Pass the Orange: This fun-filled game is inexpensive and simple. The only supplies it requires are 2 oranges and people with both a neck and a chin. Divide the group into 2 teams. When the person (not actually playing the game) says "Go!" the people must pass the orange from neck to neck using only chins and necks. The team that can get the orange to the last neck in line the quickest without dropping the orange wins.

Limbo: Play some fun music while your friends stand in line waiting to bend backwards low enough to fit under the limbo stick (broom handle, yardstick, etc.). In order to win, the limbo master must not touch the stick or fall on the floor while limbo-ing under the stick (which is usually held by 2 people).

Frisbee Golf: Toss Frisbees into buckets that hang from the trees. Move from bucket to bucket trying to sink the frisbee just as golfers move from hole to hole.

Pass the Sand: Divide the group into 2 teams and line them up. Have the person in each line grab a handful of sand from a container. They must pass the sand to the next player, who passes it to the next, and so on down the line. When the sand reaches the last player, he/she pours what is left of it on a plate. The team with the most sand wins the game. (You may have to weigh the sand on a food scale if it's close.)

Carnival Games: "Knock down the Bottles", "Shoot at the Target With a Water Gun", "Pie in the Face", "Toss the Coin on a Plate", "Pie Eating Contest", and "Ring Around the Bottles".

Water War Without Guns: Use everything from giant sponges and spray bottles to turkey basters, cups, water balloons, and a garden hose to soak the members of the opposing "team."

Tug of Water: Set up the sprinkler in the middle of the lawn and turn it on. Divide the group into 2 teams and have each team hold an end of the garden hose. On the word "Go!" have the teams try to pull their opponents into the sprinkler.

Pop the Piranha: Inflate balloons and tie them off. Using black felt-tip permanent markers, draw fish faces on the balloons. Toss balloons into the kiddie pool, one for each child. On the word "Go!" have the kids jump into the pool and try to grab/pop (depending on the age of the child) a wet and slippery balloon.

Go Fishing: Buy some plastic toys and attach a piece of magnetic tape to each one. Drop the toys into the bottom of the pool. Give the kids fishing poles made from sticks and string, with magnets tied to the bottom of the string. Let the kids fish for their "prize" in the kiddie pool.

Toss n' Soak: Fill up a plastic pool with water and have kids stand around the outside of the pool. They must toss the ball back and forth to one another and try to catch it. If the ball hits the water, the child who failed to catch the ball is "out." Whoever is left standing last wins.

Poison: This is a game where there is one lucky person who is "it." He stands between two bases (in our backyard we made the "bases" a fence at one end of the yard and a brick wall at the other end of the yard), and is allowed to move anywhere between those 2 bases. He is given a ball, and his goal is to try to hit at least one of the people while they are running from base to base. Obviously, once people are on the base they are "safe." Once he hits someone else with the ball, that person becomes "it." There is no actual winner of this game, but it is action packed and it can go on for hours until the players get tired.

What Time is it Mr. Fox?: There is one person who is "Mr. Fox", and everyone else is trying to stay away from him/her. (We used to play this from the top to the bottom of a driveway, but it can be played anywhere as long as there is enough room to run.) Mr. Fox usually stands at the part of the driveway closest to the house. Everyone else stands on the designated base and asks in unison, "What time is it Mr. Fox?" As Mr. Fox responds with the time (it can be any time that Mr. Fox would like it to be), each person needs to take the number of steps that correspond with the time toward Mr. Fox. (For example, if Mr. Fox says it's 4 o'clock, everyone takes 4 steps toward him.) It is up to the individual how large they make each step. The group continues to ask the same question, while Mr. Fox replies with different answers as to "what time it is." When Mr. Fox chooses, (it must be before the players actually reach Mr. Fox) in answer to the question "What time is it Mr. Fox," he must turn around and answer "It's time to eat you!" He turns around and chases everyone until he catches someone, or everyone makes it back to the base safely. If anyone is caught, then they become "Mr. Fox." (There is no winner to this game either.)

Frog Hop: Before you fill the kiddie pool, use a permanent felt-tip marker to draw and color flowers on the bottom of the pool. Fill up the pool with water and have the kids sit on the outside of the pool. Give each child a smooth stone. Let them draw "eyes" on the stone with a permanent marker to turn the stone into a "frog." Then have them toss the frogs into the pool. If the frog lands on a flower then they win a prize.

