Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be just turkey and stuffing. Why not enhance this year’s holiday with some fun games? Here are a few Thanksgiving party game ideas to get you started:
Thanksgiving Memory Game Have guests sit in a circle. Begin the game with the following phrase: “At Thanksgiving dinner I ate turkey.” Have the next player repeat this line and add one more dish, such as “At Thanksgiving dinner I ate turkey and stuffing.” The third player repeats the line and adds another food item. The game continues with each player listing the previous items (in the correct order) and then adding a new dish. If someone makes a mistake, he or she must drop out of the game. The game continues until only one person is left. This game can also be played with the phrase, “At Thanksgiving time I am thankful for family.” Have everyone add another item that they are thankful for.
Guess the Photo Game Dig through old family photos. Find a picture of every person who is coming to Thanksgiving dinner. If you do not have pictures of everyone, ask guests to bring their own. Then number each photo and put them on a poster board for everyone to see. On a sheet of paper, list the name of each guest. Make copies and hand them out. Have everyone place a number corresponding to a picture next to each name listed. After dinner, go through the pictures and numbers and see who guessed correctly!
The Turkey Bowl Thanksgiving afternoons often involve a football game, so why not make football the theme of your party? Invite guests to come dressed for football. They can choose to be players, fans or cheerleaders. Decorate the table with football placemats or turn a helmet into a centerpiece. Use a football mold to shape stuffing and jell-o.
After dinner, let the games begin! Play touch football outside and have the spectators cheer on the teams. Hand out whistles and pom-poms to liven up the game.
If the weather does not allow for an outdoor football game, you can have guests watch one inside. Decorate football cookies or have a game of football trivia ready for the guests.
Have a Piñata For this Thanksgiving party game, make a piñata or buy one at the store. Fill with candy or Thanksgiving-related items. Have children and adults take a swing at the piñata. ~Turkey Hunt Instead of having an Easter egg hunt, have a Turkey hunt. Gather stuffed animals and toy turkeys and hide them throughout the house. Have children look for the stuffed animals. To make things more interesting, hide just one stuffed turkey in the house. Ask children to hunt for the turkey. The child that finds the bird gets to hide it for the next round.
Everyone’s a Photographer Hand out single-use cameras to the guests. Have them take pictures of the activities during the day. Afterwards, you can create a scrapbook or album using the various pictures.
For extra fun, include instructions with the cameras. Ask guests to build a pyramid, compete in a beauty contest by taking pictures, or come up with Thanksgiving-themed pictures. This way, you will have many laughs when the pictures are developed!
Recreate the First Thanksgiving Invite everyone to come Pilgrims and Native Americans. Gather information about the first Thanksgiving and share it with the guests. You may want to recreate some of the foods shared on the first Thanksgiving. Offer games and trivia that include the history of the Pilgrims and America. This is a great way for children to learn about the meaning of the day and still have fun.
Thanksgiving Word Game For this game, divide guests into teams. Hand out paper and pens to each team. Then state a word related to Thanksgiving, such as “Cornucopia.” Set a timer. Teams must come up with as many words inside of the word “Cornucopia” as they can before the timer runs out (e.g. corn, cop, cap). Give points for the number of words that teams list. Continue with another Thanksgiving-related word.
This Thanksgiving, consider have a special dinner theme. Plan games for the guests. By including some Thanksgiving party games, your guests will enjoy a lively celebration. You might even form some new family traditions.
These Thanksgiving party games can be held after Thanksgiving also. If you spend the holiday weekend with family, you can add some zest to the days following the big dinner. It will help the family enjoy time together and create lasting memories. Turkey Hunt Instead of having an Easter egg hunt, have a Turkey hunt. Gather stuffed animals and toy turkeys and hide them throughout the house. Have children look for the stuffed animals. To make things more interesting, hide just one stuffed turkey in the house. Ask children to hunt for the turkey. The child that finds the bird gets to hide it for the next round.
Everyone’s a Photographer Hand out single-use cameras to the guests. Have them take pictures of the activities during the day. Afterwards, you can create a scrapbook or album using the various pictures.
For extra fun, include instructions with the cameras. Ask guests to build a pyramid, compete in a beauty contest by taking pictures, or come up with Thanksgiving-themed pictures. This way, you will have many laughs when the pictures are developed!
Recreate the First Thanksgiving Invite everyone to come Pilgrims and Native Americans. Gather information about the first Thanksgiving and share it with the guests. You may want to recreate some of the foods shared on the first Thanksgiving. Offer games and trivia that include the history of the Pilgrims and America. This is a great way for children to learn about the meaning of the day and still have fun.
Thanksgiving Word Game For this game, divide guests into teams. Hand out paper and pens to each team. Then state a word related to Thanksgiving, such as “Cornucopia.” Set a timer. Teams must come up with as many words inside of the word “Cornucopia” as they can before the timer runs out (e.g. corn, cop, cap). Give points for the number of words that teams list. Continue with another Thanksgiving-related word.
This Thanksgiving, consider have a special dinner theme. Plan games for the guests. By including some Thanksgiving party games, your guests will enjoy a lively celebration. You might even form some new family traditions.
These Thanksgiving party games can be held after Thanksgiving also. If you spend the holiday weekend with family, you can add some zest to the days following the big dinner. It will help the family enjoy time together and create lasting memories.