Blog
20 Family Reunion Ideas & Activities
Oct
Let me get this straight: you’re planning a family reunion, and totally freaking out about what ideas you could use to make it fun for everyone? Been there, done that. Good for you, we’re here to make your life easier. We made a list of family reunion ideas, which we used ourselves, so there’s no doubt they are the right picks.
- How to plan the family reunion?
- Family Reunion Ideas:
- Cookie Baking Contest;
- Family History SlideShow;
- Who’s The Baby?
- Family Tree;
- Reunion Bingo;
- Campfire Under The Stars;
- Murder Mystery;
- Fam Olympics;
- Talent Show;
- Photo Booth;
- Board Game Tournament;
- Art Project;
- Family Cookbook;
- Memory Sharing Circle;
- Karaoke Session;
- Giant Jenga;
- Puzzle;
- Scavenger Hunt;
- Family Trivia;
- What Do You Meme Family Edition;
- Final Thoughts;
How To Plan The Perfect Family Reunion?
I know you could use a few tips when it comes to organizing your family reunion. Here are the steps you shouldn’t skip, so it becomes the best gathering ever:
- Have a meeting with some of the family members. This should happen before you set the date, so you get opinions on when most of them will be able to attend the reunion.
- Book the venue. If more than 20 people are coming, make sure to book a venue for your reunion. You don’t want people to be squished into your small area.
- Set the date & send the invitations. After you set the date, make sure you send everyone the invitations (either physical copies or through phone calls), at least a month earlier.
- Make a menu. Include dinner, snacks, drinks, and everything. Everyone must have the chance to eat things they like.
- Decide on a party theme. This always makes reunions more enjoyable. Some theme ideas might be beach parties, fantasy themes (Game Of Thrones, Disney, or others), 80’s Disco, football, or other ideas you might have.
- Create some party shirts. If you have enough budget, it’s always a good idea to get some cool matching t-shirts for your reunion. It could say the family name (Family X), the initials of each member, or the best one yet, CAH shirts!
- Schedule everything. You must have everything planned out: eating time, activities, games, time for pictures, and breaks to drink. This way everyone feels involved, and there’s no space for boredom.
1. Cookie Baking Contest
You’ll need: Cooking ingredients, decorations, & an oven.
To have a cookie-baking contest, choose up to 3 people to be judges. Divide all other guests into teams (or compete individually), and give them 1 hour to finish. Give all participants the same ingredients, and if you want to make it more challenging, pick the cookie theme too! The winner is picked depending on the taste, but also the decoration of the cookies.
2. Family History SlideShow
You’ll need: A projector, and a presentation.
Everyone must know at least a bit of history about their family. For this idea, gather information from the elders of the family, and make a presentation about the family you grew up in: the family tree, photos from people’s childhood, the old house, and so on. Besides helping everyone know more about their people, also brings a super heartwarming moment you’ll cherish forever.
3. Who’s The Baby?
You’ll need: Pictures of everyone when they were babies.
To be fair, it’s not the simplest thing to guess how people who are 40 now, looked like when babies. After getting all the pictures, ask everyone to guess who they think each baby is. They can also work together and give opinions, before giving a definite name. Once all pictures are given a name, everyone reveals which is their picture, so people can check if they guessed correctly or not.
4. Family Tree
You’ll need: Paper, pens & markers, and glue (optionally).
Y’all know what a family tree is, don’t you? To make it more fun, print some small stickers with members’ faces, or just write the names down. Draw a tree on blank paper, decorate it as you wish, and add branches based on the family. Start with the grandma and grandpa in the beginning, and add their kids, grandkids, and so on. Let everyone add their names where they belong. Lovely!
5. Reunion Bingo
You’ll need: Bingo sheets for everyone playing (you may print the picture above).
Do you want to check how well people know each other? Reunion Bingo is the way to go. Let everyone start with the count of three, and write the answers you know, which are all related to family members. One square can fit more than one person though. The first to complete 5 squares in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, must shout ‘BINGO’, and win the game!
6. Campfire Under The Stars
You’ll need: A few tents, marshmallows, music…
A campfire always does the job of making people feel warm & loved. Set the tents up, light up a fire, warm some marshmallows, and of course, sing some songs (bonus if someone can play the guitar). You may spend the night there, sleeping in the tents, or just stay there for a while. It’s one of my personal favorite activities to do in family reunions.
7. Murder Mystery
You’ll need: A murder mystery problem to solve.
You have no idea how great is to see everyone investigated into a made-up murder mystery prompt. You give everyone the riddle, give some clues if needed, and wait till they come up with the solution. Usually, all people are on the same team, it’s not a competition type of thing. You may get murder mystery ideas here.
8. Fam Olympics
You’ll need: Ideas & equipment for Olympic games.