Scavenger Hunt: This is a game that is usually relatively inexpensive and time-consuming (good for both kids and parents). Give the partygoers clues that take them from place to place. Perhaps this game could begin at the house of the party host/hostess, and the final clue could lead to the party destination. The team that arrives at the final destination first wins! (Or instead of a Scavenger Hunt have kids solve a Detective's Case. Set out clues all over the yard and have kids collect them. Then the kids have to figure out what the clues mean. You might have them find clues to making a pizza, building a scarecrow, or solving a puzzle.)

Keep it Dry: Give each player a small object that changes when it gets wet, such as a stone, cotton ball, or a marshmallow. Players must try to swim from one end of the pool to the other without getting their object wet. The swimmer with the driest object wins.

Butterfingers Ball: As one player jumps off the diving board or platform, another player stands in the shallow end (or on the side) and throws the ball to the jumper, who tries to catch the ball and hold it until he/she hits the water.

Crazy Olympics: Have a Crazy Olympics party and let the kids play silly games, such as the Backwards Crab Walk, Blind(folded) Leapfrog, Impossible Obstacle Course, Frisbee Golf, etc. Add a few ridiculous relay races for extra fun (pass the eggs, carry cotton on a spoon, one-legged race, and so on). The kids can also play Silly Sports. For example, they can golf with their feet instead of a golf club, or play baseball with a broom instead of a bat. They can even run the bases backwards.

