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Digital scattergories: give everyone a letter.  Send students into breakout rooms in small groups.  Find 1 commonality between themselves starting with that letter that other groups won’t have.  Share out.  Teams get a point for a unique answer, but similar answers are no points.

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1. put students in digital break out rooms and they have to come up with individual unique statements that no one in their small group has in common.  Then, come back together as whole group and say the unique statement “One of us was a shamrock for Halloween” - guess who!

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have students fill out Google Form with a bunch of somewhat personal questions, but low risk questions (do you have a pet, if so what kind?).  Then, create a kahoot.

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1. have students create bitmojis/bitmoji rooms of who they are.  Might also insert links to relevant images/websites to represent their identity

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Virtual yearbook! have kids create one similar to the template below

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see a LONG list from AVID about different ones as well

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Website has a TON of different ideas to promote team building virtually and get to know each of your kids

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Looking for some effective team building exercises to bring your team together?

As a former leadership trainer and coach, I have run several types of team building activities for teams of several sizes - with participants ranging from entry level employees to C-level executives.

But with COVID-19 disrupting businesses all over, most teams have been forced to go remote.

So how do you run team building games for remote teams?

Don't worry!

You can always run virtual team building activities.

That's why I'm sharing this carefully designed list of 16 virtual team building activities and exercises. These engaging activities have always worked during my training programs and they will help you build a closely-knit and successful team!

Oh, and they've worked well for my own distributed team too!

The entire Startup Voyager team is remote and distributed across 4 countries!
And that's not all!
We've also added some tools, tactics and strategies you'll need to implement these team building exercises successfully.
If you are looking to build and manage your virtual teams instead, you can check this article: 25 Tips to Help You Manage a High-Performing Virtual Team.
This article contains:

(Use the links below to jump to any section)

Let's get started.

What is virtual team building?

Virtual team building is the ongoing process of bringing remote teams together. It'll help your team achieve deeper bonds by creating a collaborative environment that's similar to an in-office setting!
Why is virtual team building important?
The physical distance of remote work can quickly turn into emotional distance which in turn, leads to isolation. And when your employees feel isolated, they won't be comfortable working alongside their fellow team members!

This is why it's important to create a comfortable team environment that remote workers can rely on.

Virtual team building efforts consist of several carefully designed strategies, games and activities that are meant to bring more human interaction to virtual work. It'll help your team connect with each other - making them feel like they're actually part of a community!

And of course, a happier team obviously leads to higher employee retention!

17 Virtual team building games and activities

The difficulty with building chemistry in most remote teams is that you could be spread across time zones!

To tackle this, many of these activities and exercises can be performed by recording videos of the activities before putting them on a workspace channel where everyone can view them.

However, if you all can gather your team on a group video call together, then that's the perfect scenario!

This will make playing these games more fun since it's happening live, whether you're playing:

Virtual board games or different jigsaw puzzles

An online game of Pictionary or office trivia

Another icebreaker activity such as virtual karaoke

Additionally, getting on video call is even better for team chemistry.
Don't believe us?
A study by Remote.co found that, "87% of remote workers feel more connected through the use of video conferencing." So if you have the opportunity to use video alongside your team building efforts and icebreaker games - grab it! There are many free video conferencing tools available that would solve the purpose.

Here's a list of 17 fun team building ideas and engaging activities you can use to bring your virtual team closer:

1. A peek into each other's homes

This virtual team building exercise requires team members to virtually open their homes to one another like in House Hunters or MTV Cribs.

Jesse Sussman at MuseumHack thinks this is a "hilarious" way to get to know your remote team members and their personalities.

Each team member will take a short video showing off their home and some of their favorite things. This activity allows team members to get to know one another on a more personal basis, and can lead to cohesiveness and feelings of camaraderie.

This fun game may be better suited for smaller teams, but it's still a great team building exercise for any team looking to get the process started.

Another way this can be done is by allowing one team member to show off their home at the beginning of each week's work meeting. This way, you won't have to spend an hour looking at multiple people's houses at a stretch!

2. The desert island scenario

Many of us played similar icebreaker games like this in school.

In this virtual team building game, group members are given a scenario where they're stranded on a deserted island with seven objects - but they can only grab three.

Make these objects as obscure and challenging as possible so that your team members are forced to really use critical thinking and planning.

Examples of items are a bag of fruit and vegetable seeds, a pocket knife, a 100 ft rope, a bedsheet, a bucket, 2 liters of kerosene, pen and paper and so on.

Then split the team into small groups and allow them to collaborate on which items they want to pick. Once all discussions have finished, get onto a team video chat and discuss the results.

Activities and exercises like this force team members see each other as teammates and can lead to healthy competition and excitement within the team.

Such games and exercises also demonstrate how working together helps a team achieve better results, and can help virtual workers learn how to collaborate without being in the same room.

3. Personal facts guessing game

The personal facts guessing game is a great way to learn your team member's interests outside of work.

Here's a step by step guide:

In the first step, the manager asks each team member to share some personal facts with them.

These facts will then be compiled onto a document that's shared with each individual in the team. Next to each personal fact there's an empty column where each employee will have to guess which team member the fact belongs to!

Not only can this ice breaker game be hilarious, but it is a great way to develop successful team cohesion and camaraderie. Once all the guesses have been submitted, an answer key will be provided so that team members can see how well they guessed.

This activity can also take place live on a group video chat.

The facilitator will have the sheet open on a digital whiteboard on their computer and will share their screen while employees try to guess the answers. As each answer is guessed, the facilitator can follow along, putting answers into the empty column.

4. Weekly trivia contests

There's a reason Jeopardy's been on the air for 50 years: people LOVE trivia.

That's the same reason why teams flock to Water Cooler Trivia, a platform for automated weekly trivia quizzes. It's an activity employees eagerly anticipate each week.

Teams are emailed a Monday morning trivia quiz with responses due that night and results sent the next morning. That schedule is totally customizable.

Importantly, it's not a one-off event but a source of weekly fun and conversation for the team without any ongoing setup or maintenance tasks. The thrill of pub trivia without the two-hour time commitment and logistics.

The contests are super customizable, meaning you can decide the

Categories (Pop Culture, Current Events, Science & Tech, etc)

Difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard)

Timing (day of the week and the time for the quiz and results)

Region (if you have global teammates and want to exclude US-centric questions).

The best thing is that there's a risk-free 4 week trial to figure out if its a good fit for your team.

5. Picture sharing
Don't have time for a long problem solving challenge at the moment?
No problem.

Picture sharing activities help your icebreaker team bond in no time. It can facilitate laughter and surprising responses that will leave employees feeling happy and connected.

Set aside designated time, perhaps at the beginning of each meeting, for a team member to share one personal photo that is unrelated to work. This photo can contain pets, hobbies, gadgets, family members, etc.

Then have the team member explain the photo such as what's going on there and why they chose it.

Remember, allowing team members to share part of their personal lives makes teamwork more fun and can bring a new element of camaraderie to the workplace.

6. Bucket list- share your bucket list

A bucket list is a list of things you want to do or experience within your lifetime.

Naturally, each person's bucket list says a lot about them.
So, what better way to get to know your team members than by sharing their own bucket lists?
Each week, designate one person with the task of sharing their bucket list. You can specify the lengths of these lists and whether items already completed should be included.

Everyone listening can then spend a short amount of time discussing the bucket list- whether it's comparing similarities or simply asking fun questions!

By sharing bucket lists with people, you stand to learn a lot about their personalities and realise how you're very similar.

Who knows, maybe a coworker could help you clear a few things from your own list!

