Left Right Game for Family Reunions – Stories to Read Aloud

Short: The Name Tags

Aunt Rosa made a name tag for everyone at the Delgado reunion and laid them in neat rows on a table by the gate.

Then somebody opened the gate, and the wind did the rest.

Aunt Rosa picked the tags out of the grass and handed them out fast, to keep the line moving. "Tags go on the LEFT side, over the heart," said Aunt Rosa. Half the family put them on the RIGHT. Nobody read the names.

So Grandpa Sol, who has been to every reunion there ever was, spent the morning with a tag that said Mateo. And Mateo had a tag that said Grandpa Sol, and wore it proudly on the LEFT knee.

A cousin from out of town asked for Dale and was told: past the grill and to the RIGHT. There were three people there with tags that said Dale. None of them was Dale. Dale was by the cooler, under a tag that said Guest.

By lunch there was one tag LEFT on the table. It said Aunt Rosa.

Aunt Rosa peeled it off and stuck it on. Then Aunt Rosa looked around at the Delgado family: all of them here, every one with the wrong name, and not a stranger among them.

Keep your tag on if you like. Nobody has LEFT this reunion without a name yet. And whatever you are holding now is yours.

How it works

A family reunion left right game is a gift swap run by a story: every relative passes a small wrapped gift at each LEFT or RIGHT. Press Start: give me 4 words to put your family in the first story.

Read the full guide

How to play

Put the whole family in one circle, chairs for those who want them, each person holding a small wrapped gift. One relative reads slowly. At every LEFT or RIGHT in capitals, all gifts move one seat that way. Seat small children beside someone who can point the way.

Pick a story

The Name Tags is the short one, about 2 minutes and 6 passes. The Potluck Table runs about 3 minutes with 9. In The Oldest and the Youngest, the two relatives you name run a three-legged race. The Reunion Roll Call is 13 rhymed couplets.

Type names the way the family says them: Grandma Bea, not Beatrice. The story prints them as typed.
The Potluck Table asks for a dish. Type peach cobbler, not the peach cobbler.

Questions and answers

What do relatives bring for the left right game?

One small wrapped gift for each person, something any age could open. With a single prize, the circle passes that alone, and whoever holds it at the last line keeps it.

Does the left right game work for a large family?

Yes. Any circle of three or more works, and every story ends one or two seats from where it started, so nobody opens the gift they brought. In a big circle, wait after each cue until the passing stops.

Which story suits a reunion of mixed ages?

The Oldest and the Youngest names both ends of the family. The Reunion Roll Call has a couplet for aunts, uncles, cousins, teens, in-laws and babies, so every table hears itself called.

Is this the Wright family reunion story?

No. That circulating text is not on this site. These four stories are about the reunion day itself. A new story on the surname pun is on the Thanksgiving page, and The Group Photo is on the party page.

All 4 stories

Show the list

Short: The Name Tags Short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 4, RIGHT 2. The wind takes the name tags, and the oldest and youngest trade names. Gifts end two seats left of their start. Asks for 4 words: 3 × name, 1 × family name.
Long: The Potluck Table Long, about 3 minutes. LEFT 5, RIGHT 4. One table, a line from each end and a single pan in the middle. Gifts end one seat left of their start. Asks for 5 words: 2 × name, 1 × family name, 1 × place, 1 × food.
The Oldest and the Youngest About 2 minutes. LEFT 4, RIGHT 3. A three-legged race pairs the oldest relative with the youngest who can walk. Gifts end one seat left of their start. Asks for 4 words: 3 × name, 1 × family name.
Rhymed: The Reunion Roll Call Rhymed, 13 couplets, about 2 minutes. LEFT 4, RIGHT 3. Aunts, uncles, cousins, teens and babies, called in turn. Gifts end one seat left of their start. Asks for 4 words: 2 × name, 1 × family name, 1 × place.

The kinds of words the game asks for

Name a first name; a made-up one is fine. More examples: Sir Reginald, Professor Plum, Doctor Noodle.
Place somewhere to be, like the library. More examples: a car park, the dentist, a bouncy castle.
Food something to eat, like porridge. More examples: pickles, custard, cheese.

How these stories were written: All four stories were written for this site in October 2026, about a reunion day: the name tags, the potluck line, a race and a roll call. None is adapted from a circulating left right story. The names are the ones you type, or samples; no real person appears. Pass counts are counted by script from the final text. Licence: own work