Sack Race	Equipment Needed – One sack per participant. How to Play – The old standard…get in a sack and hop to the finish line. Variation – Put weights in the bottom of the sacks. Even more fun, put lots of weights in there without the people knowing. Ha, ha, ha…Mister Spiffy, you’re so mean.
Three-legged Race	Equipment Needed – Some short pieces of rope. How to Play – Divide up into teams of two.  Tie the right leg of one teammate to the left leg of the other teammate.  Now try to run the race.   Hopefully they’ll gradually get in sync and it won’t be quite as hard to make it there. Variation – Tie five people together and see what happens.  Keep moving the numbers up until you have all the kids on two teams, all tied together.
Egg Toss	Equipment Needed – One raw egg for each team. How to Play – Divide up into teams of two. Have them stand, facing each other, two or three feet apart. Pass out the eggs, one to each team. Have the player with the egg throw it to his teammate. After the toss, every team with an unbroken egg is still in the game. Have each team member take one giant step backwards (away from his teammate) and toss the egg again. Repeat this until only one team has an unbroken egg. Variation – You can also use water balloons, though it isn’t as funny when it breaks.
Tug of War	Equipment Needed – Strong, thick rope (not nylon, which can stretch and break). How to Play – Divide the group into two teams (try to make them even by total size, not necessarily by numbers). On the mark, each team tries to pull the other across a line – a small creek, mud hole, or the stream of water created by a hose. Variation – One branch of the family against the other, male against female, et cetera.
Red Light, Green Light	How to Play – Choose one person to be the stoplight. Everyone else is a car. The stoplight stands at the finish line with his or her back towards the starting line. Everyone else lines up. The stoplight calls, "Green light!" At this signal, everyone races towards the stoplight. The stoplight can shout "Red light" at any time, and then turn around quickly to see if he or she can catch any of the cars still moving. If the stoplight sees someone still moving, that person must go back to the starting line and start over. Whoever gets to and tags the stoplight first gets to be the stoplight for the next round. Variation – Have two stoplights standing up there. Then the cars have to watch both.
Red Rover	How to Play – Divide everyone into two large groups. Each group lines up, joining hands and facing the other group. One groups shouts in unison, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Johnny right over." Whoever’s name is called (in the place of ‘Johnny’) has to run towards the group and try to break through the line between two people by breaking their hand grips (or perhaps their arms). If he successfully breaks through, he can take one of the other team’s players back to his group. If he fails to break through, he must join the other team.
Capture the Flag	Ah, Capture the Flag. The old favorite, chock-full of wheezing, gasping old men and giggling flag-guards who have done absolutely nothing. Equipment Needed – A very large area in which to play, two rags that serve as flags, and a middle boundary. How to Play – A classic. Mister Spiffy’s second favorite running-around game when he was younger, just under Kick the Can. You break into two teams and set the sides. Both teams hide their flag. Then you break and go across the center, trying to steal the other team’s flag and make it back to your home area without getting tagged. If you get tagged, you’re caught and go to the other team’s prison. The only way to get out of prison is for someone on your team (who isn't also in prison) to touch you in jail.  Then you can run free (be careful, you can get recaptured if you get tagged on the opponent's side of the field again).  First team to get the other’s flag and bring it across the boundry line wins. Mister Spiffy’s friendly warning – this game can be hazardous to your health. Don’t run around any more than you can handle. If necessary, slump down in the dirt and play dead until you can breathe again.
Kick the Can	Kick the Can, Mister Spiffy’s favorite. The basis of a Twilight Zone episode, in which old people become young again through the playing of this very game. Memories… Equipment Needed – A can. How to Play – Kick the can. Ha, ha, no, really, here’s the instructions. One person is It. It tries to catch people, while protecting the precious can at the same time. If the can gets kicked over, all the captured people run free, and It has to put the can back in place before they can go and try to catch people again.   Game continues until It catches everyone, or collapses from exhaustion.
Hide and Seek	Equipment Needed – Absatively posolutely nothing. How to Play – Oh, please. Don’t tell me there’s anyone out there who doesn’t know how to play hide and seek. What is the world coming to? You pick an It, and everybody hides, and It goes to find ‘em. How hard can it possibly be? Variation – The game is called Sardines. Kind of a twisting backwards of hide and seek. You choose an It, as usual, but this time, It goes and hides. Everyone else goes to look. When someone finds It, they have to squeeze into the hiding place with them. Y’know, like sardines. The game ends when everyone is all squished in with It.
War Ball	Equipment Needed – As many soft rubber balls as you can possibly get your paws on. How to Play – To say it in the words of a young Mister Spiffy fan, "You take a bunch of balls, and you huck ‘em, and you hit people. Then they’re out and that means you’re good."  Basically, you divide into two teams, face each other, and play dodge ball against each other.  When someone gets hit, they go to prison in the back of the opponents.  Then they catch balls that come back there and try to hit the people of the other side. If they do, they’re free again. By the way, the balls can’t bounce before hitting someone – if they do, they’re dead and don’t do any damage. And if a person catches the ball, the one who threw it is out. Variation – Another version of this game is Medic. When you get hit, you sit where you were hit. Before the game you choose a Medic, who can walk around and touch the sitting people so they can get back up. Don’t let the other team know who your Medic is – if they do, they’ll kill him off real quick. The objective of the entire game – kill off the Medic!
Duck, Duck, Goose	Equipment Needed – People intelligent enough to sit in a circle. How to Play – Sit everyone in a circle and choose someone to be It. It walks around the circle, patting everyone on the head, saying "Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck…" et cetera. Finally they choose someone and say "Goose!" and promptly begin running. The chosen Goose stands up and chases after them. It has to run clear around the circle, then sit down in the Goose’s previous spot. If the Goose catches It, then It has to go through this pattern again. If not, the Goose becomes It, and they have to go through it. A prime example of a never-ending game.
Musical Chairs	Equipment Needed – One less chair than the number of people. How to Play – "Here at Spiffy World Airlines, we have designated seats – not musical chairs."  Ah, yes, musical chairs. Walk in a circle while music is playing in the background.  When the music stops at a random time, everyone sits.  Unfortunately, there are not enough chairs, and one person is left standing.  That one lonely person is forced to leave, for they are out.  And then, although there are now enough chairs for everyone, take one away.  Go through this pattern until one person is left.  As is understandable, that person is the winner.
Fruit Basket	Equipment Needed – People intelligent enough to stand in a circle. How to Play – Make a tight circle – no gaps. Each person chooses a fruit (a little help – strawberry, banana, watermelon, tomato [yes, it is a fruit], cherry, grape). Then It is in the middle. It calls out a fruit. Everyone who has chosen that fruit has to run to another area – an empty space left by a member of the same fruit group. It tries to get into one of those places, therefore leaving one different person in the middle to be It. One cannot move to the space directly beside them, nor can they stay in the same spot – if It doesn’t make it to an empty space, It has to do the whole thing over again, with another fruit.   Oh, the ghastly horrors!
Mummy Wrap	Equipment Needed – One roll of toilet paper for every 2 people How to Play – A fun game. Split into teams of two and give each team a roll of toilet paper. Games with toilet paper are always good. Then one person tries to turn the other into a mummy. Everything has to be covered except the eyes. First team done wins.
Hay is for Horses	Equipment Needed – A bale of hay or straw How to Play – Cut the twine and heap the bale into a random pile.   Sprinkle coins and small prizes all over in the straw (er, I mean, hay) and let the kids have at it. They’ll tear it apart by the time it’s done, and all you have to do is clean up some hay.  Mister Spiffy advises against playing this game indoors.
Fish Pond	Equipment Needed – Homemade fishing poles with clothes pins for hooks, a wall or divider to fish over, and a bunch of cheap little toys. How to Play – Give kids a fishing rod and throw the string over the barrier.   Have some of the older kids behind the barrier clipping the cheap little toys onto the end of the fishing line.  It's thrilling for the little kids, amuses the older kids, and is cheap for you.  Mister Spiffy says you can't ask for more.
Family Trivia	Equipment Needed – None How to Play – Find out odd facts about Grandpa Joe and Aunt Rose, then tell everyone and have them guess who it is.  The weirder the facts, the more far-out the trivia, the better the game!  "Did you know Grandma Gertrude can put her ankles behind her head? Yeah, she’s a contortionist!"
Board games	Equipment Needed – Any board game. How to Play – Read the instructions that come with the game.  There are board games for almost any age, and many which can be played by folks of all ages.   Here are a bunch of board games for all ages.
Scavenger Hunt	Equipment Needed – A list of things to hunt for (one copy per person or team) How to Play – Give people or groups a list of things to hunt for, and the first one done wins.  The common version is to have everyone find strange things (tennis ball, piece of string, coconut...) and bring them back. Variations – There are a million variations to this.  Here are just a few... Cleanup hunt - This version is especially good near the end of the reunion.  Give everyone a list of different types of trash (Dr. Pepper can, napkin, plastic fork, watermelon rind, etc), or just see who can pick up the most pieces of trash.  No digging in the trash can allowed.  They have to find them on the ground. Service scavenger hunt - Give them a list of things to do: vacuum one room, read a book to a small child, wash a window, etc.   You can even have them do each of these things at a different neighbor's home, and the neighbor has to initial the item as proof. Family hunt - Give them a list of personal characteristics, and have them find family members who match (for example, green eyes, no hair, same color eyes, born the same year).  Mister Spiffy suggests tossing in a couple of easy ones like same number of arms, born after 1850, etc.