7. Building a storyline
Everyone loves a good story, right?
Building a storyline is one of the oldest and most fun team building activities.

Here's how it goes, step by step:

Get the entire group to virtually "form a circle" on a video call and start the process like this:

The first person begins the story with one opening sentence and another incomplete one. For example: "On Mark's first day at his awesome new job, his car broke down. At first, he felt helpless, but then he..."

The next individual completes the previous line and adds another incomplete sentence.

This way, each remote employee contributes until everyone has had a turn. Aim to develop a comprehensive story structure by the end of the game!

Not only does building a storyline force teams to use their creative juices, it also helps them listen to each other and improve team cooperation.

The best part?

These collaborative and listening skills are the building blocks for clear and effective communication in a remote team!

8. Show and tell

Most of us probably remember show and tell from elementary school.

But did you know that it can actually be an awesome team-building activity for virtual teams as well?

Basically, each team member gets one minute to show and talk about something they own or even something intangible! This could be anything - such as your favorite straws, a tug of war trophy or even a passion project!

After each turn, save some time for a conversation from the rest of the team (make sure you set a time limit for these or else it'll go on forever!)

By sharing these intimate possessions, you get a better insight into each individual which will help you develop strong team bonds and trust.

9. Simulated problems

When you want your remote team to step up and brainstorm on a problem solving challenge, use this experiential team building activity.

The simulated problems exercise goes exactly how it sounds:

First, create a tricky and challenging scenario related to your team's role.

For example, if you're handling a PR team, you could create a situation where the company has suffered from a scandal and needs to save face.

Ask them to strategize a press release and series of conferences step by step.

Make them answer questions like:

How does the firm save its credibility?

Do you come out with an apology?

How do PR priorities or your marketing plans change after this?

These engaging activities help participants build their decision making skills to learn about thinking out of the box. This way, they can prepare for an unforeseen situation while maintaining cooperation to increase team effectiveness.

Who knows?

It may even prepare you for a problem your business could actually face in the future!

10. A look at the future

This is a short and interesting activity.

Share an e-newspaper or magazine with the team, and ask them to mark ten headlines that could be related to the company in the future.

Headlines like "World's best place to work," or "How this company changed the world" are good examples.

This helps you to understand each member's goals and expectations from the company. You can even compare each choice to analyze differences in commitment or priorities!

11. The perfect vacation

This is another short activity that's great for developing your team's listening skills.

Participants are asked to grab a partner each.

For the next step, each duo gets on a personal call and tells their partner about their perfect vacation - if they had unlimited time and money.

After everyone is done, all the team members' get together on a call and try to explain their partner's dream vacation as accurately as possible!

Since you're describing your partner's vacation, you're forced to really listen and might even realise how both of you share similar interests.

12. Two truths and a lie

Two truths and one lie is a classic icebreaker activity.

Each team member presents three statements about themselves: two truths and one that is false.

The team can then take turns to recognise what's true and what the lie is.
After everyone has guessed, the speaker reveals their lie.

To make the game even more fun, add some healthy competition with a points system that's recorded digitally or by the manager with a pen and paper.

The person with the most correct guesses will grab the win!

13. Guess the emoji board
Everyone loves texting with emojis, right?
This is one of the shortest fun team building activities - making it great for quick breaks or post-meeting sessions.

Here's how it works:

Send a list of the players to all participants.

Next, give them five minutes to guess each person's five most used emojis.

After the five minutes are done, reveal the correct answers to the participants.

The person to recognise the most correct emojis is declared the winner.

For a fun twist, offer prizes to the top 3 best ones!

14. Never have I ever: Rated E edition

Most of us have probably played Never Have I Ever in college and know that it's not a game meant for work!

But don't worry, this version of the game doesn't involve alcohol or explicit stories.

Here's how this goes:

Create a list of general topics like "Never have I ever stepped on Lego" or "Never have I ever eaten an entire pack of marshmallows."

Everyone starts with five points, and loses a point for each activity they've done. For a virtual team, these points can be represented by fingers! Start with an open palm, and fold a finger for each point you lose.

The last person standing wins!

This way, you get to learn some fun new insights about your coworkers - all while engaging in some healthy competition!

15. Virtual book club

Reading is a hobby that's great for both your profession and daily life!

To encourage your remote workers to read, you can start a virtual book club.

To make sure the club runs smoothly, set up a few rules:

Each member must complete the assigned reading. If not, they're excluded for the next two readings or the meeting doesn't take place at all! While the latter sounds extreme, it actually works as a great accountability measure.

Start with shorter source materials. Not everyone reads rapidly, and you need to make sure that each employee can keep up. Start with short readings and as the club progresses, you can switch to a few long or challenging texts!

Not only does a book club help remote teams mingle and socialize, it also encourages them to engage in critical thinking and be open to differing opinions. These are all great qualities to develop effective communication skills and listening skills among remote employees!

16. Aliens have landed
A bit of imagination can make any creative problem solving activity more exciting!
Divide the whole team into smaller groups of three to four members.

The scenario is, aliens have finally landed on Earth- but they don't speak English.
So, each team must pick five symbols or pictures to best describe the company!

As the manager, check out the images and see if you realise any common themes or symbols. This helps you to understand what the remote employees feel about the company culture, while also improving effective communication and problem solving skills.

17. An icebreaker quiz game to get to know each other

QuizBreaker is a super fun way to keep a remote team engaged and connected. Players answer icebreaker questions and then have to guess each other's answers in automatically generated quizzes. Admins can set up the quizzes to go out via email at set times during the week.

An example quiz question might be: "Was it Emily or Sam who said the book that had the most impact on their thinking was Sapiens?" or "Was it Jade or Nathan who said their dream holiday destination is Iceland?"

With badges, levels and a weekly leaderboard - it's a great way for teams to get to know one another on a deeper level (even when they don't share an office). Remote teams all over the world use QuizBreaker to boost engagement and morale, including at companies like the New York Times and Google.

It also comes with a free 14 day trial.

If you you'd like to check out more virtual team building activities, Outback Team Building & Training offers four virtually-hosted options for your remote team.

24 Icebreakers to start conversations
Ever been unsure of how to start your team bonding activities?
Getting team members to open up in engagement team building activities can be as tough and awkward as navigating a minefield!

Luckily, that's what you have icebreaker games for!

An ice breaker game is an awesome activity to let team members dip their toes into the bonding experience without feeling awkward or insecure.

First:
You can start with 12 surface-level questions for your icebreaker team.
These questions are good for new virtual teams that are just getting to socialize and mingle with one another. These answers are opinion and preference-based, meaning employees are less likely to feel judged on their responses in the ice breaker game.

Next:

You can dig deeper with 12 carefully designed questions that require employees to step out of their comfort zone, open up a bit more and be vulnerable.

These questions allow team members to shed light on their goals, successes, struggles and needs. They also facilitate the real team building process and let individuals be open and honest with each other.

Let's get into it:

Surface level questions:

Do you want to stay the same age forever? If yes, what age would that be?

What is your favorite possession?

If you could grab one superpower, which one would you pick?

Are you a morning bird or a night owl?

Which season is your favorite? Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer?

Do you prefer writing with pen and paper or digitally?

Do you prefer large group hangouts or smaller groups?

Would you prefer to go to the mountains or the beach?

If you could live anywhere on this planet without having to leave anyone or anything behind, where would you live?

What is the coolest vacation you have ever taken?

What's your favorite food?

Which historical figure would you want to meet?

Be vulnerable:

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

What do you want people to remember you for when you die?

