20 Thanksgiving games for family and friends

Match the game to the time you have, and say how it ends before you start. Ask the cook how long the kitchen needs, then pick from this plan.

Pair a young child or a nonreader with a willing reader, and let them choose drawing or guessing. Every game below can be played seated, and no game needs anyone to perform.

Use this table to shortlist two or three games, then read the full rules below. Player counts and times are rough guides; adjust them for your room.

Start with one of these five: most guests already know how they work. Each one needs a minute of rules and supplies you have at home or in the printable pack.

1. Give each player one of the eight bingo cards from the pack. With more than eight players, have the rest draw a 5×5 grid and fill it with any 24 words from the word bank below, with a star in the center square that counts as covered.
2. The caller cuts the caller list into slips, draws one word at a time and reads it twice. Players cover or cross out the word if it is on their card.
3. A player with five in a row, across, down or diagonally, calls "Gobble!" and reads the line back so the caller can check it.

Scoring and finish: The first correct line wins the round, and two lines on the same call share the win. Play on for four corners or a full card if dinner allows.

1. Split into teams that mix ages. Read each question twice, and give teams 30 seconds to write one answer.
2. Play the 12 history questions below, then a family round of five questions you write yourself, such as "Who carved the turkey last year?"
3. Swap sheets to mark, and read the answers from the key.

Scoring and finish: One point per correct answer, and the family round counts double. Accept close answers the same way for every team, and share ties.

1. Put the jar, slips and pencils by the door. As guests arrive, each writes one thing they are thankful for, signs it or not, and folds it into the jar.
2. With dessert, the host reads five to ten notes aloud. Guests can guess who wrote each one, and the writer may reveal themselves or stay quiet.
3. Keep the notes, and read last year's jar first next Thanksgiving.

Scoring and finish: Unscored; for a light twist, give a point for each correct "who wrote it" guess. Nobody has to write, sign or share.

1. Mix the eight object cards with action prompts on slips: carving the turkey, raking leaves, baking a pie, passing the gravy, watching the parade, napping on the couch.
2. Each team picks a willing performer, who acts out one prompt without words for up to 60 seconds while their team guesses.
3. Alternate teams for four turns each.

Scoring and finish: One point per correct guess, and the team with more points after eight turns wins; share ties. Performers can act seated, give three spoken clues instead, or pass the turn to a teammate.

1. This is the Pictionary-style team drawing game with Thanksgiving prompts. Each round, one artist from every team sees the same prompt privately and draws it for 45 seconds, with no letters or numbers.
2. Teammates agree on one final written guess. Reveal the word, swap artists, and play three rounds.

Scoring and finish: One point per correct final guess, up to 3. A close synonym is accepted the same way for every team, ties are shared, and a host can draw for a team that prefers guessing.

These five need no moving and almost no supplies, so they suit the minutes before or after the meal. Each one can stop the moment food arrives.

1. Start with the word "leaf." Going around the table, each player says a word linked to the last one, such as tree, shade or picnic.
2. Allow five seconds to think, and let anyone say "pass." Finish after two trips around the table or when the host calls dinner.

Scoring and finish: Unscored, and nobody is out; repeated words are fine. A guest can point to a picture card or let a partner speak for them.

1. Privately choose an object from the prompt cards: pumpkin, leaf, scarf, mug, book, umbrella, sock or acorn.
2. Give three clues without saying the word, such as "I have a handle; I hold a drink; I sit on a table" for mug. Guests make one guess each after the third clue, and you play four objects.

Scoring and finish: Optional: one point per correct guess, at most one per object per player, and ties share the win. Clues are spoken, so nobody needs to read.

1. Show a tray of eight objects for 30 seconds: a mug, spoon, napkin, pencil, leaf, book, scarf and sock, or your own eight.
2. Cover the tray. Give two minutes to write or say every object players remember, then lift the cloth and read the key.

Scoring and finish: One point per correct object, up to 8, and the host accepts clear synonyms for everyone. A partner can write for anyone who would rather say answers aloud.

1. Hand out the 3×3 grid from the pack, also shown in the printable section below. Players mark a square when they notice that object or moment from their seat.
2. Ask before drawing or describing another person. Stop at any three squares, or put the sheet away when dinner starts.

Scoring and finish: Unscored: every copy is the same, so there is no caller and no winner. It is the quiet cousin of turkey bingo for guests who would rather not compete.

1. Read three pairs: pumpkin pie or apple pie; the parade or the football game; a leftover sandwich or leftover soup. Guests hold up A, B, both or neither.
2. Invite one volunteer per round to explain their pick in a sentence. End after the third pair.

Scoring and finish: Unscored: there is no right answer and no majority winner. "Neither" and passing count as full answers.

