In this post, we will look at 23 fun thanksgiving family games.
Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with loved ones, sharing gratitude, and indulging in delicious food.
While the feast and togetherness are the heart of the celebration, adding a touch of fun can make the day even more memorable.
To keep everyone entertained between meals, it’s great to have a variety of engaging games for family members of all ages.
Whether you’re looking for activities that involve running around, using creativity, or showing off knowledge, adding family games can bring laughter and bonding to your Thanksgiving festivities.
From traditional outdoor relay races and scavenger hunts to creative indoor games like “Thanksgiving Pictionary” and “Guess the Gobble,” these activities will ensure that your holiday is filled with joy, teamwork and friendly competition.
With a blend of active, thoughtful and crafty games, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Here are 23 fun Thanksgiving family games to keep your loved ones entertained and to create memories that will last long after the leftovers are gone.
23 FUN THANKSGIVING FAMILY GAMES
1. Turkey Tag.
How to Play: Each player starts with a few feathers (paper or felt) pinned to their clothing. The objective is to tag other players to collect their feathers while keeping your own. The player with the most feathers at the end wins.
Materials Needed: Paper or felt feathers, safety pins or tape.
2. Thankful Scavenger Hunt.
How to Play: Hide Thanksgiving-related items (like mini pumpkins, paper leaves, or turkey figurines) around the house or yard. Create a list of clues to lead players to these items. Each item found represents something they are thankful for.
Materials Needed: Thanksgiving-themed items, scavenger hunt clues.
3. Pumpkin Roll.
How to Play: Each player is given a small pumpkin. The goal is to roll the pumpkin from the starting line to the finish line using only your feet. For extra fun, you can try rolling it with your nose or another creative body part.
Materials Needed: Small pumpkins, start and finish lines.
4. Pin the Tail on the Turkey.
How to Play: Create a large paper turkey and several tails (or feathers). Blindfold each player, spin them around, and have them try to pin the tail on the turkey. Closest to the correct spot wins.
Materials Needed: Paper turkey, tails, blindfold.
5. Thanksgiving Charades.
How to Play: Write down Thanksgiving-themed words or phrases on pieces of paper. One player draws a word and acts it out while others try to guess. Examples: “stuffing the turkey,” “football game,” “pie baking.”
Materials Needed: Paper, pens, a bowl for drawing slips.
6. Turkey Feather Relay Race.
How to Play: Players must carry a feather on a spoon (or use their breath to keep it in the air) from one point to another without dropping it. The first team to complete the race wins.
Materials Needed: Feathers, spoons.
7. Thanksgiving Bingo.
How to Play: Create Thanksgiving-themed bingo cards with images or words like turkeys, corn, pumpkin pie, and Pilgrims. Play by drawing random images or words, and players mark their cards. The first to get five in a row wins.
Materials Needed: Bingo cards, markers or chips, call-out cards.
8. Family Recipe Guessing Game.
How to Play: Each family member submits a secret family recipe (without revealing who it belongs to). The rest of the family guesses which recipe belongs to whom. You can also include a taste-testing round if recipes are prepared.
Materials Needed: Recipe cards, prepared dishes (optional).
9. Gratitude Circle.
How to Play: Everyone sits in a circle, and each person shares something they are thankful for. The challenge is not to repeat anything someone else has said, which makes players think deeply about what they appreciate.
10. Thanksgiving Pictionary.
How to Play: Teams take turns drawing Thanksgiving-related words or scenes while their teammates guess what they are drawing. Examples: “roasting turkey,” “cornucopia,” or “Thanksgiving parade.”
Materials Needed: Whiteboard or paper, markers.
11. Thanksgiving Jeopardy.
How to Play: Create a Jeopardy-style trivia game with categories like “Thanksgiving History,” “Traditional Foods,” or “Famous Feasts.” Family members take turns answering questions for points.
Materials Needed: Question cards or a digital Jeopardy board.
12. Turkey Bowling.
How to Play: Set up soda bottles or plastic cups decorated like turkeys, and use a small pumpkin or gourd as the bowling ball. Players take turns knocking down the “turkey pins.”
Materials Needed: Small pumpkins, soda bottles, turkey decorations.
13. Guess the Gobble.
How to Play: Each family member takes a turn doing their best turkey gobble impression. The rest of the family guesses who made the sound. This game is sure to bring lots of laughs.
14. Cornucopia Toss.
How to Play: Use a basket or large cornucopia as the target. Players toss small items like bean bags or rolled-up socks into the basket from a distance. Score points based on how many items land in the cornucopia.
Materials Needed: Basket or cornucopia, bean bags or small items.
15. Family Talent Show.
How to Play: Each family member gets a chance to showcase a talent, whether it’s singing, dancing, telling jokes, or performing a magic trick. You can also vote on categories like “Most Creative” or “Funniest.”
Materials Needed: None (optional props for performances).
16. Thanksgiving Word Scramble.
How to Play: Create a list of scrambled Thanksgiving-related words. Players race to unscramble them within a time limit. Examples: “kpimnpu” (pumpkin), “gttnrvaihee” (Thanksgiving).
Materials Needed: Word scramble sheets, pens.
17. Turkey Handprint Craft Contest.
How to Play: Using paint or markers, each family member traces their hand on a piece of paper and decorates it to look like a turkey. Vote for the most creative or funniest turkey.
Materials Needed: Paper, markers, paints, other craft supplies.
18. Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe.
How to Play: Set up a tic-tac-toe grid on the floor or a table using tape or chalk. Use mini pumpkins and gourds as the Xs and Os. Players take turns placing their pumpkins on the board to get three in a row.
Materials Needed: Tape or chalk, mini pumpkins and gourds.
19. Pass the Pumpkin.
How to Play: Similar to “hot potato,” pass a small pumpkin around while music plays. When the music stops, whoever is holding the pumpkin is out. The last person standing wins.
Materials Needed: Small pumpkin, music.
20. Thanksgiving Mad Libs.
How to Play: Create or print out Thanksgiving-themed Mad Libs. Have players fill in the blanks with random nouns, adjectives, and verbs to create funny and silly Thanksgiving stories.
Materials Needed: Mad Libs templates, pens.
21. Pie Eating Contest.
How to Play: Have a pie-eating contest with small or mini pies (or whipped cream pies). The challenge is to eat as much pie as possible without using your hands.
Materials Needed: Mini pies or whipped cream pies.
22. Turkey Trot.
How to Play: Organize a fun race or walk for the whole family. You can add a twist by making participants dress up as turkeys, or set up obstacles along the racecourse.
Materials Needed: Turkey costumes (optional), start and finish lines.
23. Thanksgiving Memory Game.
How to Play: Place Thanksgiving-themed items on a tray or table. Give players a minute to memorize the items. After covering or removing the items, ask them to write down as many as they can remember.
Materials Needed: Thanksgiving items, tray, paper, pens.
This post will lead you to the 23 fun thanksgiving family games.
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