Virtual games

Mix things up with these games to play in video calls

New ideas to add some fun to video meetings.

We know that meeting over video just isn't the same as meeting people face-to-face. But our virtual games should get you giggling and add some virtual fun to your next video call.

Each month we'll be adding 2 more great ideas to the list.

All the ideas are written for young people – so why not ask them to pick their favourite and share it with everyone on the call?

Ladders and snakes

Can you make it to the top step of the ladder? Or will you be caught out by a snake? Your leader’s going to need a coin for this one.

Do you think you can predict the future? Your leader’s going to flip a coin. If you think it’s going to land on heads, place your hands on top of your head. If you think it’s going to be tails, place your hands behind you. Your leader’s going to flip the coin now. Did anyone get it right?

Your goal is to make it to the top of the ladder without getting caught by a snake. Everyone, take four big steps away from your camera. You need to guess if the coin will land on heads or tails. Don’t forget to place your hands on your head or behind you! Your leader is then going to flip the coin and call out the result. If you get it right, you get to take a step up the ladder - take a big step towards your camera. If you get it wrong, take a big step back as a snake got in your way!

Keep going and see who is first to make it to the top of the ladder (back in front of their camera).  Why not try adding some of your own rules to the game. Maybe you could add a rule that if someone gets caught by a snake, they can do a challenge to stay in the same place!

Did you see it?

You’ve tried virtual scavenger hunts…now it’s time to take them to the next level. Your leader’s going to show you something on their screen but only for ten seconds. It could be a fridge magnet or a sock – anything they have to hand. Make sure you pay attention and don’t blink! You’ve got 60 seconds to find a similar item in your space. If you don’t have the exact item, don’t worry – find something alike. For example, if they hold up a cuddly elephant and you only have a cuddly dog, that will work.

On the count of three, everyone apart from your leader hold up the item. Who got closest to your leader’s item? They get a point, most points at the end is the winner! Keep playing with your leader showing a new item each time.

One…time…there…was…a…spoon

Are you storytelling masters? Your leader’s going to write the order in which everyone is going to tell the story in the chat box. Make sure you know who’s in front of you, so you know when it’s your turn.

Altogether, you’re going to tell a story but only one word at a time. Use the story order in the chat box as the order to add your word. You can start the story however you want, have any characters and they can do whatever you want. The only catch is you can’t stop the story until your leader says so. They could be really nice and it keep it short and sweet or make your use your storytelling skills to tell an amazingly long tale.

If you get lost and forget what has happened. Don’t worry! This is your chance to take the story in a whole new direction. Or if you want to skip your turn, stand up and do a twist.

Boogie Brownies!

Grab your dancing shoes and get ready to boogie. Your leader’s going to need a dice for this one. Together come up with a move for each number on the dice. Make sure everyone knows all the moves.

It’s time to get ready to bust some moves. Your leader’s going to roll the dice and call out what number it lands on. Everyone needs to start doing that dance move. Keep going and see your random dance come to life.

 

Top tip

You can add music but make sure everyone can still hear the number on the dice being called out. You could also use virtual dice for this game.

Froggy Moggy

Oh no, your virtual meeting has been joined by a witch called Froggy Moggy who happens to look a lot like your leader! She's very angry as she was trying to join the virtual witch's council meeting but ended up here. She's put a curse on all of you!

Froggy Moggy loves animals and she's trying to turn you all into toads. The only way to beat her curse is to act like the animal she calls out. This will confuse her and make her think the curse has worked.

 

When Froggy Moggy calls out the animal, do your best impression. Keep going until she starts a new curse. Can you make it through all ten curses?

"Froggy Moggy, turns you into a......"

  • Toad
  • Cat
  • Shark
  • Tiger
  • Monkey
  • Butterfly
  • Bird
  • Dog
  • Zebra
  • Rabbit

Try it this way

Have Froggy Moggy pick a different girl each time who has to keep her impression going until everyone’s been cursed. You could also add you own animals.

Well done, you’ve confused Froggy Moggy enough that she’s lifted the curse, you’ve saved your unit!

Count up!

Your leader's going to need a timer for this one. Does anyone know how many seconds there are in a minute? If I asked you to count 60 seconds perfectly, do you think you could do it? Together, try to count to 20 seconds perfectly. Your leader will time you.

