Sometimes in our lives, situations arise, making it difficult to be with our family, meaning we can’t always enjoy time together in person. Despite this, there are still some activities families can do together when you can’t be together, and we will walk you through a few of those today. 

Virtual Movie Watching Parties

It can be as simple as logging into a streaming service and watching the same movie at the same time while in different locations. Simply go into the show or movie you all wish to watch. 

Many streaming services have a Watch Party button you can select to start your own movie-watching party with other people. Clicking this option in most streaming services will take you to a screen where you will find a link for your viewing session. 

Mailing Letters

Next, we have the lost art of letter writing. Emails are certainly faster, but you don’t have the same kind of personalization regarding the letters you send as you do when you handwrite letters and send them through the mail. They can be more thoughtful, more personal, and something tangible your loved ones can hold in their hands when they cannot hold you.

According to the United States Postal Service (USPS) research, approximately 65 percent of people said that receiving a letter this way lifted their spirits and approximately 67 percent said they would have sent their own letters to family and friends. 

Group Phone Dates

Like movie-watching parties, you can also host group phone dates with loved ones when you cannot be with them in person. You can choose from a number of video apps that allow you to call your family members to speak to them and see them in real-time. You can talk about your day, exchange stories, and catch up just as easily as you could if you were in person. 

A group phone date is a great way to stay involved in everyone’s life and catch yourself up to what has been happening. Worried you will run out of things to say to your family? There are many sources online where you can find lists of questions you can have on hand for just this. You can find fun questions you can ask to keep the conversation going and avoid any silence from either end. 

Virtual Game Nights

Another way to bring people together while they are apart is with a fun virtual game night. Family members and friends can indulge in online games, including hosted virtual trivia nights or even classic board games redesigned for online play. Virtual game nights offer flexibility and allow you to invite even those family members that are in another location and time zone.

You can capture memories via screenshot throughout the night and capture screen recordings to listen to later. You can also take it a step further and create different game night themes each week to really keep things interesting.

For example, you can host a casino night one week, trivia night the next, and a classic board game night after that. There is always something for everyone online. Before getting started, find video chat technology you are comfortable with and then choose a game platform everyone can use. 

When choosing games, focus on games that everyone loves. You can even make this night more memorable by asking everyone to dress up according to the theme of the games that night. You can even send swag to each other’s houses ahead of time to make things even more interesting and more hands-on.

When you choose these family activities, you will feel close even when you are apart as they are designed to bring families together.