What aspect of your personality is the most valuable to those around you?

Recall the best day of your life. Why was it the best?

Recall the worst day of your life. Why was it so bad?

If you could add or improve upon one characteristic of your personality, what would you add/improve?

Who has been the most influential individual in your life thus far?

When considering what makes you feel engaged and dedicated to work, what three characteristics do you look for in a work environment?

Name a few things in a work environment or situation that would compel you to look for a new/future job and leave?

What qualities and skills does a good boss/manager have in your opinion?

What is one of your biggest goals within your personal life?

What is your biggest accomplishment within your academic or professional life?

Now that you have the conversation going with the icebreaker activity, you can move to games and activities to build stronger team cohesion and healthy competition!

12 Other team building ideas

Sure, team building games and activities require a little more team effort, cooperation and commitment than any icebreaker activity.

However, once employees are open and honest and feel less awkward, they'll be more inclined to participate in games and exercises and continue putting efforts into building work friendships!

While the 16 earlier team building ideas were centered around having fun and playing games, these 12 ideas are centered around building deep connections with your team and really cementing your camaraderie:

1. Virtual team meetings

Team meetings are essential for any company - irrespective of if they're conducted in an office or if they're virtual.

While team meetings are often focused around work, it is important that virtual work teams recognise them as a group team building tool for building team cohesion, empathy and commitment.

Why?

Because team members who work remotely aren't able to take part in group team building breaks, such as coffee or lunch breaks like co-located teams.

To do this exercise, conduct a virtual meeting at the end of each month and ask three questions to each team member:

What's the one thing that has been going great lately?

What's the one thing that can be improved?

What's the one thing that's been going on with them personally?

Be sure that the team leader or manager also answers these questions, as it creates the feeling that all team members are equal.

Such questions not only let employees discuss and improve team effectiveness, but it gives virtual team members an opportunity to share a bit about their current lives and feel empathy for others on the team.

Give employees time to prepare for this beforehand so that they can give some thought to their answers. It may also be beneficial to set a time limit for each employee so that the meeting always moves forward and maintains focus on its priorities.

Fun tip: Suggest that each employee grab a coffee, tea or another beverage of choice to the online meeting so that it feels more like a coffee break!

2. Live remote office

Remember, virtual workers can have difficulty getting into their workflow and struggle with employee motivation.

Why?

Because it's hard for them to feel like they're actually part of an office - which affects their focus.

A live remote office area gives remote employees the office feel without physically being in an office.
Here's how it works:
At the beginning of the day, the first team member to clock in starts a video chat that any team member can join. As other members come online, they can join the video and essentially join the workspace.

The video chat room mimics an office as it's a place where team members can log in and start diligently working on their own tasks.
The benefit?
Distributed team members get to see their teams work hard in-person and are inspired to maintain focus and productivity.

3. Capture important company events

One of the downfalls of distributed teams is that virtual team members are unable to attend all company events.

This can leave virtual team members feeling left out, and can also make it difficult to see how different teams work and contribute to the company.
How can you fix this?
Take videos of company events and post them on the employee channel.
For example:
Say your company is going to set up a booth at an event to obtain more clients. Take a video of the event or provide a live video stream to show your virtual team members what is going on.

If you achieve a large success or make a successful team partnership at the event, be sure to celebrate it on a video call and congratulate the contributing team members on their hard work.

This will allow employees to see how their work contributes to the progress that is taking place in the company. It also brings an element of excitement and reward to the remote workplace, which can boost team effectiveness and morale.

However, this strategy doesn't just apply to large work events.

You can provide a post-call debrief with a client, a video recap of an in-person meeting, or make a video outlining important changes that are taking place within the company!

4. Movie night

This is a unique team building activity that's great for boosting morale.

When you gather your team for non-work related purposes, they tend to relax and open up more.

Hosting a movie night every so often is a fun way to get the team together to have fun outside of the virtual office.

You may be wondering:
"How do we do this when we live in different cities?"
Stream the movie through a video conference room and keep an instant messaging chat box open so team members can comment and make remarks during the movie.

Experiences like this give remote employees something to bond over and joke about later on. Plus it forces team members to take a little downtime and relax!

5. Coffee session

This strategy has proven to be successful in boosting employee motivation by showing them that you value their hard work.

Virtual team members rarely get to experience the office perks of a company-provided lunch, coffee or a team get-together.
How does a coffee session change that?
Each employee will be sent a small gift card to a coffee shop in their area or their favorite coffee shop.

Employees are then encouraged to get out of their home office and work remotely in a new upbeat environment for the day. Each employee will snap a photo of themselves working at the coffee shop and will post it to the team chat group.

This strategy can also be used to host your virtual meetings!

Team members designate a time to virtually meet while each of them is at their chosen coffee shop. This makes it feel as if a team meeting is being conducted at a specific location outside of the "common office."
Be sure to try this out once the COVID-19 pandemic is over!
6. Joint calendar

Employee calendars typically include work events and deadlines.
But what if work calendars included more than work-related information?
Remote employees often miss out on the opportunity to chit-chat about personal matters with other team members, such as family, personal events, and hobbies outside of work.
What if work calendars allowed team members to add personal events or a common goal to the agenda as well?
For example:

Monday's list of tasks and deadlines may conclude with something like, "Marissa's kid's first day of kindergarten," or Saturday may include, "John's family outing to the lake!"

There are several app options out there like Eventbot Calendar that have turned this joint calendar idea into a real thing.

Team members can use it to communicate personal motivating messages of congratulations, and may even realize that they have more in common than they thought.

It also lets people know when team members will be unavailable, which is beneficial for managing team effectiveness, communication and collaboration.

7. Send gifts to your fellow team members
Does this immediately sound pricey?
It doesn't have to be.

You can set a gift price limit and assign each team member a person to send a gift to. This can be arranged during the holidays or just for good fun.

For large teams that are dispersed internationally, encourage team members to buy something that is specific to their country and culture.

This will not only make the gift choosing and receiving unique, but it will provide a little bit of insight about the cultural differences - helping them develop empathy for each other.

Gift-giving not only gives employees something to look forward to, but it allows team members to form a deeper bond and feel thankful for one another.

8. A "random" Slack channel

Is your team using Slack or something similar to communicate?

Be sure to create a channel that is dedicated solely to random conversations and sharing.

Employees can share things like quotes, stories, and photos of their animals. This naturally provides large teams with conversation starters and allows teammates to get to know each other's personalities and personal lives better!

It also allows teams to build rapport, improve teamwork and form a deeper bond without having to delegate time to virtual team building ideas. Think of it as a unique team building activity that employees have constant access to!

9. Team building Slack extensions - Donut & Aloha

Donut is a Slack extension that can take virtual team building to a new level.

Donut pairs team members to get them talking every 1-4 weeks. These virtual meetings can last anywhere from 15-30 minutes and the aim is to get employees to each other on a one-on-one basis through non-work related conversations.
Want to make it even more effective?
Virtual team members that live in the same city can opt to grab lunch or coffee together instead of conducting a video call.

Donut makes distributed and group team building simple and can create some of those productivity-boosting relationships that we mentioned earlier!

Aloha is another slack extension that welcomes new employees and urges them to introduce themselves to the team.

For your remote team, you can use Aloha as part of your onboarding process. You can add them to local channels like #lunch or #movienight where members can discuss and decide which movie to watch on group movie night.

10. Outdoor scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunts aren't just for co-located teams.
These are outdoor team building activities that online teams can take on once the Coronavirus pandemic ends!
Here's how you do it:
Create smaller groups from your team and send each group of people an identical list of tasks to complete. Team members can then divide the tasks amongst themselves and stay connected while on the hunt through instant messaging apps.

