When you spend more time at home, it can feel like your fun is limited, but with the right ideas you can actually enjoy it far more than you’d expect.
In this article, we’ll introduce recreational activities you can enjoy with large groups at home using Zoom.
From “I didn’t know you could do that on Zoom” activities to classic Zoom-specific staples, we’ve compiled a variety of ideas.
Whether you turn your video on or off or move your body in front of the camera, these ideas can revolutionize those often-boring hours at home and make them genuinely fun—so be sure to give them a try.
- [Online] Recreation Games to Liven Up Your Zoom Sessions
- Icebreaker ideas for large groups you can use in Zoom meetings
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- [For Elementary School Students] A Collection of Games and Activities You Can Enjoy on Zoom
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- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- Fun games you can play over the phone—even if you can’t meet!
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
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- Brain-teasing game roundup
- A collection of icebreakers you can enjoy with a small group
Recreation activities you can enjoy with large groups on Zoom (1–10)
Picture shiritori
Using Zoom’s Whiteboard feature, ‘Picture Shiritori’ is a simple yet guaranteed crowd-pleaser! How to play: The first player draws a picture within a 15-second time limit.
The next player guesses what was drawn and then draws the next picture.
Continue passing it along until the last person, then check whether the chain from the first to the last forms a valid shiritori sequence.
Drawings really show personality—especially with a short time limit! You might even discover a new master artist in your group.
Yamanote Line game
When it comes to classic games that get a big group excited, the “Yamanote Line Game” is a staple.
In the Yamanote Line Game, you pick a topic, and players take turns saying words that fit that topic.
If you can’t think of something, or you repeat something someone has already said, you lose.
For example, if the topic is stations on the Yamanote Line, you list as many station names on the line as you can.
One tip to remember when choosing a topic is that the more possible answers there are, the longer you can enjoy the game.
For instance, if the topic is “cities in Japan,” there can be up to 792 possible answers.
What topic you choose is up to the players—pick something everyone can get excited about!
Fastest Finger First Game
The “fastest-finger buzzer game” you often see on TV shows and YouTube projects.
Many people have probably thought, “It’d be fun to play this with friends!” If you’re not sure how to actually do it, we recommend using Zoom’s chat feature.
With the chat feature, you can send messages to all Zoom participants.
Messages appear in the order they’re sent, making it easy to judge who answered first.
You can also have people type an exclamation mark instead of an answer and use it like a buzzer—highly recommended!
5W1H game
Back when you were a student, didn’t you learn the term “5W1H” in English class? It stands for “When,” “Where,” “Who,” “What,” “Why,” and “How,” which in Japanese correspond to “itsu, doko de, dare ga, nani o, naze, dō shita.” The “5W1H Game” turns this into a fill-in-the-blank activity.
Each participant is assigned a category like “What” or “Why,” and they each decide on a word or phrase to fit their part.
Once everyone is ready, you reveal them all at once and connect them into a single sentence.
You’ll end up with a delightfully mismatched sentence you’d never come up with normally, so it’s guaranteed to liven things up!
Gesture Game
Unlike phone calls, the great thing about Zoom is that you can see each other through the screen.
A game that makes the most of that feature is the “Gesture Game”! In this game, you express the given prompt using body movements without speaking.
As you get into it, you tend to make all sorts of funny movements without meaning to, which always leads to lots of laughter and excitement.
You can form teams and compete to see who gets the most correct answers.
If you prepare a penalty for the losing team, the competition gets even more heated and lively!
Telepathy Quiz
If you’re especially close with someone, you naturally learn more about each other—your backgrounds, preferences, and so on.
For people like that, we highly recommend the “Telepathy Game.” It’s a game that tests how well you really know each other! Here’s how to play: take turns posing prompts related to one another—for example, “What is XX’s favorite drink?” Everyone answers the prompt at the same time.
You can answer out loud, or write your answers using Zoom’s chat or whiteboard features.
The more correct matches you get, the deeper your mutual trust grows!
No-overlap game
The more players there are, the more exciting the “No-Overlap Game” becomes.
Here’s how to play: from the numbers 1 to 100, the person who writes the highest number wins.
However, if your number overlaps with someone else’s, you’re eliminated.
You have to choose your number while trying to gauge your opponents’ minds—predictable yet unpredictable.
The more players there are, the higher the chance of overlaps, making for a thrilling experience! Will you make a bold play and go for broke, or proceed cautiously to secure a sure win? The choice is yours!