50 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers for Kids and Adults

Here are 50 Thanksgiving trivia questions with the answers right next to them, in five rounds of ten: easy questions for kids, Thanksgiving history, food, the Macy’s parade and football, and a hard round for adults. Print this page for a family quiz, a classroom or the office, or host the whole thing from your phone with the free Thanksgiving trivia game, which reveals the answers and keeps score.

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50 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers for Kids and Adults
In this article
  1. How to run a Thanksgiving trivia quiz
  2. Easy Thanksgiving trivia questions for kids
  3. Thanksgiving history trivia questions
  4. Thanksgiving food trivia questions
  5. Thanksgiving parade and football trivia questions
  6. Hard Thanksgiving trivia questions for adults
  7. More Thanksgiving ideas

Want to run it from your phone instead of reading off this page? The free Thanksgiving trivia game shows each question, reveals the answer and keeps score for every team.

How to run a Thanksgiving trivia quiz

  1. Split into teams of two to four. Put a kid and a grandparent on the same team.
  2. Read each question aloud and give teams about 30 seconds to agree on an answer.
  3. Teams write their answer down, then reveal it. One point per right answer.
  4. Play two or three rounds between dinner and dessert. Winners get first pick of the pie.

Easy Thanksgiving trivia questions for kids

Short and simple, good for the kids’ table and the first round.

  1. In which month is Thanksgiving celebrated in the US? Answer: November
  2. On which day of the week is US Thanksgiving? Answer: Thursday
  3. Which bird is the star of most Thanksgiving dinners? Answer: Turkey
  4. What sound does a turkey make? Answer: Gobble gobble
  5. Which orange vegetable goes into a classic Thanksgiving pie? Answer: Pumpkin
  6. Which red berry is made into a sauce for Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: Cranberry
  7. What do you call a baby turkey? Answer: A poult
  8. What is a male turkey called? Answer: A tom (or gobbler)
  9. What is a female turkey called? Answer: A hen
  10. Can wild turkeys fly? Answer: Yes, for short distances

Thanksgiving history trivia questions

The Pilgrims, the 1621 harvest and how Thanksgiving became a national holiday.

  1. Which ship brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620? Answer: The Mayflower
  2. In which year was the harvest feast often called the “first Thanksgiving”? Answer: 1621
  3. Which Native American people shared the 1621 harvest feast with the Pilgrims? Answer: The Wampanoag
  4. Who was the Wampanoag leader at that 1621 feast? Answer: Massasoit (Ousamequin)
  5. Where in today’s Massachusetts did the Pilgrims settle? Answer: Plymouth
  6. Which president made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863? Answer: Abraham Lincoln
  7. Which magazine editor campaigned for years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday? Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale
  8. Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939? Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt
  9. Which US president proclaimed the first national day of thanksgiving in 1789? Answer: George Washington
  10. Which country celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October? Answer: Canada

Thanksgiving food trivia questions

Everything on the table, from the pie to the gravy.

  1. Which nut gives its name to a classic Southern pie? Answer: Pecan
  2. Which orange vegetable is often topped with marshmallows? Answer: Sweet potato
  3. Green beans, mushroom soup and crispy fried onions make which dish? Answer: Green bean casserole
  4. What is the sauce made from the turkey’s pan juices called? Answer: Gravy
  5. What is it called when you spoon the juices over the turkey while it roasts? Answer: Basting
  6. Is turkey breast white meat or dark meat? Answer: White meat
  7. Which bone do two people pull apart to make a wish? Answer: The wishbone
  8. Cranberries are grown in which kind of wet field? Answer: A bog
  9. Name one spice in pumpkin pie spice. Answer: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves or allspice
  10. What is the bread-based side cooked inside or next to the turkey called? Answer: Stuffing (or dressing)

Thanksgiving parade and football trivia questions

The Macy’s parade, the NFL games and the days after.

  1. Which department store hosts the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York? Answer: Macy’s
  2. In which year was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Answer: 1924
  3. Which cartoon cat was the first giant balloon in the Macy’s parade, in 1927? Answer: Felix the Cat
  4. Who arrives at the very end of the Macy’s parade? Answer: Santa Claus
  5. Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving game almost every year since 1934? Answer: The Detroit Lions
  6. Which other NFL team traditionally hosts a game on Thanksgiving? Answer: The Dallas Cowboys
  7. What does the US president “pardon” every year before Thanksgiving? Answer: A turkey
  8. What is the big shopping day after Thanksgiving called? Answer: Black Friday
  9. What is the online shopping day the Monday after Thanksgiving called? Answer: Cyber Monday
  10. Which dog show is broadcast on Thanksgiving Day in the US? Answer: The National Dog Show

Hard Thanksgiving trivia questions for adults

For the last round, when the scores are close.

  1. What is the scientific name of the wild turkey? Answer: Meleagris gallopavo
  2. What is the wishbone’s proper name? Answer: The furcula
  3. What is the red flap of skin under a turkey’s chin called? Answer: The wattle
  4. What is the fleshy flap that hangs over a turkey’s beak called? Answer: The snood
  5. What is a group of wild turkeys called? Answer: A rafter (or a gang)
  6. What was the agreement signed aboard the Mayflower in 1620 called? Answer: The Mayflower Compact
  7. Which Patuxet man who spoke English helped the Pilgrims at Plymouth? Answer: Tisquantum (Squanto)
  8. About how many passengers sailed on the Mayflower? Answer: About 102
  9. In which year did Congress fix Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November? Answer: 1941
  10. What nickname did critics give Roosevelt’s earlier Thanksgiving date? Answer: “Franksgiving”

More Thanksgiving ideas

Save these lists for later

Screenshot them for game night or save them to Pinterest.

6 Easy Thanksgiving Trivia Questions for Kids Save
5 Thanksgiving History Trivia Questions Save
6 Thanksgiving Food Trivia Questions Save
5 Thanksgiving Parade & Football Trivia Questions Save
6 Hard Thanksgiving Trivia Questions for Adults Save

Questions

What are good Thanksgiving trivia questions for a family? +

Start with easy questions anyone can answer, like which day of the week Thanksgiving falls on, then move to food and parade questions, and save the history and hard rounds for the adults. Mixed-age teams keep everyone in the game.

What is a hard Thanksgiving trivia question? +

Try "What is the wishbone's proper name?" The answer is the furcula. Or ask what a group of wild turkeys is called: a rafter.

Can I print these Thanksgiving trivia questions? +

Yes. Use your browser's print button (or "Save as PDF") and the questions print with their answers. Cover the answers with a strip of paper if the host page will be passed around.

How do I host Thanksgiving trivia on my phone? +

Open the free Thanksgiving trivia game on this site, choose the rounds and name the teams. It shows one question at a time, reveals the answer when you tap and keeps score.

Free tools

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