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42 Best Thanksgiving Games That Are Way More Fun Than Football
These activities will entertain everyone from the adults to the toddlers. Plus, many of them are free!
Thanksgiving is all about celebrating the things that you are grateful for and enjoying the company of the ones you love the most (while stuffing your face with turkey, of course). And along with honoring years of tradition this holiday, you can introduce some new activities to keep the whole family entertained. Our list of the best thanksgiving games includes cute turkey crafts, DIY projects and even funny games you can pair with hilarious Thanksgiving jokes that are sure to be just as enjoyable for the adults as they are for toddlers.
You can put on your creative hats by recreating your very own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or let your competitive nature off the leash with a few games of turkey bowling, pitting the kids against the adults. Testing your knowledge of Thanksgiving trivia could also suffice as an educational yet fun game for the entire family. And if you’re really hoping to keep the young ones engaged, you could plan a few variations of cool scavenger hunt games.
Whether you’re in the mood for an innovative card game, want to try out a few free printables or prefer something more virtual, these Thanksgiving game ideas will keep the fun going all night long.
Turkey Leg Wrap Game
Teams of two will have one minute to wrap a member of the fam in brown burlap and place a chef hat on their head to resemble a turkey leg. The team to complete the look the fastest wins.
VanillaMintPrints Printable Thanksgiving Riddle Me This Trivia Game
VanillaMintPrints Printable Thanksgiving Riddle Me This Trivia Game
If you need a quick game, download and print this trivia sheet that’s full of Thanksgiving riddles.
Thanksgiving Mad-Libs
With this sweet printable, you guests will be able to write down everything they are thankful for. When everyone is done, go around the table and read 'em out loud.
Family Tree
A game and a family history lesson all in one. See who can complete the family tree the fastest to win a special prize.
Favors & Stuff Printable Thanksgiving Games
You'll have a whole night's worth of activities with these printable games! The set includes "This or That," "Thanksgivi-Gories," an A to Z game, and gratitude cards.
Sack Race
This classic game is perfect for all ages and can be played indoors or outdoors. All you need is a few sacks. You can even split your family up into teams and see who is the first to get all of their members across the finish line.
GetSetGames Virtual Thanksgiving Jeoparty
Play Thanksgiving Jeoparty in person or via Zoom! It’s interactive with music, sound effects and animations to keep everyone engaged. You can even edit the game and switch out questions to tailor it to your party.
PamsPartyPrintables Printable Thanksgiving Taboo
Keep the guests guessing the Thanksgiving word or phrase without using the keywords listed on the card — a party favorite!
Up to 24 players can take part in this seasonal Bingo game. Will your family be brave enough to put real money on it?
DigitalSimplicity Printable The Price is Right Thanksgiving Game
DigitalSimplicity Printable The Price is Right Thanksgiving Game
Set the timer and guess the price for each item on the list. The player with the most accurate guesses wins a prize!
DigitalSimplicity Printable What's on Your Phone Scavenger Hunt
DigitalSimplicity Printable What's on Your Phone Scavenger Hunt
If you find it difficult to keep your family off of their phones during the holidays, why not make a game out of it? This customizable scavenger hunt will allow participants to rack up points for every item found on their phone.
Printable Thanksgiving Word Scramble
Time for a brain game! See who can unscramble the most words in this printable all about Thanksgiving. It has an educational element, which is a bonus for kids during a longer break from school.
Tifeson Thanksgiving Bean Bag Toss
Take the fun of cornhole and give it a seasonal twist, and you'll get this turkey bean bag toss game. It comes with three bean bags.
Printable Thanksgiving Would You Rather
For a quick game that is sure to be a conversation starter, you could pull out this printable "Would You Rather" game. All of the questions are related to Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving dinner.
See who can create the goofiest turkey out of these stickers, from top hats to glasses and more!
Pumpkin Tic Tac Toe
Play a fall-inspired game with pumpkins! With just a few materials needed, see who will be the tic-tac-toe champion on Thanksgiving.
Big Dot of Happiness Thanksgiving Party Scratch Off Cards
Big Dot of Happiness Thanksgiving Party Scratch Off Cards
Have your guests earn these scratch-off cards throughout the day with other games and see who gets the winning card. The winner can be rewarded with a grand prize!
PamsPartyPrintables Thanksgiving Escape Room Kit
You can create your very own escape room experience from the comfort of your home. Using printable instructions found in this kit, you and your family can gather clues to discover everything on a mom's to-do list before time runs out.
Printable Thanksgiving Charades
Get your friends and family all playing together with a Thanksgiving-themed charades game. Just print these out and you’ll have 100 cards of endless fun.
Thankful Jar
This activity is part-craft, part-game: Kids can make and decorate the jar, then put what they're thankful for inside. Bring it out again next Thanksgiving and read the responses for a trip down memory lane.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
Katarina Avendaño (she/her) is the senior SEO editor for Good Housekeeping, where she writes and edits lifestyle content and contributes to SEO strategy. Before joining GH in 2021, she was the digital editor at New York Family, where she was responsible for the website’s content and strategy. Katarina received her bachelor's degree in communications and Spanish from the University of Washington.
Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.
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