FAMILY LINEUP: Put enough family members together, and odds are you'll have representatives of every astrological sign, every political party affiliation and a handful of hometowns. In the game Family Lineup, the aim is to get your team (of eight or more players) lined up according to a single distinguishing characteristic that's called out by an emcee: birth order, age, height, distance traveled to the reunion, alphabetical state of origin and so on. The first team to get lined up yells out its order and wins. For a more challenging variation, ask the teams to figure out their order without speaking.

FAMILY SCAVENGER HUNT: In this twist on an old favorite, the search isn't for items, but for family information. It's particularly suited to kids, who have an innate gift for asking endless questions. Before the reunion, gather clan lore and trivia from your extended family members. Then type up a list of questions (questions can pertain to reunion day happenings too). Here are a few examples.

• How did Grandpa propose to Grandma?

• Which relative traveled to this country by boat?

• Who traveled the farthest to be here today?

• Who has the worst sunburn?

• Which relative has the most children, and what are their middle names?

• Who has the reddest hair? The loudest laugh? The biggest feet?

Let players pursue their questions in teams throughout the day--then trade their completed questionnaires for a prize.

How do you keep in touch with all those nutty relatives when you're no longer together? You could set up a family Web site, start a family charity or arrange family members into pen pal teams. This reunion memento, however, lets you spend the entire next year with your relatives (figuratively, of course). It's a family scrapbook calendar.

To make the calendar, first craft a grid of days for each of the upcoming 12 months (you can do this by hand or by computer or use an inexpensive store-bought calendar). Then gather important family dates and mark them on the grid with words, symbols or pictures. For example, if Uncle Pete's birthday is on June 4th, you may want to take that childhood photo he brought to the reunion and shrink it down on a color copier, then paste it on.

Next, gather visual memories of the reunion: pictures from the dinner table cameras, formal shots, an artistic square of the paper tablecloth or quotes and jokes from the weekend. Choose 12 of these (or more, if you want a montage) and create a facing page for each month. The last page should be an updated list of family names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Copy the scrapbook at a copy center, then have them bind it (for ease of use, we recommend a spiral binding). Send a finished copy to each reunion guest, and we guarantee they'll be counting the days until the next big gathering.

Traditional games like croquet
provide a fun ice breaker.

