Family gatherings provide an opportunity to reconnect with your community over shared food, stories, and new memories. If you’re gathering with your immediate family of four or preparing for the annual big family reunion trip, adding a few games to your get together is a memorable experience for everyone involved.
So whether you’re celebrating with your blood relatives or your chosen family, switch it up with these fun games to play at your next family gathering.
20 Games for Your Family Gathering
1. Charades
A longtime classic that (almost) everyone will already know how to play! Players take turns miming out an activity, object, movie, song, etc.. and team members must guess what they are acting out as fast as possible.
Charades can be played by large or small groups, be split into teams of equal sizes, or no teams at all. If you want to make it even more personal and engaging, try picking out words that have a special significance to you and your family.
Photo by Dario Valenzuela on Unsplash
How to Win: The team with the most correct answers wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2
What You Need: Yourselves!
2. Heads Up!
A modern spin on charades, Heads Up!, is an app that allows families to bond over another guessing game. However, in this variation you can use your words (just not the word or phrase they need to guess correctly) to describe or sing the answer, use your body to act it out. The catch here is that players must get the answer right before the time on the clock runs out!
How to Win: The team or person with the most correct answers wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2
What You Need: Yourselves and the Heads Up! App
3. The Floor is Lava
This simple game can be played indoors or outdoors, depending on where your next family gathering will be hosted. The object of the game is to be the last person standing after the lava has “burned” other players. One person is selected as the “judge” while family members circle the area and wait for the judge to call out “the floor is lava!”
How to Win: The last person standing wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2
What You Need: Yourselves
4. Indoor Bowling
Indoor bowling is an easy and quick game that families can gather household items to play indoors or outdoors. Just like if you were bowling at your local alley, line up plastic bottles (or any pin shaped object) and take turns knocking them down with a ball.
How to Win: The person who knocks over the most pins wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2
What You Need: Yourselves, empty plastic bottles, a ball
5. Money Scoop Challenge
If you’re willing to up the ante on game night, a money scoop challenge may be just the thing to make things a little more competitive. I’ve played this one with my family and can confirm it gets the people going.
Each person contributes an equal amount of money to the game. The bills are spread across a table or flat surface, then each player takes turns scooping the money with a spatula into a paper plate off of the table.
Seems simple? Try doing this while blindfolded and with 30 seconds on the clock. After everyone has gone, the person with the highest dollar amount scooped, wins the pot.
How to Win: The person who scoops the highest amount of money wins the pot!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2
What You Need: Yourselves, a spatula, blindfold, and paper bills
6. Balloon Popping
A fun, simple and active game for everyone, this activity is to get the party moving. Players will tie a balloon on a string to each ankle and the goal is to be the last one standing with a balloon still tied to them.
Check out this TikTok for a firsthand look at how this game gets played.
How to Win: The last person with balloons still tied to their ankles wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2
What You Need: Yourselves, balloons, and string
7. Musical Chairs
A school yard classic, musical chairs is another joyful and interactive game that all can partake in. While the music is playing, everyone circles the chairs up and battles for a seat. Once the music stops, there will be one player and chair removed with each round.This will go on until there is only one person left seated.
If you want to make this game more personal, curate a playlist of songs that you know party guests will love to get down to.
How to Win: The last person seated wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves, music, and chairs
8. Cotton Ball Challenge
Similarly to the Money Scoop Challenge, this game is played while blindfolded and scooping cotton balls from a table or flat surface while on a time crunch. The player who scoops the most cotton balls wins.
How to Win: The person who scoops the most cotton balls wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves, cotton balls, a spoon and blindfold
9. Car Slide Challenge
This is a quick table game to put together for kiddos and adults that want to let their inner child out to play. Start by gathering a few mini toy cars, taping cups over the edge of a table and lining family members across the cups. The person who sinks the most cars into the cups, wins!
You can customize this game by taping cups of various sizes, each worth different amounts, or adding different objects to roll into the cups for a bigger challenge.
Have a look at this Pin to get a better visual of how this game gets set-up and played.
How to Win: The person who sinks the most cars in the cups wins!
Ages: All ages
How Many People: At least 2, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves, mini toy cars, tape and plastic cups
10. Donut On String Eating Contest
Easy to set up, but can get a little messy in the moment. A donut eating contest is sure to get some laughs. Start by tying any amount of donuts to strings so they're at mouth height for participants. Each person will be blindfolded and face to face with a donut on a string.
