5 Fun Games for Long-Distance Family Members to Play, Plus Quick Tips for Busy Families in Friday’s Fast Five 15th Edition

Building a stronger, happier family is at the top of most parents’ list. However, we are busy! These weekly Fast Five ideas and tips are a quick way to brainstorm, check-in, and create the family relationships you really want. This week’s Fast Five is Thanksgiving themed. Today’s ideas include fun games for long-distance family members to play together, a Thanksgiving service idea, activities to learn about the first Thanksgiving, and more. Happy Friday!

* These ideas are NOT meant to be a checklist or guilt trip of things we “should do.” Rather, they are intended to inspire you to find what works for YOUR family to learn, laugh, and love together. Remember to stick to the Simple Side of Parenting.

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What is Friday’s Fast Five?

Each Friday, we share five quick and simple ideas for families under the following categories:

1. Something Fun

This is an activity, game, entertainment recommendation, or simple outing for family fun.

2. A Little Lesson

Here you will find a simple lesson to help teach kids important ideas. Examples include life skills or personal qualities like kindness and patience.

3. A Service Idea

Volunteering is good for our mental and physical health. Serving together strengthens relationships with those we serve and those we serve with. Service can be fun and eye-opening. Service is an important way to learn, laugh, and love together.

4. Something Random

This is a random thought, idea, quote, or meme, typically to help you smile. 🙂

5. A Quick Tip

Here you will find a quick parenting or family tip for peaceful parenting or building a stronger, happier family. These come from research, personal experience, or those common sense reminders we all need to hear once in a while.

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With that, here is the fourteenth edition of Friday’s Fast Five. (You can find other editions HERE.)

1. Something Fun: 5 Games for Long-Distance Family Members to Play Together

Whether it’s a socially distanced holiday or a random night, these 5 games for long-distance family members to play together are sure to be a hit. I chose these games because they have high interaction and bonding opportunities as players see each other’s faces and/or learn about each other.

Playing Games with Long-Distance Relatives

Playing games is a great way for kids to connect with family members that live far away. These games are engaging and will help family members get to know each other better and make a fun memory.

Thanks goes to my siblings and their spouses who came up with most of these ideas for our family!

Here are five great options of games to play with long-distance family:

1. Heads Up! and the House Party Games

Heads Up! is a really fun guessing game. Now you can play Heads Up! with long-distance family members through the free video chat app called House Party.

Everyone will need to download and create a free account of House Party. Then you each join the conversation and you can all see each other and play fun games together like Heads Up!, Trivia, Karaoke, Quick Draw, UNO, and more.

2. Family Trivia with Kahoot!

Do you know dad’s favorite song? How about where grandma was born or whose first word was cow? Family trivia is such a fun way to get to know family members and reminisce on family memories. With Kahoot!, family trivia becomes a great game to play with long-distance family members.

One person will need to gather or think of the trivia questions. One easy way to collect answers to questions is with a free Survey Monkey survey.

Set-up a free Kahoot! account and easily input the questions and answers. Do a screen share on Zoom or another video chat to play together.

3. Jackbox TV

Jackbox has a lot of games, but the adults in our family have played Quiplash together. It was really funny.

The game gives you a prompt and you come up with your best response. Next, the game shows the responses anonymously and the players can vote for their favorite. Points are awarded for votes and the player with the most points wins.

One person needs to buy a Jackbox TV game or pack, and then they host the game. Everyone can sign on over Zoom or another similar platform. Here are directions for how to play together remotely. The games are rated for teens and older.

4. Vertellis

If you’d like to encourage meaningful conversation and connection, the Vertellis Card Game is a awesome idea. With thought-provoking questions that encourage people to open up, this is a unique game for long-distance family members to play together.

Because this game is not specifically intended for online play, it requires no technical skills to play it together. Sign-on to Zoom, another video chat, or even play by phone. One person will have the card deck, and everyone participates.

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5. Personalized Family Jeopardy with Factile

How much do you know about your personal family history, family vacations, or family-favorite movie quotes? Easily create a completely personalized Jeopardy style board with categories and clues with a free account with Factile.

Do a screen share on Zoom or share your game’s unique URL to play your personalized family jeopardy games with long-distance family members.

2. A Little Lesson: The First Thanksgiving

Learn about the pilgrims and Wampanoag with hands-on activities like singing and dancing to songs, pretending to plant crops, making crafts, and shaking up some pilgrim butter.

You can find details for these ideas, printables, book suggestions, and more in these Thanksgiving Learning Ideas.

Have a family discussion about the harvest feast and gratitude.

Wondering how to fit Little Lessons into your busy family schedule?

The two main ways to fit important lessons into your busy family schedule are to find spontaneous teaching moments throughout the day and to schedule family learning time each week. These two posts go into detail about these two ways and tips for making it happen with your family.

How Busy Parents Can Teach Important Life Lessons

6 Tips for Family Time that Teaches Life’s Most Important Lessons

3. A Service Idea: Deliver Thanksgiving in a Basket

Gather the main ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner into a wicker basket, plastic laundry basket, or really sturdy box. Deliver the meal to the doorstep of someone who might be in need this year.

For several years, my sister-in-law has organized a massive community effort to assemble and deliver Thanksgiving in a basket, and the impact is powerful.

Kids can help put the basket(s) together, write or draw notes, and help deliver the baskets.

This is also a great service idea for a socially distanced Thanksgiving.

Service is a great way to build a stronger, happier family. If you want more service ideas, request Raising Compassionate Children in a Conceited World, which includes 101 Service Ideas for Families.

4. Something Random: Thanksgiving Feast

Kid style…

Enjoy the leftovers!

5. A Quick Tip: Gratitude

With a Thanksgiving themed Fast Five, you knew we were going with gratitude for our quick tip.

Go around the table and share three things you’re grateful for, or use one of these 15 Creative Ways to Practice Gratitude as a Family. Even in hard circumstances, there are reasons to be thankful.

Have a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

And that is Friday’s Fast Five!

You can also see Friday’s Fast Five on Instagram or other editions HERE.

Building a Stronger, Happier Family

It takes time and intention to build a stronger, happier family. I hope Friday’s Fast Five helps you find the ways that work for YOUR family to learn, laugh, and love together.

We will never regret the time we devote to our families and relationships with our kids.

Have a great weekend with your family, know that you’re loved, and keep on lovin’!

Do you have a great idea for a future Friday’s Fast Five? Have a question or parenting struggle you want help with? Share in the comments, shoot me an Email, or schedule a call.

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