• For a large reunion, you can give every player a card. When players play a game, their card will be stamped. Cards can be redeemed for prizes at a prize booth.
• To mark starting and finish lines for games on a lawn, use cornstarch or baking soda.

Pin a Branch on the Family Tree

The whole family, from preschoolers to seniors, will enjoy this spin on the popular Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Give an extra twirl to the biggest kids and see who can restore the missing branch to a friendly family tree.

Ages: All

• Draw a picture of a large, leafy tree, leaving one branch unfinished. If you are photocopying a picture, copy the tree, cut out a branch, and copy the tree again.
• You can make a cheerful face on the tree or add photocopies of family members in the branches.
• Draw or copy a branch, cut it out, and make copies for playing pieces. Use double-sided tape on the end of the branches instead of pins. A bandana or scarf can serve as a blindfold.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Draw your tree picture and branches.
• Cut out the branches.
• Buy double-sided tape.
• Find a bandana or scarf for a blindfold.
• Provide a pen.

Share-A-Pair Race

Here's a togetherness-promoting variation on a three-legged race. Instead of tying your leg to your teammate's, a team of two "shares" a pair of pantyhose or sweatpants. Ideally, partners should be about the same height, but mismatched pairs make the race more challenging.

Ages: 6 and up

• Every team is given a pair of pantyhose or sweatpants (cut off the toes of the pantyhose).
• Each player places one leg into a leg of the hose or sweatpants so that the team is "sharing" the garment.
• Team members put their arms around each other's shoulders to race.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Buy pantyhose and cut off the toes.
• To use sweatpants, you can start collecting early or go to Goodwill.

Humpty-Dumpty Race

All the king's horses, all the king's men, and all of your family will want to play this spoon race game. Place a plastic egg filled with water (or a water balloon) on a spoon and see who can make it to the finish without dumping Humpty.

Ages: 4 and up

• Give players a spoon and a plastic egg filled with water, or a small water balloon.
• The player who reaches the finish line without dropping their egg wins.

Plan-Ahead Tip:

• Buy plastic spoons, and plastic eggs or water balloons.

Jingle Sack Races

For folks who would rather hop than stand still, this is a sack race that rings true. Fidgety kids and grown-ups can pop into a burlap sack, put on a wrist bell, and jingle-jangle their way to the finish line.

Ages: 4 and up

• Give each player one or two wrist bells (these are bells attached to a bracelet) and a burlap sack.
• Players stand in the sack and, holding onto the sides of the sack, try to hop to the finish line, jingling all the way.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Buy sacks and bells.
• Keep the sacks away from small children.
• Burlap sacks are available at sporting goods stores and the online retailer eSportsOnline. (They call them potato sacks.)

Wheelbarrow Switch Race

Find a favorite cousin or grab a willing sibling to team up for hands-on fun. Just as in a classic wheelbarrow race, one player is the wheelbarrow and "walks" on her hands. Her partner holds her feet and "pushes" the wheelbarrow as they careen to the finish. In this version, partners race to a line, switch positions, and race back.

Ages: 6 and up

Chin-to-Chin Pass

Look, Ma, no hands! In this game, the chin is the thing. Fruit, rubber balls, or water balloons are passed from chin to chin, down the line to the last player. The first team to pass the fruit without dropping it wins.

Ages: 6 and up

• Teams consist of 5 to 10 players.
• Each team forms a line and is given a piece of fruit, like an apple or an orange.
• The first player places the fruit under his chin and bends his head to keep the fruit in place.
• The second player must use her chin (no hands allowed!) to take the fruit from the first player.
• Players pass the fruit from chin to chin until it reaches the last player, who holds the fruit in the air to signal the team is done.
• You can use a basket of fruit per team to make the game more challenging.

Plan-Ahead Tip:

• Buy fruit, balls, or water balloons to pass.

Look-Over-Your-Shoulder Obstacle Course

Sometimes the best way to get ahead is to put your best foot backwards. Giggles are guaranteed as players walk backwards from obstacle to obstacle while stopping to climb over, under, or around objects or pausing to recite the alphabet from Z to A.

Ages: 6 and up

• Players go through an obstacle course walking backwards.
• Obstacles can be assembled from old tires, children's play tunnels, chairs, mattresses, swing sets, boxes, and whatever is handy.
• Have spotters at each obstacle for safety.
• Make a basic course more challenging by mixing in activities like reciting tongue twisters or putting on and off layers of hats and coats.
• You can create an obstacle course of less physically demanding activities if space is scarce.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Design your course. Determine how much space you have and decide which mix of obstacles will fit the area. Try to alternate physical obstacles with tasks. Set up a sample course and run through it once to be sure it will work.
• Assemble the necessary obstacles and set up the course.