Their challenge now is to be the first person to finish the donut without letting any pieces fall to the ground.
Photo by xandreasw on Unsplash
How to Win: The person who finishes their donut first wins!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: At least 2, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves, donuts, and string
11. Oreo On Face Eating Contest
Players start this game with an Oreo on their forehead, then using everything but their hands must work the cookie from their forehead to their mouth. First person to successfully navigate the cookie to their mouth and finish the cookie wins.
How to Win: The person who finishes the Oreo first wins!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: At least 2, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves and Oreos
12. Walking with Egg on Spoon
This relay game is a great option to add to a larger family gathering. Split players into teams and relay your way down a field and back while holding an egg on a spoon with the end in your mouth! First team to get all players down and back, without dropping the egg wins!
How to Win: The first team to finish the relay, without dropping your egg, wins!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: At least 4, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves, eggs, and spoons
13. Chubby Bunny
If your family really isn’t afraid to get messy with the games at your gathering, play a round of chubby bunny. We’re not kidding when we say that this game escalates quickly… participants start by placing one marshmallow in their mouth and saying the phrase “chubby bunny.” But, the difficulty of this game increases with each round, as the marshmallow’s take up more and more space in your mouths.
Photo by Kristine Wook on Unsplash
How to Win: The person to fit the most marshmallows and audibly say “chubby bunny,” wins!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: At least 2, but better with more
What You Need: Yourselves and marshmallows
14. Speak Out Card Game
You may have seen this game online as well, the Speak Out Card Game invites players to speak out phrases… while having a plastic mouthpiece in place keeping their lips from touching.
How to Win: The team with the most cards at the end of the game, wins!
Ages: 16+
How Many People: 4-5 players
What You Need: Yourselves and the game
15. What Do You Meme?
Similarly to Cards Against Humanity, this card game is played with a group and people take turns being the judge. Each round players take turns putting down a “Caption” that best fits the “Meme” on the card.
How to Win: The person with the most cards at the end of the game, wins!
Ages: 18+
How Many People: 3+ players
What You Need: Yourselves and What Do You Meme?
16. Custom Jenga
An engaging way to step your family’s Jenga game up a bit is to create or purchase a customized Jenga set from Etsy. Grab some markers, paint, and Sharpies to decorate Jenga blocks with your own pieces with art, conversation starters, or even drinking games to incorporate while playing (for players 21+).
How to Win: The last person to stack a piece before the tower falls, wins!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: 2+ players
What You Need: Yourselves and the Jenga pieces
17. Uno
A longtime classic, Uno is an easy to follow card game that all ages can enjoy together. Take turns in a circle matching numbers, colors, and throwing wild cards.
Photo by Colin Davis on Unsplash
How to Win: The first person to call out “Uno!” with one card in their hand, wins!
Ages: 7+
How Many People: 2-10 players
What You Need: Yourselves and the Uno deck
18. Bingo or Loteria
Both Bingo and Loteria have been played for ages by different cultures, but are essentially the same thing. As one person randomly draws numbers or cards from the deck, the goal is to be the first person to cover a row diagonally, vertically, or horizontally to win. Depending on who you’re celebrating with, this is a fun and straightforward game you can teach new family members who may be joining the carne asada for the first time.
How to Win: The first person to call “Bingo!” or “¡Loteria!”, wins!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: 2+ players
What You Need: Yourselves and the Bingo or Loteria set
19. HangMan
Hangman is another school yard game that could also fare well at your next family gathering. If you find yourself trying to gather a few games right before your group is getting together, this game can quickly be arranged with minimal effort. Give the game a modern twist by playing themed rounds based on pop culture, music, or current events!
How to Win: Correctly guess the word or phrase being written out to win!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: 2+ players
What You Need: Yourselves, something to write with, something to write on
20. 2 Truths and a Lie
For this game, family members take turns each telling two truths about themselves and weaving one lie into their statements. The remaining family members must guess which fact they shared is the lie of the bunch. This is a fairly simple game to play and a good way to bond with each other as well!
How to Win: Correctly guess the other players lie to win!
Ages: 5+
How Many People: 2+ players
What You Need: Yourselves
It’s Game Time!
Whether you get together with your family on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis, it can be nice to shake things up a bit and get everyone moving with a few games that everyone can participate in. Pick 3-5 of the above family game night ideas for your next gathering to add even more quality memories and laughs with the people you love.
