3 Ways to Play “Together” while Social Distancing

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Looking for really fun ways that you can connect with your family or friends from a distance? We have a few suggestions on long distance activities that kids and their loved ones will enjoy!

My mom wanted to be able to play games and engage with my sons (ages 11 & 9) when they couldn’t be together, so she would email game instructions to them through my email, or text to my phone. They (the ‘Player’) would complete the tasks and send their reply via email or text to receive the next instructions

These long distance activities are good to spread out over the course of a few weeks!

3 Long Distance Activities to Play “Together” with Kids

1. Air Dart Gun Game

Materials you will need:

• air dart guns
• cards
• clues
• phone camera

How to Play:

1. Set up two individual “courses” by hiding and posting the cards all throughout your house/garage/yard. (For distancing purposes, an accomplice will need to do the hiding and posting! i.e. Parents, guardians, etc.)

2. Each player will get a different set of clues to the locations of their set of cards.

3. When a card is found, the player has 3 chances to shoot and hit the card from _______ feet away (honor system). If the card is hit, a picture is taken of the card. Send the pictures to {person you are ‘playing’ with from a distance}.

4. If the player hits a certain # of cards, a prize/privilege is given.

2. Shared MAD LIBS

The following Mad Libs are examples of what my mother sent my boys. The email began with the instructions and the first set of blanks to fill out and reply. Then she sent back the completed Mad Lib.

Use this example, or make up your very own!

How to Play:

1. Fill in the words below and send it back to me.
2. I’ll fill in your words to the Mad Lib puzzle and send you the completed Mad Lib.
3. You make up or find a Mad Lib and send me the blanks to fill in and I’ll send it back to you.
4. You fill in my words to your Mad Lib puzzle and send it to me.
5. At the end of the week, I’ll send you the last Mad Lib puzzle that will be a prize!

Example 1

• A girl’s name:
• A boy’s name:
• A residence (a building you can live in):
• Another residence:
• A warm article of clothing:
• Another article of clothing:
• First color:
• Second color:
• Third color:
• Fourth color:
• A number between 2 & 12 :
• Another number:
• An animal that hates rats:
• Another animal:
• One more animal:
• The street you live on:
• An emotion:
• A verb ending in ‘ing:’

The finished Mad Lib:

THE RUNAWAY RATS

Once in a city called Rat’s Village there was a rat family called the Rover family who lived in a shed. The oldest rat kid was Josina and the youngest rat kid was Jorganson. They were very happy until 42 dogs came and wrecked their home. All they had left was a t shirt! They had to run away. They were very tired of running, so after a while they sat down to rest for 12 hours. Later a fish passed by. They told him about the dogs and he invited them to his home. The only problem was that he lived in a tiny cardboard box. So they said, “Thanks for the offer, but we’ll be moving on.” They finally reached a tiny town. They rented an apartment at 3204 Eagle Lane but a giralaphante was already living there, looking very sad. He was wearing a stinking, itchy sweater. They all wanted to wear it! The apartment was a mess, but they decorated it all. They painted the outside indigo and they painted the chairs green and they lived happily ever after.

Example 2:

• Choose a time:
• Choose brother or sister:
• A T.V. show:
• First color:
• Second color:
• Third color:
• Fourth color:
• A type of chair:
• A country:
• An animal:
• Choose mother or father:
• Choose a day of the week:
• Lunch meat:
• A video game:
• A name:
• A make or model of car:
• A number:
• Another number:

The finished Mad Lib:

ANIMAL RESCUE

It was 1 p.m. and my lazy old sister had just woken up. As I watched my favourite T.V. show, Gravity Falls, I sat down in my cyan rolling chair. When the show was over, I started flipping through the channels. The news caught my eye. I heard that a monkey had been lost from the Central Zoo and was now roaming around in Zambia. That was where I lived! I decided to tell my parents, but I thought that would worry them.
“Lunch!” called my father from the kitchen. It was Friday so we were having pork sandwiches for lunch. After lunch, I watched my father play Asphalt 9. After that I decided to go call Lump. But she was busy.
“Bedtime!” called my father, “Tomorrow we’re going to the Zoo!” The next morning I put on my neon green underwear and the rest of my clothes. I thought about what the people had said on the news. I started to get worried. When we got in the McLaren P1, I asked, “How long will the ride be?” “At least 3.14159265359 minutes.” my mom answered. On the way there I saw a royale purple and peach monkey run by.
“Oh no!” I gasped. “Stop the car!” SSSSSSCCCCCRRRRRREEEEEECCCCCCHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! “What is it honey?” asked my mom. “On the news it said that a monkey was loose, and we just passed it!” “Oh honey, that’s terrible!” my father said. “What should we do?” “Pick it up and bring it to the Zoo with us,” I suggested. “Why don’t we call the Zoo on my cell phone?” said my father. “We’ll try anything, if it works,” my mother said. My dad did so and the Central Zoo gave us 1 dollar.

3. Treasure Hunt

These are examples of what we did for a treasure hunt. Feel free to use these, or make up your own!

How to Play:

• Answer the clue
• Find the item.
• Take a picture of all of the items together and send the picture to the person you are ‘playing’ with from a distance
• They will text back one word of where the treasure is located and the next set of clues.

1st set of clues:

1. Something yellow that grows in the ground is a ___________. (weed)

2. If I have 4 leaves, people say I am lucky. Find either a 3-leaf or 4-leaf ________. (clover)

3. Oklahomans Blake Griffin, Buddy Hield, and Trae Young are all famous for playing with me: __________________ (basketball)

4. Find two things that start with the letter “S” that are either outside or in your garage: _____________ and ______________. (we did ‘scooter’ & ‘soccer ball’)

Send the pic:

Receive a text back of your treasure clue word. For example: “BEHIND”

2nd set of clues:

1. Sometimes I’m chocolate, sometimes I’m white, but I always make your cereal taste just right! __________ (milk)

2. Poke around in the Pantry. Find 2 items that start with a “P”: __________ and _____________

3. I have the most unusual ‘color’ name of any of your crayons or colored pencils (in your opinion). What is my name? ____________

4. I have two circular objects held in a frame one behind the other and I am propelled by appendages. I am a _____________. (bike)

Send the pic:

Receive a text back of your treasure clue word. For example: “LOOK”

3rd set of clues:

1. Find 3 things that start with the letter “R”: _________, ____________, __________

2. I am an acoustic musical instrument that has strings that are struck by felt hammers. I am a ______________. (piano)

3. Take a picture of one of your dogs doing a trick.

4. What is the 8th book on the second shelf of your bookshelf in your playroom? _______________________

Send pics:

Receive a text back of your last treasure clue word. For example: “PAINT”

I had received some candy from my mom to hide behind our paint cans in the garage, so it was already hidden. They just had to decode the message and find the right paint can!

My boys LOVED these games! What fun ways and long distance activities do you use to stay connected with loved ones when you are apart? And if you need some more ideas for keeping kids entertained, try these!