Congrats to all the parents who have managed to keep their stir-crazy children entertained. Staying at home is especially challenging for the kids who are used to seeing their cousins, titos, titas, and other relatives.
With technology on our side, communication isn’t a problem—connection, on the other hand, is more complex. We highly recommend setting those Zoom calls with our family members who aren’t with us right now, but let’s take it a step further by preparing simple games that will make the family hangouts more memorable.
Games Available Online
Have a game show night at home, featuring one of the classics! Teach the kids the unique rule of questions as answers and vice-versa. Jeopardy is available both in iOS and Android, but Infinite Final Jeopardy on web displays trivia on loop (with a built-in timer!)
Play a digital (and free) version of Pictionary with the whole family. Each player or device gets a user name, and then you will take turns drawing out a word the other team will have to guess! Easy and kid-friendly gameplay, the whole family will be sure to enjoy each other’s funny masterpieces.
If Scrabble were faster, more colorful, and online, this would be it. Free on iOS and Android, have everyone in the family download and see whose vocabulary will prevail!
Kahoot! is an online platform for trivia quizzes! While there are plenty fun learning materials offered on the site, one you can use with the family is their quiz maker! One volunteer/game master of the family can collect fun facts about each member, and compile it easily into quiz night!
Time to get the cameras rolling! Earn an Oscar Keep the family guessing, with choices from movies and music to celebrities catchphrase. With this simple Charades Generator, you can keep score and time it yourselves!
From arts, history, science, and geography, this Random Trivia Generator will bring out the star students of the family. Pick a card from the categories and see who answers the most.
Games You Can Play Offline
Bingo
Kick it old school with a classic game of Bingo! It only takes a little preparation, you can download and print free Bingo cards here, and let the fun begin at home.
Pinoy Henyo
Yes or no questions have never been this intense. Introduce this classic Pinoy game to the family. All you need to do is prepare a number of proper nouns on sheets of paper– the more random, the better!
PANTS
Classic paper games will always bring back our own childhood! PANTS stands for Places, Animals, Names, Things, and Score; write it down on a piece of paper and you’re all set to play. Go through the alphabet and widen your vocabulary altogether.
Bring Me
Parlor games aren’t only for parties. Try playing Bring Me with the whole family, even on Zoom! Come up with a list of random items around the house, but you don’t stop there; the beauty of a digital Bring Me game means everything online is fair game. For example, Bring Me a photo of the bunso during baptism! Endless fun!
While we're staying safe at home, it's difficult to draw the line between entertainment and too much gadget time for our kids. Check out Children and Gadgets: How to Strike a Balance.