Harder than it sounds? It's time to test your timing skills. Your leader will give you a time between 5 seconds and 60 seconds. When they say 'go!' they'll start their timer. Close your eyes and don't peak until you think the time's up. When you think the right amount of time has passed, stand up and start dancing. Your leader will stand up and start dancing when the timer hits the right time. Who was the closest and did anyone get it exactly right?

Keep playing using different times. Can you think of any ways to make it easier? When you're counting, is there a word you could say in your head after each number to help you?

Follow the Brownie

FOLLOW 150x150px Brownie.pngCan you beat the guesser as a team?

Your leader’s going to pick someone to be the first guesser. The guesser needs to turn away from the screen and close their eyes. Your leader’s going to pick the first Brownie captain by writing their name on a piece of paper and holding it up so everyone can see. Don’t say the name out loud! You don’t want the guesser to hear. If you’re the Brownie captain put up your hand.

Top tip

If on your device you can’t see everyone, switch pages until you can see the Brownies captain.

When you’re ready get the guesser to turn around. Everyone else, you need to pick an action and start moving. You could jump up and down, tap your head or do your favourite dance move. Slowly, everyone needs to change to the same action as the Brownie captain. If the Brownie captain changes what action they’re doing, everyone else has to too. But be careful, try not to make it obvious to the guesser!

Guesser, can you guess who the Brownie captain is? Keep your eyes peeled. If they get it wrong, everyone stop! On the count of three start again with new actions. The guesser gets three chances before it’s game over. Reveal the Brownie captain to the guesser at the end. Pick a new guesser and Brownie captain and play again.

Bolting Brownies

Does your unit ever play ladders? Meeting virtually doesn’t mean the fun has to stop, so here’s a way to play online together. Together, pick an action. You could wave jazz hands style, stand up and spin around or do a pirate’s salute and call out ‘arrrrrgh’! Practice your action to make sure everyone knows it. Your leader will put you in pairs and give each pair a number. In order, call out your number and wave to the other half of your pair.


Your leader will call out a random number, for example – ‘three’. If that’s your number, quickly do your action. Did you both do the action correctly? Play this a few times, making sure every pair has had a turn at being called.

Now let’s play the game. This time when your number’s called, can you do the action faster than the other Brownie in your pair? Listen carefully as your leader calls out the numbers quicker and quicker! Can you keep up?

Now it’s time to listen even more carefully. This time, your leader will say ‘odds’ or ‘evens’. If your number’s either of these, try to do the action the quickest. But be careful, because if they call out ‘Brownies’, everyone needs to do the move together!

Clued up

Think you’re a Brownie detective in the making? It’s time to put your guessing skills to the test.

Choose someone to go first. They’re going to hold an item in their hands but not show it on camera. It’s their job to describe the item without saying its name in only five words. For example, if it’s a slipper, they might say it’s soft, warm and maybe a bit smelly! If you think you know what they’re holding – raise your hand. When your leader says your name, call it out. If you get it right, you get to be the next mystery player. If you’ve described something before, you can choose someone else – make sure everyone gets a go.

Keep playing until everyone’s had a turn at describing their item.

Surprise sounds

Crash, bang, whizz, pop! What’s that sound?

It’s time to transform into detectives and solve the sound mystery! Take turns switching off your camera and find something nearby to make a noise. For example, you could scrunch up a piece of paper, spin a coin or play a musical instrument. You could even try to use a body part, like clicking or make a funny animal noise.

Try it this way

If you can’t turn your camera off, move away from the screen or tilt your camera upwards so nobody can see you!

Everybody else - once the noise has been made a few times, take turns guessing what you think it could be. Once everyone’s guessed – turn your camera back on and show them. Did anyone guess correctly?

Top tip

Make your noise close to the microphone so everyone can hear you.

Keep playing, taking turns to make your funny noises. Give yourself a point for every correct answer. Who’ll get the most right? They’re the chief detective and will make the first noise the next time you play.

Can you find...

It’s adventure time! But before you set off, listen to what you’ll need along the way. Your leader will ask you to find something to bring for the journey. They’ll tell you a category, and you have to find something that fits. For example, if they say ‘bring me something fluffy’, you might bring a soft toy, a feather or your blanket!

Once you have your item, show everyone on your screen. Take turns explaining how you’d use this item on an adventure.

