17 Amazing Thanksgiving Day Family Games That’ll Make Your Holiday Unforgettable

Thanksgiving is amazing for the food, but let’s be real – there’s only so long kids can sit at the dinner table before they start getting restless. And honestly? Adults need a break from all that cooking and cleanup too.

That’s where games come in. I’m talking about simple, fun activities that get everyone involved and create those memories you’ll actually remember next year (unlike what side dish Aunt Susan brought… again).

My son is 8, and I’ve learned that the best Thanksgiving day family games are the ones that don’t require a ton of prep or complicated rules. You want something you can set up quickly, explain in two minutes, and that works for different ages.

So let’s jump into some games that’ll keep your crew entertained from the moment they arrive until the last slice of pie is gone.

Best Thanksgiving Day Family Games

Turkey Trot Relay Race

Age Group: 4 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Balloons (orange or brown work great), spoons, and a starting/finish line

This one gets the wiggles out before dinner, which is a lifesaver if you ask me.

How to Play:

1. Blow up balloons – one per team or player
2. Mark your start and finish lines (use tape, shoes, whatever)
3. Players balance the balloon on a spoon and race to the finish line
4. If the balloon falls, they go back to the start
5. First one to cross the finish line wins

Variations: For younger kids, let them carry the balloon instead of balancing it. For older kids, make them go backwards or hop on one foot.

Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt

Age Group: 3-12 years
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium (depends on clues)
Materials Needed: Printed scavenger hunt list, small prizes

You can grab a free printable Thanksgiving scavenger hunt from my free printables vault – it’s already designed and ready to go.

How to Play:

1. Print out the scavenger hunt lists (one per child or team)
2. Hide items around your house or yard
3. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes
4. Kids search for items on their list
5. Whoever finds the most items wins

Pro Tip: Make different lists for different age groups. A 4-year-old looking for “something orange” is way different than a 10-year-old solving riddles.

Pin the Feather on the Turkey

Age Group: 3-10 years
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Poster of a turkey (or draw one), paper feathers, tape, blindfold

This is basically Pin the Tail on the Donkey but Thanksgiving style. Kids love it, and it’s super simple to set up.

How to Play:

1. Hang your turkey poster on the wall at kid height
2. Give each player a paper feather with their name on it
3. Blindfold the player and spin them around gently (twice is enough)
4. They try to stick their feather on the turkey
5. Closest to the target spot wins

Make It Your Own: Can’t find a turkey poster? Draw one on poster board. It doesn’t have to be perfect – honestly, the wonky handmade ones are more fun.

Thanksgiving Bingo

Age Group: 5 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Printed bingo cards, markers or chips

Head to my free printables vault for Thanksgiving bingo cards that are already made. Just print and play.

How to Play:

1. Give each player a bingo card and markers
2. Call out Thanksgiving items (turkey, pie, corn, etc.)
3. Players mark their cards when they hear their item
4. First person to get five in a row shouts “BINGO!”
5. Winner gets first pick of dessert (or whatever prize you want)

Why This Works: It keeps kids occupied while you’re finishing up dinner prep. Plus, it’s calm enough that they’re not running around breaking things.

📌 Related article: Thanksgiving Word Search Printable For Little Learners: So Easy Even 3-Year-Olds Can Do It

Gratitude Jar Game

Age Group: 5 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Jar, paper strips, pens

This one’s less of a “game” and more of an activity, but it brings something special to your Thanksgiving.

How to Play:

1. Set out a jar with paper strips and pens
2. Throughout the day, everyone writes what they’re thankful for
3. Before or after dinner, pass the jar around
4. Each person picks a random slip and reads it aloud
5. Try to guess who wrote it

Why I Love This: It’s not competitive, it gets people talking, and you end up with this sweet collection of memories from the day.

Free Seasonal Printables Vault: Activities for Every Holiday

Before we wrap up, I have something special for you! I’ve created a free holiday vault packed with seasonal printables and activities that keep your toddler entertained all year long. Inside you’ll find ready-to-print activities for every major holiday – from Valentine’s Day fun to Thanksgiving themed games, springtime scavenger hunts, New Year’s mazes, and more. 

