Games for Video Chat

With many schools going virtual for the foreseeable future it is important to have a plan to interact with your students through video chat. These games will allow you to build community, have some fun, and encourage learning all through video chat.

Each of the games detailed below have different applications. I would encourage you to give as many of them a try as you can as different games work in different ways to encourage learning and community.

One Thing

This game is a “just for fun” game with a goal of community building and can be played whole class. One student, or you as the teacher, are”it” and turn off your camera for a moment and change one that can be observed in the camera zone.

That person then turns their camera back on and the group takes turns guessing what they changed.

My favorite thing to change personally is switch to a different pair of glasses.

Two Truths and a Lie

This classic game is great for video chat, and doesn’t require cameras on the be fun!

Everyone brainstorms two true statements and a false statement to share with the group and the group tries to figure out the false statement.

This game can be used with content or as a get to know you community builder. Either way it is fun!

Take Off and Touchdown

This game is another fun one for getting to know one another, but you could also make it a fun way to review content as well.

The premise is simple. A statement is said either by the teacher or a student and then everyone that agrees stands up. They remain standing until they hear a statement they do not agree with and then they sit.

During video chat this could be achieved with the physical movement or through reactions like raising and lowering their hand, using a reaction like thumbs up, or applause.

This allows all students to participate whether they have their cameras on or not.

Digital Stinky Feet

You had to know this one was going to make the list! I find Digital Stinky Feet best played in small groups of nine or less students, but it totally still works whole class as well.

Check out full instructions for how to play Digital Stinky Feet over video chat here.

Pictionary

Pictionary is another classic game that works beautifully for video chat as well as with fun or content topics.

You could encourage students to use a piece of paper or white board to draw their image while others guess or use a digital whiteboard option that is available in many video chat programs.

Hangman

One more classic game that students LOVE that translates really well to video chat. This one can also be used with content vocabulary or words that are just for fun.

I personally play this one in smaller groups so everyone gets more turns to guess.

Who Am I?

Another game that can be used to build up your community or review content.

The teacher will privately message one student a vocabulary word, celebrity, or another topic. The rest of the group will take turns asking yes or no questions to try and figure out the identity of the individual and making guesses.

Students ADORE this game, and it is really fun to see what kind of questions students ask in order to figure out the mystery word. If you are playing with content words or vocabulary the questions they ask can provide a lot of insight into any misconceptions they may have.

A Caveat for Video Chat

I would caution you when using video chat to not force students to have their camera on. They are at home, or in other situations they may not feel comfortable showing to you or their classmates. It may be considered an invasion of privacy.

In other cases, students may not have strong enough internet signals to make the video portion work, but still can participate verbally.

Personally, I invite students to turn on their camera but also tell them they don’t have to. For me, I am more concerned about their welfare and the ability to be able to hear their voice, even if I can’t see them, than about having all their videos on.

This of course makes it difficult to participate fully in some of the above games, but many allow participation even without turning on the camera.

PowerPoint Template Games

Looking for more fun for the virtual classroom? PowerPoint Template Games can be used over and over again to review content or get to know one another.

Check them out here.