Staying connected with friends and family is a challenge

by Laurel Wade

Dec. 14, 2020

Due to the rising cases as well as the cancellations of schools and activities, most students are staying at home for the time being. One of the challenges is staying connected with friends and family. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to stay in touch even when it's physically difficult to do so. The following is a list of creative ways to stay in contact with friends and family, and maybe even meet some new people along the way. Some of these options may seem silly, but they do the trick.

Game with friends:

It’s no secret that online gaming was popular before the pandemic, but with more and more people staying in, online gaming isn’t only about having fun. Games are entertaining, but they also help people stay connected virtually by creating a sense of community. Here are some games to try out:

• Draw Something(Phone)

• Words with Friends(Phone)

• Photo Roulette(Phone)

• Trivia Crack(Phone)

• QuizUp(Phone)

• Among Us(Phone/PC)

• Animal Crossing(Phone/Console)

• Minecraft(Phone/Console)

• Overcooked(Console)

Virtual dinners:

Meals offer a time to connect, but that’s harder to do when having a meal in-person is off the table. Instead, schedule Zooms for virtual dinners with family and friends. If Zoom fails to work, other apps could do the trick:

• GoogleDuo

• Skype

• GoogleMeet

• Discord

Connect through video:

There are also many games that work well during video calls. Sometimes getting on a call with no real reason can be difficult. Here are a few games to try that will create a fun time and provide a source of entertainment for all involved.

• Buzzfeed Quiz Party

• Netflix Party

• FRANKLY

• Jackbox Games

Staying connected through music:

Apps like Spotify and BopDrop help with finding new songs, artists, and albums by looking at what friends, and strangers are listening to and really enjoying. BopDrop allows a user to post one song a day that they can comment about and share with friends. Users can also comment on other user’s posts, sparking conversations about shared music interests. If used on a laptop or PC, Spotify users can see what friends are listening to moment by moment. Users can also see public playlists of any other person on the app.