It’s the perfect collection to have on hand for those rainy autumn days when you need a quick, engaging activity. These printables are designed for toddlers and preschoolers, require minimal prep, and make holiday celebrations extra special without the stress.

Grab your free access now using the form below.

Pumpkin Bowling

Age Group: 3 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Small pumpkin, empty water bottles or toilet paper rolls

Set this up outside if the weather’s decent, or in your basement if you need indoor options.

How to Play:

1. Set up 6-10 bottles in a triangle formation
2. Mark a bowling line with tape
3. Players roll the pumpkin toward the pins
4. Count how many pins they knock down
5. Highest score after three rolls wins

Quick Tip: Use a small pumpkin or it’ll be too heavy for little kids. You can also decorate the bottles like turkeys if you’re feeling crafty.

📌 Related article: 13 Fabulous Fall Crafts for 6 Year Olds: Autumn Fun for Little Hands

Thanksgiving Charades

Age Group: 6 years and up
Difficulty Level: Medium
Materials Needed: Paper with Thanksgiving prompts (or free printable from my vault)

Charades never gets old, and the Thanksgiving theme makes it even better.

Ideas for Prompts:

• Carving a turkey
• Making mashed potatoes
• Watching football
• Taking a nap after dinner
• Baking pumpkin pie
• Pilgrim walking
• Corn growing
• Falling leaves

How to Play:

1. Write prompts on paper slips or print my free list
2. Players take turns acting out their prompt
3. No talking or sounds allowed
4. Team or family guesses what they’re acting out
5. Set a 1-minute timer per turn

Corn Hole (Thanksgiving Edition)

Age Group: 6 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Corn hole boards, bean bags

If you already have a corn hole set, you’re good to go. If not, you can make a simple version with cardboard boxes and some tape.

How to Play:

1. Set up boards about 10-15 feet apart (closer for younger kids)
2. Players take turns tossing bean bags
3. In the hole = 3 points, on the board = 1 point
4. First to 21 points wins

Family Tournament: Set up a bracket and let everyone compete. Winner gets bragging rights until Christmas.

Turkey Waddle Race

Age Group: 4-10 years
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Balloons

This one’s ridiculous and hilarious, which is exactly what you want.

How to Play:

1. Each player puts a balloon between their knees
2. They waddle to the finish line without dropping it
3. No hands allowed
4. If it drops, they start over
5. First to finish wins

Pro Tip: Blow up the balloons right before the race. Old balloons lose air and make the game way harder.

Thanksgiving Memory Game

Age Group: 4-8 years
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium
Materials Needed: Thanksgiving themed cards (check my free printables vault)

Memory games are perfect for younger kids, and they actually help with concentration.

How to Play:

1. Print and cut out matching card pairs
2. Lay all cards face down
3. Players take turns flipping two cards
4. If they match, the player keeps them
5. Most matches wins

Adjust the Difficulty: Use fewer pairs for younger kids (8-10 pairs), more for older kids (15-20 pairs).

📌 Related article: Thanksgiving Word Scramble: The Ultimate Family Fun Activity

Thanksgiving Word Search

Age Group: 6 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium
Materials Needed: Free Thanksgiving word search printable from my vault, pencils

Word searches are perfect for calming things down when the energy gets too high.

How to Play:

1. Print the free Thanksgiving word search from my printables vault
2. Give each child a copy and a pencil
3. Set a timer (10-15 minutes works well)
4. Kids search for Thanksgiving words hidden in the grid
5. First one to find all words wins (or just let everyone finish at their own pace)

Why This Works: It’s quiet, keeps kids in one spot, and you can set it up in about 30 seconds. Perfect for right before dinner when you need everyone to settle down.

Would You Rather – Thanksgiving Edition

Age Group: 8 years and up
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: None (just questions)

This works great during dinner or while you’re waiting for food to finish cooking.

Sample Questions:

• Would you rather eat only turkey or only mashed potatoes for a week?
• Would you rather watch the parade or play football?
• Would you rather have pumpkin pie or apple pie?
• Would you rather cook Thanksgiving dinner or clean up after?
• Would you rather be a turkey or a pilgrim for a day?

