Top 16 'Screen-to-Story' Intergenerational Activities to start for Reconnecting Your Modern Family in 2025 - Goh Ling Yong
In the soft glow of a dozen different screens, a modern family gathers. Dad is scrolling through news headlines on his tablet, Mom is double-tapping photos on her phone, a teenager is messaging friends, and Grandpa is trying to figure out which remote turns on the TV. It’s a familiar scene in homes across the world: we’re more connected to the global network than ever, yet we can feel miles apart from the people sitting right next to us. This digital divide isn't just about who can use technology; it’s about a growing divide in shared experiences.
The constant pings and notifications have slowly chipped away at the art of intergenerational conversation. The spontaneous stories that once filled the silence—tales of first jobs, childhood games, and historical moments lived firsthand—are being replaced by the silent scroll. But what if we could turn the very tools that divide us into bridges that connect us? What if we could leverage the screen not as an escape, but as a starting point for deeper, more meaningful family bonding?
This is the philosophy behind 'Screen-to-Story' activities. It’s a conscious choice to use technology as a catalyst for conversation, a launchpad for sharing memories, and a tool for creating new traditions. As we look ahead to 2025, it’s the perfect time to set an intention for reconnecting our families. Here are 16 powerful, fun, and easy 'Screen-to-Story' ideas to help you bridge the gap and bring the generations closer together.
1. The Ancestry Deep Dive: Uncovering Family Roots
Start your journey by looking backward. Use a genealogy website like Ancestry.com or FamilySearch to build out your family tree together. The screen becomes a shared window into the past, filled with black-and-white photos, old census records, and names you’ve only ever heard in passing.
This isn't just about data entry; it's about excavation. As you uncover a great-grandparent's immigration record or a photo of a family farm, the stories will naturally begin to flow. The older generation can provide the context, the color, and the soul behind the names on the screen. Suddenly, Great-Aunt Mildred isn't just a name—she’s the woman who made the best apple pie and had a mischievous laugh.
Pro-Tip: Focus on one branch of the family per session to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Prepare a few open-ended questions like, "Grandma, what do you remember about this house?" or "What was the biggest story people told about this person?" Record the conversation on your phone for a keepsake.
2. Video Game Co-Op: Player & Coach
Flip the typical dynamic on its head. Instead of elders teaching the youth, let the grandchild be the expert. Ask them to teach a grandparent how to play a simple, cooperative video game. Think less Call of Duty and more Stardew Valley, Mario Kart, or a puzzle game on a tablet. The goal isn't to become a pro gamer, but to share an experience.
As the younger generation explains the controls and objectives, the older generation gets a glimpse into their world. The magic happens afterward when you turn the screen off and ask, "So, what games did you play when you were a kid?" This opens the door to stories of marbles, hopscotch, stickball, and board games, creating a beautiful parallel between play, then and now.
Pro-Tip: Choose a game with simple controls and a relaxed pace. The key is collaboration, so games where you work together are often more successful than competitive ones.
3. The Cinematic Time Machine
Pick a classic movie from the 1940s, 50s, or 60s—an era your parents or grandparents remember well. As you stream the film, they aren’t just watching a movie; they're reliving a piece of their youth. The cars, the fashion, the slang, and the music will act as powerful memory triggers.
After the credits roll, make some tea and start a conversation. Ask them what it was really like back then. "Did people really dress like that for a regular day?" "What did a movie ticket cost?" "Does this movie remind you of your first date?" You’ll be amazed at how a two-hour film can unlock a lifetime of stories.
Pro-Tip: Let the older family member choose the movie! Giving them ownership of the selection will make them even more excited to share the context and memories associated with it.
4. Google Earth Hometown Tour
This is one of the most powerful and emotional activities on the list. Sit down with a grandparent and open Google Earth or Google Street View on a large screen. Ask them to type in the address of the home they grew up in, their first school, or their favorite teenage hangout spot.
They can then "walk" you down the virtual streets, pointing out where their friends lived, the corner store where they bought candy, and the park where they learned to ride a bike. Even if the buildings have changed, the memories remain. You’re not just looking at a map; you’re touring the landscape of their life story.
Pro-Tip: Use a screen-recording app to capture the tour and their narration. This becomes an invaluable digital heirloom that preserves their voice and memories for generations to come.
