Are you planning a family reunion this summer and feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don’t worry! These helpful family reunion tips may be just what you need.
Games
Keeping multiple generations entertained at once can be a challenge at family reunions, but having fun games planned can make a world of difference. Plan a family Olympic tournament with events for every age range, such as dodgeball, backyard bowling, or egg races. Or play jeopardy with categories based on family stories and facts. For instance, your “Happily Ever After” category can be about family weddings. And your “Who Done It?” category can be about funny troublemaker stories.
After your reunion game-a-thon hand out fun awards. You can even make your own homemade trophies by hot gluing plastic figurines to small plastic picnic plates and spray painting them (you can find further instructions here). At your next family reunion, everyone can bring back the trophies and compete for them again.
Photos
Long gone are the old reunion days when picnic tables were littered with dozens of disposable cameras. Practically everyone has a smartphone nowadays so you won’t even have to worry about documenting your family reunion. Instead, focus on creating a fun photo experience. Create your own photo booths with colorful bed sheets as backdrops and homemade cutouts props. Try giant polaroid cutouts or paper hat and mustache printouts that you can attach to sticks. Lastly, be sure that your reunion attendees use a custom hashtag when posting pictures on social media sites (such as #johnsonjamboree or #robinsonrally).
Music Playlists
Set the mood at your party with a custom playlist. To appease a wide range of tastes you’ll need a large variety of music for every age group—oldies for the grandparents, retro for the parents, and the latest jams for the teens and tweens. Also include fun dance music in the mix, such as the Macarena or the Cha-Cha Slide, to get everyone moving. And don’t forget to have at least three hours of music preplanned for your family reunion—that way you can just press “play” and forget about it.
Favors
What better way to remember your reunion than with fun favors? T-shirts are the classic reunion giveaways, but there are other favors to consider. Personalized gifts, for instance, are always a treat. You can give away drinking glasses marked with the family name and the date of the reunion. Or you can give away throw blankets or tote bags embroidered with the family name. You can also create a family “yearbook.” You’ll need to put it together months ahead of the actual reunion, but your family will get a kick out of reading each other’s most recent stories and achievements.
Food
Yummy recipes are absolutely necessary for a successful family reunion; fortunately, we at the Mindful Living Network have got you covered. Try tropical hot dogs with a mango mustard and a pineapple relish or a blueberry walnut summer salad with a blueberry vinaigrette. If you’re interested in reading more recipes check out these ideas.