Games are a central part of the standard youth group experience. If you’ve shifted to an online setting, keeping the fun factor can be difficult when everyone is staring at a screen. Thankfully there are plenty of online multiplayer games that require little setup or can even be played during a video meeting.

Charades and Pictionary are simple classics you can play on any video system. Charades, acting out something without using any words, is ideal for a setting where everyone is already watching everyone else. The host can send the contestant a word over text or sms and then they can act it out for the whole group. Pictionary is a game similar to Charades but with drawing instead. If you are using the program Zoom, you can access the whiteboard function under the “share screen” heading. If not, a simple piece of paper can be held up to the camera and a heavy marker will make your drawing clear while others guess out loud. 

Online options also allow for more interactive fun. Kahoot.com is a website that makes quizzes and guessing games your youth group can answer via their cell phones or mobile devices. The games need to be pre-made ahead of time but there is no limit to the kind of test or quiz you can create for your youth group. Contestants can see their standings and their rank after each question and point are won by those who answer the quickest. Similar to pictionary, Gartic.io is a website that lets contestants create a virtual room and compete in pictionary-style draw and guess games.