Family Reunion Games and Activities

If you have planned a family reunion, there is one thing that you should remember - it is not just the invitations, attendance, food and decor that will determine the event's success, equally important are the activities. After all, there will be lots of kids, adults, first cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles and other family members at the event you may not even know each other! How will you ensure that by the end of the reunion, everybody knows everybody? Simple, by keeping some really interesting and fun family reunion games!

Family Story Session
Icebreaker activities are a must in any family reunion. A good ice breaker activity is to have a family story session in which each family member has to come forward and share a story or an experience about any other family member. The stories can be emotional, heart-wrenching, funny, even weird, they can be anything as long as they are interesting. This activity serves the purpose of knowing something or the other about each and every family member.

Talent Contest
You will never know the "hidden talents" in your family unless and until you keep a family talent contest. To ensure participation, make it compulsory for everybody, even for the grandpas and grandmas. So you will find some people singing, some dancing, some reciting a poem and some sharing their experiences in life with the other family members.

Create a Scene
To conduct this activity, divide the family members into teams of ten each. The teams now have to create a scene according to the topic that you give them. For, example if you shout "Movie Theater", the team members have to recreate the scene by some becoming audience, some becoming actors and some even becoming chairs. Give each team only about half a minute to create the scene. This activity can lead to some really hilarious situations and is sure to be a laugh riot.

Treasure Hunt
If there are lots of children, then you need certain activities and games which kids can carry on themselves, providing a breather to the adults. This is where this activity comes handy. So, divide the kids into three-four teams and give each team a list of things which they have to collect and get for you. In the list, include things that are available in and around the venue, things like stones, leaves, flowers, etc. if it's an outdoor venue. Give them twenty minutes to "treasure hunt". The team which comes with the maximum number of items in the list wins, however, give gifts to all the participants.

Tug of War
Games and activities for family reunions should be fun. And what better way to have fun than keeping a tug-of-war among your family members. Make two teams with equal number of kids and adults in each. Mark a line on the ground and ask the two teams to stand on opposite sides. Next, give them a strong rope to hold. When you whistle, both the teams have to try to pull the first person in the opposite team towards their side of the line. Remember to keep the kids in the middle so that they do not get hurt. At the end of the game, give candies to the winning team as prize.

Some other games that you can consider are "musical chairs", "charades", "truth or dare", "family quiz", "tracing a family tree activity", "craft activities", "cake eating contest" (strictly not for the kids, though), "puppet or magic show", "face painting", etc. There are lots and lots of ways of making your family reunion exciting. In the end, make sure to take a number of group photographs or you can even get a video made with interviews of all family members. Send photographs of the family union, along with the CD of the video, to all the invitees to keep the memories of the reunion alive!