Four of these are cooperative, so grandparents, teens and young kids play on the same side, and the category list is a gentle team game. Nobody is knocked out, and most need no supplies.

1. Start with "On Thanksgiving morning, the oven door would not open." Each person adds one sentence to the made-up story.
2. Keep real guests out of the story unless they agree. The host adds the last sentence after everyone has had one turn.

Scoring and finish: Unscored, with no judging. Players can pass, add a single word or let a partner add a sentence for them.

1. Give every team the same three categories, such as side dishes, things that are orange, and words that start with T. Allow two minutes per category for up to five answers each.
2. Read the answers together, and check each category before starting the next.

Scoring and finish: One point per fitting answer, up to 15, and repeats across teams still count. A disputed answer is removed for every team, and ties share the win.

1. Each pair picks a prompt. One person draws for 30 seconds, then the partner adds detail for 30 seconds without starting over.
2. Show the picture only if both agree, and let the other pairs name the object. Repeat once with roles swapped.

Scoring and finish: Cooperative and unscored: there is no art contest. One partner can describe while the other draws, or the pair can simply watch.

1. Each group looks for one favorite that every member shares: a pie, a side dish, a kind of weather or an indoor game.
2. Anyone can reject a category and offer another. After five minutes, a volunteer reports the shared pick, or the group says "still looking."

Scoring and finish: Unscored, and agreement is optional. Nobody has to explain a private preference.

1. Going around the table, each player names something they are thankful for that starts with the next letter: apples, books, cousins, and on through the alphabet.
2. Skip hard letters such as Q and X, or let the table help. Stop at Z or when dinner is served.

Scoring and finish: Unscored: the whole table wins by reaching Z. Small answers like "dessert" count as much as big ones, and anyone may pass.

These five get people out of their chairs, so play them away from the kitchen and the hot dishes. Each one also has a seated way to join.

1. Sit or stand in a circle. Play music while players pass the pumpkin hand to hand, and have the host stop the music with their back turned.
2. Whoever holds the pumpkin answers a light question, such as "Pie or cake?" or "Which side dish could you eat every day?" Then start the music again.
3. End after ten stops or when everyone has answered once.

Scoring and finish: Unscored in the family version, so nobody is out. For older kids, the holder can step out at each stop and the last player in wins; pass gently and never throw.

1. Each player holds a paper plate flat on top of their head, drawing side up, and nobody looks until the end.
2. The host calls six steps slowly: draw a round body; add a head; add five tail feathers; add two legs; add an eye and a beak; draw a pumpkin beside the turkey.
3. Everyone lowers their plate and shows the drawing.

Scoring and finish: One point for each part that sits roughly where it belongs, up to 6, or skip points and vote for the funniest turkey. Players can also draw with the plate on the table and their eyes closed.

1. Lay a paper target on a table and mark one throwing line for everyone. Each player gently tosses three paper leaves at the target.
2. Clear the leaves after each turn. Finish when every willing player has had one turn.

Scoring and finish: One point per leaf touching the target, up to 3, and ties share the win. Players can toss from a chair or use a closer line agreed before play.

1. Lay out each team's eight cards. Teams sort them by a rule they choose, such as indoor and outdoor or soft and firm, and say the rule aloud.
2. Each person moves one card at a time. Stop after three minutes, and each team shows how all eight fit.

Scoring and finish: Unscored: more than one sort can work, and there is no fastest team. Cards can be passed around a seated table instead.

1. Give each team a scene to hold as a still picture: a family photo where someone blinks, waiting for the oven timer, or two people reaching for the last slice of pie. Teams get one minute to plan a pose.
2. Each team holds its scene for five seconds, seated or standing, while the others make one guess each. Reveal the answer and move on.

Scoring and finish: Unscored, with no ranking. Teams can pose seated, describe the scene aloud, or watch.

The free printable pack has eight pages you print from your browser, with no signup. Print at 100% on US Letter or A4, portrait, and keep the host pages away from players.

The eight bingo cards each use 24 of the 30 words in a different order, so two cards never match. The trivia sheet repeats the 12 questions with answer lines and space for your family round; the answers stay on the host page.

These are the questions people ask most about Thanksgiving games, answered in a line or three.

Score only what finished, apply one rule to every team, and share ties. This practice round shows the rules at work before guests arrive.

Keep walkways clear, and move active games away from the oven and the serving table.

Say games are optional, and keep the meal time and the reply date in one place. Use this checklist before you send.

If you send the invitation with InviteBird, the Quiz can hold your family trivia round. Guests answer as they reply and you reveal the scores at dinner, or you play it live on a big screen with a countdown and a leaderboard. Trivia is included on every plan: design free, pay when you send — from $9.99.

If guests are bringing dishes, the potluck sign-up sheet guide linked below has a printable sheet for who brings what.