Hosting Family Parties
Getting your entire family together in one place is something we all value now more than ever before. It’s also something many of us might not be able to do regularly, as people are so busy these days. But just because it’s difficult to organize doesn’t mean you can’t do it at all. If you want to get different generations and extended family together, keep reading for our best family reunion ideas.
How to Plan a Family Gathering
Family reunions can be incredibly fun, but they also require a lot of planning and attention to detail. Check out these family reunion ideas to help you plan for a successful event.
Plan a Date and Time
There’s no doubt that everyone in your family is busy, so finding a date that works for everyone can seem impossible. To make things a little simpler, you can send out a poll to gather everyone’s best dates and help avoid major conflicts. You obviously want as many people to attend as possible, so typically planning out in the future can help. Most people know about events or other plans a few weeks in advance. To avoid these conflicts and allow the family to plan around your event, don’t be afraid to schedule a few months in the future.
Get Others Involved
If you’ve planned a party of any size, you know how time-consuming it can be. A family reunion is no exception. This is a large undertaking, especially if you’re a large family and spread across long distances. Don’t be afraid to ask other family members for help. Different people can handle planning, food, activities, invites, setup, and clearing up.
Think About Everyone’s Needs
Families can be all shapes and sizes and are made up of many different personalities and preferences. It’s unlikely you will make everyone completely satisfied, but it is important to think about everyone’s needs, interests, budgets, and ages when considering your family reunion ideas. For example, if there are going to be activities, make sure there is something for every age group and ability level to enjoy. When planning for food, ask if anyone has dietary requirements. Finally, don’t choose an expensive family reunion venue if some of your family is on a budget, and be mindful of how everyone will get to the location.
Family Reunion Ideas
Instead of just getting everyone together in one place and expecting them to stay entertained for hours, you can plan fun family reunion activity ideas. These are some of our favorite ideas for family gatherings, from movie nights to photo shoots.
Trivia Night
Challenge your family members’ knowledge about anything and everything with a fun game of trivia. Split your family into teams and battle it out. You can do rounds of different subjects or have it cover anything and everything. If you want, you can make all of the questions about your family members to see who knows each other the best or stick to traditional trivia topics like movies, music, geography, and more.
Gaming Night
This could be a fun way to bring different generations together and introduce them to new games. You could teach each other new card games, break out your old favorite board games, or introduce your family to your retro gaming console. The only rule? Make sure there’s something for everyone to enjoy, no matter their age.
Family Potluck
One place there’s guaranteed to be a family gathering? Around the food! You can show off your cooking or baking prowess with a family potluck dinner. You could ask everyone to cook their favorite dish that comes from a family recipe or just one of their favorite recipes overall. If you want to keep the conversation going even more, you could create little signs to go next to each dish sharing what it is, who made it, and why they love it so much.
Baby Photo Guessing Game
Bond over everyone’s best (or worst) baby photos, trying to identify who is in each photo. You could lay out all of the photos and ask guests to pin them to a family tree or place them all on a board and ask everyone to identify them. With some family members having striking resemblances, this could be more challenging than you think! But if you want to add another layer of difficulty, convert all the photos to black and white and add a grainy filter. This way, you can’t easily guess who the photo is based purely on the age of the photo.
Family Photoshoot
If you have a large family, you know how difficult it can be to get everyone in the same place at the same time. So at your next family reunion, our idea is to take some lovely family photographs. You could hire someone to come to the event and take casual and staged photographs or have a couple of members of the family take on the role of photographer. Just be sure to let everyone know that there will be a photo shoot, so they can plan their outfit accordingly.
Sports Day
Obviously, this may not be ideal for older members of your family, but they could stay entertained just watching everyone else play! You could play family games of volleyball, basketball, tennis, or any other game that you all love. It adds a little bit of a competitive edge to a really fun day!
Have a Family Reunion You’ll Always Remember at Wintrust Sports Complex
If you’re looking for a family reunion venue, consider Wintrust Sports Complex. You can rent out one of our party rooms, our arcade, laser tag arena, or our gym for your family. Our modern and inviting atmosphere will be the perfect backdrop for your next family reunion. Plus, our staff can even take some of the weight off of your shoulders by helping you organize and execute your event. Wintrust Sports Complex is the perfect place to hold your next big family reunion!
