You’ve sent the invitations, prepared the food and planned the activities and now your family is arriving. How do you make everyone feel welcome, relaxed and ready to participate at your family reunion? Ice breakers!

Sometimes when families first come together, after a year of being apart, they feel a little timid until they get reacquainted with the group. Ice breakers are designed to create a welcoming, open atmosphere and can really accelerate the process of getting reacquainted with each other.

Don’t limit ice breakers to the beginning of the reunion, use them to revitalize the group at any time. We have an Uncle Scott in our family, and anytime a family reunion or party starts getting a little slow, he will get everyone playing “Do You Love Your Relative”. It’s a high-energy game and will inject a little life back into your family reunion.

Here’s a couple of our favorite “high-energy” ice breaker games for your family reunion:

DO YOU LOVE YOUR RELATIVE?

The group sits in a circle with room in the center.  The person that is “IT”
does not have a chair and stands in the center of the circle. “IT” walks up to one of the people in the circle, points to someone and asks, “_________, do you love your relative?” The individual pointed to can say one of two things:

“Yes I love my relatives (everyone sitting in the circle must move to a new chair)

“No, I don’t love my relatives but I love everyone _____________________.” Fill in the blank with things like- everyone that is wearing green, everyone that likes chocolate, everyone that has a dog or everyone that wears glasses. (Only the people that meet the requirements move to a different chair.)

In both situations, the person that asks the question runs to sit on a chair. The person left standing, without a chair to sit on, is the new “IT”.

ELECTRIC CHAIN

This is such a fun game!  You will need a quarter and a set of keys!

Players make two equal teams, facing each other in two long lines. Everyone sits down cross legged (for an older crowd, you could sit in chairs). The two lines should be about 4 feet apart. The game leader sits at the head of the line. This game is played in silence. Begin by introducing yourself to the person sitting on each side of you.

All players join hands with the person beside them. Everyone closes their eyes except the two players sitting by the leader (the lead players). When everyone has their eyes closed and is silent, the leader flips a coin in between the two lead players. Heads, do nothing. Tails, the lead players squeezes the hand of the person beside them. The squeeze passes as quickly as possible (remember, eyes closed) down the line.

When the last person feels the squeeze, they grab for the keys which are placed in between the last two players. The team who gets the keys rotates…the head player goes to the end and everyone shuffles up one spot. If it was a false alarm, (accidental squeeze of the hands – no calling out “OOPS” allowed!) it doesn’t count. Game continues until one team has been completely through its’ lineup and the original head player is back at the head of the line.

Pass the Hoop

This great game requires tactical thinking and encourages team work. Instruct the group to form a circle with a 12-inch space between each participant. Once everyone is in place, add a Hula Hoop to the circle and instruct everyone to pass the hoop between each other and around the circle without it touching the ground. Once it gets to its original position the game is over. To make this game a little trickier add more than one hoop to the circle.

Don’t introduce an icebreaker game that will make others uncomfortable- physically or mentally. I HATE games that leave me feeling embarrassed or like a fool. Only choose games that help your family members feel welcome and comfortable at your family reunion. Some very non-threatening “icebreakers” are listed below:

LICENSE PLATE:

License plate is a fun game that family members can work on as they arrive at your reunion and then can come together to share answers. You can download a copy of the game and the answers by downloading this file license-plate-game.

After writing down the state that each license plate comes from family members are given additional points for each state they have visited- 1 point, and 2 points if they were born in one of the states.

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

All participants are given a bag with pennies (each participant should have one penny for each member in the group – if there are 20 people, players each should have 20 pennies).  Participants go around the room to each other and trade “a penny for a thought.”  Participants trade pennies – and positive thoughts. Activity continues until all participants have shared with every member of the group and have a new bag of “pennies for thoughts.” 

COLORS OF LIFE
Take a bag of M&M’s or Skittles candy and tell everyone to grab a handful…or specify a number (I prefer this if you have a large group so it doesn’t take so long- I suggest each family member take 5) You might also choose to split up in smaller groups such as children under 12, 12 and over, young adults etc.

