Looking for fun games to play on Zoom with kids?
Whether you’re connecting with long-distance family, hosting a virtual playdate, or keeping kids engaged on a video call, these Zoom games and activities for kids are easy, interactive, and require little to no prep.
All of the games below work on Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet, and other video calls, making this a go-to list you can come back to anytime.
💡Prefer FaceTime over Zoom? Many of these games work just as well on FaceTime, too. You might also like our roundup of games to play on FaceTime with friends, which includes simple ideas for kids, tweens, and families.
Quick Picks: Best Zoom Games for Kids
Short on time? Start here. These are the best Zoom games for kids, grouped by age and play style, so you can quickly find something that fits your group.
Best Zoom Games for Younger Kids (Ages 4–6)
Simon Says • Rainbow Race • What’s Missing?
Best Zoom Games for Elementary Kids (Ages 7–10)
Hangman • Pictionary • Mad Libs
Best Zoom Games for Tweens & Teens
Two Truths & a Lie • Never Have I Ever • Trivia
Best No-Prep Zoom Games
Charades • 20 Questions • Read My Lips
Best Active Zoom Games
Rainbow Race • Clap the Song
These games work on Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet, and other video call platforms.
Easy No Prep Zoom Games For Kids
These games require little to no setup and can be played instantly on a Zoom or FaceTime call. They’re perfect when you need something fun right away—no materials required.
Charades
Charades is a classic game that works perfectly on Zoom or FaceTime because it requires no supplies, no setup, and no cleanup. It’s easy for kids of all ages and can be made simpler or more challenging depending on who’s playing.
How to play:
- Choose a person, place, action, or object.
- Act it out silently while the other player(s) guess.
- Use classic Charades gestures, like:
- Opening your hands like a book (book)
- Pretending to crank a camera (movie)
- Holding up fingers to show how many words
- Set a timer or play until the word is guessed.
Easy ideas to start with: animals, everyday actions, foods, or favorite characters.
💡Looking for ideas that don’t involve a screen? You might also like our collection of at-home activities for kids, which are easy to mix in between video calls.
Would You Rather
Would You Rather is a conversation-based Zoom game that sparks laughter and gets kids talking. Players choose between two options — sometimes silly, sometimes thoughtful, and sometimes a little gross.
How to play:
- Ask a “Would you rather…” question.
- Each player chooses an option and explains why.
- Keep it age-appropriate, especially for younger kids.
Examples kids love:
- Would you rather live in a round house or a triangle house?
- Would you rather walk backwards everywhere or crawl on all fours?
- Would you rather eat a slug or take a bath with a spider?
This game works especially well for mixed-age groups. Start with our library of Would You Rather Questions for kids, and choose a few that appeal to you.
Pictionary
Pictionary works surprisingly well on Zoom using the whiteboard feature or a piece of paper held up to the camera. You don’t need to be a good artist — quick sketches work best.
How to play:
- Choose a word or phrase (a random word generator works well).
- Set a 30–60 second timer.
- Draw without talking while others guess.
- Switch roles and keep score if you want, or play cooperatively.
This is a great option for kids who enjoy visual thinking and creativity.
Two Truths & a Lie
This guessing game is fun for kids, tweens, and adults — even people who know each other well. You’ll often learn something new.
How to play:
- Write down three statements about yourself.
- Two should be true, and one should be false.
- Share them aloud or in the Zoom chat.
- Everyone guesses which one is the lie.
Example:
- I’ve seen Beyoncé live three times.
- I’ve played piano since I was seven.
- I can twirl a baton with my toes.
Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare is a classic no-prep Zoom game that helps kids and friends get to know each other better. Players choose between answering a question honestly or completing a silly (but safe!) dare, making it a fun mix of conversation and action.
How to play:
- Start with our Truth or Dare Question For Kids library.
- For Truth, ask a question they must answer honestly.
- For Dare, challenge them to do something fun or goofy on camera.
- Take turns so everyone gets a chance to choose.
Truth ideas:
- When was the last time you lied?
