Family reunions are the perfect time to reconnect with loved ones, share stories, and create new memories. And what better way to bring everyone together and inject some fun into the gathering than with games? Games are fantastic icebreakers, encouraging interaction and laughter across all ages. Whether you’re planning a large family reunion or a more intimate gathering, having a few game ideas up your sleeve is always a winning strategy. This list of family reunion games is sure to provide entertainment for everyone, from toddlers to grandparents!
Engaging Games for Large Family Reunions
When you’ve got a big crowd, you need games that can accommodate and entertain everyone. These large group games are perfect for getting everyone involved and creating a lively atmosphere at your family reunion.
Three-Deep: The Name Game Scramble
Participants in a Three-Deep game at a family gathering, excitedly searching for their matching counterparts.
Get ready for some hilarious chaos with Three-Deep! This game is all about quick thinking and loud shouting. Before the reunion, prepare slips of paper, each with a word that has two “counterparts”. Examples include categories like colors (red, blue, green), Disney princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora), or animals (dog, cat, bird).
Each person receives a slip and mingles to swap papers, adding to the confusion. When someone shouts “Go!”, the frantic search begins. Players yell out the word on their paper, trying to find the two people with matching categories to form a “three-deep” group. Imagine the hilarious shouts of “Looking for colors!”, “Disney princesses here!”, or “Animal partners!”.
Once a trio finds each other, they sit down in a “bottom,” “middle,” or “top” order based on a letter assigned beforehand. The last groups to find their matches are eliminated each round, increasing the pressure and the laughter. Three-Deep continues until only one trio remains, crowned the champions of the name game scramble!
Penny Game: Chance and Consequence
Close-up shot of hands holding coins for the Penny Game, emphasizing the anticipation and playful risk.
The Penny Game is incredibly simple to set up and play, making it ideal for spontaneous family fun. All you need are coins (pennies, nickels, dimes – anything works!) and a sense of playful daring. Before starting, decide on a funny “loser” consequence. Will it be jumping in the lake, doing all the dishes, or serenading everyone with a silly song? The more outrageous, the better!
Everyone starts with three coins hidden behind their backs. Players secretly choose how many coins (0-3) to put in their right fist. Then, with outstretched fists, everyone guesses the total number of coins being held by all players. No repeat guesses are allowed, and the guessing order rotates each round.
Once guesses are in, everyone reveals their coins, and you count the total. The person who guessed closest to the actual count is “out” and safe from the loser’s consequence. Each round eliminates another player until only one remains – the “loser” who must face the pre-determined hilarious fate! Prepare for side-splitting laughter as the loser fulfills their consequence, creating a memorable family reunion moment.
Animals: The Hilarious Sound Impersonation Game
A person blindfolded in the center of a circle of people, playing the Animals game, ready to guess the animal sound.
Animals is a fantastic game for unleashing everyone’s inner animal and testing their sound-recognition skills. Gather everyone in a circle and blindfold one person to stand in the center. Spin the blindfolded person gently so they lose their orientation.
The person in the center then points to someone in the circle and asks them to make an animal noise. The chosen person must make any animal sound – a roar, a meow, a chirp, even a dinosaur sound for extra fun! The trick is to disguise the sound so the person in the middle can’t guess who made it. Encourage creative and muffled animal impersonations!
If the guesser is wrong, everyone claps once, and they try again with someone else. If they guess correctly, the person who made the sound becomes the new blindfolded guesser in the middle. Animals is a guaranteed source of laughter, especially with creative animal sounds and attempts at disguise.
Minute-to-Win-It Games: Fast-Paced Family Fun
Minute-to-Win-It games are perfect for injecting high-energy bursts of fun into your family reunion. These games are quick, easy to set up, and hilarious to watch and participate in.
1) Cheetos Head Toss: A Shaving Cream Challenge
A person with shaving cream on their head trying to catch Cheetos, in the Cheetos Head Toss Minute-to-Win-It game.