Hit Parade Charades

Sounds like ... a little family heritage and a lot of fun. Players try to guess the titles to hit songs as a team member acts them out in charades. If Mom and Dad met at the disco, greatest hits of the '70s would be a perfect category for clues.

Ages: 8 and up

• Played like traditional charades using favorite song titles for clues. Share a little family history and choose tunes from the decade that Grandma and Grandpa were born in or the year Mom and Dad married.
• Write the titles on craft sticks.
• Place the sticks in an empty coffee can.
• Review the classic charades signals so clues will be understood.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• You can ask family members to send in song titles or choose them yourself.
• Buy craft sticks.
• Write the titles on the craft sticks.
• Set aside an empty coffee can for the clues.

Smiley Face Beanbag Toss

You'll be grinning from ear to ear as you toss beanbags at the ever-smiling faces on the cardboard target. Each player has five chances to toss a beanbag through the semicircular smiles.

Ages: All

• A discarded refrigerator box is ideal for creating a target, but any large cardboard box will do.
• On one side of the box, draw or paint five yellow circles with black outlines.
• Draw a smile and two eyes in each circle; the smiles should look like semicircles.
• Cut out the semicircles, making sure that they are larger than the beanbags. Make openings of varying sizes and at various heights.
• Players try to toss beanbags through the smiles. Each player receives five beanbags.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Ask an appliance store near you for refrigerator boxes or check with a local moving company.
• Make your target by painting the box or drawing on it with markers.
• Buy or make beanbags. Party goods stores, toy stores, and the online retailer U.S. Toy are places to look for beanbags.

• US Toy

Pop Bottle Ring Toss

Eat, drink, recycle, and play; fling rings around an empty pop bottle filled with sand or water. Let players choose a comfortable distance to throw from.

Ages: All

• Fill empty soda bottles with sand or water. Place the soda bottles far enough apart so that the rings will fit over the bottles when flung. For a pretty effect, use layers of colored sand.
• You can buy rings or make them from paper plates by cutting a circle out of the middle of the plate and leaving the rim.
• Players stand behind a line and try to toss the rings onto the bottles. Each player is given five rings, and the player who gets the most rings around the bottles wins.
• You can make the game more challenging with different sizes of bottles.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Collect empty soda bottles.
• Fill with water or sand.
• Buy rings or paper plates to make rings. Look in toy stores and at the online retailer US Toy for tossing rings.
• Find colored sand in craft stores

Musical Hats and Wigs

Keep your head covered to win this goofy variation on musical chairs. March around an odd assortment of hats and wigs until the music stops, then grab some headgear and put it on. No wacky wig or hat? You're out!

Ages: 4 and up

• Supply an assortment of silly hats and wigs. Arrange a group of chairs in a circle and place a hat or wig on each chair.
• You will need one less wig or hat than the number of players. Provide a tape of children's music and a tape player.
• Players march around the chairs as the song plays. When the game master stops the tape, players should each grab a wig or hat and put it on.
• The person who is left bareheaded is out of the game. Remove one wig or hat and begin the tape again. Continue until one player is left.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Collect old wigs or hats or buy inexpensive silly ones from costume shops or the online retailer US Toy.
• Assemble enough chairs to make a circle -- about one chair per person to start.
• Supply a children's music tape and a tape player.

Dress-Up Relay

Dress for success, then take it all off in this zany relay race. Teams compete to see who can take turns putting on old clothes, racing to their teammate, and removing layers while the next player piles them on. Take lots of funny photos as players dress and run.

Ages: 6 and up

• At the starting line, place two large boxes with old clothes.
• The first player puts on all the clothes in the box and races to the next player.
• The first player then removes the clothes and the second player puts them on and races to the third player.
• The last player has to run back to the start, remove the clothes and put them in the box.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Gather up old clothes; you can ask your family for donations.
• Find two boxes.

Activities

Uncle Bob Says

Touch your toes -- but only when Uncle Bob says or you'll be out. Find the fastest talker in the family and put that motormouth to good use. Let Uncle Bob (or any volunteer) lead the clan in this personalized version of Simon Says.