- What’s a secret you’ve kept from your parents?
- What’s the most embarrassing music you listen to?
Dare ideas:
- Do a freestyle rap for one minute.
- Act like a chicken until your next turn.
- Speak in a British accent for one round.
- Do 20 jumping jacks.
- Dump out your backpack and do a quick show-and-tell.
Important note:
Keep dares age-appropriate, safe, and kind. No one should ever feel uncomfortable or pressured during the game.
Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever is an entertaining game that combines the get-to-know-you aspect of Two Truth & A Lie and the shock factor of Truth or Dare. No matter how close you are with someone, you may be surprised at the new things you find out about them during this game.
How to play:
- Each player puts two hands up where everyone can see. One player starts and says “Never have I ever…”, finishing the sentence with something they have never done. For example, “Never have I ever swam in the ocean” or “Never have I ever kissed someone.”
- Here’s a huge list of Never Have I Ever questions for kids.
- If the other players have done the aforementioned thing, they have to put a finger down. If they have not done the aforementioned thing, they do nothing.
- Depending on how you look at it, the first person with all fingers down wins, or the last surviving person with a finger up, wins.
Read My Lips
Read My Lips is an exceptionally simple game to play over FaceTime or Zoom, and no materials are required. It’s great for all ages, and required no set-up or clean-up.
How to play:
- First, put yourself on mute so that your partner cannot hear anything that you’re saying. Then, choose a word or phrase to say to your partner. You can think of a word or phrase on your own, or look up words and phrases on a search engine. You can also look around your room or house for inspiration.
- Then, say the word 2-3 times. See if they can guess what you’re saying just by reading your lips!
True or False
True or False is a game of deciphering truth from falsehoods, and all ages can play this extremely easy game. There are no materials required!
How To Play:
- To play “True or False”, one player starts by making a statement that can either be true or false (i.e. “It rained here today.” or “The inventor of the telephone was Alexander Graham Bell.”)
- The other player has fifteen seconds to determine if the statement is True or False.
- Next, it’s the other players turn to make a statement, and have the other player guess if it’s True or False.
- The first person to get five answers incorrect, loses.
Zoom Games for Younger Kids (Ages 4–6)
Simple rules, short rounds, and plenty of movement make these Zoom games a great fit for younger kids with shorter attention spans.
Simon Says
Simon Says is one of the best Zoom games for younger kids because it’s simple, active, and easy to follow on a video call. One person gives instructions that start with “Simon says,” and players should only follow directions that include that phrase.
How to play:
- Give simple directions like “Simon says tap your head” or “Simon says stand up.”
- Mix in commands without saying “Simon says” to keep kids listening closely.
- Anyone who follows an incorrect command is out, or just laughs it off and keeps playing.
This game is especially great for building listening skills and burning off a little energy during a Zoom call.
Twenty Questions
Twenty question is a guessing game that almost anyone can play, and it doesn’t require any materials at all. It’s a go-to for long car rides (and long lines at the amusement park), but it also works for long-distance FaceTime and Zoom calls.
How to play:
- Think of any person, place, or thing. For inspiration, look at your surroundings. (i.e., Diet Coke, a dog, headphones, a couch, etc.) For accountability, you can write it down if you choose.
- Set a timer for your partner to guess what you are thinking about.
- Then, your partner can ask you up to 20 yes-or-no questions in order to gather information. For example, they can ask “Is it an animal?” or “Is it yellow?”. You can only answer “Yes” or “No.”
- See if they can guess what you’re thinking of before they run out of questions!
What’s Missing?
What’s Missing is a classic memory game, and it is perfect for all ages, especially younger children. It requires very few materials and is very easy to play.
How to Play:
- First, gather 8-10 objects from around your house. You’ll want to find small objects that will easily fit on the screen for your partner to see. You can also set up pictures of objects in Google Slides.
- Then, set a timer for about one minute. Allow your partner to study the group intently during that time.
- Next, have them close their eyes. When their eyes are close, you remove one of the objects. Can they guess which one is missing?