Each task completion must be accompanied by a photo of the team member completing it. Have all teams gather and submit their photos to the company chat group.

Tasks can include things like:

Getting a stranger to do a yoga pose while wearing a blindfold, taking a photo of your reflection in something other than a mirror or window, balancing sheets of paper on your head throughout each task, and so on.

You can create the scavenger hunt yourself, or you can use an app like GooseChase to facilitate it.

Similar to the Desert Island Scenario, scavenger hunts boost communication and collaboration while also letting them delegate tasks and utilize each other's strengths and skills.

11. Meet in person
Want to really bond with your team?
Plan a team retreat!

This might not be possible right now during Covid, but when the pandemic is behind us, you should seriously consider this!

Team meetups may sound costly, but the networking, team cohesion and morale building that can result from them are priceless!

A team retreat can be a trip to an escape room, a small weekend in a central area, or it can be a large team building event that all the employees get to embark on.

Giving team members the chance to gather and communicate in person with their virtual coworkers is a great way to build strong team chemistry and make team members feel a sense of community.

For internationally distributed team members, cultural differences can be difficult to understand or grasp - however, meeting in person can change that and make your team stronger than ever!

A team retreat is also beneficial for the managers and owners of the company. They are able to gather a better sense of their employees' personalities and strengths, which will make it easy to improve teamwork and start open and honest conversations!

12. Online Office Games (Facilitated)

Sometimes, working with an event planner to run your activities can be a big win. For example, you as the organizer can participate and bond with your colleagues too.

One popular virtual team building activity of this type is Online Office Games.

Here is how it works:

The event is 90 minutes, and conducted with two hosts over Zoom

The games and challenges include virtual team trivia and "Can You Hear Me Now?", which is like Pictionary with a twist

You can do events with 5 - 50 people, or more for large groups.

The company that runs Online Office Games is TeamBuilding,com, and has a great list with more virtual team building activities too.

What do you need for virtual team building?

Virtual team building doesn't require much, but there are a few things you will need:

1. A leader

Designate a leader to facilitate the team building exercises, such as a project or team manager.
Why them?
Because they're a figure the entire team recognizes!

This way, nobody's going to wonder who's leading the activities or why they're there.

The manager should use their leadership skills for motivating people to participate and explaining the team building exercises in a clear manner. They will also be responsible for maintaining cohesiveness in the exercises and events that take place.

2. Clear-cut time limits

Set a time limit for virtual team building efforts.

It's important that each member gives their undivided attention when you gather your team for team building activities. This ensures that nobody comes across as uninterested or uninvolved. Additionally, you can't let these games go on for too long as you'll miss out on time to actually work!

3. Collaboration and screen-sharing tools

Considering that virtual face-to-face contact is essential to many of these activities and exercises, it's important to get a tool that lets you screen share and visually collaborate with team members online. That way, everyone can be present and contribute to virtual meetings.

8 Tools for virtual team building

The tools listed below are fantastic for virtual team building and can make the process seamless.

For Video Conferencing, Screen Sharing, & Telecommunication:

For Collaboration:
Interested in other tools that are essential for remote teams?
Don't worry, just go through this list here.

Who benefits from virtual team building?

Hundreds of thousands of companies across the Americas, Europe and Asia have gone remote because of Covid.

However, many people soon realise that managing a remote team comes with its own set of challenges.

Remember, as remote teams aren't physically working together, they miss out on the chance to socialize, mingle and build rapport with their fellow team members. This can leave employees feeling isolated - which will impact their teamwork, mental health and productivity!

Virtual team building is a fantastic way to boost empathy and cohesiveness to make virtual team communication and collaboration easier.

Whether your team is partially remote or fully remote, virtual team building is essential in building a strong team foundation for your company. In fact, a study by TeamBonding states that "65% of remote employees report that they have never had a team building session."
What does this mean?
This means a lot of companies are failing to do an easy task when they can have massive benefits of team building!

Here's what they miss out on:
For employees:
Virtual team building creates a support system for remote members. It can improve teamwork and the onboarding process by making new team members feel welcomed and excited.

Many of the games and exercises listed above give large teams a chance to even collaborate over tasks in a friendly environment, which is essential for innovation, productivity, and efficiency.

Collaborating on a problem solving challenge is also a great way to build rapport and an atmosphere of trust between team members - building stronger relationships and resulting in higher employee satisfaction.
For leaders and managers:
Fun team building activities are not only great for employees, they're fun activities for managers too!

Through unique team building games and activities you are able to better understand each employee's strengths and weaknesses.

This makes managing and delegating tasks more efficient. You are also able to build relationships with each employee and learn what each employee needs from you as a leader. This can greatly enhance your leadership skills over time!

Conclusion

Remote teams may not get the same face-to-face contact that collocated small teams get, but that doesn't mean they have to feel disconnected from one another!

Bit.AI reports that "97% of employees and executives believe lack of alignment within a team impacts the outcome of a task or project."

So you see, bonding is essential to form a cohesive unit!

Virtual team bonding increases employee motivation, efficiency and collaboration. It makes employees feel connected and valued, which in turn makes them highly dedicated to their tasks and the organization in general.
What else?
Team building activities allow virtual team managers to improve team leadership skills and recognise each employee's talents and skills, making for more efficient task delegation.

Managing remote teams can sometimes be tough for virtual team leaders - but it isn't impossible! And with the right team building activities, you'll have no difficulty getting everyone on the same page.

Want some more ways to improve the way you run your remote team?

Check out 15 Rules to Live By When You Run a Remote Team or 25 Tips to Help You Manage a High-Performing Virtual Team.
About the Author:
Peter Banerjea is Co-founder and CEO of Startup Voyager, a content and SEO agency that helps startups outrank top tier sites without backlinks or technical SEO. As a former leadership coach, he has delivered training and coaching engagements for companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500s. His work has appeared in Entrepreneur, Inc, Huffpost, Fast Company, Lifehacker and many more major publications.

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17 Virtual Team Building Activities Your Remote Team Will Love

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Looking for some effective team building exercises to bring your team together? As a former leadership trainer and coach, I have run several types of team building activities for teams of several sizes - with participants ranging from entry level employees to C-level executives.

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link to build escape room using google form like you did today!

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How to Build a Digital Escape Room Using Google Forms — Bespoke ELA: Essay Writing Tips + Lesson Plans

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Digital escape rooms are super popular in classrooms right now because they are highly engaging for students across content areas and skill levels. Escape rooms can be done physically with lockboxes, but sometimes, it’s much easier to make them digital through Google Forms. Digital escape rooms ca

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1. host live meetings
2. record/share video/audio
3. Virtual field trips
4. weekly communication home
5. build class website/hub
6. moderate discussion board
7. Host informal office hours
8. share notes of appreciation

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Imagine a day in the life of a student in a traditional school setting. First-grade students greet their teachers with special handshakes as they enter the classroom. Principals hand out high-fives in the hallways. Middle schoolers huddle together during homeroom to discuss their favorite TV shows as they wait to hear the morning announcements over the intercom. Fifth graders sit in a circle as their teacher leads them in a mindfulness exercise to start the day present and focused.

In the wake of coronavirus school closures, educators, parents, and students across the globe are coping with a new reality. How can educators continue to foster a sense of belonging with students while schools are closed and learning has shifted online? What are ways to maintain strong teacher-student relationships and keep students engaged?

