Do you need a way to pass the time while the turkey cooks? Or maybe you need a way to burn a few calories after the Thanksgiving feast? We’ve got 15 Thanksgiving Games for Families for you to try! Be playful and get the whole family involved with these family-friendly Thanksgiving games.
If you’re looking for something crafty to do with the kids leading up to Thanksgiving, start the “You’ve Been Gobbled” tradition in your neighborhood, family, or social group. It’s a wonderful, child-led activity incorporating themes of giving, generosity, and creativity. You can start this tradition any time in November!
15 Thanksgiving Games for Families
Stuff the Turkey
Make a paper turkey out of a large brown paper bag and two smaller bags. Then, make paper balls out of white paper to represent onions, green paper to represent celery, and brown paper to represent bread. Give everyone a turn to see how many “ingredients” each person can throw into the turkey in a specified amount of time. Find detailed directions from Kid Friendly Stuff To Do.
Pie in the Face
Only try this game if you don’t mind a mess! Set out one pie tin per player. Place something, such as candy pumpkins or cranberries, in each tin. Then, cover in whipped cream. Set a timer and see who can find the most of the hidden items in the set time. There’s one catch. You can’t use your hands!
Shake Your Tail Feathers
Turn up the music and grab an empty tissue box, old pantyhose or a belt, and some feathers or feather shaped pieces of construction paper. Turn the tissue box sideways and thread the pantyhose or belt through the back. Put feathers inside the box. Shake your groove thing and see who can get all the feathers out fastest!
Shoot the Turkey
The hunters in your household will love this one! Break out the Nerf guns and print out some pictures of turkeys. Hide the turkeys throughout the house. Make each one worth points or just have fun seeing how many you can hit. We love Thanksgiving games for families that get everybody up and moving!
I Spy
Grab a cookie sheet and put small Thanksgiving items, cooking utensils, and fall decor on it. Fill it up and cover it with a towel. Gather your family members in a circle and put the tray in the middle. Start a timer and let everyone look at it for thirty seconds. When the time is up, cover the tray and let everyone write down as many items as they can remember from the tray. Have everyone share what they wrote and check the tray to see if they are correct!
Joke Teller
Remember Cootie Catchers and Fortune Tellers? Create a Thanksgiving version with turkey jokes! You can also go to Bren Did and scroll down to “Free Cootie Catchers” to find a free printable ready-made Thanksgiving Joke Teller in color or black and white, complete with instructions in case you forget how to make it. Or try this version along with other games from Better Homes and Gardens.
Turkey Bowling
Draw or use paper to make turkey faces, complete with wattles, on upside-down plastic cups. Add colored feathers or construction paper feathers to the backs of the cups. Then, line them up in a bowling triangle formation. Roll a small pumpkin or small ball to see how many turkeys you can knock down! Go to The Seasoned Mom for detailed directions.
Roll a Turkey
Grab some dice and play this twist on the game Cootie. Make a key for everyone to see, such as 1=Head and Body, 2=Eyes, 3=Feet, 4=Feathers, 5=Beak, and 6=Wattle. Then, take turns rolling one die and drawing the turkey part corresponding to the number you roll. The first person with a complete turkey wins! If you’d rather use a printable version, here’s one from littlegiraffes.com.
Football
What game goes best with Thanksgiving? Football, of course! Grab a football and take the whole family outside. Divide into teams and decide on your rules, then go! If the weather doesn’t cooperate, use a paper football and try to make it into buckets worth different point amounts, or past lines on the floor for different point amounts.
Trivia
Does your family love trivia? Have everyone look up trivia questions specific to Thanksgiving and then see how many each person can answer correctly. If you’d rather use a ready-made version, Craftaholics Anonymous has free printable Turkey Trivia Cards and answers on their website.
Thanksgiving Bingo
Make your own Bingo and calling cards, or print this free set from Gift of Curiosity or this one from Better Homes and Gardens. It’s been a school party favorite of our kids for years! Use candy corn or candy pumpkins as your card markers to be extra festive. Maybe pumpkin pie will be the prize?
Charades or Pictionary
Write out all the words you can think of about Thanksgiving, each on a separate small piece of paper. Fold them up and throw them into a bowl. Have one person choose a paper and then give them one minute to act it out or draw it (no talking!) and see if they can get someone to guess the word. For a twist, you can break into teams or see how many in a row each team can guess in a certain time limit. View From a Step Stool has a free printable set of words to use.
Gratitude Game
Thanksgiving is a good time to stop and recognize the people and things for which you are grateful. If your kids need some extra motivation to do this, give them some M&M’s and play this Gratitude Game from Happy Go Lucky. Each M&M color they choose corresponds to something they are grateful for and need to share. This is one of those Thanksgiving games for families that can be played around the table at dessert!
Pin the Hat on the Turkey
Try this spin on the old birthday party classic. Draw a large turkey and attach it to a wall or door with painter’s tape. Make small pilgrim hats with painter’s tape attached to the back for each player. Take turns blindfolding, then spinning, each player and see who can get the hat closest to the top of the turkey’s head.
Puzzles
Print off some Thanksgiving crossword puzzles, word searches, or word scrambles, and see how many you can solve! Work as a family team or make it a competition to see who can solve the most puzzles in the least amount of time. Try this free crossword, word scramble, or word search from PJ’s and Paint, or this page of assorted puzzles from Daily Dish.
Holiday Runs in Indianapolis: Conquer Turkey Trots & Christmas 5Ks
Thanksgiving is about spending quality time together with family. Instead of watching football all day, give these Thanksgiving games for families a try. If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving activities and crafts, check out these 5 Activities for Kids to Encourage Thankfulness. Or, start a new Thanksgiving tradition to encourage giving. The You’ve Been Gobbled Thanksgiving tradition is a fun, child-led activity that can teach children generosity during this season of gratitude and giving.
What are your favorite Thanksgiving games for families? Share your comments and pictures of the Thanksgiving games for families that you love with us below or tag us on social media using #PLAYindy. Follow Indy with Kids on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for all of the best ideas and things to do with kids in Indy!
