For most of us, family reunions are done annually. However, there are times when other family members live far away from each other, making it difficult to meet and be physically present during the planned reunion. While some of our grandmas and grandpas are not that fit to travel anymore, as well as when social distancing became our new normal, itâs time to meet in the middle by bringing our family reunion in the virtual world. Aside from it being cost-efficient and convenient for everyone, thereâs a higher chance everyone can attend the said reunion.
How Can Virtual Family Reunions be Possible?
If you think that each family must have the usual vlogging equipment, such as camera, lights, mic, and the likes, youâre wrong! As long as you have a reliable internet connection, a smartphone, or any device that can make do for your video conference with the whole family, youâre good to go.
Here are some platforms the family can choose from when conducting the virtual family reunion:
Skype
Way before Facebook Messenger became a thing, we already had Skype. Itâs one of the OG instant messaging apps on the web. For easier use, the host should add the family members as their contacts, and create a group chat to start the video conference.
Zoom
Zoom is an application you can download on your smartphones, tablets, and even on your computers. It is the on-demand video conferencing application in town, as it is convenient and easy to use. A free account can allow up to 40 minutes of video conferencing with 100 members who can join.
If you guys want to buy more time, as reunions may take more than 40 minutes, we have a trick for you. You, as the host of the Zoom meeting, should schedule the meeting on Zoom ahead of time. It’s best if you schedule it at least a week prior to your virtual celebration. Also, make sure to tick the âSet Calendar to Othersâ option, and choose the âGenerate Automaticallyâ option for the Meeting ID tab. Get the Meeting ID, password, and link, and send it to your family members for easy reference.
Now here’s the critical part. When the 40-minute mark is coming, the host will receive a timer for it. You need to leave the meeting, not ending the meeting for all, and rejoin again using the same link in the invite. Several participants should do it, too, in order for you guys to have more free passes. It’s not an easy hack to pull, but it will be worth it.
Google Meet
Unlike Zoom, Google Meet has unlimited video conferencing time. You just have to download the app on your smartphone, or have the Chrome extension for it, and youâre good to go.
FaceTime
This app can be used if youâre all iOS users. Itâs perfect for video conferencing, as itâs already downloaded upon purchasing your phone or tablet, not making it difficult for our elderly family members to navigate their way to our virtual family reunion.
Facebook Messenger
This can be the most accessible and convenient for everyone as you guys communicate more often thru Messenger. All you have to do is to create a group chat or Messenger room, and you can conference with 50 of your family members all over the world.
Houseparty
Houseparty is a free app game available for all, whether youâre using Android, iOS, or Chrome. You can do your video calls here while playing and having fun! Virtual games, such as Pictionary, Heads Up, and Quick Draw, are incorporated in this app, and can be played easily.
Games and Activities for Your Virtual Family Reunion
Of course, letâs not skip one of the most-awaited parts in this virtual family reunionâthe games! Let everyone laugh their hearts out all throughout your virtual family reunion with these fun games that can be played online.
Whoâs Who?
Go on a trip down memory lane! Have everyone send their most unrecognizable baby pictures to the gamemaster or organizer at least two days before the program proper. The gamemaster will collate them, and have players guess who owns that baby picture. Will you be able to guess them all?
Charades
Charades is a classic game you can easily play virtually! Divide the families into groups, and have them turn on their video feed for the whole duration of the game. The âitâ will be put into the spotlight, and will act out the designated word or phrase the team should guess. The team with the highest points at a particular time wins!
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
The ultimate goal in this family reunion is to have fun, right? Bring the joy virtually by organizing a virtual scavenger hunt suitable for all ages! The gamemasterâs task is to identify or list as many objects the players can find within a short time. This can be played individually or by groups.Â
Whisper Challenge
To play this in a virtual setting, have each team consist of family members from different households. Let them choose a player who will whisper the word, and the team must guess it correctly.
The twist of this game is that the âitâ will put their mic on mute to achieve the whispering effect. Remember that the words or phrases should be different for each team. The words can be categorized as anything under the sun, depending on the gamemaster. Examples of which are countries, cities, kitchenware, food, and so much more.
Whereâs Waldo?
Whereâs Waldo can either be fun and frustrating to play, which is why itâs one of the perfect games to play on a virtual family reunion.
The organizer may send the image in the group chat, and the first one to look for the correct Waldo wins. Here are some examples of Whereâs Waldo guessing pictures. Good luck with finding Waldo!
Impersonate Me
Impersonate Me is kind of like Charades, in a sense that you have to act it out, and players have to guess correctly. This can either be played in teams or individually, with someone (a gamemaster or another player) mimicking or impersonating a family member. For example, you may mimic Grandpaâs way of telling his iconic lines, or your favorite uncleâs habits.