In this post, we'll explore research on belonging and connectedness, the key tenets of virtual communication for educators, and effective strategies for building virtual connectedness.

Download Toolkit: 5 Restorative Practices for Building Belonging with Students

I. Research on Sense of Belonging II. Tenets of Virtual Communication and Collaboration III. 8 Strategies for Building Connectedness Virtually IV. Additional Resources
What the Research Says About In-Person and Virtual Connectedness

Research suggests that students with a high sense of belonging are also happier, healthier, and more engaged learners.

Not only is connectedness linked to better academic outcomes, but students who feel connected to school are less likely to skip school, abuse substances, have emotional distress, or be involved in fighting or bullying behavior.

So, can educators still promote student belonging in virtual spaces? Research from the children's media field suggests that technology can, indeed, facilitate meaningful connection. Joint media engagement-a relatively new concept-refers to using technology and media as a co-engagement or co-viewing tool between adults and children. Multiple studies show that a healthier way for children to interact with technology (especially screen media) is if an adult is physically or virtually present and participating in usage with the child. The positive benefits increase when the technology delivers high-quality educational content.

This means that educators can design-or adapt-educational activities, virtual lessons, and online social-emotional learning programs to foster connectedness online. That connectedness can be between students and peers, students and their caregivers, or students and their teacher.

"Students with a high sense of belonging are happier, healthier, and more engaged learners... and less likely to skip school, abuse substances, have emotional distress, or be involved in fighting or bullying behavior."

Tenets of Virtual Communication and Connection

Communication (with students and their caregivers) is a key component to helping students build a strong sense of belonging online. Here are some guiding principles for communicating and connecting with students virtually:

Clear and Consistent. Be clear in your written and oral communication with students and their families. In addition, consistency of timing and cadence can help families anticipate your communications and schedule their days appropriately.

Proactive and Reciprocal. Proactive communication can help you anticipate the needs of students and your community. It can also encourage students and families to proactively communicate with you and other school staff members, and can ensure that they know the best methods to do so.

Authentic and Familiar. Maintain the teaching style you use in the classroom to recreate a sense of comfortability for students. This could mean using similar language and phrases that you would use in the classroom.

Flexible. To meet the needs of all learners, consider multiple options for communication and student participation. Can you call a family to deliver a morning announcement if they do not have access to high-speed internet? Can you provide a pen-and-paper option for a virtual activity? Consider these tips on strategies in special education as children learn from home and resources for English-language and diverse learners.

Creative and Innovative. With so many different virtual tools at your disposal, make sure to take advantage of them. Virtual adaptations are great opportunities to innovate and try something new. See this time as a way to think creatively about ways to reach each student and consider trying tools such as Padlet or Flipgrid.

"To meet the needs of all learners, consider multiple options for communication and student participation. Can you call a family to deliver a morning announcement if they don't have access to high-speed internet? Can you provide a pen-and-paper option for a virtual activity?"

8 Strategies for Building Connectedness Virtually

1. Host a virtual morning meeting.

In typical classroom life, routines are an important way to build connection. Create ways for students to still experience these routines at home! Virtual morning (or afternoon) meetings via a web conferencing service, like Zoom or Google Hangouts, are one way to bring students together routinely -- whether that means hosting a check-in circle, connecting with social-emotional learning activities, or participating in group mindfulness practice. If a student is unable to attend, you might invite them to write a message to their classmates in advance that you can share during the meeting.

Download this toolkit to access templates for virtual morning announcements.

2. Record and share videos or audio clips.

To simulate daily or weekly announcements that students hear over the intercom, consider recording short video or audio clips and sending them out via email or text. These announcements can include student birthday shout-outs, important resource information, or updates on school policies. For students without access to high-speed internet, try calling by phone instead. Many educators recommend rotating through groups of students each day to make the phone calls manageable.

3. Take your class on a virtual field trip.

Many museums, zoos and cultural centers are offering digital tours for free. You and your students can go together (or asynchronously) to museums in Sao Paulo and Paris, watch live footage of animals at a zoo, or walk through Yellowstone National Park. To supplement this activity, consider creating a scavenger hunt for students as they explore individually, and then come together to share-out findings and wonderings in a chat room or video conference.

4. Send daily or weekly newsletters to families and/or students.

Get creative with these communications! Consider recording and uploading a video to include in the email. Many teachers have recorded themselves reading a children's book, conducting a science experiment in the kitchen, or even delivering a short lesson. You can also include academic lessons or SEL strategies to try at home. If you are already using a tool for family engagement (such as ClassDojo or Remind), you can use the messaging capabilities in those apps to send the newsletters.

5. Build a virtual classroom hub, website, or blog.

Using Google Classroom, Google Sites, WordPress, or other free services, you can create a class website or blog for your students to access. Once built, you can add various activities-from virtual journaling to resources for additional learning and movement.

6. Moderate a classroom chat or discussion board.

Host small or large online chats with students using platforms such as Zoom, Canvas, or Google Hangouts. Provide prompts to students ahead of time, especially if you'll be discussing academic content. You can also position the online chats as quick check-ins or informal time for students to connect . Students can also submit ideas about what they'd like to chat with their peers about.

7. Host informal office hours.

Dedicate one to two hours per week to holding office hours in a video conference or chat room. This can allow for students, caregivers, or fellow teachers to connect with you to ask questions, share how they are feeling, or just say hello.

8. Collect and share virtual notes of gratitude and appreciation.

Over the course of a week, ask students to submit notes of appreciation about their peers. Compile these notes in a slide deck or on your classroom website to share with students, caregivers, and staff.
Download this toolkit to access templates on Google Forms and Google Slides for "notes of gratitude."

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8 Strategies for Building Belonging With Students and Families Virtually

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Imagine a day in the life of a student in a traditional school setting. First-grade students greet their teachers with special handshakes as they enter the classroom. Principals hand out high-fives in the hallways. Middle schoolers huddle together during homeroom to discuss their favorite TV shows as they wait to hear the morning announcements over the intercom.

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In case you missed it, here’s a brief summary of our best tips for building relationships virtually:

Say hello to each student every day, with high/low check-ins

Gather regular feedback from your class, soliciting input on effective lessons and class activities

Incorporate group work into most classes to support student-student relationships and social-emotional learning

Have students write about themselves with values-affirmation exercises

Provide high quality feedback on student work, focusing on process and actionable fixes students can make to their work

Have students make “gratitude bombs” (letters or videos) for peers and teachers

Take your class on a virtual scavenger hunt or field trip

Share student work with the school community (including parents and alumni)

Call or email parents about positive student behavior and work

Keep parents in the loop through class website, parent-teacher virtual conferences, and interactive assignments

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There is a lot of uncertainty for the upcoming school year, and all teachers are bracing for the possibility of having to teach remotely for some part of the academic year to further curb the spread of COVID-19. While this can seem like a daunting task, it is a dead certainty that students, teachers, and administrators will come together to do innovative work in these times of crisis. In all of this, we know that one thing stands at the helm of quality education: relationships. We have put together this guide on how to build relationships virtually-read through to learn and to build quality relationships in the classroom and better your teaching.

Feel free to pick and choose from different sections of the guide to help you prepare for a virtual world of teaching. There are tips on connecting with your students, building community digitally, bringing parents into the conversation, and daily routines that can enhance relationships in the classroom. While these strategies are relevant in a virtual setting, teachers can also use this throughout the year when incorporating digital elements to in-person instruction.
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Many teacher training programs will emphasize differentiated curriculum, backwards planning, and behavioral management, all key skills for effective teaching and learning. That being said, relationship building with students has been shown to be instrumental in student success, and it may be one of the most underrated skills for educators today. Here are a few reasons why student-teacher relationships are important:

1. Building positive relationships with students can lead to improved academic results.

These essential "supports for learning" can be seen as the base of the learning pyramid, necessary precursors to any intellectual rigor in the classroom.

