Thanksgiving Party Games Ideas: Fun for the Whole Family

Here are the step-by-step instructions for each of these Thanksgiving party games:

1. Pin the Feather on the Turkey

• Materials: A large picture of a turkey (without feathers), paper feathers with adhesive on the back, and a blindfold.
• How to play: Blindfold one player at a time and spin them gently. Have them try to pin a paper feather onto the turkey’s body. The player who gets the closest wins.

2. Turkey Hunt

• Materials: Small toy turkeys or pictures of turkeys hidden around the space.
• How to play: Players search for the hidden turkeys within a set time limit. The person who finds the most turkeys wins.

3. Thanksgiving Bingo

• Materials: Bingo cards with Thanksgiving-related images (pumpkins, turkey, corn, etc.), and bingo markers.
• How to play: Call out Thanksgiving-related terms. Players mark the corresponding items on their bingo cards. The first to complete a row calls “Bingo!” and wins.

4. Pumpkin Bowling

• Materials: Small pumpkins and empty cans or plastic bottles set up as pins.
• How to play: Roll a small pumpkin toward the pins, trying to knock down as many as possible. Players take turns and accumulate points for each pin knocked over.

5. Thanksgiving Charades

• Materials: A set of Thanksgiving-related words or phrases written on slips of paper.
• How to play: Players take turns drawing a slip of paper and acting out the word or phrase without speaking. The rest of the group guesses what it is.

6. Turkey Feather Relay

• Materials: Feathers and spoons or small baskets.
• How to play: Divide into teams. Players must carry a turkey feather on a spoon or in a basket to the finish line and back without dropping it.

7. Thanksgiving Trivia

• Materials: A list of Thanksgiving-themed trivia questions.
• How to play: Players take turns answering questions. Correct answers earn points. The player with the most points at the end wins.

8. Gratitude Scavenger Hunt

• Materials: List of Thanksgiving-related items to find (e.g., a pumpkin, a corn cob).
• How to play: Give players the list of items to find around the house or yard. The first person or team to find all items wins.

9. Thanksgiving Pictionary

• Materials: Paper and markers or a Pictionary game set.
• How to play: Players take turns drawing Thanksgiving-themed words while the others guess what it is. The player who guesses correctly gets a point.

10. Pin the Tail on the Turkey

• Materials: A large turkey poster without a tail, a tail cut-out, and a blindfold.
• How to play: Blindfold players and have them try to pin the tail onto the turkey. The one who gets the closest wins.

11. Turkey Toss

• Materials: Bean bags shaped like turkeys or other items to toss.
• How to play: Players toss the bean bags into a bucket or hoop. Each successful toss earns points. The player with the most points wins.

12. Thanksgiving Bingo with Food

• Materials: Bingo cards with pictures of Thanksgiving food (turkey, pie, stuffing, etc.) and bingo markers.
• How to play: Similar to regular bingo, players mark off foods as they are called. The first to complete a row wins.

13. Pumpkin Decorating Contest

• Materials: Pumpkins, markers, paints, glue, and decorations.
• How to play: Each participant decorates a pumpkin. The most creative, funniest, or scariest pumpkin wins.

14. Cornhole

• Materials: A cornhole set (boards and bags).
• How to play: Players take turns throwing bean bags onto a cornhole board. Points are scored based on where the bags land. The first player or team to reach 21 points wins.

15. Turkey Calling Contest

• Materials: Turkey call or homemade instruments (e.g., cups, straws).
• How to play: Players compete to make the most convincing turkey calls. A panel of judges or the audience picks the best call.

16. Thanksgiving Word Search

• Materials: Thanksgiving-themed word search puzzles.
• How to play: Players try to find as many words as possible in a Thanksgiving-themed word search. The person who finds the most words in the shortest amount of time wins.

17. Musical Chairs with Thanksgiving Music

• Materials: Chairs and a Thanksgiving playlist.
• How to play: Players walk around a circle of chairs while music plays. When the music stops, players must quickly sit in a chair. The last person standing wins.

18. Guess the Number of Candy Corn

• Materials: A jar filled with candy corn and a piece of paper for guesses.
• How to play: Players write down how many pieces of candy corn they think are in the jar. The person who guesses closest wins the jar.