- To make it progressively more challenging, try shortening the amount of time they can study the objects.
The Alphabet Game
How to play:
The alphabet game is another road trip classic that can be easily adapted for Facetime and Zoom. All ages can play this fun word game, and it requires no materials. It has many variations for endless hours of entertainment.
- One way to play the alphabet game is to choose a topic, such an animals, food, boys names, countries, etc. Each player takes a turn thinking of something with the first letter A that fits in that category. There should be a reasonable time limit set for each person’s turn. Then, repeat for each letter of the alphabet. If a player cannot think of a word in a given amount of time, they are out.
- Another way to play is to choose a topic, and have one player say one thing that starts with the letter A, the next player says something that starts with the letter B, and so on.
Rhymes Only
This easy game can be played by kids as young as five years old, and requires no materials.
How To Play:
First, a player says any word. Then, the next player has to say a word that rhymes with it, within ten seconds. Players keep going, back and forth, as long as they can.
The first person who can’t think of a rhyming word, loses!
Zoom Games for Elementary Kids (Ages 7–10)
These games strike a balance between fun and challenge, making them ideal for elementary-age kids who enjoy classic games and light problem-solving.
Hangman
You may remember playing Hangman in school as a child, and now you can play it with your long-distance buddy.
It’s similar to Wheel-of-Fortune in that you are trying to fill in a word or phrase, but you only have so many turns until you lose the game.
How to play:
- Choose any word and draw a dash for each letter in the word. If you choose the word “friend” for example, you should draw six dashes, one for each letter in the word.
- Next, your partner guesses a letter that they think might be in the word. If the letter is in the word, you draw it in the blank. If the letter is not in the word, begin drawing one part of a gallows (kind of morbid, right?).
- For each time that your partner guesses a letter that is not in the word, you may draw just one section of the gallows. Your partner can keep guessing until they’ve finished the word, or you’ve drawn the entire gallows. If you draw the entire gallows before they guess the word, you win and they lose.
Mad Libs
Mad libs are a fun way to create an original story, be creative and silly, and learn the parts of speech at the same time.
Using Zoom, share your screen and head to this online Mad Lib creator.
Last Letter
Last Letter is a moderately challenging game to play. It’s good for ages 8 and up, and no materials are required.
How To Play:
First, think of a category. For example:
- Boys Names
- Vegetables
- Colors
- Fruits
- Musicians
Once you’ve decided on a category, have the first player say a word from that category. Then, the next person has to think of something from that category that begins with the *last letter* of the word previously stated.
For example, if your category is “Fruits”, and the first player says “Banana”, then the next player could say “Apple” because Banana ends in “A” and Apple starts with “A”.
The first person who cannot think of a word is eliminated, and the last player standing wins.
Classic Games That Work Well on Zoom
These familiar favorites translate surprisingly well to video calls, using simple adaptations that make them easy to play from anywhere.
Trivial Pursuit
Are you a trivia buff? It’s easy to play Trivial Pursuit over FaceTime or Zoom, as long as one person has the board game on hand. Trivial Pursuit is a classic board game in which player’s progress based on their ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions.
How To Play:
The designated host can set up the board for everyone, read the questions to the person whose turn it is, and move everyone’s pieces for them. The goes is to fill your game piece with all 6 of the colored wedges before any of the other players. When it’s your turn, roll the die and move your piece that many spaces. Then, answer a question that corresponds with the color you landed on. If you’re right, collect the wedge in that color.
For more trivia fun, check out our full library of trivia questions for kids.
Battleship
Battleship is the ultimate game of strategy and war. I used to be a high-school Spanish teacher, and my students used to love playing a version of this game to learn verb conjugations. Needless to say, I didn’t own 25 Battleship game boards. I simply created my own board and made photocopies for each student.
You can also play Battleship, even if you don’t own the actual board game (no verb conjugations necessary).
How to play:
- You both need a gameboard to play over Facetime.
- First, hide your ships on your grid by shading in the appropriate number of squares. Be strategic in where you hide them.
