Thanksgiving Games for the Whole Family

Thanksgiving games fill the gap between arriving and eating, and keep everyone together once the pie is gone. This list has 20 fun family games for Thanksgiving, sorted into table games, active games for kids and outdoors, and relaxed games for adults after dinner. Each one lists players, what you need and how to play, with links to full rules where we have them.

Thanksgiving table games

Gratitude Pass

Players: 4 to 30
You need: A small object such as a mini pumpkin

Pass the object around the table. Whoever holds it shares one thing they are thankful for this year, then passes it on. Go around twice for deeper answers. It is a gentle tradition starter for any family.

Thankful Alphabet

Players: 4 to 20
You need: Nothing

Go around the table naming something you are thankful for, starting with A, then B, and so on. Anyone who cannot think of an answer in five seconds is out for the round. Keep going until you reach Z.

Turkey Trivia

Players: 4 to 40
You need: A list of 20 Thanksgiving and harvest questions

Ask about history, food and family traditions. Play in teams of mixed ages and mark answers together. Add a round of questions about your own family, such as "who burned the rolls two years ago".

Leftover Two Truths and a Lie

Players: 4 to 20
You need: Nothing

Each person shares two true facts about their year and one made up one. The table guesses the lie. It follows the standard two truths and a lie format and works well with relatives you see once a year.

Who Said It

Players: 6 to 30
You need: Cards with quotes collected from guests in advance

Ask each guest for a funny saying or a favorite memory before the day. Read them out at the table and everyone guesses who said it.

Would You Rather, Thanksgiving Edition

Players: 3 to 20
You need: A list of food based questions

Ask questions like "would you rather only eat stuffing or only eat mashed potatoes for a week". Everyone picks a side and defends it. Add more from our would you rather questions.

Thanksgiving games for kids

Pin the Feather on the Turkey

Players: 4 to 20 kids
You need: A turkey poster, paper feathers with tape, a blindfold

Blindfold each child and let them stick a feather on the turkey's tail. Closest wins. Name each feather so you can see who got nearest.

Turkey Hunt

Players: 4 to 30 kids
You need: Paper turkeys cut out and hidden around the house or yard

Hide 20 to 30 paper turkeys before guests arrive. Kids hunt for them while the meal cooks. Most turkeys found wins, with a golden turkey worth extra points.

Pass the Pumpkin

Players: 6 to 30
You need: A small pumpkin, music

Pass the pumpkin around while music plays. Whoever holds it when the music stops is out. This is hot potato with a harvest theme.

Thanksgiving Charades

Players: 6 to 30
You need: Slips with words like "carving the turkey" and "parade", a timer

Teams act out Thanksgiving words without speaking for one minute each. Use the standard charades rules.

Cranberry Spoon Race

Players: 4 to 20
You need: Spoons, cranberries or small potatoes

Players race across the room with a cranberry on a spoon held in their mouth or hand. If it falls, they go back to the start. First team to finish the relay wins.

Gobble Wobble Freeze Dance

Players: 5 to 30 kids
You need: Music

Kids dance and gobble like turkeys while the music plays, then freeze when it stops. Anyone who moves sits out. Last turkey standing wins.

Turkey Feather Count

Players: Any number
You need: A jar of candy corn or acorns

Guests guess how many are in the jar as they arrive. Reveal the answer at dessert and give the jar to the closest guess.

Backyard and football games

Backyard Flag Football

Players: 6 to 20
You need: A football, flag belts or cloth strips, cones

Thanksgiving football is a tradition in many families. Instead of tackling, defenders pull a flag from the ball carrier's waist to end the play. Keep teams mixed in age and limit games to 30 minutes so the cooks can join in.

Cornhole Tournament

Players: 2 to 16
You need: Cornhole boards and bean bags

Run a quick knockout bracket while dinner cooks. A bag on the board scores one point and a bag through the hole scores three. Full rules on our cornhole rules page.

Turkey Bowling

Players: 2 to 20
You need: A frozen turkey in a bag or a ball, plastic bottles as pins

Roll the turkey, or a ball for younger kids, at a set of bottle pins on a hard surface. Count the pins knocked down over three rounds.

After dinner games for adults and families

Family Card Games

Players: 2 to 10
You need: One or two standard decks

After the meal, bring out a deck. Spoons is great for a big table, and rummy suits a smaller group. See our spoons card game rules for a fast, noisy option.

Guess the Pie

Players: 4 to 20
You need: Photos of pies and desserts, answer sheets

Show close up photos of desserts and guests guess the pie: pecan, pumpkin, apple, sweet potato. Most correct wins first slice.

Thanksgiving Word Scramble

Players: 2 to 40
You need: Printed sheet of scrambled words

Scramble words such as "cranberry", "harvest" and "gravy". Kids and adults race to solve them in three minutes. It is an easy printable game for the kids' table.

Family Story Hat

Players: 4 to 20
You need: A hat, slips with prompts

Write prompts such as "your favorite holiday memory" or "the funniest thing that happened at this table". Each guest draws one and tells the story. It gets grandparents sharing stories the kids have never heard.

Planning tips for Thanksgiving games

• Before dinner: active games like the Turkey Hunt, backyard football and cornhole keep kids busy while the meal finishes.
• At the table: stick to talking games such as the Gratitude Pass, Thankful Alphabet and Who Said It.
• After dinner: card games, trivia and charades suit full stomachs.
• Mix ages on teams so grandparents and kids play together, not against each other.
• Print ahead: trivia sheets, word scrambles and the turkey poster can all be printed the day before.

How to choose by group size

Small family table (4 to 8): Thankful Alphabet, Who Said It and a deck of cards will carry the whole afternoon. Everyone gets plenty of turns and nobody has to leave the table.

Big family gathering (10 to 30): split into teams for Turkey Trivia and charades, run a cornhole bracket outside, and give the kids their own Turkey Hunt. Team games stop the loudest cousins from taking over.

Friendsgiving with adults: try trivia with a family history round swapped for a friendship round, Two Truths and a Lie, and a long card game after dessert. Keep a short game ready for when people start yawning.

Looking for more ideas for the long weekend? Browse our outdoor and lawn games.