Activities To Do w/ Friends Via Zoom
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
As the semester brings itself to an end and some of us still find ourselves distanced from our friends and family, now more than ever, it’s important to get a little creative in the ways we keep in touch. Zoom can be used for a lot more than just classes, and although it may be tempting to just throw it away the first chance you get, it has a lot of other applications. Specifically, ones that could be used to keep in touch with friends! Curious as to what else you could be doing across your camera screen besides dozing off in lectures? Read below!
Watch a movie!
Why not try zoom-ing a movie or television show? Pick the person with the best internet connection, share the screen, and try it out!
Make a movie!
Now, if you can watch a movie, you can surely make one — especially with the recording feature. Tons of movies have been made from only video chat/computer screens too! It probably won’t be oscar-worthy, but it could still be a bit of fun.
Host/Participate in a cooking lesson!
Since everyone has a lot more at-home time, home cooking seems to be a lot more accessible than before. Take this time to have some cooking fun! Try a Chopped-At-Home-Challenge. Have your friend lead a seminar on a traditional family recipe!
Host/Follow a makeup tutorial!
There’s no better time to practice something difficult than when you’re home alone with no repercussions or people to judge you. If one of your friends happens to be a little better than average too, you can have them lead a Youtube-style, no-pressure tutorial! Just have some fun!
Have a karaoke session!
Pick a song, set the stage, and forget that you’re all trapped indoors for a little bit!
Play some games!
There’s no reason gaming has to be limited to in-person interaction! There are tons of things you could play: Bingo, Charades, Hangman, Trivia, Crossword Puzzles, even Family Feud! Honestly, there’s not much you can’t do in real life that you couldn’t do on Zoom too!
Have a dinner date!
If you met up with your friend each night to have dinner at the Village or Parkside, you don’t necessarily have to stop. You could still have dinner with your friends, just bring you and your plate in front of the camera to chat!
Dance it out!
Just because you’re stuck inside doesn’t mean you have to stop moving!
Host a talent show!
This is a fun way to learn something new about your friends and show off any secret talents of your own! Give it a shot!
Go to an online yoga class!
I don’t have to tell you that what’s going on right now can be a bit stressful, but seeing as yoga is said to be calming, this could be a great option for you and your friends!
Have a crafting session!
This really is the perfect time to learn new skills, and maybe your friends could be your teachers! Ask a friend to lead a knitting class, a pottery class —anything! Get to know your friends a bit better and learn a new trick!
Have a virtual pet show!
You know, there’s just a special sort of excitement you get when you peep a student’s cat or dog lurking in the background of a Zoom class. Who says that has to end?
Create a book club.
A lot of the time people note a lack of time as a reason for not reading as often as they’d like to, but that might not be as big of an issue anymore. Set a time once a month to meet up with friends and discuss whatever book you’ve finally had time to read in your new free time!
Have a self-care night!
It’s easy to let go of your usual self-care practices during all of this pandemonium, so meeting up with your friends solely for the purpose of pampering yourselves could be a nice treat!
Have the Best Background contest!
Being able to play with zoom backgrounds was maybe one of the best things about online classes. Yes, you could just choose whatever stock backgrounds are available on the actual platform or not use a background at all, but you could also have a bit of fun with friends trying to come up with the most outrageous background.
Do a group work out!
Working out with friends typically is a bit more fun, and there’s no reason social distancing has to stop that.
Have a costume party!
Yeah, you probably can’t go out anywhere and show off whatever fit you manage to come up with, but you can still show off to your friends!
Do a house tour!
Why not do a little MTV Cribs spoof!
Times are weird, and we all miss our friends and family, but we will get through it. In the meantime, let’s all try to stay connected the best way we can!
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