25 games to play with grandkids over FaceTime
Updated
Good FaceTime games for grandparents and grandkids are short, need nothing special, and give each player something to do: I Spy, 20 questions, draw-what-I-describe, show and tell, story chains, scavenger hunts, and split-clue puzzles where each player holds information the other needs. Match the game to the child's age and keep rounds under 10 minutes.
Games for ages 4 to 7
- I Spy, camera edition: spy something in your own room.
- Copy my face: one makes a face, the other copies.
- Freeze dance: one controls the music.
- Scavenger hunt: "bring me something blue and soft in 30 seconds."
- Show and tell: one object each.
- Read-along: the grandparent reads, the child turns the pages of their own copy.
- Animal sounds guessing game.
- Simon says.
Games for ages 8 to 12
- 20 questions.
- Draw what I describe: compare drawings at the end.
- Story chain: one sentence each, the grandparent starts with a real memory.
- Two truths and a lie.
- Would you rather.
- Secret-code messages: one has the key, the other has the code.
- Online checkers or chess while you talk.
- Split-clue mystery: each holds half the clues.
- Cook-along: the same simple recipe in two kitchens.
Games for teens
- Name that tune across generations.
- Teach me something: swap skills.
- Harder ciphers and logic puzzles.
- Family trivia: who knows more about the family?
- Debate night: pick a silly topic and argue both sides.
- Plan a dream trip together on a shared map.
- Co-write the grandparent's life story, one question per call.
- Online word games played side by side.
What makes a video-call game work?
Both players need a reason to talk. Games where each person holds information the other needs (secret codes, split clues, describe-and-draw) keep kids engaged far longer than games where one person just watches.