"People won't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Teddy Roosevelt

2. Feeling safe and comfortable can motivate both students and teachers to continue logging in to class.

3. Having strong relationships with your students can make interactions with parents much easier.

Nobody wants to show up to a parent-teacher conference and have nothing to say about somebody's child. By being genuinely interested in your students and planning activities to strengthen those relationships, phone calls home will be much easier and more enjoyable. Parents will appreciate that you know their children well, and they will be more likely to trust you and implement your feedback. We go over how to conduct virtual parent-teacher conferences in this post you may find helpful.

4. It can boost good behavior in teens for up to 4 years.

5. Positive student-teacher relationships have huge academic benefits for our most vulnerable students.

This means that focusing on relationships promotes in your classroom. The students who are most at-risk-those who are racially, socially, or economically marginalized or have learning disabilities -benefit the most from the quality of relationships they form with teachers. When Stanford psychologists used "belonging" interventions on middle school students at the beginning of the school year, a time when students most worry about belonging to their communities, the exercises helped first-generation and minority students find greater academic success.
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1. It is hard to have casual one-on-one conversations, or small group discussions, on a video call.

In a traditional classroom setting, students who arrive to class early may chat with their teachers and friends while getting seated and ready for class. This is often the time where teachers catch up with students about the score from their soccer match, or what movie they watched over the weekend, or how things are going with their family situation at home.

On a computer screen, these informal conversations are difficult and awkward; what you say to one kid will be heard by all, so private chats are totally ruled out. The same goes for students who are used to sitting with their friends and whispering comments or advice to each other during class. Students can't ask their friends for math help or verify the page number in The House on Mango Street without outing themselves to the entire class. That is a huge barrier for developing both student-teacher relationships and student-student relationships.

Possible solution: Getting comfortable with "waiting rooms" or "breakout rooms" on your video conference system can help combat this struggle and give you needed one-on-one time with students. You can also use GoogleDocs, discussion threads, or chat features to give students a place to interact with each other during class in a productive manner.

2. Without being together, you can't engage your students with activities involving physical movement or choral response.

We've all seen examples of exemplary teachers engaging their students in class with an unconventional presence:

Team-building charades game stressing communication:

The teacher who had a unique handshake for every student in his class:

The math teacher playing a cover of One Direction's song for the quadratic formula:

These exercises are all designed to gain student attention, incorporate fun and movement into lessons, build positive relationships with students, and establish community in the classroom. None of these can be replicated exactly in a virtual setting, where internet connectivity is not synched up for every student and physical touch is out of the picture.

Possible solution: Adapt these activities using pre-recorded videos on FlipGrid, or collect individual recordings and splice them together like this virtual choir.

3. Teacher and student presence is severely diminished on a computer screen.

Master teachers know how to be fully present for their students, having a good pulse on the classroom and being able to adapt lessons based on body language or facial expressions. They also derive motivation and direction from students' nods, questioning stares, or smiles of recognition during a lecture.

For distance learning, teachers may not be able to see everyone on screen at once, especially when sharing a screen or giving a lecture. Not to mention technological issues that they may encounter, whether that be a broken microphone or loss of video.

Possible solution: Use the "Gallery view" so that you can see everyone in a grid format during class. Structure as much interactivity as possible into lectures using or PollEverywhere so that students can participate and have their voices be heard.
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This section covers strategies for educators to consistently promote connectedness in a normal school day. Many of these rituals can be worked into your teaching toolkit to promote relationship-building no matter what situation you are in, but they are especially useful in a virtual setting.

1. Master the soft start to ease students into class each day.

Read an article or book of choice

Reflection questions and journal prompts (ex: Make a list of everything that inspires you - from books to websites to quotes to people to paintings to stores to the stars.)

Talk to a classmate in a breakout room

Jigsaw puzzles or artwork with materials at home

These soft starts help support your students' social, emotional, and mental needs during a period of time where they need it the most. You can do all of these either virtually or in-person, and this small piece of routine is sure to help students feel more supported and connected.

2. Do frequent check-ins for all students.

This is most commonly seen in the form of a High and Low, where each student shares something positive and something negative they are experiencing that day (or week). You can also call it "Hype and Gripe" or "Rose, Thorn, and Bud", with the "Bud" being something to look forward to. Make sure to give your students some wait time (1 - 2 minutes) to be introspective before asking them to share, and acknowledge every contribution to the group. If you keep things moving, the entire check-in can take less than 5 minutes while being a huge source of connection for your class. It reminds your students that every single voice matters, including theirs, and provides a safe environment for your students to share and respond to their emotional states.

3. Vary synchronous and asynchronous classes.

On the one hand, you want to get as much face time with your students as possible so they feel connected and cared for. On the other hand, it can be exhausting (for your mind and eyes) to be on a computer for that long. Plus, students without reliable internet connectivity or who have rigid + distracting home schedules are at a disadvantage with synchronous classes.

Take a class every few weeks to have the students work asynchronously and, if possible, off-screen. They can read a book, listen to a podcast, reflect on their learning, create a piece of art, or even fill out a printed worksheet. This time away will make your time together feel more valuable and cherished, and the varied nature of classes will keep your students engaged and on their toes.

4. Incorporate group work into most classes, mixing groups every two weeks.

There is a mound of that suggests cooperative learning to be significantly helpful towards student learning and socialization. You can utilize a range of strategies to incorporate group work into each class like shared projects on Google Drive, discussions with the Jigsaw method , or competition on Quizlet Live .

Even while doing independent practice, many students enjoy having a peer around to collaborate with and as the point-person for tricky questions. If you can, utilize Zoom breakout rooms and pre-assign students into appropriate groupings, changing up the groups every few weeks. This gives students opportunities to interact and work with each other from afar, building student-student relationships while deepening their learning.

5. Ask for student feedback regularly-consider soliciting "Friday Feedback" each week.
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1. Greet each student by name every single day.

This one is an obvious, but important one. By greeting your students by their names (or nicknames), you signal to them that you do care about their arrival and are excited about their individual presence. Some teachers even insist that the students unmute themselves and say hello back with a wave, and this simple act gets students engaged and present right at the start.

2. Show students your world.

Tell stories about your family, bring your dogs into class for a guest appearance, and show them what you ate for breakfast/lunch. Even better, share with students your fear of heights, your struggles with getting your kids to eat vegetables, and your active efforts to stay positive while living in the era of Covid-19. Students love to get an insider's look into their teachers' lives, and they will appreciate your willingness to open up and share your world with them. Encourage them to do the same with "bring your pet to school" days or show-and-tell breaks.

3. Have students write about themselves.

A simple writing exercise about student interests and values can have an enormous impact on the way that school to a child. An activity like the one below can be implemented before an assessment to help ground students and subconsciously remind them that they have significance outside of what grades they earn on their algebra tests. This values-affirming activity is a subtle psychological intervention that buttresses belonging and identity, in addition to reducing stereotype threat in marginalized students. If you choose to read their responses, you also learn a LOT about your students that you might use to make lessons more engaging and further connect with your class.

Please look over the following list of values and choose one or two that are very important to you.

Please take a few moments to write about why your chosen value is very important to you. You may want to write about a time when this value was particularly meaningful, about why this value makes you feel good about yourself, and/or about how you apply this value in your everyday life.

