Activities and entertainment at a family reunion add fun and promotes interaction between family members. Activities and entertainment should be customized based on the season, the location, age groups, and the common interests of family members.
Ideas For Activities and Entertainment
- Adventure Park
- Amazing Race
- Assemble a Family Recipe Book
- Backgammon
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Bike Tours
- Blackjack
- Boat Rides
- Bob for Apples
- Board games
- Bowling
- Card Games (Bridge, Gin Rummy, Spades, Dirty Hearts, Bid Whist, Poker, Uno, Old Maid, War)
- Casino
- Charades
- Checkers
- Chess
- Clue
- Conversation Starters (100 getting to know you questions)
- Cooking Class
- Cornhole
- Croquet
- Dance Contest
- Dancing/DJ
- Dive for Pennies
- Dodgeball
- Duck-duck goose
- Egg toss
- Family history research
- Family Map
- Family Photo Session
- Family Story Time
- Family talent show
- Family trivia
- Family Trivia
- Flag Football
- Flashlight Tag
- Frisbee
- Football
- Get to Know You Bingo
- Go Kart Racing
- Golf
- Hide and seek
- Horseshoes
- Jeopardy Game
- Joke Night
- Karaoke
- Kickball
- Live Performance by a Local Band
- Movie Night – Group Trip to a Theatre
- Movie Night – Outdoors at a Venue or at a Family Member’s Home
- Museum Tours
- Musical Chairs
- Obstacle Course
- Olympics
- Photo Booth
- Pie eating contest
- Produce a Reunion Video
- Relay Races
- Sack race
- Scavenger Hunt
- Scrabble
- Shopping Trips
- Sightseeing Tours
- Soccer
- Softball
- Story Telling
- Swimming
- Tag
- Talent Show
- Tennis
- Theme Park
- Three-Legged Race
- Trivial Pursuit
- Tug of War
- Volleyball
- Water Balloon Fight
- Water Slides
- Wheel of Fortune
- Who Am I?
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
- “Who’s Who” Baby Picture Contest
- Wine Tasting
Icebreakers
Family reunions are gatherings for “family”, but it is not uncommon for people to need encouragement to engage with each other for various reasons. It is not uncommon for “family” to meet for the first time at a family reunion. It is also not uncommon for family members to have several years between interactions with each other. Some people need encouragement to interact with others because they are simply shy and not good in social settings. Therefore, it is very common for family members to require assistance to mingle and interact with others. It is always a good idea to include activities or games to break the ice.
Ideas For Icebreakers
- I Got My Name From: Each person or a selection of a few family members reveal who they were named after or how they got their name.
- Find the Perfect Match Game: Attendees complete a questionnaire with some personal information (e.g. year they were born, eye color, favorite color, favorite movie, favorite music group, etc.). Attendees then go around and find another family member who has the same answer for each question.
Group Photo
A family reunion is an occasion where many family members and generations are together. It is the perfect time to use a professional photographer to capture small and large group photos.
Family Recipe Book
A family recipe book is a great way to capture family history. Family members submit their favorite recipes to create a family recipe book. Recipes can include current recipes and recipes “passed down” by deceased family members. Recipes can include stories or background information that details the history of the recipe or the origin. The recipe book can be made in hard copy or created and maintained in a shared digital format.
Family History Scrapbook
Scrapbooks are a creative way to capture and display family history. Family members submit photos of people, copies of historical records, and copies or photos of historical items with significant family meaning. Scrapbooks can be organized by family groups, by generation, or in chronological order.
Prizes
Prizes for games add a fun touch to any event. Consider providing prizes such as cash, gift cards, or trophies.
Awards
An additional way to add fun to the family reunion is to host an award ceremony where prizes or awards/certificates can be given to:
- The oldest and youngest family members
- Who traveled the least and greatest distance to attend
- Who has attended the most consecutive reunions
- Youngest grandparents
- Couple with the most children or grandchildren
