Have you got your family reunion all planned out for this summer? Here are just a few fun, easy-to-plan activities that will work in a wide range of settings. These games will keep people occupied and hopefully inspire a bit of conversation. If you want to go the extra mile, start collecting prizes to give away.
Bingo
This classic came is a great way to break the ice when people are just starting to arrive. Bingo can loosen up awkward family tensions and lets people exchange a bit of friendly banter. If you want to help everyone remember family names, write each person’s name on a sheet of paper and put the names into a hat. If you have a very large family (and if it is difficult to remember everyone’s name) have the person whose name is called stand up.
Tug-of-War
What list of family reunion games would be complete without the cinema classic tug-of-war. The best thing about this game is that it can be played over and over with different teams and combinations of players. Make sure your rope is about 4 inches around and use tape to mark the center of the rope. Other classics include the three-legged race, capture the flag, sack race, hide and seek, musical chairs, and scavenger hunts.
Name that Baby/Aunt/Cousin
Gather old family photos and put them in a slide show. After everyone is just about finished with their food, set up a TV or projector connected to a slideshow and go through old family photos. See if everyone can guess who the mysterious relative in the picture is. For the best results, find baby pictures, old family photos when aunts and uncles were kids, etc.
Family Trivia
Just think of the classic board game Trivial Pursuit and you’ve got what we are looking for. Before the game begins, organize as many facts about the family and family history. Questions like: Where did Grandpa serve during the war? What town in Slovakia is Great-grandpa Kapral from? Who just graduated from NYU?
Write the questions on index cards and put the answers on the back. If you
TIP: Put in a few of those stories that have been handed down and elaborated upon over the years and find out what the real story was. If you have enough entries to create categories, GREAT! “Crazy Uncle…” “Recent Events” “Ancestry” etc.
Divide the families into teams of four. Keep track of the number of right answers and give the winning team a perpetual trophy. Next year, that trophy can be bestowed on a new Family Trivia victor and the tradition continues.
Extreme Board Games
This will take a bit of planning on your part but there are a number of games you could play outside on the grass: Checkers, Bananagrams, Chinese Checkers, Bowling, Jenga, etc. If there is a handyman or a team of crafty people in your family willing to put the pieces together give them a list of game pieces you will need. If you play something like life-size Chess, all you might need is some creative accessories.
Did we miss anything?
What are some of your favorite family reunion games to play? Have you tried any of these games and were they successful? Help our readers out by adding your favorites in the comments below. Make sure to add any tips and tricks from your experience.
