Summertime brings BBQs, swimming, and sunshine. It’s the natural season for people to celebrate, relax, and enjoy the company of loved ones. And it’s the perfect time for families to reunite.

Are you attending or hosting a gathering with your relatives this summer? Here are some family reunion activities that should please every generation. 

1. Take family photographs

Photography is a family reunion activity that can last from the very start to the very end. It goes without saying to make sure everyone has good cameras. 

But don’t let Aunt Sue or cousin Neil hide behind the lens for the entire reunion. Make sure to get at least one group shot, shy Sue and Neil included. 

You might also consider a professional photographer who can take some beautiful, formal pictures of the family for posterity. 

2. Plan a picnic

Meals bring families together. Just think of the memories and stories that resurface when food is involved, especially if everyone brings their most famous (or infamous) dishes to a beautiful outdoor picnic.

At a park, it’s ok to run and be loud, and with shady trees, walking trails, playgrounds, bubbling creeks, and dedicated sports fields, there’s an activity that’s sure to please every family member. Just be sure to pack the sunscreen and extra napkins for all the sauces, dips, and sweet homemade pies.

3. Design reunion t-shirts

This family reunion activity might sound a little corny, but there’s a reason you see large groups of people wearing matching shirts in public places: it’s fun to be part of something. 

An added bonus is the trip down memory lane and inside jokes that the family is sure to take as they decide on a color, image, and slogan. Then don the shirts together proudly at a museum, farmer’s market, the mall, you name it. 

4. Create a collaborative scrapbook

For a family reunion activity that’s sure to bring out laughter and nostalgia, ask every relative to bring several of their favorite family photographs. Take time elaborating on the captured moments and create a scrapbook of collaborative memories. 

You can also do this digitally so everyone can order a copy of the finished product. If you’ve been good at family reunion idea #1, include moments from this most recent gathering in the scrapbook. 

5. Organize a gift exchange

If it’s the first time the family has gotten together in a year or more, there’s likely been a list of missing birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s and Father’s Days that just aren’t the same to celebrate from a distance.

Acts of giving are natural for families. But instead of trying to orchestrate every missed occasion, simply organize a gift exchange, where each person secretly draws a relative’s name and purchases one gift he or she will love. For the perfect gift exchange, send the family over to Giftster. They’ll be able to draw names and create personalized wish lists in one, coordinated location before they come together for an amazing reunion.