Ages: 6 and up

• Appoint fast-talking Uncle Bob (or whoever volunteers) as emcee.
• Have Uncle Bob issue simple instructions, prefacing each instruction with "Uncle Bob says ...," such as, "Uncle Bob says to touch your nose."
• Every so often Uncle Bob omits the opening phrase (he might say "Touch your toes").
• Players are only supposed to respond to commands that begin with "Uncle Bob says ..."
• Those who obey the other commands are out.
• The last player left wins the game.
• The faster Uncle Bob talks, the more challenging the game.

Plan-Ahead Tip:

• Ask for volunteers to be the emcee or select the fastest talker.

Scavenger Hunt

There won't be any skeletons in the closet, but you may learn a little family history as you search for the items on your list. Hunt for objects, answer family trivia questions, and win the game by crossing the most tasks off your list. Half the fun is redefining the clues; a blue shoe can be Cousin Jill's sneaker, a doll shoe, or an ad from a magazine.

Ages: 8 and up

• Teams receive lists and check off as many items on the list as they can find. You can make lists of objects to collect and/or lists of questions to answer.
• The team that checks off the most items wins.
• There is a reasonable amount of interpretation allowed so if the list says "find a green leaf," that could mean a literal leaf, a leaf of a book, or a picture of a leaf on a box or can.
• Lists of questions are great ways for families to learn more about each other. Sample questions: Who is the youngest person at the reunion? Who fought in France and was awarded a silver medal in WWII? How many relatives are named Charlie?
• When teams are seeking objects, they must remember to ask before borrowing and to return all borrowed items.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Make lists of objects or questions.
• Divide the group into teams.

Treasure Hunt

You don't have to be a pirate to appreciate a good treasure hunt. Deciphering clues and following a treasure map are almost as much fun as finding the loot. Fill a "chest" with chocolate coins or tiny toys for all to share.

Ages: 8 and up

• Teams follow a map and/or clues to find the treasure.
• The host maps out the route and devises the clues.
• To design a hunt, begin by deciding where the loot will be hidden and plan your path from there to the starting point.
• Decide where to plant clues and use clear clues that everyone will understand. Clues can be in rebus form, inside plastic eggs, or in code.
• The treasure should be something that the victors can share, like treats, or gag prizes, like silly hats.
• Start your hunt by reading the first clue aloud so that everyone begins hunting at the same time.

Plan-Ahead Tips:

• Purchase the treasure (online retailer U.S. Toy has a few kinds of treasure chests and novelties to fill them with).
• Map out the hunt and make up the clues.
• Hide the treasure and plant clues.

Regular Games:

THE SIGN-IN TABLE: On a central table, set out markers and name tags, brochures from local attractions, a reunion guest book or poster and a schedule of events. Remember, keep your schedule loose—people will need time to meander around and reunite at their individual paces.

THE VOLUNTEER TEAM: Sharing the work on reunion day is one of the best ways to get relatives together. You can have folks sign up for chores the day of the event or organize them beforehand.

THE PHOTO GALLERY: Ask guests to send in a specific type of photo--baby pictures, yearbook shots or bad hair days, for example. Arrange the photos on a poster and let each guest guess who's who.

THE ART CONTEST: Invite the kids to draw Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Louie and so on. String a clothesline and hang each masterpiece for all to see.

THE FAMILY FLAG: Set up a craft table with squares of white fabric and fabric paint. Ask each family to make a square that represents them, then glue the squares onto a backing cloth.

HEIRLOOM SHOW & TELL: Have everyone bring in a family object (clothing, a book, a work tool, a knickknack) with a history. Display the items and, later, make time for a storytelling session.

FAMILY LINEUP: Put enough family members together, and odds are you'll have representatives of every astrological sign, every political party affiliation and a handful of hometowns. In the game Family Lineup, the aim is to get your team (of eight or more players) lined up according to a single distinguishing characteristic that's called out by an emcee: birth order, age, height, distance traveled to the reunion, alphabetical state of origin and so on. The first team to get lined up yells out its order and wins. For a more challenging variation, ask the teams to figure out their order without speaking.

FAMILY SCAVENGER HUNT: In this twist on an old favorite, the search isn't for items, but for family information. It's particularly suited to kids, who have an innate gift for asking endless questions. Before the reunion, gather clan lore and trivia from your extended family members. Then type up a list of questions (questions can pertain to reunion day happenings too). Here are a few examples.

How did Grandpa propose to Grandma?

Which relative traveled to this country by boat?

Who traveled the farthest to be here today?

Who has the worst sunburn?

Which relative has the most children, and what are their middle names?

