Growing up, my maternal grandparents lived less than two miles away from my home, while my great-grandparents lived less than 8 miles away. Consequently, it was not uncommon for three or four generations of family members to gather on the weekends for a barbeque or other function.
Besides blood, food was the tie that bound us all together.
Oh, and games.
My family loves “healthy competition.”
I realize that many families are not as blessed to live so close to immediate and extended relatives, so you might want to save these family game night activities for your next reunion. Otherwise, you can modify them to fit any size family get-together; the idea is to make bonding fun:
Bingo
This is not your grandparent’s BINGO game. Instead of placing dry beans on numbered cards, spice up the traditional game by making your own BINGO cards with photos of the people playing. You will need a photo editing software program to crop the photos. Then, you can make multiple cards with different variations of your family members’ faces. Once you are done crafting the cards, you can get started on the balls. Each ball needs a photo to coordinate with the image on the card. Then, sit back and listen to the giggles when the caller announces “B, “Grandma” or “O, Uncle Sal.” The photos allow even the youngest members of the family to participate.
Family Trivia Challenge
My clan is a huge fan of “Family Feud”. While we never made it onto the TV version, we certainly had fun putting our own spin on the show in the backyard. To play, jot down some question and answer cards with trivia based on your family. Try to incorporate family history (What was great-great-great-grandma’s maiden name?), fun facts (How many hot dogs did Cousin Willie down before he threw up at the last family reunion?) and special dates (birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, etc.). Next, divide family members into teams and take turns answering questions. The team that provides the most correct answers wins the game.
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