5. The Great Family Bake-Off, Inspired by a Show
Queue up an episode of a popular cooking or baking show like The Great British Bake Off or Chef's Table. Enjoy the drama and artistry together, and then let it inspire you to get into the kitchen. The challenge: recreate the dish you just watched, or better yet, use it as a jumping-off point.
The real connection happens when a grandparent says, "You know, this reminds me of the cake my mother used to make." This is your cue! Ask them to teach you that heritage recipe. The screen provided the entertainment, but the shared experience of measuring flour, kneading dough, and sharing a family recipe is where the real bonding occurs.
Pro-Tip: Create a digital family recipe book. Take photos of the process and the finished product, and type up the recipe along with the story behind it.
6. Digital Scrapbooking Session
Digitize a box of old family photos. You can use a scanner or even a simple smartphone app designed for this purpose. Once they’re on a computer or tablet, sit down together and create a digital slideshow or photo album.
Go through each photo one by one. The simple act of looking at a picture is a powerful catalyst for storytelling. You’ll hear about the context of the photo—the funny thing that happened just before it was taken, the story behind the terrible haircut, or the significance of that particular holiday gathering.
Pro-Tip: As you go through the photos, add captions with the names, dates, and the story shared. This adds crucial context for future generations who will one day look at these same pictures.
7. The Cross-Generational Collaborative Playlist
Music is pure emotion and memory, tied together. Using a service like Spotify or Apple Music, create a new collaborative playlist and invite family members from every generation to contribute. The rule is simple: when you add a song, you have to share the story behind why it’s important to you.
A grandparent might add a Frank Sinatra song that was playing during their first dance. A parent might add a classic rock anthem from their college days. A teenager might add a current pop hit that reminds them of their friends. Listening to the playlist together becomes a journey through the soundtrack of your family’s life.
Pro-Tip: Make listening to the playlist a new tradition for road trips or holiday gatherings. Go around and have each person introduce the song they added before you play it.
8. YouTube University: Learning a New Skill
There’s a YouTube tutorial for everything, from knitting a scarf to building a birdhouse or learning three simple chords on the ukulele. Find a project that interests multiple generations and commit to learning it together, side-by-side, using a tutorial on a tablet or TV.
The shared struggle and eventual triumph of learning something new is a fantastic bonding experience. The screen is the instructor, but the real learning happens in the shared space. This often prompts the older generation to share stories of skills they learned the old-fashioned way, long before online videos existed. A principle I, Goh Ling Yong, often emphasize is that shared learning builds some of the strongest bonds.
Pro-Tip: Choose a project with a tangible result. Having a finished product—whether it’s a lopsided pot or a perfectly knitted scarf—serves as a physical reminder of the time you spent together.
9. Virtual Museum Tour, Real-Life Masterpiece
Many of the world's greatest museums, from the Louvre to the MoMA, offer stunning virtual tours online. Explore the halls of a famous museum from the comfort of your living room, admiring priceless works of art together on a large screen.
After your tour, turn the screen off and break out the art supplies—paint, clay, colored pencils, anything you have on hand. The task is for everyone to create their own piece of art inspired by something they saw on the virtual tour. This isn't about talent; it's about expression. As you create, talk about which pieces you loved and why, creating a dialogue about art, beauty, and personal taste.
Pro-Tip: Set up your own "family art gallery" on a wall or refrigerator and have each artist explain their masterpiece to the rest of the family.
10. The Documentary Debrief
Choose a documentary about a historical event or period that your parents or grandparents lived through—the Civil Rights Movement, the Moon Landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Watching the documentary provides the historical framework and stunning visuals.
The "story" part comes after. Ask them about their personal experience of that time. "Where were you when you heard that news?" "How did this event affect our family or your community?" Their lived history provides a personal, intimate perspective that no documentary can ever fully capture. It transforms them from observers of history into its storytellers.
Pro-Tip: Approach this with curiosity and respect. Some memories may be difficult. The goal is to listen and learn, not to debate or judge.
11. Podcast Listening Club
Think of it as a book club for the modern era. Pick a storytelling podcast like The Moth, where people tell true stories from their lives, or a history podcast that covers an interesting topic. Listen to a short episode together or separately.
