Family reunions are a great way to connect with family living far apart and create new memories. Family reunions can range from an afternoon get-together to a weekend full of activities. An important part of planning a family reunion is providing games and activities that everyone will enjoy.
True or False
This is a fun way to see how well you know each other. Have each person write down four true facts about themselves and one false fact. Try to include things that the group might not know about you. Be sure that everyone writes their name on the paper. One person collects the paper and reads each person’s facts aloud. The rest of the group tries to guess which fact is false. If children want to play, have an adult help them write their facts down.
Story Skits
One of the fun things about reunions is retelling family stories. This game provides a new way to share stories and make new memories. Divide everyone into small groups of four to five people. Be sure to evenly distribute children among the groups and try to put people together who may not know each other as well. Each group picks a favorite family story and comes up with a skit to share the story. The groups can use songs, props or music. The goal is to be as silly as possible and have a good time.
Field Day Games
If your reunion is during the summer months, one fun activity is to have field day games. Divide the reunion into teams and have them compete against each other. You can include such games as sack races, relay races, three-legged races and tug of war. A fun way to end the field games is with an old-fashioned water balloon fight.
Pictionary
If the weather is bad or you want to plan evening games, play a game of Pictionary by Hasbro. Divide everyone into two teams and compete against each other for points. Be sure to bring a white board and dry erase markers for the game. One of the benefits of Pictionary over other board games is the whole group plays together and even kids can join the fun.
Who is the Baby?
Have each family member bring a picture of themselves as a baby. Hang each picture on a poster board and number the photos. Have one family member keep a master list of the correct answers. Give everyone a piece of paper and have them try to guess the family member in each of the baby photos. Reward the person with the highest number of correct answers with a prize.