4. Start a virtual book club for your class.

Whether you teach math, science, history, or language arts, reading is an integral skill that is used in every discipline. You can incorporate book clubs into your curriculum and allow students to choose from a range of books/articles/stories that appeal to them. They can teach each other about their texts, and if you're lucky, they will be able to apply what they read to lessons learned in class. Even the most reluctant readers will enjoy being able to choose their own texts, and this small gesture of student autonomy can help nudge a kid towards having a positive relationship with learning.

5. Provide high-quality feedback on assignments.

This in the British Journal of Educational Psychology details how children perceive relationships after completing tasks with success or failure, reminding us of some key facets of effective feedback :

Focus on the process, not the person. For example, say "there is no evidence to back your claim-make sure to cite a text or article we have used in class" rather than "you weren't effective or persuasive enough in this paragraph".

Praise effort (when applicable), not intelligence or talent. This is a key part of growth-mindset that helps build resilience in our students.

Give unbiased and objective feedback, written or via a computer. This works great with remote learning, where feedback is delivered electronically via what students perceive as a more neutral format than oral comments.

Use the power of peers, and deliberately teach the students how to give useful and process-based feedback to each other.

Give feedback in as timely a manner as possible. This is no small task to ask of teachers already overburdened with lesson-planning and grading. You can use online tools like to auto-generate feedback on formative assessments, or provide simple and short feedback on a small portion of the assignment.

6. Use the "2 x 10 Theory" to intentionally build relationships with your students.

The 2 x 10 Theory was pioneered by Canadian principal Myron Dueck, who felt that teachers could spend 2 minutes a day for 10 days trying to connect with challenging students. Even if the student exudes no desire to connect, a teacher can subtly plan quality time with that student and show that they care.

That may be asking about their family before class, getting their feedback on activities, soliciting their help with set-up or reminders, checking in with them during circuit work, etc. There is a good chance that your student will open up to you before 10 days is over! That is a tiny portion of class that could yield great outcomes in building positive relationships with all students.

7. Offer remote office hours and actively encourage students to come.

There is no question that some students will find it difficult to engage on a conference call with the whole class, preferring to consult with you individually. Others might need to babysit their younger siblings during class or have faulty internet connectivity, causing attendance to be sparse and learning + connection to drop.

To meet the needs of all learners, teachers can offer remote office hours 1 - 2 times per week via video conference or phone call. You can contact individual students and encourage them to show up- a simple "I'd love to help you work through this assignment. Can you come to tomorrow's office hours?" will be enough for most students. Another great tactic is to require all students to meet with you at least once, even for 5 minutes, early in the school year. This will show them that office hours aren't so scary, and can give you the time you need to make those personalized connections.
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This section covers a few ways that teachers can build community in either their classrooms or their schools. There are tips for teachers on building student-student relationships, as well as strategies teachers can use to foster relationships amongst co-workers and administrators

1. Have students drop "gratitude bombs" with letters or videos.

You can ask students to write a letter or record a quick video to express their appreciation for a classmate or teacher that has made their remote learning experience better. Expressing gratitude has been shown to improve your personal health as well as your relationship with others, and it has a ripple effect on the entire community. Plus, it is ridiculous to wait for Teacher Appreciation Month (May) for your fellow colleagues to feel some love from their students! FlipGrid has a great feature that allows you to compile videos into groups and share them with others, like this group of teachers did to congratulate their graduating class of 2020.

2. Host a virtual talent show.

Talent shows are a great way for students, faculty, and staff to display their unique skills while creating connection through fun activities. It is easy to do virtually, with the help of video conferencing technologies (Zoom, WebEx, or GoogleHangouts) and webinar features. This how-to guide details some key tips to virtual talent shows like setting time limits and having MC's. Here is a great list of virtual talent show ideas that includes TikTok dances, sign language, celebrity impersonations, and more.

3. Take your students on a scavenger hunt or virtual field trip.

Many of your students will know very little about the history and landmarks in their own neighborhoods, and there are multitudes of learning opportunities right outside their front doors. You can take a class period to organize a virtual field trip where students (safely, with social distancing) walk around town stopping at predetermined places of interest, like town hall, a grove of deciduous trees, or a scenic area to write in the style of Romanticism. They can write blogs about their travels around town, measure heights of tall trees with trigonometry, or take photographs that incorporate perspective and "leading lines". Collaborate with your colleagues on inspiring assignments that are relevant to your subject area and make remote learning fun and engaging for all. Watch Spanish teacher Brooke Higgins walk his students around Monterey, CA in " El Camino de la Historia "!

4. Share student work with the school community.

Watch how the Stevenson School featured student performances on their social media page and spread news on their academic progress to students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni:

This is a wonderful example of ways that teachers and staff members are showcasing the work they do remotely and building a strong sense of school community. Students might be initially hesitant to make their work public, but when they hear compliments from classmates and teachers about their short stint of fame, they will beam with pride and school spirit.

5. Share teaching ideas with your colleagues.

Some colleagues will be more comfortable than others with remote teaching, and sharing tips + tricks with fellow teachers can improve relationships as well as the educational quality at your school. If you read a great article on remote learning or learned how to make your own iPad video lessons, share those skills with co-teachers!

Administrators can help by setting up discussion threads for professional development or hosting virtual symposiums with a range of "how-to" sessions led by different teachers. Even if you end up chatting with your colleagues for half the session, that is valuable bonding time that you need to replace the usual faculty lounge chatter that brings everyone together. Department heads should consider hosting short, regular meetings to provide administrative updates as well as bring the adults in the community together.
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Here are a few quick tips for developing strong relationships with parents during school closures:

Create a class website that parents can access to view important information, like teacher contact info, syllabus of topics, homework assignments, etc. If your school uses a learning portal like or , get familiar with the system and keep the page up-to-date.

Place 2 minute phone calls home to parents, reporting on positive news about their children-you can even write emails or letters if you prefer. Having direct contact with parents helps avoid future conflicts or miscommunication, plus it can really make the day for that family!

Host regular opportunities for parent-teacher conferences, letting parents sign up for 10 minute slots via Google Calendar appointments or other calendar tools.

Invite parents with subject matter knowledge to give guest lectures in class. Make sure to vet the speaker for age-appropriate content and get approval from supervisors beforehand.

Create interactive assignments that parents and students can complete together, like family book clubs or genealogy interviews. Beware of assigning parents too much responsibility during online learning-make it an occasional assignment to aid in familial buy-in and bonding.

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We know that every teacher is yearning to get back into the classroom, but in the event of distance learning precautions, this article should help you establish and develop positive relationships with your students and school community. We discussed the many academic, social, and practical benefits for focusing on relationships in classrooms, and discussed the common barriers to building relationships virtually (with some suggestions to tackle them).

In case you missed it, here's a brief summary of our best tips for building relationships virtually:

Say hello to each student every day, with high/low check-ins

Gather regular feedback from your class, soliciting input on effective lessons and class activities

Incorporate group work into most classes to support student-student relationships and social-emotional learning

Have students write about themselves with values-affirmation exercises

Provide high quality feedback on student work, focusing on process and actionable fixes students can make to their work

Have students make "gratitude bombs" (letters or videos) for peers and teachers

Take your class on a virtual scavenger hunt or field trip

Share student work with the school community (including parents and alumni)

Call or email parents about positive student behavior and work

Keep parents in the loop through class website, parent-teacher virtual conferences, and interactive assignments

We hope you have found this article helpful in planning for the school year, even if it serves as a launching pad for further discussions and research. Now it's time to ask the hive mind of innovative teachers out there...
Do you have additional ideas on how to build stronger relationships during school closures?
We would love to hear from you! Let us know of your relationship-building activities and the impact it has had on your students.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

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How to Build Relationships Virtually: The Ultimate Guide | Albert Resources

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There is a lot of uncertainty for the upcoming school year, and all teachers are bracing for the possibility of having to teach remotely for some part of the academic year to further curb the spread of COVID-19.