Then, come together to discuss it. Use the story you heard as a prompt for your own stories. If the podcast was about a first job, everyone can share a story about their own first job. The professionally produced story on the screen (or speaker) is just the key to unlocking the treasure trove of personal stories within your own family.
Pro-Tip: Choose podcasts with episodes that are 20-30 minutes long to keep everyone engaged. This makes it an easy activity to fit into a busy schedule.
12. Travel Vlogging Through Memory Lane
Find a travel vlogger on YouTube who has visited a city or country where a family member once lived or traveled extensively. Watch the video together on your TV, experiencing the modern version of that place through the vlogger's eyes.
Then, turn to your family member and ask them to be your "real" guide. How has it changed? What are the vlogger's missing? What was their favorite restaurant or hidden spot? They can share their own travel stories, comparing their memories to the slickly-edited video on the screen, providing a rich, personal layer to the experience.
Pro-Tip: Pull out old photo albums from that trip to look at alongside the video, creating a fascinating "then and now" comparison.
13. Digital Jigsaw Puzzles & Casual Chats
Sometimes the best conversations happen when you’re not trying to force them. Working on a collaborative online jigsaw puzzle on a large tablet or touchscreen computer is a perfect low-pressure activity.
The simple, shared goal of finding the right pieces creates a relaxed atmosphere where conversation can flow naturally. You’re not staring at each other, which can feel intense, but working side-by-side on a common task. This is when you'll hear about the small things—what happened at the grocery store, a memory of a childhood friend, or a funny story from work.
Pro-Tip: Many websites and apps offer online collaborative puzzles. Choose an image that is meaningful to your family, like a photo from a past vacation.
14. E-Book Club for All Ages
Reading is often a solitary activity, but it doesn't have to be. Pick a book that appeals to multiple generations and have everyone read it on their preferred device—Kindle, iPad, or phone. You can even listen to the audiobook version.
Schedule a "book club" meeting to discuss it. Talk about the characters, the plot twists, and the themes. A well-chosen book can spark incredible conversations about life, values, and different perspectives. It moves the story off the page and into a shared family dialogue. Here on the Goh Ling Yong blog, we often talk about how shared narratives, whether read or lived, form the backbone of strong relationships.
Pro-Tip: Look for book club guides online for your chosen book. They often provide excellent discussion questions to get the conversation started.
15. The Inside-Joke Meme Factory
This is a fun, lighthearted way to bridge the gap between digital native humor and classic family stories. First, take a few minutes to explain the concept of an "internet meme" to the older generation. Show them a few classic examples.
Then, open a simple meme-generator app and go through your family photos. Turn your own funny photos into "family memes" that only you would understand. Captioning a photo of Dad falling asleep on the couch with "Monitoring the back of my eyelids" creates a new piece of family lore. You're using a modern screen tool to codify and celebrate your family's unique sense of humor.
Pro-Tip: Print out your favorite family memes and put them on the fridge. They’ll be a source of laughter and a reminder of the fun you had creating them.
16. The Co-operative Fitness App Challenge
Health is a journey you can take together. Use a fitness app or a smartwatch's activity-sharing feature to set up a gentle, week-long family challenge. It could be a simple step-counting competition or a goal to complete a certain number of guided walks or yoga sessions together.
The screen provides the tracking and motivation, but the activity itself gets you moving and talking. During a shared walk, you can talk about anything and everything. It's also a great opportunity to share stories about past fitness fads and how people stayed active in different eras.
Pro-Tip: Keep the goals realistic and encouraging. The point is participation and shared effort, not intense competition. Celebrate reaching your collective goal with a healthy, home-cooked meal together.
Your Family's Next Chapter Begins Now
Technology doesn't have to be the villain in your family's story. By reframing our relationship with our devices, we can transform them from tools of isolation into powerful instruments of connection. The key is intention. It’s about consciously choosing to move from the passive consumption of the screen to the active creation of a shared story.
You don't need to try all 16 of these ideas at once. Start with one. Pick the activity that feels the most exciting or achievable for your family and schedule it for this coming weekend. The goal for 2025 isn't to eliminate screens but to put them in their proper place: as a servant to your family's connection, not its master.
Now it's your turn. What are your favorite ways to bridge the digital divide in your family? Do you have a 'Screen-to-Story' activity that we missed? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below—let's learn from each other
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
Stay updated with the latest posts and insights by following on your favorite platform!