Thanksgiving is one of the few days a year when grandparents, cousins and toddlers end up in the same room for hours. The right games fill the gap while the turkey rests, keep the kids’ table busy, and give everyone something to laugh about after dinner. Below are 18 Thanksgiving games for the whole family, sorted by when they work best, with the number of players, ages and prep time for each.
Thanksgiving games at a glance
| Game | Best time | Players | Ages | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thankful Alphabet | Before dinner | 3+ | 5+ | None |
| Who Wrote It? Gratitude Guessing | At the table | 4+ | 7+ | Paper and pens |
| Thanksgiving Trivia | At the table | 2+ | 8+ | None (questions below) |
| Two Truths and a Pie | At the table | 4+ | 8+ | None |
| Left-Right Thanksgiving Story | After dinner | 6+ | 5+ | A small wrapped prize |
| Hot Turkey | After dinner | 5+ | 3+ | Music and a soft toy |
| Thanksgiving Charades | After dinner | 6+ | 6+ | Slips of paper |
| Telephone Pictionary | After dinner | 5+ | 7+ | Paper and pens |
| Spoons | After dinner | 4 to 13 | 7+ | Deck of cards, spoons |
| Turkey Feather Hunt | Kids’ table | 2+ | 3 to 8 | Paper feathers |
| Feather Blow Race | Kids’ table | 2+ | 4+ | Feathers or tissue |
| Pumpkin Bowling | Backyard | 2+ | 3+ | Small pumpkin, bottles |
| Backyard Flag Football | Backyard | 6+ | 7+ | Ball, cloth strips |
Quick games while dinner cooks
These need no setup, so you can start them the moment people arrive.
1. Thankful Alphabet
Go around the room and name something you are thankful for, in alphabetical order: apple pie, Bubbe, cousins, dogs. Anyone who stalls for more than five seconds gets a playful groan from the room and the next person takes the letter. Little kids can name anything that starts with the letter; it does not have to be deep.
2. Guess the Turkey Weight
Before the bird goes in the oven, let everyone write down a guess of its weight. Closest guess gets first pick of dessert. It costs nothing and gives the kids a reason to hover near the kitchen without getting underfoot.
3. Would You Rather, Thanksgiving Edition
Take turns asking quick either-or questions: Would you rather eat only stuffing or only mashed potatoes? Would you rather watch the parade or the football? It works for every age and keeps conversation light while people settle in.
Games to play at the dinner table
Keep these gentle so nobody has to leave their seat or their plate.
4. Who Wrote It? Gratitude Guessing
Hand out slips of paper. Everyone writes one thing they are thankful for this year, folds it and drops it in a bowl. Read them aloud one by one while the table guesses who wrote each. Expect at least one answer that just says “pie.”
5. Thanksgiving Trivia
Read these out between courses. Keep score by table side or by generation (kids vs. grown-ups).
- What year did the harvest feast now called the first Thanksgiving take place? 1621, at Plymouth Colony.
- Which Native American nation shared that harvest feast with the Pilgrims? The Wampanoag.
- Which president proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863? Abraham Lincoln.
- Which writer and editor campaigned for years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday? Sarah Josepha Hale.
- In what year did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade begin? 1924.
- What is a male turkey called? A female? A baby? A tom, a hen and a poult.
- Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving game almost every year since 1934? The Detroit Lions.
- In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier. What nickname did critics give it? “Franksgiving.”
- Since 1941, Thanksgiving has been held on which Thursday of November? The fourth Thursday.
6. Two Truths and a Pie
Each person shares three short statements about their year: two true, one made up. The table votes on the fake. It is a sneaky way to hear what cousins have been up to without anyone feeling interviewed.
7. Pass the Compliment
Pick someone. Everyone at the table gives them one specific compliment, then move on to the next person. Keep it to one sentence each so it stays quick and warm rather than awkward.
After-dinner games for the whole family
This is when energy dips and the couch calls. These games pull everyone back together.
8. Left-Right Thanksgiving Story
Sit in a circle and give one person a small wrapped prize. Read a short Thanksgiving story out loud that uses the words “left” and “right” a lot. Each time you say “left,” the prize moves one person to the left; each time you say “right,” it moves right. Whoever holds it when the story ends keeps it. You can write your own story in five minutes, or have a teenager write one before dinner.
