In many households, the usual after Thanksgiving party is basically hours of football watching and napping. If this sounds like a total snooze fest (no pun intended) to you, why not try out one of these fun Thanksgiving activities instead? These 10 great Thanksgiving games and activities are perfect for the whole family so that you can all enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday together.
Thanksgiving Activities and Games
1. Pin the Hat on the Turkey
Pin the Tail on the Donkey is a classic party game, so why not put a Thanksgiving spin on it? With Pin the Hat on the Turkey, you and your kids will be challenged to stick a pilgrim’s hat on a turkey’s head. To make it even more challenging, put on some blindfolds, spin each person around several times, and then ask them to try to find the right spot! This will definitely lead to endless laughter as people get dizzy and add the hat to bizarre locations!
2. Pumpkin Roll
Here’s a great way to get your blood pumping and burn off some calories before or after the Thanksgiving feast—host a pumpkin roll in the backyard. You’ll need plenty of space (sorry, apartment dwellers), since pumpkins don’t tend to roll in a straight line. Split up into teams, set start and finish lines, and get rolling.
3. For Thanksgiving Dinner I Had…
This fun memory game incorporates your Thanksgiving feast and can be played while everyone is eating. The first person will start off the game by saying “For Thanksgiving dinner I had turkey,” and then each subsequent player adds a food and repeats the entire reel of dishes said prior to his or her turn. Every player who can’t remember the full list is out. Try not to concentrate too hard—you wouldn’t want the stuffing to go cold.
4. Guess How Many?
Fill an apothecary jar—bonus points if you have a pumpkin-shaped one—with candy corn and place it in the center of your dining table. Hand out slips of paper to your guests and then ask them to write down how many candy corn kernels they think are in the jar. Whoever’s guess is closest to the answer gets to take the jar home.
5. Turkey Bowling
With the help of some brown plastic cups, some construction paper, and some googly eyes, you can host a friendly and fun Thanksgiving bowling tournament for the family. Use mini pumpkins or a tennis ball to bowl with and try to knock over your incredibly cute DIY turkey pins (which you can make out of plastic cups).
6. Pumpkin Toss
If you like cornhole, you’ll love this DIY pumpkin toss game—you can make the base out of thick poster board or cardboard from Target, and you can use bean bag
s or balls to toss through the pumpkin cutouts. Assign point values to each cutout, and maybe offer a prize (an extra slice of pie?) to the winner. This is one I think the whole family will enjoy. I mean hello, who doesn’t want that extra slice of pie?
7. Thanksgiving Charades
Charades is a timeless party game for all ages, and you can make it even more fun on Thanksgiving by only using words and phrases that are seasonal and festive. Acting out “pumpkin pie” and “cranberry sauce” will definitely prove to be a challenge, but hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
8. Thankful Alphabet Game
I really enjoy this game as it’s pretty straightforward and is a great way to get everyone talking about what they’re thankful for, over a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. All you have to do is have every person share one thing they’re thankful for, but the game is that it has to start with the next letter of the alphabet, starting with A (the next person’s response will start with B, and so forth). Go around the table until the alphabets completed—yes, even X and Z.
9. Turkey Tag
A game of tag is tradition for a Thanksgiving get-together, and making DIY turkey tag clothespins makes tag even more fun. Let the kids decorate the clothespins with paint to look like turkeys. Attach the pins to the back of their t-shirts, and they’re good to go for a classic game of tag. Don’t let the kids have all the fun either. This is a great Thanksgiving game for the whole crew!
10. Turkey Waddle
Turkey Waddle is a hilariously fun and silly Thanksgiving game to play that will get the family outdoors and moving. This is a relay race where you have a balloon between your legs and try to get to the finish line first. It’s sure to cause some laughs and the kids and the adults will love every minute of it.
Oh and if you have time, check out Groupon for fun thanksgiving activities in your area! Like perhaps a local Turkey Trot!
I hope you enjoyed reading my article on these 10 fun Thanksgiving games and activities to play with the whole family. This year’s festivities will surely be more interesting than the last.
