Family Reunion Activities and Games
Reunions only happen every once in a while, so plan ahead using these fun family reunion activities and games to generate a good time!
Family Trivia
Prep for this game by sending all family members a survey with questions relating to predetermined categories, such as middle names, love and marriage, jobs, sports, birthdays and random facts. For young children, have parents fill out the questionnaire for them. At the gathering, split everyone up into teams of varying ages and play Jeopardy-style or take turns asking each team questions to see who knows the most about their relatives!
Thumbprint Tree
Create a memorable keepsake that displays each relative with this activity. The host can have a tree already created on a piece of paper, or you can have members paint the tree together. At your reunion, have your relations press their thumbs in ink and stamp them on the branches of the tree to create leaves. Feel free to have immediate family members place their thumbprints on the same branch and label their names. Be sure to have a big enough piece of paper to include every person!
Guess the Baby Picture
This contest involves family members trying to determine who’s who. Before the festivities, ask each member to either email a photo or bring a baby picture (labeled on the back) to the event. Attach each picture to the wall with an assigned number and have each person submit an answer sheet with their guesses next to each number. Consider going along with the baby theme by rewarding winners with baby-themed candy, such as a Baby Bottle Pop, Baby Ruth or Sugar Babies.
Family History Timeline
This tabletop activity allows guests to reflect and learn about the important and memorable events from over the years. Tape butcher paper to a long table and draw a line that begins with the birth of the eldest living relative and ends with the current year. Segment decades with colorful tape and encourage your family to fill in significant dates, including birthdays, graduations, weddings and any other important events from over time.
Reunion Bingo
Gather information prior to the celebration that many guests would know, for instance, sports played, birth year, favorite food, hair color and school attended. Randomly write family member’s names on bingo squares so that each person is represented, but each bingo card is different. When it’s time to play, pull pieces of paper with facts on them, like “played basketball,” then folks will place their chips over the squares of the names that it applies to. Consider customizing the game with different versions that are easier or harder for certain age groups.