How do I prepare and use Thanksgiving matching cards?

What the printable Thanksgiving pair list includes

The list has 24 partner pairs in four groups: the Thanksgiving table, the harvest, parade sights and things people do after dinner. These are partner pairs, not two copies of the same picture. A turkey card matches a wishbone card, a pie card matches a whipped-cream card and a leaf pile matches a rake.

Print all 24 prints the whole list, with both partners named in each entry. Draw another pair picks one example at random. Keep the printed list as your answer key while you make the cards and during play.

Before shuffling, show everyone which cards go together. Some pairs need explaining or a drawing that makes the link clear. For example, a marching band is paired with six blocks of warning. With younger children, start with familiar food or harvest pairs.

The Christmas and Halloween matching card pages have their own partner lists and preparation notes. Their contents differ from this Thanksgiving list.

If you're also planning for December, the Christmas matching cards have their own partner list and card-making steps, with partner names and simple drawings added by hand. Don't expect the same pairs or count as this Thanksgiving set.

The Halloween matching cards use a different list of partners from this one. Check its pairs and preparation notes before you plan, rather than assuming the Thanksgiving card count or printouts carry over.

How to make the cards

Make two cards for each pair, with one partner on each card. For turkey and wishbone, draw or write turkey on one card and wishbone on another. Never put both partners on the same playing card. Children who cannot read yet need drawings or someone to help name the cards.

Suggested materials are 200 gsm card stock, a ruler, a paper trimmer or scissors, and markers. You can do the drawing and cutting before Thanksgiving. If children will help make the cards, set up the supplies and arrange for an adult to help, as you would for a craft activity.

• Choose 6, 10, 12 or all 24 complete pairs, and print the list as your answer key.
• Mark equal squares on the card stock. If you will print the card faces onto the stock, first check that your printer accepts it and that your layout fits inside the printable area.
• Put one partner on each card. Add simple drawings for children who cannot read yet.
• Cut out the squares. Round the corners if you like, but keep every card the same size and shape.
• Check that every card has its partner. Make all the backs look alike, and check whether the front shows through when a card is face down. If it does, add an opaque backing. A decorative pattern alone may not hide the front.
• Put each set in a bag with the answer key, the grid notes and a pencil. Make one set for each table.

How to play Thanksgiving memory

Choose a grid size based on the youngest player who will play without help. If players struggle to find the partners, switch to a smaller grid. The ages in the table are suggested starting points, not rules. Choose complete pairs before you shuffle so no card is left without its partner.

Alongside a smaller grid, children can share jobs: one remembers positions while another names the partners. Advice on children of different ages playing together treats suggested ages as starting points and avoids knocking anyone out.

• Show everyone the pairs you are using, then shuffle and lay the cards face down.
• On each turn, turn over exactly two cards where everyone can see them. Name both partners, or ask a reader to help.
• If the two cards are partners, keep them and take another turn.
• If they do not match, turn both back face down in the same places and pass the turn to the left.
• The game ends when the last pair is collected. The player with the most pairs wins.
• If there is a tie, the tied players can share the win. Or agree before starting to use the optional tiebreak: each tied player has 30 seconds to name the partners in their collected pairs, and whoever gets more right wins. You can skip the tiebreak and shuffle for a rematch instead.

Choose between a shared win and the timed tiebreak before the first turn, and tell everyone which it will be. Keeping party games from getting too competitive is easier when tie rules are settled in advance.

Other ways to play: face up, as a team or with cards left showing

If the players do not all have the same memory skills, you can change how the game works instead of just changing the number of cards.

• Leave missed cards showing (optional, for three to five players): agree on these rules before you start. Players take turns turning over up to two face-down cards, and cards that don't match stay face up. The first person to spot two visible partners claims them, even if it isn't their turn. Any claimed pair ends the turn of the player who was turning over cards, and the next turn goes to the player on that person's left. This version is about spotting partners, not remembering where cards are. If several people calling out at once gets confusing, go back to regular memory.

If calling out pairs gets confusing, a Thanksgiving picture-search pack gives each player their own sheet to search, with no simultaneous claims. The scenes have to be drawn and printed beforehand.

Playing at the dinner table

The suggested dinner-table layout is 12 pairs in a 4-by-6 grid. Check how much room plates, glasses and serving dishes leave before you assume the cards will fit.

Example for illustration: four children share a children's table, and the youngest is 5. The host chooses 12 complete pairs (24 cards) and lays them out 4 rows by 6 cards. With 6-centimeter cards, 4 rows take 24 centimeters and 6 cards take 36 centimeters, so the cards need a clear area of at least 24 by 36 centimeters plus the gaps between them. If the table space is smaller, the host uses six pairs in a 3-by-4 grid or moves the game to a side table. A younger child can play as a team with a reader. Keep the bag next to the cards so you can put the set away when the food is ready.

If the dining table has to stay clear for serving, set up a separate game area before dinner. The guide to Thanksgiving games while the turkey cooks covers printing cards ahead and arranging activity areas away from the kitchen route.

For 12 guests, make two sets and use two tables. You could play eight-minute rounds and offer rematches to anyone who wants one. Eight minutes is only a suggestion, and not every grid will be finished in that time. If you stop a competitive round early, whoever has collected the most pairs wins.

Fixing common problems and ending the game

Most problems can be fixed by changing the set or the way you play, not by adding new rules.

• Players can't see how two cards go together: show the pairs again, or add a drawing that makes the link clear.
• You can see the card front through the back: add an opaque backing.
• One card has no partner: check the set against the answer key. Only use complete pairs.
• The game is too hard: use fewer pairs, play face up or play as a team.
• Someone keeps feeling left out: offer jobs like keeping the flip count or the score as turns everyone can take, and don't give them only to the player who lost.
• Food is ready: write down the pairs collected or the flip count, then bag the cards with the notes for a later round.

A scorekeeping job doesn't suit every guest. Introvert-friendly party games offer paired or paper-based play instead, so a quieter player can join in a way they choose rather than being handed a support role.

Checklist before guests sit down

• Print the 24-pair list to use as the answer key.
• Make two cards for each pair you chose, with one partner on each card.
• Check that every card has its partner and that the backs hide the fronts.
• Make one set for each table of four to six players.
• Measure the table space for the grid you chose.
• Bag the cards with the rules, grid reminder, score notes and a pencil.
• Lay out the grid before players sit down.

Sources and further reading

• Thanksgiving matching cards

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