Thanksgiving Games for Family: Ideas for All Ages
By the Clipart Scout team8 min read
Short answer
The best Thanksgiving family games are short and let everyone join at once: bingo while people arrive, a gratitude game at the table, charades or team guessing rounds after dinner, a leaf hunt outside and puzzles for the kids' table. This guide gives seventeen games with age, group size and what to prepare.
Key points
- Match the game to the moment: bingo while guests arrive, talking games at the table, team games after the meal.
- Two gratitude games are included, one for the table and one for a walk.
- Games for the kids' table can run on their own so the adults can cook and talk.
- Most games here need only paper, pencils and a few things from the kitchen.
- Check allergies before any game that involves food.
On this page
- What games can families play on Thanksgiving?
- What Thanksgiving games work at the dinner table?
- What can adults play on Thanksgiving?
- Which Thanksgiving games can you play outside?
- What Thanksgiving games are good for the kids’ table?
- How do the games compare?
- How can printables save you time?
- What to do next
Thanksgiving is one of the few days when a toddler, a teenager and a great-grandparent all sit in one room for several hours. A few good games give everyone something to do together before the food, between courses and while the dishes wait.
This guide has seventeen games, grouped by the moment they suit: before dinner, at the table, after dinner, outside and at the kids’ table. Two of them are gratitude games. There is a comparison chart near the end, and nothing here needs more than paper, pencils and a few things from your kitchen.
What games can families play on Thanksgiving?
Families can play one game for each part of the day: something light while guests arrive, a talking game at the table, a team game after the meal and something for children to do outside or at their own table. Here they are in that order.
Before dinner
1. Family moments bingo. Suits ages 6 and up, 5 to 30 people. Make a card of squares with things that tend to happen at a family gathering: “someone asks for the recipe,” “a child falls asleep,” “the doorbell rings twice.” Players mark a square when it happens and call “bingo” on a line. Make each card slightly different.
2. Guess the grocery bill. Suits ages 10 and up, 4 to 20 people. Choose ten items from your shopping receipt. Players write their price guesses and the closest total wins. Read the real prices aloud at the end. Keep the receipt out of sight until then.
3. Interview a relative. Suits ages 5 to 12. Give each child a sheet with three questions: “What is your favorite food on this table?” “What was Thanksgiving like when you were my age?” and “What is one thing you are thankful for?” They interview one grown-up and report back at the table. It keeps children busy and gives grandparents a stage.
What Thanksgiving games work at the dinner table?
Talking games work best at the table because they need no equipment and fit around eating. They suit a mixed-age group, and the youngest can join by answering the simplest question.
At the table
4. Gratitude alphabet. Suits ages 6 and up, 4 to 20 people. The first person names something they are thankful for that starts with A, the next with B, and so on around the table. Skip hard letters like X. Helpers can whisper to a younger child. By the end, the table has heard twenty small thank-yous.
5. Two truths and a fib. Suits ages 9 and up, 4 to 12 people. Each person says three things about a past Thanksgiving. Two are true and one is invented. The others vote on which is the fib. Stories from the oldest guests are the best prizes.
6. Thankful dice. Suits ages 5 and up, 3 to 12 people. Write six prompts on a sheet and number them one to six: “a food I love,” “a person who helped me,” “something that made me laugh this year” and so on. Pass one die; each person rolls and answers the matching prompt. This is the second gratitude game and the gentlest one.
7. Table riddles. Suits ages 7 and up, any number. Read a riddle aloud (“What has a neck but no head?” A bottle). Whoever guesses first reads the next. Write ten riddles on cards before guests come. Children enjoy the chance to read to the table.
What can adults play on Thanksgiving?
Adults enjoy games with friendly competition and a laugh: two teams, a few rounds and nothing that takes long to explain. These four suit the time after dinner, when people are full and need to stay seated.
After dinner
8. Survey-style guessing rounds. Suits ages 10 and up, two teams of 4 to 10 people. Before the party, ask ten friends or relatives a question such as “Name something you find on a Thanksgiving table.” Collect their answers. At the party, a team captain guesses the most popular answers. Each correct guess scores the number of people who gave it. You can also use a printed set of rounds with host cards.
9. Charades. Suits ages 6 and up, 6 to 20 people. Write slips such as “carving a turkey,” “burning the rolls,” “falling asleep on the couch.” Two teams alternate acting for a minute. Keep the topics kind and about food, not about relatives.
10. Lists game. Suits ages 8 and up, 3 to 20 people. Choose a category (“pie fillings,” “things you see on a fall walk”) and a starting letter. Everyone writes as many answers as they can in 60 seconds, and unique answers score a point. Seven rounds take about fifteen minutes.
