Family Reunion Ideas: Everything You Need to Plan a Meaningful Reunion

Everything you need to plan a meaningful family reunion is on this page — ideas, games, food, schedules, and traditions gathered from 20+ years of annual reunions with our large extended family.

We’ve been holding annual family reunions with my extended family for over twenty years. These reunions have become part of our foundation, creating powerful ways to reconnect, create memories, and strengthen the relationships that matter most. This page brings together everything I’ve shared about family reunions through the years — including our best reunion ideas, games, planning tips, schedules, traditions, lessons learned, and real-life experiences — all in one place.

My parents have been the mastermind behind these reunions. They had the foresight to create a place at Bear Lake where their future family could gather clear back when they first got married. Since then we have gathered in that spot pretty much every year as our family has continued to expand and grow.

Of course, you don’t have to have a particular place to have a family reunion, and what you do doesn’t need to be fancy. The goal is simply to prioritize time together in any way it works for your family.

How to Plan a Family Reunion

Everything you need to plan a meaningful family reunion from start to finish.

a picture of our reunon schedule all drawn up artistically on a poster
A family holding up a big "50" for the reunion celebrating our parent's fiftieth wedding anniversary
The Pothier family holding up their family reunion theme

Planning Resources

Practical tools and ideas to make your reunion run smoothly.

flatbread recipe for a family reunion
chicken enchiladas on the counter ready to be rolled up and put in the pan
ingredients for asian lettuce wraps at our family reunion

Best Family Reunion Games and Activities

The activities at a family reunion are the heart of drawing everyone together. Here are some featured posts that outline some of our tried and true games and activities.

the Eyres covered with whipping cream during a family reunion game
a relay race during the Eyre family reunion
potato sack race during a family reunion

Why Family Reunions Are Worth It

When you think about all the time and work that goes into planning a family reunion, you may wonder if it is worth it. But I can tell you after twenty years of showing up for this tradition — through busy seasons, hard years, and the chaos of a growing extended family — it is worth every single bit of effort.

Research backs up what my parents felt intuitively when they set this up: kids who have a strong sense of family history and identity are more resilient, more confident, and better equipped to handle adversity. But beyond the research, I’ve watched it happen in real time. Through reunions, cousins can become lifelong friends. I’ve watched teenagers find their footing together in a crowd of people who love them unconditionally. I’ve seen my parents’ vision — two newlyweds who bought a piece of property at Bear Lake and dreamed of filling it with family someday — become something that will ripple forward for generations.

The goal for a family reunion doesn’t have to be grand. It just has to be intentional.

Listen: Our Family Reunion Podcast Episodes

My sisters and I talk about all of this on our podcast — including the full story of how Bear Lake became our gathering place and what we’ve learned about making reunions meaningful:

family reunion games at at family reunion

Making It Meaningful for the Next Generation

Some of the most powerful things that happen at our reunions aren’t on the official schedule. This post is about the intentional grandparenting traditions — Grammie Camps and Grandfather’s Secrets — that have woven golden threads into our grandkids’ lives long after the reunion ends.

Grammie with a bunch of grandkids at Grammie Camp
A group of kids learning Grandfather's Secrets at a family reunion

As Your Family Evolves

Family reunions look different as kids grow up, families expand, and schedules get complicated. These posts are for the long-game reunion planners.

Grace and Claire carrying their niece Murphy at the family reunion at Bear Lake
Pothier family at Bear Lake for a family reunion
Pothier grown-up kids standing together at a family reunion at Bear Lake

Our Annual Reunion Recaps

We are the Eyres, and years ago my Dad came up with the name “Eyrealm” as a sort of nickname for our family. It symbolizes that we want to work and gather and connect in ways that will take us to a “higher realm.” Hence the name Eyrealm. If you think that’s kind of funny, you should meet my dad:). He is a word/symbol/alliteration guru. And I love him forever.

Every reunion has had a theme, a story, and a lesson. Here are the ones I’ve documented since the beginning of this blog — a running record of what it looks like to show up for your family year after year. Excited to see what 2026 will be since our family is in charge this year…yikes!