Bingo For Zoom
As the COVID19 pandemic continues to keep extended families, youth groups, and church friends physically separate, here are some games to enjoy via video conference (Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangout).
Play with your coworkers, friends, and family in person or virtually via Zoom, Skype or Google Meet video calls! Perfect game for a New Year's Eve Zoom Party! Comes with 10 unique bingo cards and 1 call out sheet. NOTE: This listing comes with only ONE bingo game! Make your own 'Zoom BINGO' cards - printable and virtual. Customize the words/numbers, choose a beautiful theme, then create your bingo cards for free. You can create bingo cards for a variety of activities. Use them for teaching kids while having fun, during homeschooling, or for birthday parties. Use this bingo card maker to create a fun activity for Zoom calls with friends and family. How To Play Bingo With Friends Online.
These games can be used as stand alone events or as part of larger programs, for example as a meeting ice breaker or part of a youth group gathering. Either way, if you are using games in a church context we encourage you to include a formation element. You might begin with a prayer and brief check in (tell us your name, one thing you are mourning today, and one thing giving you hope) or you might end with Compline (here’s a Google Slide deck of Compline ready to use).
Bingo
Bingo is simple & extremely intergenerational. It translates well to Zoom and requires basically no prep work.
Suggested Age Range: 3 Years-Older Adult
Tips & Ideas: I generally do 4-5 rounds with my intergenerational group. The first three winners get prizes (a $5 gift card for ice cream in the mail). We close with Compline led by volunteers from the group.
Resources: My group uses these free printable bingo cards. The first time we played, I sent cards in the mail to families. But these can also be printed at home. The “Traditional Cards” offers 75 unique cards. I’ve been using a physical bingo board and spinner to call the numbers, but you can also use an online bingo number generator like this one.
Pictionary
In Pictionary one player draws a picture of a word/phrase that the other plays have not seen. Other players try to guess the word/phrase based on the drawing.
Suggested Age Range: Lower Elementary-Adult
Tips & Ideas: My group used the whiteboard feature of Zoom. I made everyone a co-host so they could pull up the whiteboard when it was their turn. I sent words via text, but they could also be sent privately in the chat. We did not keep score.
Resources: This Pictionary word generator worked well for my group. As the moderator, I picked slightly easier words for our youngest players and used the “hard” or “really hard” category for adults.
Scattergories
Scattergories is a quick thinking game that draws out players creativity. Players number a piece of paper 1-5. They are given a letter of the alphabet and five categories. They have 90 seconds to fill in all five categories with words/phrases that start with the chosen letter. Players are awarded points for each unique answer.
Suggested Age Range: Upper Elementary-Adult
Tips & Ideas: This game was a huge hit with a middle school group at church as well as a group of six adult friends.
Resources: Here’s a Google Slide Deck version of the game. Or you can share your screen and play this online version that offers 11 categories per round. If you want to roll letters for each round, here’s a Scattergories dice and timer.
Jeopardy
Jeopardy is a great game for accessing a groups knowledge on a particular topic (for example, the season of Lent), but the topics can also be purely fun (for example, music, gardening, TV shows).
Suggested Age Range: Upper Elementary-Adult
Tips & Ideas: Assign a score keeper. Make sure you keep track of which categories have already been picked (for example, liturgical season for 200).
Resources: Here’s a template to make your own Jeopardy game using Google Slides. Here’s a keynote presentation with categories relating to the seasons of the church year.
Lamentations or Taylor Swift Lyric
Participants in “Lamentations or Taylor Swift Lyric” are presented with a quote and asked to decide if it is a passage from the book of Lamentations or a lyric from a Taylor Swift song.
Suggested Age Range: Middle School-Young Adult
Tips & Ideas: Depending on the size of your group, this can be played in teams or by voting using the poll feature in Zoom.
Resources: This game is available from Download Youth Ministries for $4.00 per powerpoint. There are four versions available for purchase here.
Balderdash
In Balderdash, participants are presented with an obscure word or person. Each player makes up a definition or reason the person is famous. The moderator reads all the answers to the group, mixing in the real answer. Everyone votes on the correct answer. Participants are awarded points for guessing correctly as well as for fooling others with their fake answers.