Get ready for a sticky and silly game with Cheetos Head Toss! You’ll need shaving cream and Cheetos for this minute-to-win-it challenge. Divide into teams and have one representative from each team generously cover their head in shaving cream. Another team member stands a short distance away, armed with a bag of Cheetos.
The goal is to toss as many Cheetos as possible onto the shaving cream-covered head within one minute. The shaving cream acts as a sticky target, and the team that gets the most Cheetos to stick wins! Be prepared for some messy fun and hilarious visuals as Cheetos fly and shaving cream gets everywhere. This game is guaranteed to produce laughter and memorable photos!
A follow-up shot showing people covered in shaving cream and Cheetos after the Cheetos Head Toss game, highlighting the messy fun.
2) Shake-It: Ping Pong Ball Box Challenge
A person with a Kleenex box strapped to their waist, shaking to get ping pong balls out, in the Shake-It Minute-to-Win-It game.
Shake-It is a hilarious minute-to-win-it game that tests agility and coordination. For each participant, you’ll need an empty Kleenex box filled with ping pong balls. Securely fasten the Kleenex box around each player’s waist, facing outwards.
The challenge is to shake, wiggle, and jump to empty the box of all ping pong balls within one minute, without using hands! The first person to successfully shake all the balls out of their box wins. This game is incredibly funny to watch as players contort themselves in creative ways to shake out those ping pong balls.
Reverse Charades: Act it Out Together
A group playing Reverse Charades, with one person holding a phone to their forehead while others act out the word.
Reverse Charades takes the classic game of charades and flips it on its head for even more laughs, especially with a big family group. Instead of one person acting out a word for a team to guess, in Reverse Charades, the whole team acts out a word or phrase for one person to guess.
You can use a Reverse Charades app on a phone or simply write down words on slips of paper. One person sits facing the team, and holds the phone or paper to their forehead, so they can’t see the word. The team then acts out the word together, silently, and the person guessing tries to figure out what they are portraying. As soon as they guess correctly, tilt the phone or grab a new paper for the next word. The goal is to guess as many words as possible within a set time limit. Reverse Charades is fantastic for teamwork and hilarious interpretations, particularly when family members get involved!
Fear Factor: The Edible Dare Game
Fear Factor brings a sense of adventurous (and sometimes slightly gross) fun to your family reunion. This game is all about trying new and unusual foods, pushing comfort zones in a lighthearted way.
Prepare a selection of “fear factor” foods, ranging from mildly unusual to truly adventurous. Think green olives, lemon juice, pickled eggs, anchovies, or even (for the truly brave) crickets! Start with milder items in the first round and gradually increase the “fear factor” as you progress.
In each round, everyone who wants to participate must try the offered food. To advance to the next round, they must swallow the food completely, with no water allowed to wash it down! Participants can choose to sit out a round if a food is too daunting. The last person standing who bravely tries all the foods is declared the Fear Factor champion and earns bragging rights (and maybe a fun prize!). Fear Factor is a surprisingly entertaining way to encourage trying new things and creating funny stories for years to come.
A third Fear Factor game image showing a person about to try a food item with a slightly apprehensive expression.
The winner of a Fear Factor game proudly displaying their prize and celebrating their victory.
Triggers: The Secret Action Game
A group playing Triggers, with one person in the middle trying to guess the secret "triggers" based on others' actions.
Triggers is a hilarious game of observation and secret actions that will have everyone in stitches. One person leaves the room while the rest of the group secretly assigns “triggers” to each other. For example, the person to your right might be assigned the trigger “If someone folds their arms, yell ‘bananas!'” or “If anyone laughs, crawl around the circle.” The triggers should be silly and unexpected actions or phrases.
Once everyone has a trigger, the person who left the room returns and stands in the center. Their goal is to guess the “triggers” by observing the group. As people unknowingly perform their triggers, hilarious actions and phrases will erupt around the room, giving clues to the person in the middle. Triggers is a fantastic game for creating unpredictable and laugh-out-loud moments at your family reunion.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Race: A Competitive Twist on a Classic
A group playing Rock, Paper, Scissors Race, lined up and hopping towards each other for mini-duels.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Race elevates the classic hand game into a fun and energetic team competition. Divide your family into two teams and have them line up at opposite ends of a designated playing area. Mark lines on the ground for players to hop between, adding a physical element to the game.
