Encourage your young ones to develop skills and keep in contact with loved ones while playing my list of Zoom games for kids.
Read my other game guides here.
Or, catch up with GTQ’s other family ideas here.
Video Call Game Ideas For Kids
1. Zoom Charades
Like the classic game, Charades is easy to play over video calls.
All you need is a list of suggestions that players can act out and rules for guessing.
This might involve typing the answer in the comments box or using the raise-a-hand button before saying the answer.
You can also use a timer or stopwatch and keep a score sheet for each card correctly guessed.
Charades teaches kids how to build team camaraderie using non-verbal communication skills.
2. Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It works exceptionally well with small and large groups on Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, etc.
You can also use this game during birthdays, Thanksgiving, family reunions, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and class parties.
All participants should complete exciting challenges within 60 seconds.
You only need inexpensive household items, such as ping-pong balls, Oreo cookies, plastic spoons, boxes of Kleenex, cotton balls, and plastic drinking cups.
The main ways to score are Player vs. Clock, Team members vs. each other, or an overall team competition.
If you choose Man vs. Clock, every competing player must finish a challenge in under 60 seconds.
One player from each team needs to go head-to-head with a single competitor if you want teammates against each other.
The first person to finish the challenge will win and advance to the next round.
Finally, you can create a point system and divide a larger group into teams for more energetic battles.
An example of a child-friendly challenge is to stack as many Oreos as possible on your forehead in 10 seconds without them toppling.
3. Just A Minute
You don’t need any resources for this game, just the ability to speak for 60 seconds about a specific topic.
The organizer can choose topics, or members can contribute ideas, which are selected at random using a free randomizer online or by pulling ideas from a bag.
Once the topic has been chosen, player one starts talking about it for one minute, which is timed against the clock.
If other players feel there are too many ums, ahs and pauses, they can raise their hand and the organizer can make a decision.
Also, other players can signal if a fact is false, and the organizer can step in.
The player who manages to speak for a minute, with the least pausing and the most truth, wins!
Topics can be really easy, such as countries, or if the child is revising a school topic, they can focus on that.
4. Virtual Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Alphabet scavenger hunt combines thinking skills with movement as players are encouraged to find items around the house.
Print out an alphabet list with space for text after each letter.
Challenge players to locate items; for example, “a” could be an apple, and if they have a smartphone, they can take a photograph of their findings as evidence.
They then share their answers over video call.
5. Name That Tune
Kids love music, so why not incorporate it into a virtual game?
All you need is a music-sharing account and a speaker.
Select songs that children will recognize and play the intro of each song.
The players have to guess the song title or artists for a point.
6. Heads Up
Heads Up is a free app from Ellen Degeneres which has been a hit with kids of all ages for years.
To play, simply download the free app and choose a theme like celebs.
Hold the cell phone or tablet to your forehead so the player can see the name or item.
Other players will then start to shout out clues, and you have to guess who or what you are
A timer will go off, if you’re right tilt the device down to start again.
It’s a quick game, so you have to be ready to guess and move on!
Heads Up also features in our Zoom games for all guide.
7. Bingo
A fun game to help improve math is the traditional game of bingo.
You can purchase bingo cards online or download them from here.
One team player will be the caller, and the others will score based on the numbers on their cards when they are called.
The aim of the game is to get a line or full house.
You can make your own bingo cards with words, too.
Ask players to create a playing card with three boxes up and three along, for a total of nine.
Create a document with more than nine words on the chosen topic and ask players to place one word in each box.
You then provide the description of the text and let the players guess the word. If they have it, they score it on their card!
8. Vocab Circle
Vocab Circle is a super easy starter game that can go on for hours!
Player one says a word, player two chooses a word that starts with the last letter, and so on.
If you want the game to be focused, choose a topic such as food, a season, or an activity.
9. Emoji Quiz
Kids love this easy-to-create game!
Create a series of emojis that spell out a word and let players guess what it means.
For example, cartoon characters.
Spider and Man emoji = Spiderman.
If you assign it to a topic students are studying, it can be an interesting game and a fun way to consolidate learning!
10. What Came First?
Players answer several challenges to work out what came first.
This could be TV shows, decades, historical events, ingredients, and inventions.
