Donut - Donut is a Slack app that randomly pairs up two team members each week for a one-on-one call (you can also organize this manually without Donut). This is a great activity to run company-wide so different teams can get to know each other. Prepare a list of fun icebreaker questions they can ask on each call.

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Caricature competition -

Get the team on a video call with pen and papers at the ready! Everyone can pick another team member to draw. Give them 15 minutes, then each team member reveals their drawing and the others can guess who it is.

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Jargon monster - Blacklist a word every day. No one on the team is allowed to say it! If someone is caught saying it they lose one point, and the person who caught them earns one point.

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Lunch & learn - Arrange weekly lunches where one team member leads a one hour class. If you’re an international company, then the team can teach each other the basics of their languages. Any other areas of expertise can be shared as well–just see what skills and interests your team has to share.

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Virtual book club -

Like-minded people can pick a book to read and come together to discuss it on a video call each week or month. This is a good one to open up to the whole company to create cross-departmental relationships.

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Online art class -

There are lots of free or low cost art classes available. Some can be found through Airbnb experiences. Pick one that’s suitable for all levels.

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Jeopardy! -

Create a game of Jeopardy! by googling a list of questions (there are many options online). If possible, a digital prize like a voucher could be arranged for the winner to raise the stakes!

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Online bingo -

Give instructions for the team to create their own bingo sheets and join a video call. One person can call out the numbers.

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Chat time - Set aside a time each day or each week where your team hop on a call but aren’t allowed to talk about work! Remote working can get a little lonely sometimes, and this opportunity just to talk to each other can help everyone feel connected. It could be a 15 minute coffee break each morning.

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Guess the emoji - In this game, you guess the top five most used emojis of each team member. It's funny to reveal the ones certain colleagues overuse, like a shrug or a facepalm!

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Show and tell -

Team members get the opportunity to pick something from their home to present to the team. It could be a piece of art, an old photo, or their pet.

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Baby photo challenge - Each person sends a baby photo to their manager. Then it’s time to play the guessing game! The team is shown each photo and has to guess who it is.

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Virtual happy hour -

End a little early on a Friday and let everyone get on Zoom with their favorite beverage!

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Online gaming sessions - If your team loves Counter Strike or Fortnite and they all have gaming consoles already, that’s great. If not, use a website like Jackbox and find some free online games that everyone can join together.

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Virtual tour -

Take a virtual tour together. There are so many great options at the moment. The team can travel through the Vatican, an aquarium, or even a haunted house. Take a moment to research the best online tours available that would interest your team.

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Remote team dinner -

Set a theme like Italian and get the team together on a video call to share their culinary masterpieces. Prepare some icebreaker questions or just let the conversation flow.

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Movie nights -

Let the team vote on a film to watch and arrange a movie night. The Netflix Party app is great for this.

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Movie night drinking game -

Take it to the next level with a drinking game. Pick a few tropes from the movie and drink every time they occur. For example, if you’re watching the 'Lord of the Rings,' drink every time Legolas stares off into the distance and every time the ring appears.

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Virtual karaoke - There are many websites that facilitate virtual karaoke now. Get the team together to try out this fun activity.

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Words with Friends - The team can all download the Words with Friends app and pair up with each other for matches. This is an ongoing activity, but can create some banter and connection between team members (it’s basically an online version of Scrabble).

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Chat channels: Music - Most companies use a chat platform like Slack, Skype, or Google to keep in touch. It's a great idea to have casual channels here where your team can share fun content and keep connected. Sharing music is a great place to start.

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Chat channels: Random -

A 'random' channel can be dedicated to nothing! Any funny news articles or memes can be shared there. It's a great conversation starter.

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Chat channels: Pets -

The number one mood-lifting channel is this one where you share pet photos! People love sharing photos of their pets, and a passion for animals is easy to bond over.

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Stretch together -

Working at home can be a pretty sedentary lifestyle. Get everyone up and moving in the morning with some stretches to start the day. You can even throw in a little meditation. There are loads of great YouTube videos available if no one is comfortable leading this.

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Storytelling workshop -

Storytelling workshops have been proven to be a great team building exercise, as well as giving your team members the opportunity to develop their communication and presentation skills. There are lots of online options.

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Aliens have landed! -

Imagine that aliens have landed and they don’t understand our language. The team has to create five symbols or pictures that best illustrate your company to the alien. It's great for team work and defining the company.

Now, if you're spending a lot time at home with the kids, here are some great tips for keeping them entertained.

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30 fun virtual team building ideas

Creative activities to keep your remote team connected

16/11/20 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Business

Having a closely connected team is more important than ever when working remotely. It can be tricky to maintain communication outside the office, but it's a lot easier when there are strong relationships between team members. Human connection is essential to happiness and health, so why not try out some of these fun activities with your colleagues and reap the benefits. Click through the gallery to get started.