The first person in each line starts hopping down the lines towards the opposing team. When two players from opposing teams meet in the middle, they stop and play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser goes to the back of their team’s line, and the winner continues hopping towards the other side. The first team to get all their members to the opposite side wins the Rock, Paper, Scissors Race! This game combines strategy, luck, and physical activity, making it a hit for all ages.
Psychiatrist: The Mind-Reading Deduction Game
A group playing Psychiatrist, with one person outside the room and others inside discussing the "system" for answers.
Psychiatrist is a classic deduction game that’s always a crowd-pleaser. One person is chosen to be the “psychiatrist” and leaves the room. While they are gone, the remaining group decides on a “system” for answering the psychiatrist’s questions.
Systems can be anything from answering in alphabetical order (first answer starts with “A,” next with “B,” etc.), to answering like a specific family member (e.g., “Grandpa Joe”), or incorporating a subtle action into each answer (like slyly touching your hair).
The psychiatrist returns and asks questions to the group, trying to figure out the secret system based on their answers. Psychiatrist is a great game for sharpening observation skills and enjoying creative and often hilarious answer systems.
Little Sally Walker: The Dance-Off Starter
Little Sally Walker is a simple and charming game, perfect for getting younger family members involved and encouraging some silly dance moves. Everyone stands in a circle and sings the “Little Sally Walker” song. One person skips around the outside of the circle while everyone sings.
When the song ends, the skipper stops in front of someone in the circle and performs a little dance. That person then has to copy the dance exactly, and then they become the new “skipper” to dance around the circle. Little Sally Walker is a sweet and easy game to get everyone moving and laughing together.
Sentimental Family Reunion Game Ideas
Family reunions are also about connecting on a deeper level and sharing meaningful moments. These sentimental game ideas encourage storytelling and reminiscing, fostering stronger family bonds.
Stories: Guess the Family Anecdote
People writing down stories for the Stories game, capturing a moment of reflection and shared memories.
Stories is a heartwarming game that celebrates family history and funny memories. Have everyone write down a short, funny, or memorable story about something that happened to them growing up. Stories can range from childhood mishaps to funny family vacation moments. The crazier and funnier, the better!
One person acts as the “reader” and reads a story aloud, without revealing who wrote it. Then, randomly choose three people to each take two minutes to elaborate on the story, adding made-up details to try and sound like the real author. After the elaborations, everyone votes on who they think the story is actually about. The person with the most correct guesses at the end wins. Stories is a wonderful way to uncover hidden family anecdotes and share laughter over shared experiences.
Family Trivia: Test Your Family Knowledge
Family Trivia is a fun way to test everyone’s knowledge of family history and personal stories. Before the reunion, ask family members to submit interesting or funny stories from their lives. Compile these stories into trivia questions.
During the game, read out the trivia questions (based on the submitted stories) and have teams or individuals guess who the story is about. After guessing, the person the story is about can share more details and background. Family Trivia is a fantastic way to learn new things about your family members and reminisce about shared family history.
Classic Big-Group Games & Activities
For classic, easy-to-organize fun, you can’t go wrong with these big-group activities that are family reunion staples.
Classic Slip-N-Slide: Cooling Down Fun
People enjoying a Slip-N-Slide at a family reunion, sliding down a grassy hill with laughter and splashes.
A Slip-N-Slide is the ultimate summer family reunion activity for cooling down and having a blast. Simply get a large roll of plastic sheeting from a hardware store, lay it out on a gentle hill, and add water and dish soap for extra滑溜 (slippery) fun! Let everyone take turns sliding down for refreshing and exhilarating fun. The Slip-N-Slide is guaranteed to be a hit with kids and adults alike on a hot reunion day.
Relays: Team-Based Races for All Ages
Relay races are a fantastic way to get everyone active and competitive in teams. You can customize relay races to suit all ages and abilities.
