Staying in touch with friends and family has never been more important, so how can you keep things exciting?

You’ve caught up about another day spent in the house, shown off your pet on camera, and completed your 1,764th pub quiz since lockdown began – there must be something else you can do to stay in touch with family and friends, right?

Right. And we’ve got five fun suggestions to keep you entertained and in-touch while social distancing from loved ones. So put your quizzes down, it’s time to get together, remotely.

Desert Island Discs

Based on the Radio 4 show that asks guests to pick eight tracks, one book, and one luxury item to keep them entertained while stranded on a desert island – doing your own version is a great way to share the songs that shaped your life and learn more about your nearest and dearest. Create a group chat, assign one person each night to share their selection, and listen to each track together. You’ll soon be singing along to old favourites, and you may even unearth some new gems.

Go on ‘holiday’

OK, so real travel is off the cards at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on new experiences. Pick a country for the weekend, and embrace the culture. Look up traditional dishes that you can whip up at home, watch films set in the country, or have a competition to find out who can find the obscurist fact or most interesting tradition. Bon voyage!

Family Bake Off

Bring the uplifting power of the Bake Off into your home by hosting your very own competition. Chose a recipe, and set a time for each household to get baking. Keep up to date with how everyone’s getting on by live-streaming with each other, or share results afterwards, and let the judging commence. And to top it off, you’ll have a freshly baked treat to enjoy. Win-win.

Solve a murder mystery

If you want to put your brain to the test, completing a murder mystery is the perfect way to add an investigative element to your remote socialising. Each player is assigned a character, with a fact-sheet detailing their background, when suddenly, murder occurs! Work together to find clues and discover who the murderer is. Red Herring Games offer a wide selection of virtual murder mysteries to work through. So what are you waiting for? The game is afoot!

Dress up Friday

If pyjamas have become your new uniform in lockdown, just know that you’re not alone. That said, getting dressed up can make us feel fresh and fancy – and we all need a bit of that these days. Across social media, thousands of people are now donning their finest attire for #dressupfriday. We’re talking black-tie, ballgowns, and hair combed to perfection. Why? Because why not. Strut your stuff, and show us what you’ve got.