30 Thanksgiving Games for Family, Adults and Kids

Short on time? Start with the free Thanksgiving trivia game: it shows the questions, reveals the answers and keeps score on one phone. For conversation instead of competition, there are 70 Thanksgiving questions to read around the table.

How to pick a Thanksgiving game

1. Count the people and check the ages. Mixed ages need team games where kids and adults play together.
2. Decide when you’ll play. At the table means talking games; after dinner you can stand up and move.
3. Keep the first one short. A ten-minute round gets people in the mood for a second one.
4. Have a tiny prize. First pick of the leftovers works better than you’d think.

Thanksgiving games at the dinner table

These need no supplies and nobody has to leave their seat.

1. Thanksgiving would you rather: read one dilemma per person, everyone answers.
2. Pass the gratitude: say one thing you’re thankful for that starts with the next letter.
3. Two truths and a lie, family edition: two real family stories and one made up.
4. Guess the grandparent: read a fact about a relative’s childhood, guess who.
5. Who’s most likely to, Thanksgiving edition: point on three, then explain.
6. One-word reviews: everyone reviews the meal in one word, the cook picks a winner.
7. Thanksgiving trivia, one round: ten questions, played in teams by table side.

Thanksgiving games for kids

Quick, simple and noisy in a good way.

1. Turkey feather hunt: hide paper feathers around the house, most feathers wins.
2. Pin the tail on the turkey: blindfolded, three spins, stick on the feathers.
3. Thanksgiving I spy: I spy something orange, something you eat, something round.
4. Gobble freeze dance: dance while music plays, freeze and gobble when it stops.
5. Draw a hand turkey contest: everyone traces a hand, best decorated turkey wins.
6. Pie-plate ring toss: toss paper rings or bracelets onto a plastic bottle.

Thanksgiving games for adults

For the evening, when the kids are watching a movie.

1. Blind side-dish taste test: taste three versions of one dish and rank them.
2. Thanksgiving Taboo: describe “stuffing” without saying bread, turkey or Grandma.
3. Never have I ever, Thanksgiving edition: fingers down for every holiday confession.
4. Fill the leftovers box: guess how many dinner rolls fit in a container.
5. The pie auction: everyone gets ten fake dollars to bid on slices of pie.
6. Thanksgiving charades: act out Pilgrims, parade balloons and food comas.

Friendsgiving games

Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving meal with friends, and the games can be a little louder.

1. Potluck superlatives: vote for best dish, most ambitious and most likely store-bought.
2. Friendsgiving trivia about the group: questions about your friends, not the Pilgrims.
3. Who brought what: guess who made each dish before the cook is revealed.
4. Thanksgiving imposter: everyone gets the same food word except one bluffer.
5. Hot take turkey: pass a toy turkey, whoever holds it shares a food hot take.
6. Gratitude roast: say one thing you love about the person on your left, then one joke.

Thanksgiving games at work

Inclusive and quick, nothing personal or religious.

1. Thanksgiving trivia in teams: one round over lunch, a pie for the winning team.
2. Guess the pie weight: closest guess takes the pie home.
3. Thanksgiving bingo: squares like “someone mentions football” or “seconds on dessert”.
4. The gratitude wall: sticky notes thanking a coworker, read out at the end.
5. Recipe swap guess: collect favorite recipes anonymously, guess who sent which.

Thanksgiving minute to win it games

Sixty seconds each, supplies from the kitchen.

1. Cranberry spoon relay: carry cranberries on a spoon across the room, no hands.
2. Stack the rolls: build the tallest dinner roll tower in one minute.
3. Corn kernel chopsticks: move kernels between two bowls with chopsticks.
4. Turkey bowling: knock down paper-cup pins with a mini pumpkin.
5. Feather blow: keep a feather in the air using only your breath.
6. Pie face, gently: find a candy in a plate of whipped cream, hands behind your back.

More Thanksgiving ideas

• 70 Thanksgiving questions for the table: would you rather, never have I ever and conversation starters.
• 50 Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers, printable by round.
• The free Thanksgiving trivia game to host from your phone.
• The free Thanksgiving charades generator with timer and team score.
• Free printable Thanksgiving bingo cards, including dinner table conversation bingo.
• 20 Friendsgiving games for adults.
• 40 Thanksgiving Family Feud-style questions with ranked answers.
• Fun games to play on Thanksgiving with family, sorted by before, during and after dinner.
• Thanksgiving games for large groups of 10 to 30 people.
• Thanksgiving drinking games for adults, sips always optional.
• Thanksgiving games for work, in the office or on a video call.
• For a quick decision on who goes first or who does the dishes, spin the custom wheel.