Our Favorite Games!
Paper Bag Game
Objective: Pick up a paper bag with your mouth, balancing on one leg on the floor.
You will need a brown paper bag and a pair of scissors
Sit in a circle around the bag. Place the bag open side up in the middle. Each person gets a chance to pick up the bag with their mouth. Hands cannot be used for helping pick up the bag and they may not touch the floor. You must balance on only one foot; the other foot can be either in the air or on top of the other foot but it may not touch the floor. Each player gets three chances to pick up the bag. After each round, cut ½ inch from the top of the bag and begin the next round. The shorter the bag gets the harder the game becomes.
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An example of how much we cut from the bag before we had a winner. |
Spoons
Objective: Get four of a kind and grab a spoon!
You will need a deck of cards, spoons (You’ll need to have one less spoon than the number of people playing in the game)
Everyone sits in a circle. The spoons should be in the middle of the circle. Deal out four cards to all of the players and put the remaining cards in a pile next to you. Have everyone look at their cards.
Everyone’s goal is to get four of a kind (e.g. four Kings, four 5’s, four Aces). If a person gets four of a kind, that person can take a spoon. Once someone sees that another person takes spoon, they can take a spoon too. The last person who is left without a spoon loses the game. Each player can only have four cards in hand at all times.
The person that dealt the cards begins the game by picking up one card from the pile next to them. Take a quick look at the card and then either keep the card or pass it to the person to the left of you. If you decide to keep the card, you have to exchange it with a card that is already in your hand and pass your discarded card to the next person.
The person to your left picks up your discarded card, takes a glance at it, and decides whether to keep the card or to pass it on. Once the person discards their card, the third person does the same thing as the previous players. This happens throughout the circle until someone has four of a kind and grabs a spoon. Once a player grabs a spoon, everyone else needs to grab a spoon and avoid being the last person without the spoon. The person without the spoon loses the game.
To play multiple rounds: If a person loses the game, they will have an “S” and remain in the game. Similar to the game of “Horse”, if a person loses a second time, they can have a “P”, until they spell out the word “SPOON”. Once a person loses five times, that person is out of the game. The last person remaining wins the game.
Name That Tune Game
We love to play “Name That Tune”! We used to play with someone playing the piano but now that everyone has cell phones and IPods playing the name “That Song” game is super easy. With all the great technology available we play the “Name That Song” game on the spur of the moment when we are stuck in the car, waiting in a line or any time we are bored. As a game for your family reunion, a little advance preparation is important. The important thing is to choose a wide variety of songs so that everyone can participate. At a family reunion you need to have songs from the last five decades as well as Disney songs, Elvis, Beach Boys, Beatles, movie, TV series songs and children’s music. If you want to make elementary age girls scream with excitement add a Hannah Montana or Taylor Swift song to your game. Throw in a top ten tune from Grandma and Grandpa’s teenage years. The number one secret to having a fun and successful game is VARIETY! To get you thinking here are a few suggestions for your game:
| Children’s You Are My Sunshine Happy Birthday | 60’s Respect I heard it on the Grape Vine |
| Movie Rocky Theme (Eye of the Tiger) Over the Rainbow | 70’s Stairway to Heaven American Pie |
| TV’s Andy Griffith Theme Song The Addams Family Theme | 80’s Livin’ on a Prayer Billie Jean |
| 50’s Hound Dog I Walk the Line | Beatles With A Little Help From My Friends Yellow Submarine |
Divide your audience up in to two teams. Give the first team a chance to answer. If they get it wrong, give the second a chance to steal. Each song earns the team 1 point. The team at the end with the most amount of points.
This game can be played with points awarded by team or individuals. Begin by playing a few seconds of a song. The first person to yell out the song title earns a point. To make the game more challenging, award a point for the song artist. I like this game because everyone can just sit around and relax while playing.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Game
Arrange chairs in a circle or semi-circle. Each seat is assigned a name or number, starting with Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, one, two, three, etc. The first person or leader, is Mathew, sitting next to him is Mark, then Luke then John and the rest of the people in the circle number off beginning with number one.
Practice a 4- beat pattern by patting your legs two times, clapping your hands one time then snapping one time. Repeat patch, patch, clap, snap over an over without varying the speed of the beat.
"Matthew" always starts. On the fourth count (finger snap), he calls the name/number of another position. That person must then call out the name/number of another's position on the following fourth count (finger snap). If someone misses the rhythm, calls their own name or number, etc., they go to the last position, and the game starts over.- beginning again with Matthew.
Object of the game is to work your way up to become Matthew, and stay in that position as long as possible.
NOTE: When I play this game with my school classes, I use the names of musical instruments or composers instead of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. You could use ancestor names or home countries or things that go along with the theme you are using at your family reunion.
Balloon Stomp Game
I have three younger brothers and they love this game, it’s become a family reunion and party favorite!
Give each person a piece of string 18" long. Tie one end to your ankle and the other to a balloon.
To start the game, begin playing some upbeat music. While the music plays, people walk around the room or assigned area. When the music stops, it becomes mass craziness as everyone tries to burst everyone else’s balloon and protect their own. When music starts again the players left with a balloon continue walking around the area. Continue stopping and starting the music until you have a winner. The winner is the last person left with a balloon.
Annie I Over
For years, we played this game at my parent’s house on Highland Blvd. Their house was one level and was just the perfect size and shape for a fun game of Annie I Over.
Divide the players into two teams. One team will go to one side of the house and the second team to the other side.
Team number one yells out "Annie I Over!" and throws the ball over the house to the team on the other side.
Team two tries to catch the ball as the ball comes over the house.
If the other team catches it, they run around the house and try to tag members of the "throwing" team. If you get tagged, then you're on the other team.
The object of the game is to get everyone on your team.
Cat & Mouse Table Game
Seat players around a table or in a circle on the floor. You will need a cork and string and a 5 or 6 inch funnel. Give each player a cork with a 2-foot string tied securely to it- these are the mice. The cat is a funnel. The mice take turns rolling two dice. Anytime the dice add up to any combination of the number seven, the cat slams down the funnel while the mice jerk away their corks. Any player whose cork is trapped under the funnel is eliminated and the last remaining “mouse” is the winner.
NOTE: This game can get a little wild- notice the duct tape on our funnel.
