Game Ideas
Family Tree
Play family tree. Line people up just like their names would appear on a genealogical chart of the family tree. Take a picture from the young end first, then have everyone turn around and get a picture of the group from the oldest end.
Family Photo Swap
Of all the activities in this story, the family history photo swap takes the most preparation. The payoff, however, is tremendous for everyone involved. You'll learn many new details about your family in just a few hours, and the pictures add a visual impact that makes this game especially unforgettable.
In the weeks before the reunion, contact family members and ask them to gather up family pictures, both new and old. The pictures can be of relations, snapshots of homes or other special family locations. Have everyone label the back of the pictures with a pencil or sticker so that they can retrieve these once the reunion ends. At the beginning of the reunion, affix sticky-note tabs to each image, along with a number; each picture receives a unique number. Then scatter the pictures randomly across several large tables. Each player looks at the pictures. They guess the location or the person and write the number on the picture next to their notes. Once everyone has made his or her guesses, picture owners gather their images. They then take turns presenting the images to the group, sharing the name of the person or the location in the picture, telling extra background details for fun. The winner of the game is the person who logged the most correct matches. This game is low on competitiveness and won't appeal to younger children. However, it sparks great storytelling and lets each family member share a part of their lives unfamiliar to other relatives. Family Trivial Pursuit
his is a variation on the classic board game, Trivial Pursuit. For a reunion, you can do away with the formality of a board and play a free-form version.Beforehand, the game organizer collects questions about the family and family lore. By quizzing family members, especially those with an interest in genealogy and family history, you can assemble a great store of interesting facts. Where did Grandpa serve during the war? What year were Uncle Pete and Aunt Milly married? What town in Poland was Great-grandpa Herman from? Which family member climbed Mount McKinley? Which branch of the family has the most kids in school? Who just graduated from Princeton?
Write the questions on 3-by-5-inch cards and put the answers on the back. Next, divide the questions into whatever categories make sense. You might have questions about "Ancestors," "Recent Events," "Love and Marriage" or "Wacky Relatives." To play, divide into teams of two, three or four players. For each turn, a member of one team draws a card from a category and asks the question of the team whose turn it is. Move to a new category for each turn. Keep track of the number of right answers for each team to determine the winner. The game is both fun and informative. Participants learn things they never knew about other family members and family history. Save the cards for future reunions and encourage relatives to add new ones. Family Information Scavenger Hunt
She divided the participants into teams of two or three, making sure that members of the same immediate family were on different teams. The list of tasks/questions didn't involve begging strangers for weird items; instead, it required each team to collect information. You can be pretty clever and creative in how you word the questions. Some of the ones my sister used were: What's the zipcode of [some nearby small town]? (You had to drive to the town and find the post office; by the time we got there, a group of local teenagers had assembled on the post-office steps and were holding up a sign with the answer!)
What brand of pump is in the derrick at [intersection]? (You had to park the car and walk about 100 yards into a field to read the name; she got the farmer's permission first!) How many miles between two landmarks? (You either had to drive it, or the smart ones found the highway sign that gave the mileage.) What was the date of death of [name of someone buried in a country church's cemetery]? What time is the Sunday service at [different country church]? Who has [rural mailbox number]? (You had to follow box numbers down a particularly desolate road until you found the correct box, which had the name displayed on the mailbox.) How many anhydrous ammonia tanks are at [local farm or intersection]? (A "trick question", as there were 8 tanks there, but only 4 were ammonia tanks.) |
T shirts
Create a wonderful momento of the reunion by buying inexpensive white t-shirts and fabric markers. Everyone can sign each other's shirt. The markers dry quickly and are very easy to write with (a package of 6 cost about $6 at Wal-Mart).
Keys to the Past
Places We've Lived
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