Note to leader

Here are some examples to get you started. Add as many rounds as you’d like to keep the game going.

Bring me something…

  • That’s fluffy
  • That makes a funny noise
  • That makes you smile
  • That keeps you warm
  • You can eat with
  • You can use to keep you dry in the rain

Take it further

Look at all the items you gathered. What kind of adventure could you go on with them?

20 seconds to go!

Before you start, your leader could write a list of all the Brownies in your unit using the whiteboard function in Zoom. You could use this as the order of your game.

Can you talk forever about something you love? Let’s put it to the test. Your leader’s going to choose a topic that they know your unit loves – it could be ice-cream, animals, music, experiments or even chocolate!

Choose a Brownie to go first. You have twenty seconds to chat all about it. You might say things you love about it, describe what it looks like or make up a quick story about it. Your leader will time you. After twenty seconds your leader will choose someone else to keep the conversation going. Can you say different things about it that the Brownie before didn’t say? If you say something that someone has said before everyone else can shout ‘Buzz!’ to stop you and it’ll move onto the next Brownie. 

How long can you keep the conversation going without being buzzed out? Give it a go, changing what you talk about every time you play.

Asteroid antics

You’ll each need a balloon for this game. If you don’t have a balloon you could use a ball instead. Your leader will need a music player and some music too.

Oh no! Asteroids incoming! It’s time to transform into space cadets and save planet Earth. Quickly, everyone grab your balloon or ball. When the music starts playing, try to keep it in the air but you can’t keep hold of it (so either use your hands to push the balloon up, or keep throwing and catching your ball). When the music stops, listen to your leader as they choose a few Brownies to complete a mission. Keep playing the music and completing the missions until your leader tells you the Earth is saved!

Missions:

  • Sing a part of your favourite song in a funny voice.
  • Count to ten with whilst spinning around.
  • Pat your head whilst rubbing your tummy for five seconds.
  • Find something the colour blue in your room.
  • Tell a joke to make everyone laugh.
  • Do a moon walk across your room.
  • Say the alphabet backwards.

Bingo lingo

You’re going to need paper, a pencil and felt tips or colouring pencils for this game.

Before you start, draw out a few separate 3x3 grids on a piece of paper, so you have a grid of nine squares.

Choose someone to be the first number caller – this could be your leader. Everyone else, fill your first grid with nine numbers between 1 - 20. Make sure you don’t write the same number more than once. Ready? Let’s play bingo lingo!

The number caller will say a number between 1 and 20 – they can’t play this round. If you have that number in your grid, use a felt tip or colouring pencil to colour in that box. Keep listening and colour in the boxes that have your number.

When you have a line coloured in (which could be across or up/down), shout, ‘Bingo!’. You win one point.

Now it’s time to get a full house. Keep playing until someone colours in every box in their grid. If that’s you, shout, ‘Bingo lingo!’ as loud as you can. You win three points.

Play again, choosing someone else to be the number caller. Who’ll have the most points at the end?

Top tip

Bingo callers sometimes say funny phrases that rhyme with numbers. Why not ask your leaders to search for some, and use them in your bingo game too!

Strike a pose

Turn the music up, it’s time to put your dancing shoes on and strike the best Brownie pose!

Your leader’s going to show you four dance freezes. Take some time to practise them together. When you’ve all mastered the moves, pop some music on and dance along.

When the music stops, choose one of the dance freezes and hold the pose. Did you all choose the same one? Put the music back on and keep practising your amazing moves.

Now, choose someone to be the dance master – this could be your leader. When the music stops, if your pose is the same as the dance master you get a point. The first to three points wins. Keep playing, swapping the dance master between rounds.

Ready to up the challenge? Pick your own dance freezes or add in some new rules. Instead of points you could have knockout rounds and see which Brownies are the last left on the dancefloor!

Dance freezes

  • Saturday night fever: place one arm on your hip and the other pointing up to the sky.
  • Waltzing wonders: Hold your hands out like you’re about to dance with someone else.
  • Stuck in a box: place your hands next to your head so it looks like you’re in a box.
  • Jazz hands: put your hands in the air with your fingers spaced out, remember to stay still!

The alphabet game

You’ll need a pen and paper for this game.

Choose someone to be the first alphabet picker. Your job is to silently go through the alphabet in your head until someone tells you to stop. Say the letter you stopped on out loud, for example ‘E’ or ‘J’.

