Happy hour, date night, loud karaoke and other FaceTime ways to stay close

Here are some fun things to do to stem the tide of boredom, and keep your friendships strong during a long period at home.

Happy Hour doesn’t have to happen at the bar

Coworkers are friends alike have kept the drinks flowing from their at-home supplies through FaceTime. Plus, you don’t have to settle on choosing a second-choice from the bar menu.

Host themed FaceTime parties

Guests can only enter the chat if they follow along a theme, whether it be a roaring 2020s party or the recently popular presentation party format, where guests present on a passionate topic.

My 14yo niece stayed up till midnight working on something, when I asked what, she said all her friends were planning to do a PowerPoint party on Zoom, where they’ll just lecture each other on topics that interest them. Hers is on astronomy.

The kids are so, so alright.

— Sim Kern (@sim_kern) March 16, 2020

Don’t cancel date night

If you’re self-quarantining away from a significant other you can still pick a restaurant, order in online for your favorite spot, and set up your screens at the opposite end of the table. It might be a little unorthodox for a first date, but it could make for a good story in the relationship later.

Belt out ‘California Dreamin’‘ with your friends during a Karaoke session

You don’t even need to go for a walk on a winter’s day for this activity. Not your music taste? Luckily, if you search YouTube for the karaoke version of almost any song, it exists.

You can stream Netflix shows in tandem with Netflix Party

This Google Chrome extension lets you host long-distance movie parties in sync with your pals, with abilities to pause, chat, and discuss what exactly just happened in that very confusing “American Horror Story” episode.

Story time doesn’t have to suffer 

For book lovers and those away from little ones alike, reading to one another over FaceTime is a method for getting through this chapter together.

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“A Sick Day for Amos McGee” by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (published by @macmillankidsbooks) – read by @margotrobbie . THIRTY MILLION CHILDREN rely on school for food. Responding to the needs of kids during school closures, @savethechildren and @nokidhungry have a new fund @SAVEWITHSTORIES to support food banks, and mobile meal trucks, and community feeding programs with funds to do what they do best—and also—with educational toys, books, and worksheets to make sure brains are full, as well as bellies. . If you can manage a one time gift of $10, please text SAVE to 20222. If another amount would work better for you, please visit our website—link in bio. There is no maximum and there is no minimum—together we will rise and together we can help. . Thank you and stay safe. XX #savewithstories

A post shared by @ margotrobbie on Mar 20, 2020 at 3:56pm PDT

Show off looks from your closet with fashions shows (human or pet)

Dust off the clothes you bought and never wore, or an old get-up that might make your friends wheeze in an at-home fashion show. Bonus points if you get your pets involved for a pet fashion show, if you have the kind of pets that allow you to dress them without you losing a hand in exchange.

Play online, with dramatic video commentary

If you happen to have a Nintendo Switch, you can hop on call and open up the online feature to play your friends in games like Mario Kart and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a virtual simulation game that mimics building an outside neighborhood. Together you can hang outside in the sun, from inside in the dark.

Have any other fun ways you’re coping with friends while social distancing? Let us know in the comments!