Social Distancing Games, May 4: 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 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 that are 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.
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.
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.
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 creativity 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.
Hence 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.
