Dreading time with family this Easter long weekend? Try these five ideas for a harmonious get-together

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Dietary requirements aside, the small, brightly coloured eggs are the best for this purpose. Make sure you count how many you have hidden around the garden so that the family dog doesn’t discover a miscellaneous egg a week later. It’s up to you, but this activity is generally better as a “kids-only” affair.

Family trivia

It’s the same concept as pub trivia but instead of general knowledge, the questions are just about family members. Make sure there are questions about everyone in the family, no matter their age, and encourage cross-generational teams for optimum chances of winning. If nothing else, it’s an informal way to update everyone on family news. A small prize, like a box of chocolates, is often a nice way to finish.

Play along

These days, it’s not unusual for a few family members to play an instrument or two. This is an ideal activity for families where there are a few guitars – or guitarists – lying around. Perfect for that mid-afternoon slump where conversation can sometimes go off the rails, having a few (popular) prepared songs can be useful to get started. Be prepared to share instruments, or speak with musically minded relatives in advance to bring their instruments along.

No- or low-cost games

Got a few toilet rolls handy? What about plastic drinking cups? Add in some ping-pong balls or a few small toys, and you have the makings of an hour or two of entertainment for everyone, no matter what their age or ability.

This Instagram account from Ludovic Cretoni features games using mostly household objects designed to engage seniors to stay active, mind and body. In reality, they have almost universal appeal. Try intergenerational competitions, boys against girls, whatever works for your family. Make it more interesting by assigning the losing team clean-up duties while the cook, or cooks, put their feet up.

Puzzles, card games, board games

Most families will have a few board games floating around. If you’re not hosting, offer to bring along a board game or two or a deck of cards and set up once dessert has been cleared away. For some families, games are a serious business, so pick your battles carefully. With younger children, a simple game of “snap” or “memory” is easy enough. Alternatively, puzzles with 500 pieces or less can be an ideal passive activity where hands and minds are busy, but talk is confined to finding the corners and all the pieces of the sky.

Time-out activities

If the afternoon is stretching out ahead of you, and it’s likely you can’t leave for an hour or two, Tebbey says it’s absolutely reasonable to give yourself a time-out.

“If a conversation is making you feel uncomfortable, give yourself permission to take a break from it,” he says. “Go for a walk or go to your room or say, ‘can we change the subject?’.”

If you’re hosting, consider streaming an uncontroversial film that you think everyone will enjoy.

In the end, you’re under no obligation to stay indefinitely, says Tebbey.

“You can make a promise to your kids that you will only stay for a period of time,” he says. “People benefit from that kind of structure, and it builds our resilience to handle a situation. You’re not asking yourself, ‘how much longer can I handle this?’”

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