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Fostering a Strong Community in a Virtual Classroom

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The shift to working online requires teachers to think a little differently about how to build the culture they want with their students.

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over 60 check in prompts/activities to start your virtual lessons with in google slide format

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Why 1-1 or small group is still important virtually

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Why 1-1 or small group is still important virtually

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As I sat in front of my iPad waiting for Jackson to join our second weekly one-to-one Zoom meeting, I wondered what would become the focus of today's catch up. Earlier in the week, his classmate Jennifer confided that she was not feeling comfortable with the recent math assignments, so we spent her 25 minutes reviewing math problems. Ned and I spent the bulk of our time discussing how Tom Brady being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the greatest thing to happen for football.

Whether reviewing concepts or talking sports, the one-to-one meetings I've had with students over the last eight weeks have proven to be the most impactful way to build our classroom community through the transition to remote learning.

Tom Whisinnand on a recent one-to-one meeting with fourth grader Jackson (Credit: Tom Whisinnand)

When Jackson's face appeared, I asked him how he felt about the hasty transition from our physical classroom to our remote learning environment. "The school part of this is OK, but what I really miss is playing with my friends," he admitted. At that point, it became clear that the classroom community we intentionally crafted together in our physical classroom hadn't translated to the virtual one yet. Jackson missed the emotional connection we had developed in our close-knit classroom. I knew we needed to continue the social-emotional work that we started in August-but we'd have to get creative now that we'd lost our physical classroom.

In the beginning of the school year, I made some significant changes to my instructional approach. Influenced by Marc Brackett's book, "Permission to Feel," I explored how emotions could directly impact student achievement and I started using Sanford Harmony, a social-emotional curriculum rooted in research about building a caring community that empowers students to be their best selves.

As a class community, we learned the importance of finding commonalities and building friendships. I started encouraging my fourth graders to honor their emotions before engaging in academic work and modeling how to do it. Students spent time learning how to name their emotions and considering which ones would help our classroom community thrive, and they became self-aware enough to recognize when they were frustrated and reframe their frustration so they could engage in learning.

Using the Sanford Harmony curriculum, we explored ineffective communication behaviors, or "communication bloopers," such as interrupting, withdrawing and ignoring, and effective communication strategies, or "communication boosters," which include listening, supporting and negotiating. During a small group math activity, I overheard Ned telling his group what great ideas they had and praising them for how well they were supporting each other. During another lesson, Jennifer was able to communicate to her group members that they need to be less withdrawn and really focus on the lesson they were supposed to complete.

Marc Brackett's book guided me to rethink the way I was approaching social-emotional learning with students. In his book, Brackett writes that "...how students feel is what gives meaning to what they are learning...emotions determine whether academic content will be processed deeply and remembered." Connecting emotions to learning has helped me develop more relevant lessons, and taking the time to help students understand the range of emotions they feel, while empowering them with strategies to change their emotions, completely transformed my instruction. I held weekly one-to-one meetings with each student from the first day of school and over the course of the next three months, I noticed higher test scores and less behavior refusals.

But the last eight weeks have been taxing. I've been scrambling since late March when the educational system was turned completely upside down by COVID-19. No stakeholder was left untouched. Parents, students, administrators and teachers have all been trying their best to navigate the transition to remote learning, but it's complicated. There are some elements of great teaching practice like building relationships and providing meaningful feedback that never change-not even when you lose your classroom. But some elements are so hard to replicate in an online learning environment.

Since our school closed, I've had to come up with ways to continue building the sense of community that once allowed all of my students to experience personal successes, not just academically, but socially and behaviorally as well. Whole group meetings have been a key feature of my remote learning plan. This communal time provides opportunities to discuss how each member of our class is doing. We continue to use Sanford Harmony to guide our meetings and practice the communication skills learned earlier in the year and we carve out time to learn how to encourage each other in our new virtual learning space. But clearly that's insufficient.

Meeting Students' Needs

Research shows that developing a strong relationship with each child is critical to student success and showing empathy to each student is a key element of relationship-building. When I saw students every day, it was easier to carve out small moments of interaction with each of them. But without my physical classroom, it has become something that needs to be scheduled.

Given the amount of uncertainty that many students and families face, I decided that even if I couldn't commit to a daily connection with each individual learner, the best way to continue growing our classroom community was to schedule weekly one-to-one meetings.

While these meetings take up a large portion of my time during any given week, they have become the most powerful way that I can meet each student's needs. Students also like these meetings. Some bring a pet and spend their time telling about what their pet has been up to. Others want to share how much they miss school or how much they appreciate being able to go through work at their own pace.

The structure of our virtual one-to-one meetings is the same as our in-person check-ins. I ask the student how they are feeling, if they have any questions about their assignments and if anything is new since the last time we spoke. On one occasion, I noticed that Jonathan had gotten a "quarantine cut", and asked him about it. He laughed and told me that his dad had gotten a pair of clippers and decided to give them a try. He was not happy with the outcome.

Many things have changed since we've gone remote. Test scores may not be the final say when it comes to measuring success. I care more about how students and families are coping day-to-day, recognizing that students may not be able to complete work at the same level they once did. But one thing that has remained the same is that the relational connection between students and teachers is still one of most powerful human connections that exists.

Looking forward to next year, I intend to keep exploring how identifying emotions and building a classroom community can help students' be their best selves, both academically and socially. And one-to-one meetings will continue weekly, whether in-person or online.

As my virtual meeting time with Jackson came to an end, I had to ask, "You know the feeling of the classroom community that we had in our regular classroom? How do you think we have done recreating that?" Jackson took a second to think and then responded, "You know, I think we are doing OK. I can see my friends during our meetings and I get to see their work. I like being able to ask you questions, if I have any during our meetings. I kind of like this remote learning stuff."

For Jackson to admit that he "kind of likes this remote learning stuff," is a success. For Jennifer to ask for unsolicited help during a series of math assignments is also a success. It's why I firmly believe setting up our weekly one-to-one meetings was the best remote learning decision I have made.

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How Virtual One-to-One Meetings Are Helping Us Build a Strong Online Classroom - EdSurge News

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As I sat in front of my iPad waiting for Jackson to join our second weekly one-to-one Zoom meeting, I wondered what would become the focus of today's catch up.

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Example of a digital notebook you can use for SEL OR create a digital notebook using google slides (slidemania.com has templates!)

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SEL activities to discuss race --adapt some like big paper on this padlet! 

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SEL activities to discuss race --adapt some like big paper on this padlet! 

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They suggest the following general principles for creating reflective and supportive classroom community:

Create a sense of trust and openness

Encourage participants to speak and listen to each other

Make space and time for silent reflection

Offer multiple avenues for participation and learning

Help students appreciate the points of view, talents, and contributions of less vocal members

Click on strategies for more in depth link

Big Paper: Building a Silent Conversation: Students silently respond to a quote, image, or document excerpt. In groups of two or three, they add comments and questions to create a rich written discussion.

Barometer: Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues: Participants place themselves on a continuum based on their position on an issue, reflecting a broad range of perspectives.

Save the Last Word for Me: Small groups of students follow a specific discussion pattern to debrief a reading or a film.