5 summer relay games for family reunions

My husband’s parents just had their 50th wedding anniversary and we all gathered to celebrate. There was a lot of prep work that went into the anniversary weekend and one morning in particular we had outdoor games scheduled. There were a couple requirements for the games: It must be able to incorporate every age category, young and old, it must be able to accommodate a large group (61 immediate family members) and it needed to include water – Arizona in the summer time is HOT! So here are 5 family friendly relays to keep you cool.

NOTE: our group was large enough that every game was running at the same time, and we rotated through the games. For those groups not as large you could alter it so you’re doing each game at the same time as the opposing team, this would eliminate the need to record times, you would just record who won out of the two teams.

Slide and Toss
Supplies:
• Slip and slide
• Baseball bat (You can get wood baseball bats on this website .)

• Tarp
• Duct tape
• Frisbees

Prep:
Cut out 5 different shapes from the tarp and reinforce shapes with duct tape. Assign point values to each shape, the hardest or smallest shape with the highest value. Hang the tarp and set up with slip-n-slide and connect it to water.

To Play:
Each participant slides down the slip-n-slide, spin around with their head on a bat (or, in our case, a play horse) 4 times, throw 6 frisbees and gain points. Record point values for the entire team.

Flipper Fill-Up

Supplies:
• Flippers
• Large tote filled with water
• Small bucket
• 2 or 3 Gallon bucket

To Play:
This is a timed event. Participants put on flippers, fill up the small bucket (from the large tote of water) and walks to the 3 gallon bucket with the small bucket on their head. Once they reach the 3 gallon bucket, they pour the water into the bucket. They run back to the start line (still in flippers) where they tag their teammate, remove their flippers, and their teammate puts on the flippers, etc… Once the bucket is full, the timer is stopped. Record the time.

Sponge Launch
Supplies:
• 3 Person water balloon launcher
• 10 Kitchen sponges
• Large tote filled with water
• 2 or 3 Gallon bucket

To Play: 
This is a timed event. Three team members use the water balloon launch to launch sponges filled with water to their team mates. Teammates catch the sponges (or pick them up off the ground) and wring the sponge out in the 3 gallon bucket, members must run back to the launcher and put the sponge back in the large tote of water. Once the bucket is full, the timer is stopped. Record the time.

Board Walk
Supplies:
• 2 (2×6) pine boards 6 feet in length
• Rope cut into 6 pieces (strong rope, so it doesn’t break)
• Small Puzzle
• 3 small sandwich bags

Prep:
Drill three holes in each board. Run rope through each drilled hole and tie a knot at the bottom, these become “handles”. Recess the drilled hole on the backside of the wood just a bit so the knot has a place to sit, it will allow the wood to sit flush with the ground and easier to walk on. Divide the pieces of the small puzzle between three separate sandwich bags.

To Play:
This is a timed event. Choose three members of the team to do the boardwalk. They walk to a designated finish line where team members are waiting. Once they cross the finish line, three different teammates open their ziplock bags and start working together to finish the puzzle. Time stops when the puzzle is complete. Record the time.

Lead and Guide
Supplies:
• Nylons
• Blindfolds/Bandanas
• 10 random items
• Cones, string or tape

Prep:
Cut nylons in smaller sections. Tie smaller sections in loops. Designate a large area with cones and then mask off a 4×4 section in the center, either with cones, string or tape.

To Play:
This is a timed event. Each team chooses a director and the rest of the teams find a partner, using the looped nylon tie one of their legs to their partner. Everyone but the director puts on a blindfold. Someone from an opposing team takes the ten random objects and places them through the large designated area. The director guides each partnership to the items, where they must pick it up and be directed back to the designated 4×4 section where they will place the item. Once all ten items are placed in the 4×4 area, the timer is stopped. Record the time.

Scoring
Each team records their score and times for each event on a piece of paper. In the end, collect all the papers and assign 3 points to the fastest team in each event, 2 points for second place and 1 point for third place. Add up the totals and announce the overall winner.

Have fun and make memories!

See more of my adventures and projects at www.lifewithfingerprints.com

Want to learn more of how a large family does an anniversary weekend? Check out here, here, here and here.