- Then, take turn trying to hit each other’s ships by guessing the location of each of their shaded squares (or “ships”). The object of the game is to sink your opponent’s ships before they can sink yours.
Creative & Imagination-Based Zoom Activities
If your kids love storytelling, creativity, or hands-on projects, these Zoom activities encourage imagination and collaboration.
Build A Story
This fast-paced improvisation game almost always ends in laughter. All ages can play it, and it requires absolutely no materials. It does, however, require quick thinking and mental agility.
How to play:
- To play “Build A Story”, one player says a word to start the story. Be sure to say only one word! Your natural inclination may be to say two or three words. Then, the next player adds on to the story with just one word. Then, it’s back to the first player to add another word.
- The hardest part is limiting yourself to one word, but that is the key to the game. As you play, you’ll find yourself collaborating with your partner to create a wacky story.
Storyteller Pass-Along
Storyteller Pass-Alone is similar to the “Build A Story” game listed above. It is a collaborative, improvisational game that can be played by people of all ages and requires no additional materials.
How To Play:
- To play “Storyteller Pass Along”, one player starts the story and continues for exactly one minute. Set a timer so you know when it’s time for that player to stop.
- When the timer goes off, that person has to stop talking no matter where they are in there story. Then, the next player gets one minute to continue the story. When the timer goes off, they stop exactly where they are, and it goes to the next player.
You’re sure to come up with some wacky stories!
Origami Competition
A friendly origami competition is a great way to learn a new skill and bond with your long-distance buddy. All you need is some paper and an open mind for learning new things. Best for kids ages 7 and up.
How To Play:
- First, find a simple origami tutorial online. For example, you can google “Simple Origami Flower” or “Simple Origami Animals”. You will easily find many videos and resources. Decide on one together.
- Next, do a screen share and watch the instructional video together. Each of you can build your own version of the origami creation you decided on.
- Finally, find an objective third party who can judge your creations and decide who wins.
Of course, you can decide to create origami just for fun together, no judging required. It might be fun to send each other your final projects via snail mail!
Rainbow Race
One of the most fun Zoom activities to play is Rainbow Race, because it is a colorful game that requires some physical activity and running around.
How To Play:
- First, have both players agree on a color of the rainbow. You can choose, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, or any variation of those color that you agree on.
- Then, agree on a countdown such as “3, 2, 1, go!” After the countdown, the first person to find an object of that color gets a point!
- Alternatively, you can set a timer for a set amount of time. Whoever finds more objects of that color within the set time frame wins.
- Play through each color of the rainbow and see who gets more points!
Active Zoom Games (Get Kids Moving)
These Zoom games get kids up and moving, helping burn off energy while still staying engaged on screen.
Clap The Song
For music and rhythm lovers, “Clap The Song” presents a fun challenge that is easily played with long-distance technology like Facetime and Skype.
How to play:
- To play this game, one player thinks of a song and writes it down without showing the other player. Be sure to choose a song that your partner has a chance of recognizing.
- Then, without singing or humming, the player tries to clap the song. See if the other player can guess what song you are clapping.
- If it is too difficult, you can also try humming the song.
Category Race
Category Race is a similar game to the popular board game Scattergories, and this version is easily played for Facetime or Zoom.
How To Play:
First, agree on a category. Possible categories include:
- Animals
- Types of Candy
- Countries
- Types of Fruit
- Beverages
Once you’ve decided on a category, set a timer for one minute.
Next, each person write down as many words in that category they can think of.
When the timer stops, have each player read each other the lists of words they came up with. If both player have the same word, they both have to cross it off their list. Each player gets a point for each original word they came up with.
You can play as many rounds as you want, and your points carry over from one round to the next.
More Fun Games & Online Activities for Kids
Looking for more easy ways to keep kids engaged online? These related guides share even more games and kid-friendly activities to try next.
- Best Games to play on FaceTime with Friends
- Ultimate Online Resource Library For Kids
- Best Educational Websites For Kids
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