Everyone grab your pen and paper. Your leader will give you different themes and ask you to think of things that begin with the letter and fit the theme. There’ll be three rounds so get thinking. When you have an idea, jot it down on the paper.

Now take turns saying your answer to each theme. If no one’s said the same thing as you, you get one point.

Keep playing, changing the alphabet picker and themes. Once you’ve finished playing, count up your scores and see who has the most – you’re the winner!

Category suggestions:

  • Things to do at the weekend
  • Cartoon characters
  • Something you can see in your room
  • Farm animals
  • Animals you see at a zoo
  • Breakfast food
  • Sports and hobbies
  • Types of stationery
  • Things that are sticky
  • Four letter words

Higher or lower?

Note to leader: You’ll need a pack of playing cards for this game.

Do you have magical card reading powers? Your leader’s going to show you a card. Do you think the next one they pick will have a higher (bigger) or lower (smaller) number on it? Shout out your answer. Were you right? Remember face cards, or ones with pictures on them go higher from Jack, Queen to King. Decide as a unit if you want your Ace card to be the highest or lowest.

Have a practise round. Now you’re warmed up, it’s time to play. Every time your leader shows you a card, shout higher or lower or put your thumbs up or down. If you’re right, you’re still in the game! If you’re wrong, put your hands on your head and stay silent. Who will stay in the game the longest?

Keep playing, seeing how far your mind reading powers can take you.

Ready to up the challenge? Why not do a speed round, where the card turning gets faster, and faster, and faster!

What's in my bag?

Note to leader: Come up with eight random items to call out to the girls. For example, hedgehog, butterfly, plate, owl, dinosaur, flower.

Brownies, before your next meeting, grab a bag or empty pillowcase and put in eight random items that you find around your house. You could grab things like a toy, a spoon, a piece of fruit, or your favourite fridge magnet. If you’re not sure if you can use something, ask the person that owns it.

Make sure you have your bag near you when you join your next Brownies meeting. And don’t tell anyone what’s inside – it’s a secret!

Your leader’s going to call out eight things, one by one. After each word, look in your bag and see what you have that reminds you of that thing. For example, if they say ‘hedgehog’, see if you have something that’s either spikey or brown.

If you find something that looks like the object, you get one point. Keep going, you can only use each item once. Who has the most points at the end? You’re the winner!

Next time you play the game, look for different items around your home.

Picture perfect

You’ll each need a pencil and one sheet of paper per drawing for this game. Decide as a unit how many drawings you’d like to do before starting, two or three would be good.

Can you tell your apple from your banana? It’s time to put your artistic skills to the test!

Your leader will share their screen that has a picture of an object on it. Without looking down at your sheet of paper, can you draw what you see? You’ll have one minute for each drawing. Keep your eyes looking at the camera - don’t peak.

When the time’s up, show off your masterpieces with each other. Vote which drawing is the most like the object.

Keep going, swapping the pictures and trying it again. Practise makes perfect, so it might get easier the more you play!

Guess who?

Before your meeting: can you bring any fun accessories to wear - for example, you might have goggles, helmets, silly hats or giant sunglasses; or something you could hold like a spoon or piece of fruit.

Can you read your leader’s mind? Can you guess who your leader’s thinking about with only a few questions?

To start, everyone raise your hand. Your leader’s going to choose one Brownie in your unit, but won’t say her name out loud. Together, take turns asking your leader a question to try and find out who they’re thinking about.

For example, you could ask, ‘Does she have brown hair?’. If your leader answers ‘no’, then all the Brownies with brown hair must put their hand down. This is to show they’re not the chosen Brownie. Keep going, with lots of questions until only one Brownie has her hand up. She’s the Brownie your leader chose!

Play as many times as you like, taking turns to choose someone in your unit.

Now you’ve mastered the game, add in some fun accessories to make it more difficult to guess!

Questions you could ask: 

  • Is she wearing her Brownie uniform?
  • Does her name begin with the letter ‘K’?
  • Does she have blonde hair?
  • Is she holding a piece of fruit or a vegetable? (you could add in props to make it more fun!)
  • Is she wearing a blue wig?

Sounds in the round

Let’s try and make a sound orchestra.

