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We have talked a lot about the importance of team building in a remote work environment. That's why we decided to explore some of the best virtual activities that you and your team can try to improve morale and connectivity. But if you're like us, you'll get a little tired of virtual happy hour. But even if it's as simple as a new Slack channel dedicated to cute pet photos, there's sure to be at least one activity for every team out there on this list.

Virtual scavenger hunt

Another great quarantine activity for you and your staff is virtual scavenger hunt. Nothing says team building like a small friendship competition. Thanks to the new Scavify app, you can virtually take part in a number of entertaining challenges and problem-solving activities from anywhere (which I hope will be at home). With a mobile app or browser, individuals or teams can log in to Scavify and perform tasks such as taking photos or videos, answering important questions, and more. According to their website, you can combine challenges that enable education, encourage exploration, create interaction, improve team building, or focus on anything you want to achieve.

Virtual book club

More than ever, people want distractions from the crazy world we live in. And what better distraction than a good book? Encourage your remote workers to read for pleasure by starting a virtual book club. Assign chapters and set up regular zoom meetings to discuss what you've read so far. You can even combine your virtual book club with a virtual happy hour and enjoy a few drinks as you chat about the latest novel. Pro tip: start with shorter books. Not everyone is a speed reader and group members feel like they have achieved something to be able to complete their book in a timely manner.

Netflix party

Most of us already spend much of our time watching Netflix shows and movies. So why not together? With the Netflix Party Plugin, you can set up virtual watch parties with your colleagues and friends. It's only available in Chrome browsers, but it's completely free and easy to set up. Once you've downloaded everything, Netflix Party lets you connect with friends in one place, sync video playback, and perform group chats. There's really no better way to host a virtual movie night or weekly watch party. This is a virtual activity that everyone will enjoy.

Write prompts

This virtual activity may sound like "homework" to some, but we find that writing prompts is a fun way to encourage employee creativity. Set a frequency – weekly, daily, monthly, etc. – and assign unique prompts. The answers do not necessarily have to be of a particular length or style. The fewer parameters you specify, the better! Then schedule a zoom meeting about once a week (depending on the frequency of your prompts), where everyone can share some of the things they write. If you have the budget, the best way to start is to send all employees new magazines to write.

#Random Slack Channel

If you don't have one yet, this is the perfect time to create a new channel in your employee slack for random community conversations. With social distance and isolation, people need a place where they can talk to people about anything at any time. Since this is a “work” paint job, things must of course remain PG, but think of a virtual water cooler – somewhere people can share their thoughts or funny memes, or better still, cute animal photos. This is a great way to keep people busy and feel part of the team, even if they can't see their people on a daily basis.

Tiny bonfire

In terms of virtual activities, this is probably one of the most creative we've ever seen. Tiny Campfire is a program that literally runs small virtual campfires for distant teams. Experience comes with historical ghost stories, ice breaker games, competitions and real making! Before your event, each team member receives a small campfire set that contains a campfire candle, wooden matches, other ingredients and team colors. This unique event is a great way to bring your employees together. Who doesn't like to receive a special package by post? Find out more here.

Virtual fitness challenge

Just because we are isolated does not mean that we cannot be active. In fact, getting up and moving has never been so important to us. For this reason, a virtual fitness challenge is a great activity for your employees. Friendly competition is always a good motivator. There are several types of virtual fitness challenges, but one that we found to be the most effective is a step or distance challenge. Although we cannot visit many places at the moment, we can still move around in our houses or walk alone or run outside. MoveSpring is a nifty app that lets you link fitness trackers to a virtual leaderboard so employees can see their leaderboards. With a variety of challenges and entertaining incentives, MoveSpring really motivates your team to move.

Virtual dance party

Another fun virtual activity is a dance party to get your team moving. This is probably one of the easiest activities and requires no software (other than maybe zoom) and can be as spontaneous as you like! Just set a time and day for your party and let the staff sign in, start the music and encourage everyone to take a train and get out for the duration of the tune. Make it even more interactive by giving every employee the opportunity to choose their favorite song.