Assign a different meaning to each color, blue= family, green=hobbies, yellow=animals, brown= work or school etc. Participants must tell one thing about themselves for how many candies they have in their hands using the colors as their guide. They may also eat them as they share their information.  (“Blue…I have two sisters.”, then eats the candy. “Yellow…I have a dog named Kodi.”, and eats the candy etc.) 

Icebreakers are a great way to learn the names and interests of your relatives. Try some of these “getting to know you” activities:

NAME TAGS

As people arrive at your family reunion give them a name tag and ask them to write the following on it:

1. Name in the center of your card.

2. In the upper left corner, write one thing that you like to do.

3. In the upper right corner, write your favorite color.

4. In the lower left corner, write your favorite hobby.

5. In the lower right corner, write your favorite food.

At some point in your reunion, ask family members to find someone in your family that likes the same color as they do, has the same hobby etc. You may also ask them to find the person they have the most in common with. You don’t even need to play a game with the name tags, but by listing some of your favorite things on your name tags you will learn a little more about your family members.

NAME TAG VARIATION

Participants are given a name tags and a magic marker.  They are asked to print their name on the upper portion of the name tag and then to draw four objects that represent who they are on the in each corner of the tag. 

GETTING TO KNOW YOU POSTERS

You will need a poster board for each family group attending your family reunion and a large stack of magazines that you don’t mind being cut up. Each family group is given a large sheet of poster board and are asked to decorate it (using magazine cutouts, stickers, markers, whatever!) in a way that best represents who they are.  Display the posters during your reunion and encourage family members to look at the posters on your “Wall of Fame”. At various times during your reunion (maybe before each meal), ask a couple of questions about family members and give small prizes to the first person to shout out the answer.

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE The group sits in a circle and each person has a paper and a marker. Everyone writes down on their paper three things about themselves, two that are true, one that is a lie. Give people about two minutes to do this. Encourage them to be creative and try to make it difficult for everyone to determine the lie. Take turns around the circle showing everyone what is on your paper. The group has to guess which one is the lie (spouses and siblings are usually requested to remain silent!). This game helps people to reveal interesting things about themselves in a fun way. If it is a large group (over 20) you might want to divide into two groups if time is an issue.

NAME BOP!

This is a test for once everyone thinks they know everyone else’s name. The group sits in a circle, with one person “it” sitting in the middle. “It” has a soft club (like a long sock with stuffing in it, a swim noodle or a rolled up newspaper) The leader begins by saying someone’s name. That person must say their own name and the name of someone else before they get “bopped” (softly on the leg). And so it goes ‘til someone messes up, or gets bopped, then they become “IT”.

Another fun way to get acquainted with relatives at your family reunion is to mix things up a bit. Following are a couple of fun “mixers”:

CLUSTERS All players move about the room. The leader calls out a number. The group must then make clusters of players to match that number. Whoever doesn’t get into a cluster is out. Variations can be clusters made of players with the same shoe size, the same sock color or the same eye color, etc.

SIGN HERE This a fun game to help family members more comfortable at your family reunion.  Give each participant a sheet with various tasks and ask them to complete it when you say, “GO!”  Here are some ideas:

Find someone to do five push-ups and sign here ___________

Find someone to give you a kiss and sign here ___________

Find someone to whisper the pledge of allegiance and sign here ___________

Find someone to do five jumping jacks and sign here ___________

Find someone to recite a nursery rhyme and sign here __________

Find someone to shake hands with and sign here ___________

Find someone to do a cartwheel and sign here __________

Find someone that likes chocolate ice cream and sign here ___________

Find someone who is your same age and sign here ___________

BACON AND EGGS

In a sitting position in a circle, designate one person to be “it.” Go around the circle and tap each person on the head and say “bacon” each time. When “it” says, “eggs,” that person that got tapped must run the opposite way. When they meet together, they must stop, shake hands and say, “Good morning. My name is__________. They continue around the circle and sit down in the empty spot before the other. The one that is left standing is “IT” next.