Practise time! What sounds can you all make? Can you make the same sounds together, at different tim

Let’s try and make a sound orchestra.

Practise time! What sounds can you all make? Can you make the same sounds together, at different times, or different sounds all together?

Why not try out some of these together: clicking, clapping, saying oohs and ahhs. Once you’ve mastered those, have a look around your room to see if there’s anything you could use to make your sound. Perhaps you could hit a pan with a wooden spoon, or run your pen along the curly spine of a notebook? Once you’ve got something, bring it back to make a sound for your unit.

Take turns trying out your sounds until you’re ready to come together as an orchestra!

Now, try and find a beat. Altogether, slowly count out loud: one, two, three, four.

One by one, your leader will choose a Brownie to make a noise on each beat. So, it might be: clap, clap, clap, clap. Your leader will then choose the next Brownie to make their sound. Once you’ve all been, give yourself a big round of applause.

Try it this way

Too easy? Why not choose an order before the performance and see if you can keep the beat going without your leader calling the Brownies names?

Wow! We bet that was a beautiful sound. When you’re back meeting face to face in your unit, why not play this game again, but try adding in singing too!

Pass the pen

Work together to get a pen (or any other object you all have at home) passed around your whole unit and back to your leader!

Everyone grab a pen. Your leader will start. They’ll move their pen across the screen and call the name of the Brownie they’re going to pass the pen to.

When they move their pen off screen, the Brownie’s name who was called then moves her pen across the screen and calls the name of another Brownie.

Keep going, and make sure everyone’s had the pen before you pass it back to your leader.

Now you’re warmed up, can you pass it around everyone and back to your leader in a big circle? Give it a go! It might take a bit of practise.

Now, this time every time it goes to someone who’s already had the pen, start again. Perhaps you could do actions to show you have or haven’t had the pen yet to help!

Check out how Girlguiding volunteers and staff tackled this game:

Head to YouTube to find animated instructions for your group 

Are you up for the challenge?

Ready? It’s time to put your virtual Brownie skills to the test.

Your leader has some tricky challenges, can you beat them all?

Every time you complete a challenge, you get one point. Keep score of your own points as you go.

 

  • Can you pull ten different funny faces? 
  • Can you balance a pen on your head for 10 seconds? Try standing up and sitting down, can you keep it balanced?
  • Can you say the alphabet really quickly without making a mistake?
  • Can you draw a picture of a cat in a boat with your eyes closed?
  • Can you name all of the Sixes in your unit in 10 seconds?

Now, for the final challenge, can you find things in your home that spell out SMILE (for example, you’ll need to find something that begins with S, M, I, L and E – so you might find soap for S or an egg for E!).

You get one point for every letter, and double points if no one else found the same things as you. Show off your items to everyone!

Who has the most points? They’re the winner!

Brownie says

It’s time to play a game of Brownie says! Choose one girl to be the first caller. Listen carefully to what they say.

If they start the action with ‘Brownie says…’, do what they say. If they don’t, make sure you stay as still as a statue.

Have a practise with your different facial expressions:

  • Be happy
  • Be sad
  • Be angry
  • Be shocked or scared
  • Poke your tongue out
  • Close your eyes

Ready? Get playing! If you get it wrong twice, you’re out. Who can stay in the game the longest? Keep changing the caller every few goes so everyone gets a turn.

Knife, fork and spoon game

Everyone grab a fork, butter knife and spoon. Place them down in front of you, making sure the handles are closest to you, and the knife is facing away.

Your leader is going to count 3, 2, 1…and when they say ‘Go!’, lift one item of cutlery. If it’s the same one as your leader, you get a point!

The first Brownie to get three points wins and becomes the next caller.

Stay safe

Make sure not to use sharp objects, you can use plastic cutlery if you have this available. Instead of cutlery, you could also use different coloured pieces of paper or objects that everyone would have at home.

Photo captions

Before your next virtual meeting, send a photo or picture into your leader of something that makes you happy. If you’re taking a photo, you could try to stage it to look like something, for example – you might have one of your toys earning an interest badge!

In your next meeting, your leader will show everyone your photos. For each of them, try to come up with stories about what’s happening or could happen next. Who knows, perhaps you’ll come up with the next big Brownie story!

Stay safe

Do not share any personal information in your photos, and if you’re using photos of anyone else, make sure to ask their permission before sharing.