9. Hot Turkey
A Thanksgiving version of hot potato. Pass a soft toy turkey (or a rolled-up dish towel) around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, whoever holds it is out, or answers a silly question instead if you have little ones who hate being out.
10. Thanksgiving Charades
Write words on slips of paper and split into two teams. One player acts out a word without speaking while their team guesses before a one-minute timer runs out. Good Thanksgiving words: carving the turkey, football, pumpkin pie, parade balloon, food coma, cranberry sauce, setting the table, washing dishes, napping on the couch, Pilgrim hat. See our full guide to party games for big groups for more ideas.
11. Telephone Pictionary
Each person writes a Thanksgiving phrase at the top of a sheet, then passes it on. The next person draws it, folds over the phrase and passes it on; the next writes what they think the drawing shows, and so on. Unfold at the end and read the chain from start to finish. “Grandpa asleep in the recliner” rarely survives the trip.
12. Spoons
If your family likes something louder, Spoons is the perfect after-dinner card game. Everyone passes cards trying to collect four of a kind, then grabs for a spoon from the middle. It handles big groups well (up to 13 players with one deck) and takes two minutes to teach.
13. A Card Game for the Calmer Crowd
For grandparents and anyone in a food coma, a slower card game hits the spot. Kings in the Corner, Crazy Eights and Rummy all work with a single deck and mixed ages.
Games for the kids’ table
14. Turkey Feather Hunt
Cut out 20 to 30 paper feathers (or buy craft feathers) and hide them around the house or yard. Kids collect as many as they can in five minutes. Give each child a paper turkey to “decorate” with the feathers they find, so everyone ends up with something.
15. Feather Blow Race
Line up two feathers or tissue squares at one end of a table. Kids blow them to the other end without touching them. Fastest wins. It is surprisingly hard and very funny to watch.
16. Thankful Scavenger Hunt
Give kids a short list to find around the house: something soft, something that smells good, something older than Grandma, something that makes you laugh. They bring each item back and say why they are thankful for it.
Outdoor Thanksgiving games
If the weather cooperates, a little fresh air between dinner and dessert helps everyone.
17. Pumpkin Bowling
Set up empty plastic bottles or paper-towel tubes as pins. Roll a small, round pumpkin to knock them down. Little pumpkins with the stems removed roll best; keep it on grass or a driveway.
18. Backyard Flag Football
Tuck a cloth strip or bandana into everyone’s waistband. Instead of tackling, you pull the flag to stop the play. Mix teams by age and give younger kids a head start. It is the family version of the football game everyone is half-watching on TV.
Tips for a Thanksgiving game plan that works
- Pick one game for each stage. One before dinner, one at the table, one after. You do not need all 18.
- Mix ages on teams. Pair a grandparent with a grandchild so nobody is left out and the competition stays friendly.
- Keep rounds short. Ten to fifteen minutes per game is plenty after a big meal.
- Have a calm option. Not everyone wants to run or shout. A quiet card game in the corner keeps everyone included.
- Prep once, play for years. Keep your feather cut-outs, charades slips and story in a folder for next Thanksgiving.
For more ways to make game night a habit beyond the holidays, see our Start Here guide.
Thanksgiving games FAQ
What are good Thanksgiving games for adults and kids together?
Thankful Alphabet, Hot Turkey, Thanksgiving Charades and Left-Right Thanksgiving Story all work across ages because the rules are simple and nobody needs special skills. Spoons is great for kids around 7 and up.
What Thanksgiving games need no supplies?
Thankful Alphabet, Would You Rather, Two Truths and a Pie, Pass the Compliment and Thanksgiving Trivia need nothing at all.
What games can you play at the Thanksgiving dinner table?
Gratitude guessing, trivia, Two Truths and a Pie and Pass the Compliment all work while people are still seated and eating.
How do you keep kids busy on Thanksgiving?
Give them a job and a game: a feather hunt before dinner, the feather blow race at the kids’ table, and pumpkin bowling outside afterward.
What card games are good for Thanksgiving?
Spoons for a big, lively group; Kings in the Corner, Crazy Eights and Rummy for a calmer table. All of them need just one standard deck.
Leave a Reply