Get Your Game On: Connections Through Game Playing At Family Reunions
Written by: Melanie Gardner
Connecting and making memories is easy with a traditional or virtual game night. This was never more true than at a family reunion. Whether you’re meeting up in person or you’ve set up a virtual event, adding games to the mix can be fun across your age groups, time zones, and media platforms.
You could almost make an entire day devoted solely to rotating through games and activities. But these could also be used during downtime, to burn time between activities, or in a more formal Game Night setting. Option, options, options!
Get started:
– Designate teams with a mix of family members and age demographics
– Share the links for the games you’ll be playing
– Utilize the plethora of phones and devices to create breakout groups
– Play your game!
– Rotate to maximize your fun and exposure to a variety of family members
– Consider kicking up the competitive feel by offering prizes. (Bragging rights are a wonderful prize, if you ask me 🙂
"Consider kicking up the competitive feel by offering prizes. (Bragging rights are always a wonderful prize, if you ask me :)"
Check out these awesome games and start making connections with your people in a fun, interactive way.
*You’ll need a FamilySearch account for anything with an asterisk.
Geneapordy* – What is the game that tests your knowledge of your family tree? Geneopardy! If you think you know your family tree, try out this fun game and prove your knowledge to your friends and family.
Wheel of Family Fortune* – Wheel of Family Fortune is the classic party game that tests how well you know your ancestor’s names.
Ancestor Games*- AncestorGames uses information from your tree to create personalized crossword puzzles, word searches, coloring pages, and more!
Guess Who – Remember playing Guess Who? This version employs the faces of your family, past and present. Click here to make a copy of this Google Slide Guess Who template, brought to you by Amanda Sandoval, @historysandoval Or Click here for instructions and a printable template brought to you by Keri Houchin at One Mama’s Daily Drama.
Family Matching Games – Easily create your own game of Memory featuring your family members. Simply print out two photos of each family member you’re planning to feature in the game. Think ancestors and living family members. Mount them on identically sized cardstock squares. Want to play online? Click here to build an online version of your family matching game.
KAHOOTS! – Never played Kahoot before? Here’s how Kahoot! Works. You can create your own questions or use one of the many already created. There’s a sample here brought to you by TheGenealogykids.com Use the Kahoot! app to play with people in the same room or miles away! Here’s how you can create an awesome Kahoot in minutes.
Family Forehead Game – Have you played HeadsUp? Make a family centric version featuring peoples, places and things that are meaningful to your group. Click here for a free, printable template brought to you by Wondermomwannabe.com
Family Story Bingo – Get your bingo on. Make squares with certain words or phrases that connect back to your family memories. “Scotland” “Blacksmith” “Oregon Trail” “Red hair” Click here to make your own bingo cards online.
