How to Plan a Family Reunion
Planning a family reunion is hard work! It usually takes a lot of coordination and communication to find a date and place for most everyone to be free and want to visit. But having a family reunion is important and not just because they bring family members together. They give family members the opportunity to really get to know one another and connect or reconnect. It also provides them a chance to make memories that will last a lifetime. There are many benefits to family reunions. They can help turn those stressful holidays into celebrations to look forward to, especially when you get to visit with family members you are better familiar with. They are also great way to preserve memories. Favorite family recipes can be passed down, strong bonds are created and it give people a deep sense of belonging. If you are looking to plan a family reunion, just follow these simple rules.
Embrace technology. Technology has afforded us the ability to connect and find one another far more easily. Get on Facebook and create a group for all your family members. Encourage other family members to invite other family members who you may not have connected with yet. This is a great way to get everyone’s input as well as enlisting some people to help. This is also a great way to post ideas for places to host the reunion and dates. You can’t make everyone happy but you can put up a vote and the most votes win!
Plan fun activities like outdoor lawn games. Whether that is doing excursions or something simple, make sure your activities is something that most people can enjoy. They can even be as simple as playing a backyard game. If you are looking to bring something unique games instead of cornhole or ladder ball, bring a new game called Rollors. It combines horse shoes and bocce ball and the rules are easy enough to follow that every one of all ages can enjoy. It is also a compact game, making it easy enough to pack and put away.
Delegate tasks. Giving family members tasks is a great way at keeping people excited and getting their input. Whether that is looking for good restaurants that can accommodate large groups or things to sight see, remember that planning a reunion is not something you have to do on your own. Create a time line when tasks should be finished and follow up.
Schedule a meeting a month before the event. This way you can make sure that everyone is on task and you can iron out any other details. Remember to keep the lines of communication open and that everyone else is on the same page. You can also talk about fun add-ons to reunions such as getting everyone a t-shirt as a souvenir or hiring a photographer to make sure this special moment is captured.
Keep the fun going! After the reunion, make sure you follow up with everyone with pictures, stories and news items from the reunion. This is a great way to keep people excited about the next reunion while including other family members who couldn’t attend included.