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When deciding on the activities for a reunion, kindly
remember that the main reason for a reunion is to spend time with as
many members as is humanly possible, both mentally and physically. Plan
activities that achieve this goal by having members do things together,
but make sure you don’t plan so many activities that nobody gets a chance
to just sit around on their duffs and visit for a while. And finally,
try to select activities where a large number of people can participate
at the same time so that you can avoid splintering out into small groups
of close-knit friends. You want activities where people will need to
talk to each other.
A good idea for deciding reunion activities is to ask people attending
the reunion what they'd like to do, maybe even do a survey. Then after
you get all the ideas, you sit down and decide what you want to do.
You may already have a slew of games and other activities that have
become reunion tradition. Surprise your family by adding in something
new and unique! Ideas include:
• Talent/Gong Show - Encourage your family to showcase special
talents and award prizes for the best and worst. You would probably
be surprised at the talents of your various members. Make sure you tell
everyone about this in the invitation or information packet, in case
they need to bring something with them (like their violin, juggling
balls, or blowtorch). Print up certificates or awards for the various
categories.
• Golf Tournament
• Quiz Show - A game of facts using about past events and award
a prize to the “know-it-all.”
• Bingo: Use photographs of members. Who has Mr. Peterson?
• Gatlinburg
White Water Rafting
• Gatlinburg
Horse Back Riding
• Storytelling - Sit around in a group and tell stories (i.e.
embarrassing) about each other. The best story wins! Try to aim for
funny and embarrassing areas. Kids always love to hear grandparents
tell stories about their parents (you know why kids and grandparents
get along so well ... they have a common enemy). And don't forget to
ask the kids to tell stories – they’re the best way to get the good
stories about their parents. Warning: You may need to act quick to stop
them from telling some stories.
Keeping the Kids Busy
Kiddie pools, coloring books, and sidewalk chalk are good ways to keep
kids busy when the adults want to sit around and talk. Keep plenty of
crayons handy to prevent squabbling, and make sure it’s a hot day so
kids won’t protest the cold hose water in the pool. And make sure they
only use the sidewalk chalk in places the rain can reach (if they color
on the floor of the garage, it’s never going to go away). Set up a table
outside and cover it with butcher paper. Then set out construction paper,
scissors (round tip), glue, water soluble paint and paint brushes, markers,
and other arts and crafts supplies. You can even put out some newspapers
and paper mache. You can either assign specific activities, or just
let the kids do whatever they want with what's available.
Group Photos
A family reunion is the perfect place to use the camera that someone
is always toting around, just out of sight. Where else could you possibly
get a photograph of four or five generations of a family all together
at one time? Other groups to photograph include: grandma and grandpa
with their grown-up children, all the young cousins or all the older
cousins. Make sure that after you get the pictures developed, you write
down who each person in the photo is, so that twenty years from now
people are not asking, "Who was that"? Click
here to find Gatlinburg photographers.
Reunion Video
Creating a video of your reunion can preserve memories that last a lifetime.
There are many options, from recording members in activities (everyone
loves watching someone fall into mud in slow motion) to interviewing
members and hearing stories all about their past. If you plan to do
a video interview, make sure the attendee is comfortable with that.
Ask questions that trigger memories and let the attendee do most of
the reminiscing.
Residence Map
A fun way to help the reunion guests see where they live in relation
to everyone else is to create a residence map. Honestly, it’s more fun
than it sounds. Simply buy a large map of the United States (or whatever
countries you and reside in). Make sure the map is fairly detailed,
so that members can easily find where they live on the map. Mount the
map on cardboard, so that members can write their names on small pieces
of paper and pin them where they live. This doesn't work real well though,
if everyone lives in the same town.
Skits
Every reunion has some major league hams in it, just dying to show off
their acting skills. Have various people put on short skits for the
whole group. Have each group come up with their own skit, or assign
a skit for them to perform.
Time Capsule
This is an activity which also needs to be announced prior to the reunion.
Ask each person to contribute something which represents themselves
or their family to be placed in a time capsule. Choose a date when the
capsule should be opened and store it someplace with the instructions
as to when it can be cracked open (ten, twenty, fifty years).
Pie-Eating Contest
These are the best. Pie-eating contests are extremely fun. There are
two methods – the person who can eat the most pie in an allotted amount
of time (usually five minutes or so), or the person who can eat the
most period. The second is funnier to watch, because many get sick.
Of course, for the best results, no hands or utensils are allowed.
White Elephant Exchange
Have everyone bring a wrapped gift (a white elephant). Make sure you
set a price limit on the gift (under $3 for example). Then during the
reunion have someone blow a whistle which means everyone has to find
someone to trade gifts with. Do this several times during the day, until
everyone has a white elephant of totally unknown origins. Then they
get to take it home.
Dinner and Dance
A dinner and dance can be a fun activity, especially at reunions with
mostly adults. Most adults would appreciate anything that would give
them an excuse to get away from their kids and stay out late – it helps
even more when that’s fun. |
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