8 Fun Tech Activities for Families: Creative Ways to Spend Time Together
Tech Used to Help Us Connect. Let's Not Lose That. 
In 2025, instead of listening to an album in a car together, we are told that it's better to have our own choice of Spotify playing on our set of headphones. Instead of going to a movie theatre to watch a new film, we stream it on our personal device (often sitting in the same room as someone else watching something else on their own device).
Instead of complaining and giving the "good old days" lecture, let's focus on how we can steer our digital natives and Gen Z & A kids back towards these uses of tech by showing them examples of tech-connecting-us, not tech-dividing-us.
The design of much modern tech, with its emphasis on personalization and individual consumption, often inadvertently pushes us into silos. We're encouraged to curate our own experiences, often at the expense of shared ones. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can actively work to integrate technology into our lives in ways that foster connection and community.
Here are some examples of social formats and activities to do with your kids as family activities, tell them stories about from your own childhood, or suggest to them for sleepovers or away summer camp:
Shared Playlist Creation: Instead of everyone listening individually, create collaborative playlists on music streaming services for road trips, parties, or just everyday background music. Listen together to your family mix and discuss the choices. This encourages learning about each other’s interests and teaches everyone to compromise on musical tastes.
Cooperative Video Games: Instead of everyone on their own console or device, choose video games that require teamwork and collaboration. Think of games where players work together to achieve a common goal, fostering communication and shared accomplishment.
Listening Parties: Gather with friends and family to listen to an LP or CD album from start to finish, just as the artist intended. Discuss the music, the lyrics, and the emotions it evokes.
Digital Photo Album Storytelling: Instead of just scrolling through individual photos, gather together and project old family photos or videos onto a screen. Share stories and memories associated with each image, creating a rich tapestry of shared history.
Old School Movies in Theaters: Experience the magic of the big screen together! Whether it's a trip to a physical movie theater or setting up a projector at home for a group viewing, the shared experience of watching a film together creates lasting memories.
Movies in the Park: Embrace community by attending outdoor film screenings. Enjoy a movie under the stars with neighbors and fellow city dwellers
Try out one of the above on your next family night, or pitch it to your family to do together when you get together during the winter holidays / Hanukkah / Thanksgiving / etc. Show your kids how tech’s true power lies not in isolating us and giving us “personalised experiences” of choosing exactly what we want, but in its potential to bring us closer and enrich our connections with friends and family.
Activities for Families Who Live Apart or Who Have Limited Mobility
If you work in a school or community with families that can’t physically be together during the holidays or have children with special needs and/or limited mobility, try out some of these tech-to-connect formats:
Online Cooking Classes (Together): Enroll in a virtual cooking class as a family or group of friends; or each person prepare one dish that they know how to make to teach others. Everyone follows along from their own kitchen, but you're all making the same dish and can share progress, frustrations, and successes in real-time.
Collaborative Digital Storytelling: Utilize apps or platforms that allow multiple people to contribute to a shared story, whether it's writing a chapter each or creating a visual narrative together.
Virtual Travel Experiences (Shared): Instead of individual VR experiences, explore virtual tours of museums, historical sites, or even different countries as a group. Discuss what you see and learn together, making it a shared educational adventure.
Family Game Nights with Tech Integration: Use smart home devices to enhance traditional board game nights. Play music that fits the theme of the game, or use voice assistants for trivia questions and timers, making the experience more interactive and engaging for everyone.
