All Ages Welcome: The Best Activities for the Whole Family

We recently went to my family’s reunion in Branson, Missouri. I am very much a planner and everyone in my family knows that. So I was given the task of coming up with family activities we all could do. There are about 30 people in my extended family ranging from age 1 year to 63. It was important to us to have activities that would include everyone (or mostly everyone. The babies didn’t really feel left out). Here are some of the ideas we came up with. They are interactive, fun, and had everyone laughing. Even though we did these with such a big group, they can for sure be scaled to just the family unit.

1. Phrases

This game was probably the number one hit. We played it throughout the week so it is a great game for everyone if you are going on a weeklong vacation or even a day trip all together. Before the week started, I came up with a list of random phrases that would be hard to work into regular conversation. I texted three phrases to everyone. Their job was to work those phrases into conversation without getting caught. The more you did it, the more points you got. And at the end of the week the loser bought the winner ice cream. There doesn’t have to be a prize, but it is always fun when there is ice cream at stake. The rules were that you had to say the exact phrase, it couldn’t be altered in the slightest. It had to be audible for at least one person to hear. And it only counted if you said it to someone else who was actually playing the game. Because I knew everyone’s phrases, I was not able to call anyone out. But I was able to earn points for using my own! You can make up your own rules for how to handle calling someone out. We played that if you call someone out and you were wrong, you lost a point. Unfortunately this method discourages people from ever calling anyone out. So it was suggested that next year, you get to add the amount of points that person had to your own score. So for example, if Bobby had 5 points and I called him out correctly, Bobby still gets to keep his 5 points but I also get 5 added to my score. When you call someone out correctly, their phrase is dead and they can no longer earn points from it. If you are interested in playing this game, I have attached a free printable of phrases. But it is also fun to write your own and make them crazy!

2. Blindfold Number Run

This game is pretty simple and doesn’t require much set up. Each person gets assigned a number. One person is blindfolded in the middle and the rest are sitting around the room in somewhat of a circle. The person in the middle calls out 3 numbers and the people with those numbers must get up and switch seats without being tagged. Another version of this game is played with a phone and the person in the middle has 10 seconds to snap pictures as people sneak around the room to a designated location. If they get caught in the picture, they are out.

3. Cheese Head

This game can get messy so it is best played outside. You will need:

• Cheap plastic shower caps (i got a pack of 20 at Walmart for $2)
• Shaving cream (the foam kind)
• Cheese balls

This game is divided up into partners. After everyone picks a partner, one person will be selected to wear the shower cap and the other will be the thrower. The shower cap will be loaded on top with foamy shaving cream and the object is to get the most cheeseballs stuck on their partner’s head. You can either do a time limit, or, if you have a limited number of cheeseballs, just give each team ~15 cheese balls.

4. Bottle Waddle

This game took some tinkering to get right. At first we were using balloons but the grass was so pokey that when someone lost their balloon, it popped. If you are playing inside, balloons would be an excellent option. If you are playing outside and people don’t mind getting wet, water balloons could be fun too! However, we opted for plastic water bottles. Divide into two teams. Each team has a water bottle. One person will pinch the water bottle between their legs (knees or above). They must run (waddle) to a certain point and back, tagging their teammate, and transfer the water bottle. You may use your hands for the transfer, but no adjusting the water bottle during the race. The first team to get all of their members back to the start line wins. Rules:

• You can’t use your hands, except for the transfer.
• You have to tag your partner and they must have the water bottle between their legs before they start moving.
• You cannot adjust the bottle during the race to keep it from falling.
• If it falls, you must run back to the start line, replace the bottle, and try again.

5. Oreo Face

This one is a classic. And very simple to explain (a must for any event with kids). You get one oreo. If you are doing this with young kids, explain it should not be eaten yet BEFORE passing out the oreos. Or it will get eaten.

Place the oreo on your forehead. Using only your face muscles, squint a move those muscles to get the oreo down your face and into your mouth. If the oreo falls, you must replace it on your forehead and try again.

6. Human Knot

This one is a little harder with super young kids, but we found that ages 4 and up did okay! Everyone stands in a circle and places their right hand in the middle and grabs someone else’s hand. It cannot be the person next to them on either side. Then place your left hand in and grab a hand. It cannot be a person on either side, nor can it be the same person’s hand that you are holding with your right. Then, maneuver, climb, spin, and twist until you get unknotted. You may not release hands, but you may alter your grip if your wrist is twisted. This game had family members laughing, crying (the good kind), and peeing themselves. Hopefully your family avoids the latter.

7. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and SHOES

Everyone lines up with a partner, although this partner is their opponent, not their teammate. Have the partnership face each other with one shoe in between them. The announcer will call out head, shoulders, and knees randomly, but when the announcer says SHOES, the duo will race to see who can grab the shoe the fastest. Whoever did not end up with a shoe is eliminated and the winner will face another winner from a different duo until you are left with your ultimate shoe champion. Disclaimer: Issue a warning to participants not to dive in with their heads as they may smack foreheads with their opponents.

8. Water Pants

This is another outdoor game, and one that involves water. We love to use these reusable water balloons because they don’t have exposed magnets, don’t hurt as much, and aren’t a mess to clean up. But any water balloons will do! We bought a pair of cheap XXL scrub pants from a thrift store for $3 a pair and had two teams. One person from each team would wear the pants and hold the waistband out wide. Their teammates would attempt to throw the water balloons into their team’s pants. Whoever got the most in wins. You could either do a set amount of water balloons, or who can do the most in a certain time limit.

Of course there are other classics, like jackbox games, kickball, baseball, soccer, Pig, and other sports. But hopefully this gave you some new ideas to get out of routine and have a different kind of fun!