August is a popular month for family reunions.   Good weather, outdoor activities and BBQs are all thats needed for an informal family reunion. Planning your family reunion and need some help?

Have a BBQ at a local park. This could be done by having everyone bring their own grilling items (hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken) and a covered dish to share, making it a Potluck meal or having it catered (you could take up a collection from attendees to cover costs).

If your the outdoorsy type of family – make it a weekend and go camping! Just be sure you choose a campsite that is kid friendly and everyone knows what to expect of the surroundings.  Many camp grounds now offer pools or a lake for swimming, tennis and/or basketball courts, biking opportunites and boating/paddle boats. Fun for everyone!

Just about any theme party can be made into a family fun time for all! Luau, Wild West, Mardi Gras or Winter Wonderland can all add great memories to any reunion. These themed events can take place outdoors, as well as indoors.

If the family reunion will be a small gathering, one person can usually do the planning. but, for large familes and get togethers, get some help and delegate! No need to stress yourself out planning for everyone, its your reunion too.

Also, if it’s a big gathering and/or if folks haven’t seen one another in a long time, name tags will save lots of awkwardness — and they will make it easier for people to meet, talk and have fun!

For long get-togethers, ensure there’s time for folks to separate. Everyone will enjoy the day more if they can escape the crowd for awhile and do their own thing… so schedule some free time for everyone during the reunion. Remember that people of various ages will be refreshed by different activities – naps, watching TV, taking a walk, doing puzzles or playing cards – so include resources for all the options!

Ask family members to bring their photo albums to your Reunion. Pass them around. Prepare a slideshow or video beforehand that you can show after dinner. Piece photos together in chronological order.

Be sure someone is on hand for the “official” photos, to go along with everyone’s personal ones they will take throughout the day. Be sure to get special pictures taken of everyone at the family reunion and try to get as many generations as possible in some photos too.

Have everyone bring a wrapped gift (a white elephant). Make sure you set a price limit on the gift (under $3 for example). Then during the reunion have someone blow a whistle which means everyone has to find someone to trade gifts with. Do this several times during the day, until everyone has a white elephant of totally unknown origins. Then they get to take it home. How fun, eh? If you want, you can limit this to the kids.

The family who laughs together, stays together. So what if its your singing they are laughing at! Have someone bring their karaoke machine from home or rent one at a local rental store.

Play games! Ring Toss, Beanbag Toss, Backwards Obstacle Course, Softball, Flag football. If you have the time and the resources, plan a scavenger hunt! Tons of fun!

See more Family Reunion Planning Ideas