Who has the reddest hair? The loudest laugh? The biggest feet?

Let players pursue their questions in teams throughout the day—then trade their completed questionnaires for a prize.

Dinner Table Games & Ideas:

Place disposable cameras at each table for candid reunion snapshots.

Use rolls of plain white butcher paper for tablecloths and set out cups of crayons.

Place cards with family trivia questions on the table as conversation starters.

For one meal at least, organize a true mixer. Have everyone draw a number out of a hat and set corresponding numbers beneath the plates.

Hammer & Nail Relay

Contributed by C. Parker

Supplies:  6 foot long 2x6 board, 3 sawhorses, 15 3" nails, 3 hammers

The board is placed on sawhorses for a stable hammering surface. This game is planned for 3 lines of 5 people each.  Points can be awarded for first, second, and third place. 

• 5 nails are started in the wood at 2" intervals in front of each group of people.
• The hammers are placed on the board beside each respective group of nails.
• When the go is given, the first person in each line runs to the board and hammers one nail all the way into the board.
• Once the nail is all the way down the person leaves the hammer by the nails and runs back and tags the next person in line and so the relay goes.
• The winning group is the one that has all five nails hammered in completely.

Wash Day

Contributed by C. Parker

Supplies for each team:  

• 6 feet of clothes line,
• 15-20 Clothes pins
• 10 pieces of laundry
• tub of water

I had five people on each team.  

• 2 holding the clothes line
• 1 to wring out the clothes
• 1 to hang and pin the clothes
• 1 as a helper between the wringer and hanger

I saved up our clothes damaged clothes that normally go to the trash or rag bag.  The object of the game is to get as many clothes hung on the clothes line in 60 seconds.  The clothes line holders hold the line tight to keep the wet clothes off the ground.  The helper is between the wringer and the hanger about 5' away from each.  The wringer of course wrings out the wet clothes one at a time (most don't do much wringer, but the spirit is there) and tosses them to the helper who then tosses it to the hanger.  The hanger uses the clothes pins (at least one per article) to hang the clothes on the line (this usually doesn't look pretty).  This continues until the time is up or all the clothes are on the line.  Now if the hanger is slow at hanging up the clothes the helper will be catching and holding clothes.  The clothes are not allowed to touch the ground.  If they do, they go back to the wash tub.  I award points for first, second and third place and I give 5 pts for each piece of clothing on the line.  It doesn't count if there is no clothes pin holding the wash to the line.

This of course is nice for a warm summer reunion.

Name That Baby

Contributed by C. Parker

Supplies:  12-15 Baby Pictures, Formcore Board, Velcro Dots

I color copy the baby pictures (baby to toddler age) and glue  the copies to formcore board.  (You could also scan the photos into the computer and print out the photos you need) I then put a dot of velcro under each one.  Names of the children are printed on individual pieces of formcore or cardboard with the other half of the velcro dot on the back. 

The object of the game is to see which team can match the most names to the correct baby in the alotted amount of time.  I usually give them 60-90 seconds. This can be done individually or as teams.  I have three teams and make three identical boards.

Family Reunion Bingo

This is the perfect game to play at family reunions. It breaks the ice and has everyone learning facts and information about other family members. We have transformed the fun of bingo into an interactive game that can be played by all ages.

Side by Side

Side by Side Networking is an ideal game to get people talking to one another and moving around. Everyone has to ask inquisitive questions to identify their assigned character and then find their match.

Reporter's Assignment

This is role playing game where everyone becomes a reporter with the assignment to uncover personal similarities with others in a group. It's your fun interactive ice-breaker and relationship builder.

Treasure Hunt

Togetherness is the treasure of this reunion theme. The fun games and activities will encourage bonding in groups both large and small.

X Marks the Spot

Create a theme of grand adventure at the Smith Family Reunion Treasure Hunt. Hide "treasure" and plant fun clues to lead your guests to the bounty. Families can play as a team, or give guests a chance to mingle by assigning teams. Children and adults can learn about family history, and each other, while searching for the family "treasure." Use real-life family stories (by polling your relatives before the big event) for clues; you can also invent puzzling clues to tell the tale. Half the fun is the hunt, and the other half is discovering a treasure chest bursting with "gold" coins and "jewels."

Gold foil-covered chocolate coins and inexpensive carnival trinkets make terrific "treasure," or fill the chest with popcorn for a tasty surprise. When you're not deciphering the clever clues to the loot, celebrate your heritage with flags, folk songs, and family recipes.