Saturday, August 24, 2013

African American Family Reunion Activities

African American Family Reunion Activities

Family reunions are a time-honored tradition for many African American families. Family reunions bring multiple generations together and serve to reconnect long-lost relatives and introduce participants to extended family. Planning a reunion means incorporating activities that bring family members together in a way that is not only engaging and interactive, but also instills a sense of family pride and teaches family history.

Games

    Games bring people together, especially at a family reunion. Card games like spades, bid whist and pitty pat are a hit with many African American families, as is dominoes. Hold a tournament and choose games that bring groups together, such as Taboo, Scrabble, Jenga, Monopoly, Checkers and Connect Four. Award prizes to the winners of each game.

Talent and Fashion Show

    Get younger members of the family involved by allowing them to put on a talent show. Gather the family around to watch the young people sing, rap, dance, recite poetry or perform monologues. Host a multi-generational fashion show where family members model fashions from different historical time periods. This is a wonderful activity to bring members of the different generations together and close the generational gap.

Food Contests

    Everyone looks forward to all of the home-cooked food at a family reunion. Make cooking and eating one of the highlights of the reunion by holding a contest to see who has the best interpretation of a favorite family recipe. Give out prizes for best barbecue ribs, potato salad, gumbo or collard greens. Get the whole family involved by using family members as the panel of judges. For even more excitement, set a timer and have contestants prepare dishes right on the spot to see who can cook the dish in the shortest amount of time. During dessert, host a pie-eating contest to see who can eat more of grandma's famous apple pie or grandpa's peach cobbler.

Share Family History

    As much as a family reunion is about food, games and meeting new family members, it is also a time to share and learn family history. This is especially true for African American families, who were separated over time due to historical events such a slavery. The family reunion is the perfect time for the elders of the family to share stories with the younger generation about forgotten ancestors.

    Family history can be shared in a variety of interactive ways. Conduct on-the-spot interviews with older family members. Create a giant family tree wall chart and allow reunion attendees to add to and correct the chart. Host a family scavenger hunt where family members must question each other to find the answers to pre-printed family questions. Organize a group tour of locations with historical significance, such as the family plot at a cemetery, the church where your grandparents were married, or the house your great-grandfather built. Ask family members to bring old family photographs to be scanned and copied onto a CD and distributed to family reunion attendants. Hold story time and give family members an opportunity to share stories about prominent family members. Take this activity a step further by performing a skit or reenacting significant events from the family's history.

Recognize Family Achievement

    Host an awards ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of individual family members such as graduations, promotions and other significant accomplishments. Recognize family milestones as well, such as wedding anniversaries, engagements and births. You can even hold a candle lighting ceremony to honor deceased relatives.