Suggested Age Range: Middle School-Adult
Tips & Ideas: For this game it is easiest to have everyone on a separate device so they can message the host separately using private chat. Alternatively, each player can text the host if everyone has a cell phone. If you have a large group, have someone make a list of the answers in the chat so everyone can vote more easily or use the poll feature in Zoom.
Resources: You can play using this Google Slide deck or share your screen and play this online version.
Digital Escape Room
Sydney Krawiec, a Youth Services Librarian in McMurray, PA creatively used Google Forms to create a Harry Potter themed digital escape room! The storyline is compelling and the challenges include math and geography. It might take a group about 20 minutes.
Suggested Age Range: Upper Elementary-Middle School
Tips & Ideas: This game works well with screen share and someone reading each page. Players may want to have paper and pen available.
Resources: Here’s the link to this escape room!
With September in full effect, it means summer is winding down and it's time to get back to school, work, and the everyday hustle and bustle of things. But that doesn't mean we're exactly returning to normalcy. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, meetings and classes will still mostly likely be taking place via Zoom video calls. And even though we're going on six months of social distancing, Zoom calls can still feel pretty awkward at times, especially if you're in a big group with people you don't know that well. This is why you should stay equipped with Zoom ice breakers for big groups.
It can be intimidating to be the first person to speak in a big group, even if that group is meeting virtually. But if you keep a few ice breakers up your sleeve, it can make talking on your Zoom calls (and having a great discussion with other people in the call) a lot more easy. Plus, when everyone's talking comfortably and the conversation is flowing, they'll have you to thank. So the next time a Zoom call with a big group falls awkwardly silent, just try a few of these ice breakers to save the day.
1. Let's take a poll...
Find out favorite ice cream flavors, Netflix shows, or if people are Team Edward or Team Jacob.
2. How much longer do we think this will last?
Taking bets on when all of this will end can be a funny way of getting the conversation going.
3. Who's tired of these Zoom calls?
A little honesty never hurt anybody.
4. Who has pajamas on right now?
It can be fun to see who else has mastered the just-the-top put-together look.
5. Let's play Zoom I-Spy.
Play using only what you can see on your screen. Is it a clock? An interesting wallpaper pattern? Whatever it is, it'll get people talking.
6. Everyone get to know the person 'next to' them.
In Gallery View, Zoom places people's screens next to each other. Having everyone break off into groups of two to get to know each other better can create a better sense of familiarity in a big group.
7. Let's play social distancing Bingo.
Who else has gotten dressed up just to sit in their room? Bingo!
8. Let's go around and say one fun fact each.
This may seem like a dread in regular settings, but in video calls, this is a great way to get everyone to speak and feel more at ease.
9. What's everyone's Zodiac sign?
It's a good idea to point out the Geminis beforehand.
10. Show and tell.
Maybe someone has a stuffed animal they've had since they were five or an autographed first-edition of their favorite book. Either way, giving them a chance to show it off can help them feel more comfortable in a big group.
11. Let's play Name Tag.
This is a great and easy way to hear everyone speak and learn how to pronounce their names. To play Name Tag, all you have to do is 'tag' someone by saying their name (displayed at the bottom of their screen). This way, if you don't know how to say it correctly, the person can correct you for everyone to hear. Keep playing until everyone's name has been called.
12. Say something you're grateful for.
Holiday Bingo For Zoom
Starting off a Zoom call on a positive note can really set the tone for the whole call. What better way to do this than getting everyone in a thankful mood?
13. What show are you binging?
I mean, how else is everyone getting through quarantine?
14. What did you want to grow up to be when you were younger?
Bingo For Zoom Meeting
Do have any astronaut princess doctors in the room?
15. Is anyone here still baking?
This can give you a good idea of what phase of quarantine everyone is in.
16. Show of hands: Who thinks pigeons are real?
Whether you believe in this conspiracy theory or just need a good laugh, this is a great way to get some conversation flowing.
17. In your opinion, what's the weirdest trend to come out of quarantine?
Extra points if you say pillow dresses.
18. Who here is actually enjoying quarantine?
Find out who the introverts in the Zoom call are.
19. Has anyone did any drastic makeovers since being in quarantine?
Bangs? Dyeing your hair blue? Shaving off your eyebrows?
20. What has been the wildest news of 2020?
Do you think it was the firenado? The UFO sighting? The murder hornets?
21. Does anyone have plans for 2021?
Spreading a little hope for the next year to come is probably the best thing you can do right now.