11. Mystery pie taste test. Suits ages 8 and up, 4 to 12 people. Ask each pie baker for a tiny slice. Tasters close their eyes and guess the pie by its taste. Ask about allergies and food restrictions first, and let anyone sit out.
Which Thanksgiving games can you play outside?
Outdoor games suit children who have had enough of sitting still, and adults who want a walk. They work in a yard, a park or the street in front of the house.
Outside
12. Leaf and acorn hunt. Suits ages 3 to 10. Give each child a paper bag and a list with pictures: a red leaf, an acorn, a smooth stone, a stick shaped like a Y. The first to fill the bag wins, but everyone who finishes gets applause. Walk with the youngest.
13. Beanbag toss. Suits ages 4 and up, 4 to 15 people. Set three laundry baskets at different distances and give each a points value. Each player has five beanbags (rolled socks work). Add the score after each round. Move the baskets for older players.
14. Gratitude walk. Suits ages 6 and up, pairs. This is the second gratitude game. Walk in twos around the block. Each person notices three things they are thankful for along the way, such as a warm coat or a neighbor’s pumpkin, and says them aloud. Come back and share one with the table.
What Thanksgiving games are good for the kids’ table?
The kids’ table needs games that run themselves, so the grown-ups can talk. Choose paper and picture games that children can start and finish without help.
The kids’ table
15. Placemat puzzles. Suits ages 5 to 10. Print a placemat with a maze, a mini word search and something to color. Children can start the moment they sit down, and most finish before the dessert. Leave crayons in a cup in the middle.
16. Picture bingo. Suits ages 4 to 7, 3 to 10 children. Each card shows pictures: a turkey, a pie, a pumpkin. The caller names an item and children cover the match with a button or a dried bean. Pictures mean no reading is needed.
17. Hide the paper turkeys. Suits ages 3 to 8. Cut out 12 paper turkeys and hide them around one room while the children wait elsewhere. They search and bring each turkey to a basket. If your child’s school has set a turkey disguising project, our guide with 40 disguise a turkey ideas can give them something to make.
How do the games compare?
This table shows the games side by side so you can pick quickly.
| Game | Moment | Group size | Youngest age | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family moments bingo | Before dinner | 5–30 | 6 | Print cards |
| Guess the grocery bill | Before dinner | 4–20 | 10 | Keep your receipt |
| Interview a relative | Before dinner | Any | 5 | One sheet per child |
| Gratitude alphabet | Table | 4–20 | 6 | None |
| Two truths and a fib | Table | 4–12 | 9 | None |
| Thankful dice | Table | 3–12 | 5 | One die, six prompts |
| Table riddles | Table | Any | 7 | Write ten cards |
| Survey-style rounds | After dinner | 8–20 | 10 | Ask ten people a week ahead |
| Charades | After dinner | 6–20 | 6 | Write slips |
| Lists game | After dinner | 3–20 | 8 | Paper and categories |
| Mystery pie taste test | After dinner | 4–12 | 8 | Small slices, allergy check |
| Leaf and acorn hunt | Outside | 2–15 | 3 | Bags and a list |
| Beanbag toss | Outside | 4–15 | 4 | Baskets and socks |
| Gratitude walk | Outside | Pairs | 6 | None |
| Placemat puzzles | Kids’ table | 3–10 | 5 | Print placemats |
| Picture bingo | Kids’ table | 3–10 | 4 | Print cards |
| Hide the paper turkeys | Kids’ table | 3–10 | 3 | Cut 12 turkeys |
Tip: Choose three games, not seventeen. One before dinner, one at the table and one after is plenty. Keep the rest in reserve for a quiet half hour.
How can printables save you time?
If you would rather print than write, ready-made cards cut the preparation to a few minutes. The Thanksgiving Games Mega Bundle has 598 pages in 19 sections. It includes 58 different dinner table bingo cards, 58 family moments bingo cards, 40 top-answers rounds for two teams, 48 table talk cards, 60 charades cards and 8 printable gratitude dice. The kids’ table sections hold word searches, mazes, puzzles and 24 different family placemats.
If you also host Christmas, the Thanksgiving and Christmas Games Bundle has 1,196 pages in 63 sections and covers both holidays in one file. For December ideas, see our guide to Christmas party games for families.
What to do next
- Pick one game for each moment of the day and write them on a card to tape to the fridge.
- Ask your guests about food allergies before you plan any tasting game.
- Print or write the cards and set them in a basket by the door.
- Look through our holiday and seasonal printables and printable party games for more.
- Choose someone to run each game, so you are not the only host.
