Picnics can be great fun for the entire family. Along with the good picnic food that everyone will enjoy, picnic planners should look ahead and prepare for picnic games. Family members who attend the picnic will then not only be treated to a picnic basket full of treats, they’ll be able to participate in games that will be fun and help to bring the entire family closer together.
Races
All family members can participate in the picnic races, even if they are not as speedy as they once were. They could, for example, be given head starts. And even if slower members know they’ll finish near last, they can still have fun and tease the younger family members. Some ideas for picnic races include the three-legged race and a relay race. A relay race can be fairer because slower family members can be matched on opposite teams. Buckets and sponges can be brought if there is water nearby. The race can include filling the bucket with water, using only the sponge. Another relay race involves eggs. Teammates must hand off the egg to the next in line, and there’s an automatic disqualification. For added fun, natural obstacles in the picnic area can make it an obstacle relay race.
Games with Equipment
Some family picnic games require picnic planners to bring along game equipment. Typically, some set-up time is required for these games, so party planners may need to arrive early at the picnic site to set the game up. Croquet and badminton are two games that fall into this category. Croquet is played at a pace that is more sedate than badminton; picnic planners need to take into account the physical abilities of picnic goers. Even if not everyone is nimble enough to play badminton, older family members could keep score or serve as game referees. Lawn darts and horseshoes are two more games that can be enjoyed at picnic gatherings, but they may require equipment be brought along to the picnic site.
Egg Toss
A traditional favorite game played outdoors at family gatherings is the egg toss game. Players team up and face each other so that there are two lines of family members facing each other. The lines start a few feet apart. Players in one line are holding eggs, and each one tosses the egg to the teammate in the other line. Then players take one step back. Teammates now holding eggs toss the egg back, and everyone takes another step back. When a team’s egg breaks, that team is out of the game. The last team to have an unbroken egg wins. When planning for this game, supplies for cleaning up broken eggs should be considered.
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