Thanksgiving Games for the Family

10 Thanksgiving games with rules and supplies

The ages below are suggested starting points, not requirements. These are house rules you can adjust together. For competitive games, agree to finish at the stated score or after 15 minutes, whichever comes first; the higher score wins at time, and an equal score is a shared win.

Backyard Turkey Bowl

Suggested ages: 5+ · Yard or park lane · Supplies: foam or junior football and four jackets. Play before dinner, with someone other than the cook leading.

Mark two end zones about 20 yards apart, using two jackets at each end. Split players into two teams and put a child at quarterback for each drive. The quarterback passes or hands off; a defender touching the ball carrier with both hands stops that play at that spot. Adults may only jog. Give the offense four plays to reach the opposite end zone, then trade possession if they have not scored.

Every child on a team must catch one pass before an adult can score. After a touchdown, the other team starts from its own end zone. First to three touchdowns wins; if everyone agrees beforehand, the other team sets the dessert table. Stop when your agreed game time ends or serving needs everyone back inside. For a larger gathering, large-group games offer other activities with several guests playing at once.

Parade Bingo

Suggested ages: 3+ · Couch · Supplies: one homemade board per viewer and pencils or stickers. Play while watching a parade.

Draw a 3-by-3 grid and fill it with parade sights: a giant balloon, marching band, float, waving performer, dancer, flag, confetti, a dog in the crowd and someone wearing a hat. Arrange the pictures differently on each board. These are suggested squares; swap any that do not fit the parade you are watching.

Mark a square when its sight appears on screen. The first person to complete a row, column or diagonal calls bingo; check the marked sights together. Simultaneous lines share the win. You could let the winner pick dessert first, if the family agrees. Keep playing for a full board if guests want another round.

The Thanksgiving picture bingo guide describes a different, caller-led game with holiday pictures. Use its picture calls for seated bingo rather than expecting every holiday picture to appear in the parade.

Category Shout-Out

Suggested ages: 5+ · Seated together · Supplies: category list and timer. Play between courses or after dinner.

Split into two teams. The host reads a category, such as “foods on our Thanksgiving table” or “things you might see in a parade,” and starts a 30-second timer. Teams alternate giving one answer. Each new answer earns a point for that team; a repeat earns nothing and passes the turn. A team that cannot think of an answer may pass too.

Read another category and keep the scores until a team reaches 10. Finish the current turn pair so each team has had the same number of turns. A tie can stay a tie. Clearing the cranberry sauce can be the losing team’s job if everyone agrees. The Thanksgiving category game sheets provide 24 categories across three sheets; use them as a host list for this spoken version, without the written game’s letter restriction.

Placemat Puzzle Warm-Up

Suggested ages: 4+ with reading help · Dinner table · Supplies: one activity mat and two pencils per seat, crayons and a host answer sheet. Start as guests sit down.

Put the mats face down and let everyone flip them together. Readers try the eight-word scramble; guests who prefer pictures can start with the maze, dot-to-dot or coloring border. The first finished scramble is checked against the answer sheet and earns the choice of the first joke to read aloud. If two people finish together, each chooses a joke.

Pause for serving, and let guests return to unfinished puzzles afterward. The Thanksgiving activity placemat guide describes five parts: a scramble, dot-to-dot, maze, joke strip and coloring border. Prepare the mat and answer sheet ahead of time; the linked page’s layout instructions are not a promise of a ready-made downloadable file.

Thanksgiving Acting Cards

Suggested ages: 4+ with help · Living room · Supplies: acting prompts and a 60-second timer. Play after dinner or while waiting for dessert.

Print the acting prompts at the top of this page and separate the one-action cards from the two-action cards. Split into two teams. An actor chooses a pile, draws a card and acts without words or sound effects. A reader can whisper the prompt to a child who needs help.

The actor’s team has 60 seconds to guess for one point. Allow one card swap without a penalty, and rotate actors each turn. After both teams have had the same number of turns, first to three points wins; equal scores share the win. Players can act with a partner or pass. For more prompts and difficulty choices, use Thanksgiving acting cards.

Disguise-a-Turkey Station

Suggested ages: 3+ with help · Side table · Supplies: turkey outlines, construction paper, scissors, glue sticks and tape. Leave this craft open while people arrive or wait for dinner.

Give each child an outline to turn into a turkey in disguise. They might add an astronaut helmet, a superhero cape or an ice-cream-cone costume. Give younger children pre-cut pieces and someone to help with gluing. Each maker names the turkey and adds “My turkey is not a turkey, it is…” as a caption, written by a buddy if needed.

Tape finished birds to a pantry door or another agreed display area. This version has no score or winner; guests finish when they are happy with their disguise. The disguise-a-turkey craft guide has more costume prompts and supply details.

Thankful Tree Round

Suggested ages: 3+ with help · Entryway or side table · Supplies: branches in a vase, paper leaves, string and pencils. Guests can add leaves throughout the afternoon.

Invite everyone to write or draw one thing they are thankful for and hang the leaf on the branches. Younger children can dictate to a buddy or draw a picture. Cut extra leaves for late arrivals and anyone who wants to add another thought.

Sharing stays optional: hanging a leaf counts, and nobody has to read theirs aloud. There is no score or winner. The thankful tree craft guide includes branch-display instructions and questions to help someone who does not know what to write.

Football Flick

Suggested ages: 6+ · Cleared, sturdy table · Supplies: one sheet of paper per player. Play after plates are removed.

Fold a strip of paper over itself in triangles, then tuck the loose end into the last fold to make a compact paper football. Two players sit opposite each other. One makes goalposts with their index fingers and thumbs; the other flicks from their end of the table. Take one shot each, then repeat.

A shot through the finger goalposts scores three points. A football that stops partly over the far table edge without falling scores seven as a touchdown. An opponent catching a flick in mid-air counts as an interception and scores nothing. First to reach at least 21 wins after both players have taken the same number of shots. Equal scores share the win.

Turkey Waddle Relay

Suggested ages: 4+ with help · Open hallway or yard lane · Supplies: one inflated balloon per player and two baskets. Use a space where the whole route is clear.

Make two teams with the same number of turns and put a basket at the end of each lane. The first player holds a balloon between their knees and waddles to the basket, drops it in and returns to tag the next player. If the balloon escapes before the basket, that player retrieves it and starts again. Adults can use their elbows instead of their knees.

The first team to complete every turn wins; a simultaneous finish is a tie. For uneven teams, have someone on the smaller team take an extra turn. Reset with the same number of balloons if guests want a rematch. If you do not have an open lane, play acting cards instead.

Gratitude Guessing

Suggested ages: 5+ with writing help · After-dinner circle · Supplies: slips of paper, pens and a bowl. Try it over pie.

Each guest writes one small thing they are thankful for without adding their name, then folds the slip into the bowl. A buddy can write for someone who needs help. A reader draws a slip and asks who wrote it. Each guest gets one guess, going around the circle; the first correct guess earns one point. If nobody guesses, the writer earns two points.

Before reading each slip, show its folded outside and allow the writer to withdraw it without explanation. Stop when every remaining slip has been read; most points wins, with shared wins for ties. Anyone can pass on writing or guessing.