Photo by Malte Helmhold on Unsplash
How hard is it to entertain a group of people online? Now think about trying to entertain the same people who are used to your quirks and idiosyncrasies. Those same set of people who have heard all your jokes before and are dying for you to either get new material or stop telling jokes overall. Fun things to do over Facetime are not really hard to find. However, if your family is like mine, and I suspect that they are, then you already know the hardest thing would be getting a consensus between family members on one thing in particular. But luckily, perhaps because of the aftermath of the Covid 19 virus, there are now more ways in the online universe to find things created to engage everyone. Which is vital, as long distance families have to stay in touch. In order to reduce the likelihood of chronic disease and disability while increasing life expectancy. So it is not only going to benefit one person in the family group, it is supposed to help all members who have logged on to enjoy their place in the whole unit. Very important if not quite crucial to the overall machinations of a family. Here are a few ideas that go beyond just a phone or video call, including long distance activities and products designed specifically to connect two or more people. A few of these suggestions might seem weird or silly, however, when people are missing the ones they love, it can be really nice to have a dedicated way to show care and consideration.
What Are The Ways To Catch Up With Family Long Distance?
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Start a Book Club – Starting a remote book club with family members will force people to put their phone down and get back to reading. It also gives them a dedicated meeting time to catch up and see each other’s faces through a video call setup. Have everyone pick a book, if they are serious, and start reading.
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Create Family Group Chats – Luckily, the world as it is now, has children, parents and grandparents being a part of each other’s lives, no matter where they are. A Whatapp family group could have a positive impact on people’s self-esteem and overall well being.
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Play Games Online – There are plenty of gaming options that can be played together instantaneously for over a long period of time. Someone knows that their family loves playing games then it’s a great way to have that connection even when they are far apart. Games such as: Words With Friends – a brilliant word building puzzle game; Battle Text – a times vocabulary tester and Draw Something – where users draw a picture for their family members to guess, all are quite popular because of their collaborative nature.
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Eat A Meal Together Online – Food is a means of connection – so it is very lucky that distance doesn’t have to stop anyone from breaking bread with their family. Set up a time to share a meal virtually with your loved ones. Have everyone join a call via FaceTime or any other digital conference provider and catch up over a meal.
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Visit Museums Around The World – Thousands of world-class museums offer virtual tours and online collections that could be explored from a person’s home. These virtual tours are completely free and so they could be synced up with family in any time zone, and are available 24/7.
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Take An Online Workout Class – Working out with family is a great way to get motivated to live a healthier life. Thanks to the world wide web, people can exercise with their loved ones even if they are on other sides of the globe. People can search free online workouts and find thousands of results for video workouts to make a person’s heart rate pump up more than normal. Schedule a workout date with a cousin or two and get ready to sweat it all out.
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Family Photo Albums – Creating virtual photo albums is a really thoughtful and personalised way of sharing memories and moments with loved ones that are not seen often.
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Share Recipes and Cook – Cooking together can be a great bonding activity for a family. People could ask for the recipe to teach them how to cook their favorite childhood dish, try to host a cooking party, or start a cook club – maybe with some specialized chef’s bibs – to keep in touch. Each week the family group selects a recipe for everyone to make. Get to work in the kitchen and then set a time to meet virtually and then discuss.
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Surprise Your Family in Fun Ways – Send cards, handwritten letters, or small meaningful gifts this should curb the longing that comes with being away from family for too long. People should also share whatever makes them laugh with their family group. It should make their day and give everyone something to laugh about together.