This game can also be played for items placed in high order, like tall buildings worldwide.
Anything that has some form of hierarchy would make a good topic.
11. Find the Fib
A great game for tricksters, Find the Fib can be set up in seconds.
All you need is for each player to create two truths and one lie.
There are two ways to set this up.
Firstly, leaving the topic open to something personal for ‘getting to know you’ games.
Another option is making the challenge about a set topic, which is the better option for educational games with a bit of control.
Are you in charge of team-building challenges for adults, too?
We’ve got you covered. Here’s our new guide.
Other Games to Play Online
12. Peppa Pig Games
Peppa Pig games for kids to play online on Nick Jr. are a bundle of entertainment that will keep preschoolers busy for a long time while teaching them social-emotional skills, such as cooperation, sharing, and friendship.
These games feature interactive videos guiding them through each step to complete a series of quizzes and challenges.
They can complete a colors quiz, solve mysteries, sing to a music quiz, learn about family and friends’ importance, and even participate in a virtual Easter egg hunt.
Nick Jr. also has exciting Christmas games, especially a video quiz called “How Many,” which features Peppa Pig and Santa Claus on an adventure together.
During this interactive storytelling game, random photo stills are taken, and your child must select how many reindeer or presents are in each picture.
You can help them access the website and explore several other games, such as Robot Builder to collect different parts and assemble an unforgettable character, Stunt Puzzles, and Math Moves to advance their creative thinking and numerical skills.
There is also a Nick Jr. Lemonade Stand that can teach them how to run a small business and a Cupcake Creator to let their imagination run wild with lots of colorful recipes to create a virtual delicious treat.
These are fun games for little kids to play online, but parents can sit with them to listen and work through the stories and quizzes.
An adult will need to set up an account for either platform.
13. Spiderman Games
Like Nick Jr, Marvel HQ has also introduced exciting Spiderman games.
These are not only for preschoolers; slightly older children can also try them out, especially if they love Marvel and the Spider-Man movies.
Using a tablet or smartphone, you can start with the first game, “Spiderman: Mysterio Rush,” where Mysterio has unleashed a poisonous gas over New York, and Spiderman needs to swing and travel across the streets to capture this villain.
At the starting level, the game provides instructions on how to swing from one location to another, and your children will be rewarded points for beating each other’s top scores.
14. Sonic Games
Sonic the Hedgehog was the most iconic character for those born between 1970 and the early 1990s, but as a parent and nostalgic video game enthusiast, you can share this superstar of fun and speed with your children using Apple Arcade Play.
Team Sonic Racing on Apple Arcade is one of the most thrilling games to play at home with kids to give Super Mario a run for his money.
It feels like Mario Kart but is much faster, with 15 tracks split across 5 zones and plenty more rewards and prizes for finishing each race.
You can also compete with rival teams by playing multiplayer mode with anybody worldwide.
Every character has a special ability that makes racing around the laps way more fun.
This is the perfect game for all ages, but parents should always be careful when letting kids use the multiplayer mode to connect with others online.
15. Train Games
GamesGames.com has an excellent selection of train games for free!
However, only a small number of them work on smartphones and tablets.
Therefore, players may need to access a laptop or desktop.
“Train Snake” sees players tap the screen to drive the train and collect as many passengers as possible while avoiding hurdles to prevent an accident.
This becomes more challenging as they level up and collect points.
There are also many other mini-games, such as Subway Surf, Grimm’s Fairy Tale, Railroad Shunting, Mini Train, Midnight Train, Off the Rails, Puzzle Express, Card Match, and Build the Bridge.
16. Spy Games
CBC Kids has a range of free spy games for kids to play at home to combat social distancing woes and canceled holidays.
Most of them work best on laptops and desktop computers.
The latest game is SPYnet, where The Tyrannis Corporation is the ultimate villain, and elite SPYnet operatives Donovan and Darkfire must stop the evil leader.
After covering 24 levels of sneaky action using spy gadgets and elite hacking skills to unlock epic features, your children can help Donovan and Darkfire find Headhunter to uncover SPYnet’s secret plans.
This is the perfect online adventure for kids over 9 years old.
Alternatively, you can also try Barbie’s Spy Squad Academy on the official Barbie website.