It’s best to keep “Ice Breakers” simple and short, about 15 minutes. Remember your goal is to make family members feel comfortable and welcome at your family reunion and to get your reunion off to a fun, energized start!

Aunt MO

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.” – George Moore

For a girls camp my daughter attended, she was asked to create a “Wheel of Doom”.  The idea was that the girls would spin the wheel to determine what kind of utensil they would eat with for dinner.  The girls had so much fun with the wheel that we decided to use it at our family reunion.   We used it several times and the family loves it every time!

Our Wheel of Doom is made out of piece of particle board.   You can easily change the wheel to fit whatever your family reunion theme is.  We printed off pictures that go along with each category  and taped them to the wheel.  You can even repaint the wheel for each reunion theme.  For instance we painted the board in different camouflage colors for the Boot Camp family reunion and we painted it with glitter paint for the Medieval family reunion.   As you can see, our wheel is not too fancy but it’s given us some fun and SUSPENFUL moments at our family reunions.  It’s fun to watch the children as they anxiously wait to see where the arrow will land.

If a wood wheel is not an option for your family you could easily make one out of poster board and laminate it.  We made our wheel from wood because we wanted to use it over and over again and adapt it to various family reunion themes.

A visit to the dollar store or thrift store will provide you with all the “silly” silverware you will need.  Look for tongs, melon scoops, ice cream scoops, pasta servers, ladles, anything, the stranger the better.

We let each family member spin the wheel for themselves and there are NO “do- overs”!

For our Medieval Family Reunion (see the store to purchase this reunion) we used the following categories:

Emperor or King- fork, spoon, knife

Princess- tiny spoon only such as teaspoon

Knight- knife only

Giant- large serving utensil such as a large ladle or spoon

Peasant- no utensils

Jester- funny utensil such as whisk, spatula, ice cream scoop, measuring cup

For our Boot Camp Family Reunion (see store to purchase this reunion) we used these categories:

5-star general- fork, spoon, knife

Colonel- spoon only

Captain- tiny spoon only such as teaspoon

Sergeant- knife only

Corporal-  funny utensil such as whisk, spatula, ice cream scoop, measuring cup

Private- no utensils

We have also tied two family members together, tied an arm behind their back and blindfolded them.  Use your imagination!  Our families have been really good sports and nobody has complained about using the funny utensils in fact, they have enjoyed the challenge of trying to get through the entire meal.

If you need further details for creating your own Wheel of Doom send Aunt Mo at the email address under “contact us”.

Aunt MO

"Crazy is a relative term in my family!"

You’ve visited www.familyreunionhelper.com and you’ve chosen the perfect family reunion theme and you’re excited to make assignments and send out invitations and you’ve counted your nickels and dimes and then it dawns on you- how are we going to pay for all this family reunion fun? I may not have the answer for your family but I can tell you what works for our family.

The most simple way to pay for your family reunion is to divide the total expenses by the number of those attend the reunion. We have done that and it worked fine but then we realized that as the dynamics of our family changed and the young adults in our family started marrying and having their own young families this was a bit of a hardship on them and we began looking for other alternatives.

On both sides of our family, Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Gramps have paid for the reunion location and accommodations which has really been a blessing. They pay for the campsite, the park or the condominium for the reunion but that still leaves the food (big expense) decorations, crafts, activities and prizes.

On the Wells side of our family we "divide and conquer". We rotate through all the original children (myself and my three brothers) the responsibility for the reunion and that family makes the assignments. They assign out meals and if you are responsible for breakfast then you provide the food, prepare it and clean up. Another family will be responsible for lunch and another dinner etc. This works out quite well as each family can choose for themselves how much work and expense they choose to take on. Assignments for other activities can also be made.