Encore
If youâre familiar with the board game Encore, you can also play it virtually! Gather the family, and divide them into several teams. Itâs better if you can have groups of four to six. The more teams, the merrier!
The game master will give the word to the first team, and they should sing a song with that particular word in the lyrics. Other teams can jump in and sing a new song, but it must have a common word with the previous song. This goes on and on, earning the team points until the timer goes off. The points should equal the number of songs they have connected successfully.
The Generation Game
Yup, this game is named after a British TV game! Haha! The Generation Game is a test of your photographic memory skills. Two teams will compete on whoâs the brainiest of them all. Each team will have to choose 15 to 20 objects in their home, and lay them in the order they want. The other team should recall everything to win points, and have one minute to memorize all of the objects.
Pictionary
Test everyoneâs creativity and critical thinking skills! You can use Pictionary sites, such as Skribbl.io and Drawsaurus. Choose a team to play first, and its designated drawer. They have one minute to draw the word, and if the team guessed it correctly, they earn a point.
Minute to Win It
Having some challenges like these can strengthen your family ties amidst the distance! This is also perfect if you tap a person from each family to prepare the materials needed ahead of time. If youâre familiar with the game show game show Minute to Win It, you should know the mechanics upon reading the game title.
Check this awesome compilation of Minute to Win It challenges here.
Hangman
This oneâs a classic! For sure, this family game has passed from generation to generation. Itâs a word guessing game played virtually. Just make sure to guess the word right before you lose all of your lives!
Heads Up!
You can download this app on your smartphones, and let the games begin! Itâs like charades where the player holding the smartphone will guess the word by asking questions to the team, which they can only answer âyes,â âno,â and âmaybe.â You can also choose the theme of your choice for this game using the app.
Simon Says
This game is perfect when you have kids around to participate in the virtual games on your family reunion. This game will make your kids move, and have fun throughout. Also, itâs a perfect icebreaker to keep the hype and excitement rolling.
Bingo
Bingo is also a classic game everyone loves! Have everyone have their bingo cards, and the gamemaster will call out the random numbers with corresponding letters of BINGO. You can generate your bingo cards through MyFreeBingoCards.Â
Alternatively, you can play Bingo Blitz and similar Bingo games on Facebook, and create a room for the whole family. The first three to five winners to complete a particular pattern wins! Donât forget to prepare small tokens or prizes, such as gift cards or cheques, and the likes.
Family Feud
Be creative, and have fun by bringing Family Feud in the virtual family reunion! As we all know, Family Feud is a classic American game where two families compete to bring home the bacon. For more details on how you can achieve this virtual family game, check this out.
UNO
If your family loves card games, then you can play UNO by downloading an app or straight from your messenger accounts! All you have to do is to assign one player to create a room from the UNO room feature, and give access to all the players. From there, you can play your favorite card game, easy as 1-2-3.
I Spy
I Spy is a classic game that you can easily play in the virtual world. The Spy starts the game by saying âI spy with my little eye something thatâŚâ and give them a descriptive clue.
The players can ask questions, and the spy can only answer with a âyesâ or a âno.â Then if the player is now confident that he thinks his guess is correct, s/he may ask, âIs it this toy car?â If s/he guessed it correctly, s/he will now be the spy.
MAFIA
If youâre familiar with the Werewolf card game, MAFIA is similar to that. The goal of this game is for the mafia to kill everyone, and vice versa. There will be a gamemaster, a mafia, a doctor, a sheriff, and civilians.
The group has to identify and vote who among them is the mafia. Those voted off and killed have to turn off their video feed to signify theyâre out of the game. This will continue until the group unmasks the mafia or everyone is killed.
Psych!
Psych! is a party game, developed by the same developers of Heads Up. It’s kind of a trivia game, but you need to stray away from the fake choices or else you’ll be Psyched!Â
There are a lot of categories to choose from, and they also have a deck called “And The Truth Comes Out” wherein you guys will be answering personal questions about one another. It’s one of those good getting-to-know-you games, perfect for a virtual family reunion.
Conclusion
Despite any obstacles that may hinder your family reunion to take place, you may always consider alternatives, such as bringing the celebration in the virtual world. It’s more inexpensive and, at the same time, it allows everyone to join the fun, may they be a thousand miles away.
You can do so much in your virtual family reunion, such as bringing the classic games online. These will surely leave a smile on everyone’s faces at the end of the reunion. The preparation may need some time and effort for it to be a successful event. But, with cooperation and teamwork, all will be worth it, especially when everyone gets to know distant family members and takes some time off to destress with the family.
The distance does not equate to games being less exciting. Also, the distance will not hinder us from meeting everyone virtually. With the changing situation around the world, letâs not resort to canceling our annual family reunion just because we canât all be physically together.