Kids participating in a relay race at a family reunion, showing the energy and fun of team competition.
Piggy-back races: Pair up adults and kids for piggy-back races, where kids ride on adults’ backs.
Another image of a piggyback race in progress, showing the teamwork and laughter.
Three-legged races: Partner up and tie legs together for a hilarious three-legged race challenge.
Gunny sack races: Classic gunny sack races are always a source of fun and clumsy tumbles.
Kids in gunny sacks racing, showing the traditional and energetic Gunny Sack Race.
Custom Relays: Create a longer relay race with different legs, like running, hopping, or even solving a simple puzzle at a checkpoint, culminating in a fun reward like ice cream at the finish line!
Another image of people enjoying shakes after a relay race, emphasizing the post-race celebration.
Water Balloon Toss: Cool and Competitive
Water balloon toss is a classic summer game that’s perfect for a family reunion. Divide into teams and have partners toss water balloons back and forth, taking a step back after each successful catch. The team that can toss their water balloon the furthest without breaking it wins! Prepare to get wet and have a splashing good time.
Photo Scavenger Hunt: Explore and Capture Memories
People participating in a Photo Scavenger Hunt at a bird refuge, using cameras to capture specific shots.
A Photo Scavenger Hunt is a fun way to explore your reunion location and create lasting visual memories. Divide into teams and give each team a list of photos to capture. Photo ideas can range from specific objects (“a bird in flight,” “a red flower”) to creative shots (“everyone jumping,” “an artistic shot of the sky”).
Another image from a Photo Scavenger Hunt, showing people taking photos of nature and each other.
You can tailor the scavenger hunt to your location – a park, a town, or even just the reunion venue itself. The team that completes the scavenger hunt list first, or gets the most creative photos, wins! A Photo Scavenger Hunt encourages teamwork, exploration, and capturing fun moments.
A list of photo scavenger hunt items, providing examples of creative and varied photo challenges.
Steal the Bacon: Fast-Paced Grab Game
Steal the Bacon is a simple and energetic game that’s perfect for competitive families. Divide into two teams and have them line up on opposite sides of a field or large grassy area. Assign each person a number. Place an object in the center – the “bacon” (it could be a hat, a towel, or anything handy).
The “host” calls out a number, and the players with that number from each team race to grab the “bacon” in the center. The team whose player grabs the bacon first scores a point. The team with the most points at the end wins Steal the Bacon. This game is fast-paced, competitive, and easy to understand, making it a hit for family reunions.
One and Done: The Dice Rolling Gamble Game
A small group playing One and Done, focused on their scorecards and the rolling die.
One and Done is a simple dice game that’s surprisingly addictive and can be played with any size group. All you need is one die and scorecards. Each person has a scorecard with three rows of 1-10 to track their scores over three rounds. Decide on a prize for the winner and a funny consequence for the loser beforehand to raise the stakes!
A large group playing One and Done at a family reunion, using phones for scorekeeping.
Players take turns rolling the die, and the score accumulates as you go around the circle. If someone rolls a “2,” the current score doubles! Players can choose to say “I’m out” at any time and record the current score for that round on their scorecard. However, if anyone rolls a “1,” the round ends immediately, and everyone still “in” gets a zero for that round! The gamble is knowing when to stay in and risk rolling a “1,” or when to opt out with a decent score.
After three rounds, everyone tallies their scores. The person with the highest total score wins the prize, and the loser faces the pre-determined consequence – which could be anything from jumping in a lake to singing a silly song in public! One and Done is a game of chance, strategy, and hilarious risk-taking that’s sure to become a family reunion favorite.
A scorecard for One and Done, showing scores tallied for each round and the final total.
Another image of the One and Done loser, showing the playful consequence in action.
The loser of One and Done receiving a funny mustache and signatures as a consequence, highlighting the lighthearted fun.
With this list of fun family reunion games, you’re well-equipped to create a memorable and laughter-filled gathering for your loved ones. Get ready to play, connect, and make lasting memories!