On the Stewart side of our family, Aunt Peggy Sue suggested that we hold a family auction. I have to admit, I wasn’t very excited about a family reunion auction. I just couldn’t get the vision for how an auction would work. Well, work it did. Our reunion auctions have paid for all the food, activities, prizes and crafts for the Stewart family reunion and we’ve been holding auctions for almost ten years. Here’s how it works-

Everyone brings something to donate to the auction. Some family members work all year to make a quilt or other special item for the reunion, some offer services such as haircuts and some bake cookies, brownies or bring produce from their garden The best sellers at our reunion are always the crocheted dishtowels Grandma makes ($40.00- $80.00) and the hand-stitched heirloom quilts that Grandpa makes ($200.00- $400.00). Other popular items are restored and framed photos of ancestors and photo memory books- anything with sentimental value. No one counts the items someone brings or judges them on how much they bid, everyone does the best they can, sometimes more, sometimes less.

At our 2009 family reunion we also had a silent auction for those items that are of less value and that we don’t want to spend the time to auction off and we also had a children’s "store" where the young ones in our family could buy coloring books, water guns, small toys and treats- nothing over a $1.00.

Each year we assign a member of our family to be the auctioneer and give them a few helpers. We also have family members that are responsible for writing down the winning bids and collecting the money. We have a special "Stewart Reunion" account where the money is kept until is is withdrawn to pay for our the next years expenses. Our Stewart family reunion auctions typically bring in $1,200- $1,500.

If you would like additional information on having your own family reunion auction just email me and I’ll be happy to give you more detailed information.

Another way to raise money for your family reunion is to sell tote bags, to-shirts, window clings or bumper stickers specific to your family. I still remember a clever bumper sticker I saw over thirty years ago. A family with the last name of "Kalum" designed a bumper sticker that said, "Kalum, Kool and Kollected". I thought that was such a clever play on words and I’ve been trying to think of something clever for a Stewart or Wells bumper sticker ever since.

The easiest way to reduce reunion expenses is to cut back on the time your reunion lasts. If you normally have a three day reunion cut back to two or just get together for a Saturday afternoon and evening. Make your meals potluck and enjoy the time, however short, that you have with each other.

The important thing is not counting the nickels and dimes spent at your family reunion but the memories made and the friendships formed. And in the end, that’s what really counts.

Aunt MO

I attended the state convention for music educators this past week and had such a great time.  Sometimes, when you’ve done something for a long time, you just really need some new,fresh ideas, a boost or shot in the arm if you will. I had gotten to the point, in my professional life, that I was just going through the motions, my heart wasn’t really in it anymore.  (Actually; I think I felt beaten down by life’s experiences.)  Zig Zigler once said, “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”  That describes me, just going through the motions because I am disciplined and committed. 

And then I went to this convention and I learned new ways to teach old topics and I talked to fellow music teachers and I listened to new tunes and I came away refreshed and invigorated and… frustrated.  Frustrated?  How could I be frustrated when so many people had worked so hard to put together such a wonderful convention?  Well, although I got many great ideas from the presenters what I didn’t get was instructions on how to implement those suggestions.  Where were the patterns, templates and printouts that would make my job a little easier?  Don’t just tell me your ideas- make it easy for me to put your ideas to use. 

So what does all this rambling have to do with family reunions?  (This a family reunion website, after all.) When we came up with this idea, the idea of having a family reunion web page, the one thing I knew is that I didn’t want it to be just a “planner”,I wanted it to be a place where people could come for actual ideas, and the schedules, printouts and templates to actually implement those ideas.  (If you need princess tiaras for you medieval family reunion then you would be able to print out a pattern and if you needed cardboard swords you could print that pattern out too.)  And so, that’s what we’ve done- made it easier for you to plan your family reunion by including everything you need.  Print off the crossword puzzle or Battleship game that goes along with the Boot Camp family reunion or print off the water bottle labels in the Olympic reunion and print off the Bunko score card in the Cave Man family reunion.  I’m not going to just give you give you my ideas, I’ll help you implement those ideas and hopefully that will make planning your family reunion a little easier. I do that because I’m disciplined and committed.