Why It’s Great: No setup, no cleanup, and it gets everyone laughing and talking.

📌 Related article: 15 Amazing Fall Activities for Preschoolers That Will Make This Season Unforgettable

Thankful ABCs

Age Group: 6 years and up
Difficulty Level: Medium
Materials Needed: Paper and pen (optional)

This game is simple but actually pretty challenging when you get to letters like Q and X.

How to Play:

1. Go around the circle
2. Each person names something they’re thankful for starting with the next letter
3. A = apples, B = books, C = cookies, etc.
4. Keep going until you finish the alphabet or someone gets stuck

Variation: Set a timer for each letter to keep things moving.

Turkey Tag

Age Group: 5-12 years
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: None

When the kids are bouncing off the walls, send them outside for turkey tag.

How to Play:

1. One person is “it” (the turkey)
2. They chase everyone else
3. If you get tagged, you’re frozen until another player tags you free
4. After 5 minutes, switch who’s the turkey

Indoor Version: Play in a large room and make players hop instead of run so no one crashes into furniture.

📌 Related article: 9+ Essential Winter Stroller Accessories to Keep Your Baby Warm & Cozy

Thanksgiving Pictionary

Age Group: 7 years and up
Difficulty Level: Medium
Materials Needed: Paper, markers, timer

Split into teams and get ready to draw some seriously questionable turkeys.

How to Play:

1. Divide into two teams
2. One player draws a Thanksgiving word
3. Their team has 1 minute to guess
4. If they guess right, they get a point
5. Teams take turns

Word Ideas: cornucopia, harvest, stuffing, cranberries, football, parade, pilgrim hat, wishbone.

Musical Turkeys

Age Group: 3-8 years
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: Music player, turkey pictures (print from my vault)

It’s musical chairs but with turkeys on the floor instead of chairs.

How to Play:

1. Place turkey pictures in a circle (one fewer than players)
2. Play music while kids walk around
3. When music stops, everyone stands on a turkey
4. Person without a turkey is out
5. Remove one turkey and repeat

Thanksgiving Handprint Art Activity

Age Group: 2-10 years
Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials Needed: My Thanksgiving handprint art templates, washable paint, paper

Okay, this isn’t exactly a game, but it’s a lifesaver when you need a calm activity that keeps little hands busy.

How to Set It Up:

1. Grab the Thanksgiving handprint art templates (I have a few in my store)
2. Set up a craft station with paint and paper
3. Let kids create turkeys, leaves, or other Thanksgiving designs using their handprints
4. These make great keepsakes or decorations

Why I Include This: My son loves doing handprint art, and it gives kids something productive to do while adults finish cooking. Plus, grandparents absolutely love receiving these as gifts.

📌 Related article: 15 Delightful Easy Fall Crafts for Toddlers

Simple Tips for Successful Game Time

Look, I’ve done enough holidays to know what works and what doesn’t. Here’s what I’ve learned:

• Keep it Simple: The games that require 20 materials and a PhD to understand? Skip those. Stick with things you can explain in under two minutes.
• Have Backup Options: Not every game lands with every group. If something’s flopping, move on. No big deal.
• Mix Active and Calm Games: Follow up something wild like Turkey Tag with a quieter game like Bingo. Your sanity will thank you.
• Let Kids Help Set Up: My son loves being in charge of hiding scavenger hunt items or setting up bowling pins. It keeps him busy and makes him feel important.
• Don’t Stress About Winners: Some families are super competitive, others aren’t. Read the room and adjust. Sometimes just playing is enough.

FAQs about the Thanksgiving Day Family Games

Conclusion

Thanksgiving day family games don’t have to be complicated or stressful. The goal is to keep everyone entertained, burn off some energy, and create a few laughs along the way.

Pick two or three games that sound good to you, print some free resources from my vault, and you’re set. Don’t overthink it – the best memories come from the simplest moments anyway.

And if all else fails? There’s always the parade on TV and a big plate of leftovers.

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Happy Thanksgiving, 

Xx Kinga

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