Family reunions offer an excellent opportunity for families to grow closer. Games, bonding activities and nighttime activities can add an additional layer of fun to your next family reunion.

How to Add Life to Your Next Outdoor Family Reunion

Is your family one of the 50% of families that hold annual or biannual family reunions? Are you on the family reunion planning committee this year? If so, Chartwell Gardens would like to give you some ideas to make your outdoor New Jersey family reunion spectacular.

Family Reunion Games

An NJ family reunion is a fantastic way to spend time with relatives without feeling stressed. It does require you to plan activities and choose games that are fun and, at the same time, require little to no setup. Here are a few of our favorites.

  1. Giant Feet Game. This team game involves several family members walking synchronously while standing on a wooden board. All you need is wooden planks and some rope for a game that will have your family laughing and creating lifelong memories.
  1. Tug-of-War. This is a classic NJ family reunion game. It is goofy, requires teamwork, builds bonds of friendship and leaves everybody laughing. The game is perfect for every age. The only equipment required is a rope.
  1. Circle Foot Game. This game is a perfect way to wind down after eating a big outdoor lunch. Have everyone sit in a circle. Using any body part but your hands, try to keep a beach ball in the air. The person who does not keep the ball in the air leaves the circle.

Bond-Building Activities

You have done the hard part and got the entire family together in one location. Now you want to get everyone talking.

  1. Conversation Starters. The first couple of hours of a family get-together can feel awkward, especially if family members have not been to a family reunion in Burlington County for a long time. Get things rolling with a preprepared list of conversation starters. They are a fun way to break the ice.
  1. Outdoor Video Documentary. If you have someone in your family who likes tech video or anyone with a smartphone, why not film an outdoor video documentary? You can record funny, endearing moments and interviews with family members and kids. It will be great to look back on these videos and see how the family and outdoor locations change year after year.
  1. Outdoor Movie Night. Bring some beanbags, picnic blankets and camping chairs. Prepare a few delicious treats and drinks for the kids and the grown-ups. Fire up the barbecue grill, and eat while watching your favorite movie outdoors.

Inventive Outdoor Family Fun

Planning a New Jersey family reunion in a large outdoor area offers several benefits. Here are some creative ways to enjoy yourself with your family during a family reunion.

  1. Take a train ride around the Chartwell Gardens 15-acre oasis. Everyone loves a train!
  1. Nature Scavenger Hunt. Come up with a list of objects you will find in your natural habitat. Divide the family into teams. Have everyone go off with his or her smartphone and snap pictures of items on the list. They could include rabbits, worms, spiderwebs, pinecones, acorns, rocks and more. Usually, a list of between 15 and 25 items is enough.
  1. Water Balloon Fight. Nothing encourages family bonding and blows off as much steam as a water balloon or water gunfight. During a hot summer day, few things are as refreshing as playing in the water. You can divide into teams. For example, kids versus parents is always entertaining.
  1. Go swimming in one of all of our six pools at Chartwell Gardens.
  1. Fly a Kite. All you need is an open space, a slight breeze and a kite. Pair kids together based on their age and have them work as teams to get their kites off the ground. Most adults are surprised at how much fun they have flying a kite.

Nighttime Activities

If your family reunion in Burlington County continues until the evening, there are plenty of nighttime activities you can have fun with.

12.Nighttime Tag. One person closes his or her eyes and counts to 10. Everyone else hides. Once the selected individual finds someone else, he or she shouts, “Ollie, ollie, oxen free.” At that point, everyone tries to run back to

home base before getting tagged.

  1. Stargazing. On a clear night and in an open space with no light pollution, lay out blankets, and look up at the stars. You can download phone apps to help you identify the different constellations.

Chartwell Gardens Is a Place for Outdoor Celebrations and Events

Chartwell Gardens is a massive 15-acre facility that is perfect for your next family reunion. It has six pools, a modern pavilion and fantastic service to make your next event in Burlington County unforgettable. Contact us today to learn more about the best outdoor space for family reunions in New Jersey.