What could go wrong with hosting a family Olympics? Absolutely nothing! Pair people into teams, and make a list of games you could play: Ring Toss, Cup Stack, Frisbee, Egg And Spoon Race, Watermelon Eating, and so on. Obviously, they are not real Olympics games! However, keep track of the score, and give the winning team some meaningful prizes. Ps. If all people are adults, you may use our Beer Olympics game ideas as well!
9. Talent Show
You’ll need: Instruments, and other equipment you might need.
One of the best ways to get to know more about people of your blood is by sharing talents and ambitions. Give everyone 2 to 3 minutes to share a talent of them, no matter how weird it is. You may pick someone to be the judge and pick the winner, or just keep showing talents without competition. We prefer the first way, so you can get mini prizes as well!
10. Photo Booth
You’ll need: Creative pieces to use in photos, and a good camera/phone.
The thing about photo booths is that you have fun making them, but also capture some memories that last forever. You may make a DIY photo frame that says your family name, make some glasses, hats, mustaches, or anything that comes into your mind to make your family reunion pics cooler! Make sure to share the photos with everyone being part of it <3
11. Board Game Tournament
You’ll need: a board game;
Board games always work amazingly to keep everyone in the room entertained. Pick your favorite board game (games like Catan are good ideas), depending on the number of players, and the game’s difficulty. Before starting to play, make sure you already know how to play, so you can teach everyone the game in the simplest possible way.
12. Art Project
You’ll need: A canvas and some paints.
One thing’s for sure: when painting, you’ll create deeper connections, and have a piece of art that will become one of your favorite treasures. You may either divide people into groups and let them make a painting together, or just let everyone add their creativity and color to one single piece of painting.
13. Family Cookbook
You’ll need: A blank notebook & pens.
We know how all people in the family have their own recipes and love to share them with each other. This is a great start for you to make your own Family Cookbook. All you have to do is ask all members for one recipe they make that the whole family loves, starting with the oldest member, to the youngest. Add all ingredients, process, and your illustrations too! Preferably, make a copy of the cookbook and let all people in the family keep one.
14. Memory Sharing Circle
You’ll need: Memory!
It’s time to share your favorite memories with the people of your heart. Ask everyone to sit in a circle, and taking turns, everyone must share one or more memories they cherish forever, always related to the family. You may also write them down and share them with them all later, so, people may remind them anytime.
15. Karaoke Session
You’ll need: Karaoke songs, and microphones (or whatever spoons).
Whether you’re Filipino or not, your family would enjoy a little karaoke session. Give everyone a few minutes to think about what they’d like to sing. Then, play some karaoke music in the background and let everyone shine! Ps. please make sure everyone feels comfortable doing so.
16. Giant Jenga
You’ll need: Giant Jenga tiles (available on Amazon for $39.99).
Yes. All versions of Jenga are fun. Giant Jenga is one of our favorite family reunion games to ever exist! Set it up in the yard (or inside if you don’t really care), and let all guests play as usual Jenga. Whoever crashes the tower down is the loser, and the group may choose a challenge for them.
For all adults who’d love to drink rn, check out Drunk Jenga rules!
17. Puzzle
You’ll need: A puzzle.
Puzzle. That’s it. That’s the tweet. Pick one puzzle for the group, preferably something with more pieces. However, that depends on the number of players and the time you want to spend on solving the puzzle. If you don’t currently have one, you may find puzzles on probably most of the local shops, or Amazon, of course.
18. Selfie Scavenger Hunt
You’ll need: The list of selfies for the Scavenger hunt (the picture right above).
Scavenger Hunts are always on our go-to lists (just like Halloween Scavenger hunt). This one is all about selfies, and you may either play individually or team up! Pictures are all related to family members and home, so you’ll be asked to take a selfie hugging the oldest member, a selfie with 3 people, a napkin, and such things. The first person, or team, to complete all the selfie challenges, wins!
19. Family Trivia
You’ll need: Questions related to family.
Family Trivia is one of the most heartwarming activities to do at your family reunion. All you gotta do is pick a few questions related to the family and ask them out loud. Whoever knows the answers, must say it for the group. If it’s incorrect, at the end of the Trivia, whoever made the questions (and knows the answers as well), announces the correct ones out loud.
20. What Do You Meme Family Edition
You’ll need: The family edition of What Do You Meme? (available on Amazon for $19.99).
We all know what ‘What Do You Meme?’ brings to the party: memes and laughs! The family edition works fine for all people over the age of 8. Can be played by 3 or more players, and is definitely one of the most enjoyable card games for families. To play, one person is the game judge, while the others submit captions for the picture cards, therefore, creating some hilarious memes!
Final Thoughts
There’s no way your family reunion will fail with these ideas we added to this list. They’re super simple, attractive, and make everyone feel welcome and warm. Pick more than one activity, so no one gets bored, and the reunion becomes everyone’s favorite gathering, and memory so far.