19. Thanksgiving Name That Tune

• Materials: A playlist of Thanksgiving-themed songs.
• How to play: Play short clips from Thanksgiving-related songs. Players try to guess the song title. The person with the most correct answers wins.

20. Guess the Thanksgiving Dish

• Materials: Small samples of Thanksgiving dishes or pictures.
• How to play: Players taste small samples of dishes or guess based on pictures of Thanksgiving food. The person who guesses the most dishes correctly wins.

21. Thanksgiving Jeopardy

• Materials: A Jeopardy board with Thanksgiving categories and questions.
• How to play: Players select questions from different categories, answer them, and earn points. The person with the most points wins.

22. Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest

• Materials: Small pumpkin pies or pie slices.
• How to play: Players race to finish a pie the fastest without using their hands. The first person to finish their pie wins.

23. Thanksgiving Bingo with “I’m Thankful For” Prompts

• Materials: Bingo cards with “I’m thankful for…” prompts and bingo markers.
• How to play: Players fill in their bingo cards with things they are thankful for. The first to complete a row wins.

24. Thankful Memory Game

• Materials: Cards with pairs of Thanksgiving-related images or words.
• How to play: Players take turns flipping over two cards at a time, trying to find matching pairs. The player with the most pairs wins.

25. Hot Potato with a Turkey

• Materials: A soft turkey toy or object to pass around.
• How to play: Players sit in a circle and pass the turkey while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the turkey is out. The last person left wins.

26. Fall-Themed Relay Race

• Materials: Relay race props like cones, spoons, and pumpkins.
• How to play: Divide players into teams. Each player must complete a task (like carrying a pumpkin on a spoon) before passing it to the next teammate. The first team to finish wins.

27. Turkey Trot (race)

• Materials: Marked-off course or a simple space to run.
• How to play: Players race to the finish line dressed as turkeys (or with turkey accessories). The fastest player wins.

28. Pass the Pumpkin

• Materials: A small pumpkin or ball.
• How to play: Players sit in a circle and pass the pumpkin around while music plays. When the music stops, the player holding the pumpkin is out. The last player left wins.

29. Turkey Feather Toss

• Materials: Turkey feathers and a basket or bucket.
• How to play: Players try to toss turkey feathers into a basket or bucket from a set distance. The player with the most successful tosses wins.

30. Turkey Bowling (with mini-pumpkins)

• Materials: Mini pumpkins and empty bottles or cans for pins.
• How to play: Roll mini pumpkins toward the pins, trying to knock them over. The player who knocks over the most pins wins.

31. Pumpkin Bowling

• Materials: Small pumpkins and pins or cans.
• How to play: Set up pins or cans in a bowling formation and roll pumpkins to knock them over. Each player gets a turn to score as many points as possible.

32. Thanksgiving Slapjack

• Objective: Be the first to slap the pile when certain cards are revealed.
• How to Play:
  1. Use a standard deck of cards.
  2. Deal the cards evenly to each player.
  3. Players take turns flipping over one card at a time from their deck into a center pile.
  4. When a Jack is revealed, players must race to slap the pile.
  5. The player who slaps the pile first wins the cards.
  6. The player with the most cards at the end wins.

33. Guess the Thanksgiving Ingredient Game

• Objective: Guess the ingredient based on clues.
• How to Play:
  1. Write down ingredients of popular Thanksgiving dishes on small cards (e.g., turkey, cranberries, stuffing).
  2. Each player takes turns drawing a card without looking at it and describing the ingredient to the group without naming it.
  3. The other players guess the ingredient.
  4. The player who guesses the most ingredients wins.

34. Thanksgiving Name That Smell Game

• Objective: Guess the Thanksgiving scent.
• How to Play:
  1. Collect several items that smell like Thanksgiving (e.g., pumpkin spice, turkey, cinnamon).
  2. Blindfold the players one at a time.
  3. Have them smell each item and try to identify it.
  4. The person who guesses the most correct scents wins.

