- William Shakespeare
- Albert Einstein
- Beyonce
- The Queen
- Florence nightingale
- Mother Teresa
- Donald Trump
- Justin Bieber
- Madonna
- Michael Jackson
Play Detective
Ask all your guests to stand in a circle 6 feet apart. Then make one person the detective and ask him to leave the group. Once he goes, you have to decide on one leader who all the players are supposed to emulate. The detective will now come back, and he has to stand in the circle and guess who the leader is. He has only three chances to do so correctly. Next game, and you have a new leader and new detective to do the guessing work.
Two truths and a lie
A relatively simple game to understand, this can be more fun if you are out camping. Every player has to speak two truths and one lie. You can get as much creative in this game as you want with the lies you say. The fun is when you speak the lie so flawlessly that no one can guess it out. A fun-filled game, you can have as many rounds of it as you want.
Glow in the dark bowling
This is an exciting idea, but the problem is that you can play it only at night. Put glowsticks in glass bottles and use them as your bowling pins. The choice of the ball is purely yours; however, do not use a tough one as it might just smash the bottles into pieces. Have a competition and the one who gets a perfect score is declared the winner.
Alphabet challenge
This is our version of learning your alphabet once again. Choose a topic, and one participant says a word related to it. This will be followed by other team members continuing the trend and answering in alphabetical order. For example, if you start with novel names, you can say “American Dirt,” the second person says “Bridge to Terabithia,” etc., and so on.
Social distancing games for Kids only
Suppose you are looking for activities that keep your children busy while you are finishing your tasks that are also possible. Here are just some social distancing activities for kids specifically.
Simon Says
The game is simple and hugely popular among the younger kids. All the children have to stand in a group, and they have to do the opposite of the instructions given. This is not only enjoyable but an exciting way to teach the little ones how to obey and follow the basic guidelines when they join a school. You will be surprised at how quickly the kids learn these basic tactics, and as a bonus, you could make it quite fun with crazy instructions.
Kick it with Kickball
Now is the time to get your kids in full-on action mode. Get your kids’ buddies together and ask them all to stand in a vast circle. Ensure there is a lot of gap between each child; otherwise, the whole purpose of playing around will be lost. Not only do the kids enjoy the high-action-packed game, but they learn to wait for their turn. This is an aspect that no parent can teach their kids easily.
Hello Neighbour
This is one of the social distancing games for kids, which is perfect for only two kids. The idea is to hide the keys and ask your opponent to find them. After discovering the keys, you have to return them to the main door. You could use tips like “hot” and “cold” to guide the kids in discovering the exact location. However, the game becomes a tad difficult if more children come into the picture. Ideally, it is suitable for kids living next to each other or siblings.
Video games on the Porch
Why force your kids to sit inside the home all day? Set up their Nintendo switch outside on the porch and call over their friends. The kids will not come close as they are just quite happy with the idea of sitting together and playing games. Add some beautiful snacks, and the evening becomes a small occasion to celebrate for your little ones. Once they are all settled, you can also get around and finish your pending jobs.
Fence Freeze Fence
A fun-filled game your children are going to love completely. It is a perfect game if your kid’s buddies live just next door. Bring them out and put on the music. The kids have to freeze at their positions once the music stops. Till the time the music does not start, the kids stay frozen there themselves. If some kid is unable to freeze the moment the music is stopped, you can assign them a simple punishment like running around the house.
Driveway Chutes and Ladders
A simple game to play around with, just sketch a giant board game of chutes and ladders on your driveway. Add the numbers from one to a hundred and let your kids draw the ladders on them. You could add some fun twists while stepping on specific numbers. Like on stepping on number 10, you have to do ten jumping jacks. Or reaching number 95 means run down to number 5. The kids can not only have their share of fun but enjoy as many rounds on the board as they want.
Bust a rhyme
The Bust a Rhyme socially distanced games is primarily for the younger kids. Have all the kids stand in a circle and say a word aloud. This could be anything like “mat,” and the child next has to say a word that rhymes with this. Go around the circle until the chance comes back to the kid who started the game. Now the next kid will be the leader, and the chance will begin from him. Supposing a child cannot answer, he will have to do squats, lunges, or any other exercise. A nice trick to engage the kids and get his friends involved too.
Storytellers
Another fun game, this will build your child’s storytelling abilities. The children have to stand in a big circle. One kid speaks a sentence, and the next one continues to make a story. Once the whole circle is over and the turn comes back to the beginning kid, he will have to say the entire story along with all the other things added to the main storyline. If the leader fails to do the same, the punishment is your choice.
Snowman spelling game
This game is suitable for kids who just started forming spellings or learning how to do so. Form two lines with kids. One side thinks of a word and draws lines on the driveway to denote each letter of the word. The other team suggests alphabets one by one. If the alphabet is present in the word, it is written down on the line. However, if the alphabet is missing, then a part of the snowman is drawn on another side of the word. If your snowman is complete, it means you are unable to guess the word, and hence you lose the point.
Conclusion
This pandemic time is very hard on all of us. Despite our best efforts, the virus refuses to relinquish its control. However, this nowhere means that we cannot have fun on our part. Add these games to your weekly routine and shuffle between them so that you and your kids are not bored from doing the same things.
If you are indulging in a group activity, do not forget to follow the social distancing norms. At all times, keep the home and nearby places clean to avoid the spread of the virus. You can add your own twists to each of these social distancing games so that the child in you enjoys as much as your own kids.