35. Pilgrim Hat Stack Challenge

• Objective: Stack as many Pilgrim hats as possible.
• How to Play:
  1. Provide small Pilgrim hats or paper hats to each player.
  2. The goal is to stack as many hats as possible on top of each other without the stack falling.
  3. The player with the tallest stack after a set time wins.

36. Harvest Play Dough Challenge

• Objective: Create a Thanksgiving-themed creation using play dough.
• How to Play:
  1. Provide each player with a set of play dough.
  2. Give them a specific Thanksgiving theme to create (e.g., turkey, pumpkin, pilgrim hat).
  3. Set a time limit for everyone to finish their creation.
  4. Judges vote on the best creation, or players vote for their favorite.

37. Thanksgiving Monster Mash Dance Off

• Objective: Show off your best dance moves.
• How to Play:
  1. Play the classic song “Monster Mash” or any other fun music.
  2. Everyone dances to the music in the style they choose.
  3. After the song ends, the group votes for the best dancer.
  4. The person with the most votes wins a prize.

38. Turkey-Related Scavenger Hunt

• Objective: Find all turkey-related items hidden around the area.
• How to Play:
  1. Hide various turkey-related items (e.g., small turkey figurines, turkey pictures, or stuffed turkey toys) around the house or yard.
  2. Provide players with a list of items they need to find.
  3. The first person to find all the items wins.

39. Farm-to-Table Quiz

• Objective: Answer questions about Thanksgiving food and its origins.
• How to Play:
  1. Prepare a list of trivia questions related to Thanksgiving food and its history.
  2. Players take turns answering questions.
  3. Award points for correct answers.
  4. The player with the most points at the end wins.

40. Fall Bucket Toss

• Objective: Toss small objects into a bucket.
• How to Play:
  1. Set up a large bucket or container and place it a certain distance away from the players.
  2. Players take turns tossing small objects (like mini pumpkins or balls) into the bucket.
  3. The player who gets the most objects in the bucket wins.

41. Turkey Walk Game

• Objective: Walk like a turkey to the finish line.
• How to Play:
  1. Set up a start and finish line.
  2. Players take turns walking like turkeys (flapping their arms, waddling, etc.) to the finish line.
  3. The first player to cross the finish line while walking like a turkey wins.

42. Fall-Themed Word Guessing

• Objective: Guess the fall-themed word based on clues.
• How to Play:
  1. Write down a list of fall-related words (e.g., pumpkin, acorn, leaves).
  2. One player provides verbal clues to describe the word without saying it directly.
  3. The other players try to guess the word.
  4. The first player to guess correctly wins the round.

43. Harvest Bingo

• Objective: Complete a bingo card by matching harvest-related items.
• How to Play:
  1. Create bingo cards filled with harvest-related images (e.g., apples, pumpkins, leaves).
  2. Call out the items one by one.
  3. Players mark off the items on their cards as they hear them.
  4. The first player to complete a row, column, or diagonal calls out “Bingo!” and wins.

44. Thanksgiving Trivia Challenge

• Objective: Answer Thanksgiving trivia questions correctly.
• How to Play:
  1. Prepare a list of Thanksgiving-related trivia questions.
  2. Players take turns answering the questions.
  3. Award points for correct answers.
  4. The player with the most points wins.

45. Fall-Themed Dice Roll Game

• Objective: Roll the dice to complete fall-themed tasks.
• How to Play:
  1. Create a list of fall-themed actions based on dice rolls (e.g., “Roll a 1: Pretend to be a turkey for 30 seconds”).
  2. Players take turns rolling the dice.
  3. They must perform the action that corresponds with the number rolled.
  4. The game continues until everyone has had several turns.

46. Pumpkin Bowling with Tins and Strikes

• Objective: Knock down pins with mini pumpkins.
• How to Play:
  1. Set up pins (such as empty cans or plastic bottles) in a triangular formation.
  2. Use mini pumpkins as bowling balls.
  3. Players take turns rolling the pumpkins to knock down the pins.
  4. The player with the most strikes (knocking down all the pins) wins.

These games are designed to add fun and entertainment to your Thanksgiving celebration, with a mix of physical, creative, and trivia challenges. Enjoy!