Thanksgiving games for kids are an easy way to keep everyone entertained while dinner is cooking or the adults are catching up.
They also work well for classroom celebrations, church gatherings, Friendsgiving parties, and autumn events.
This list includes active challenges, simple DIY games, and quieter Thanksgiving activities for children of different ages.
Choose a few that fit your space and supplies, or combine several for a full afternoon of fall fun.
Active Thanksgiving Games for Kids
If your group has plenty of energy, these active games will get everyone moving.
Turkey Waddle Race
Give each child an inflated balloon and have them place it between their knees. Players must waddle like turkeys from the starting line to a marker and back without dropping the balloon.
If the balloon falls, the player stops, replaces it and continues from the same spot. The first child to cross the finish line wins.
For younger kids, keep the course short and let them hold the balloon in place with one hand.
Turkey Tag
Give every player three clothespins to attach to the back of their shirt. These will become their turkey feathers.
Once the game begins, children try to collect feathers from the other players while protecting their own. Anyone who loses all three feathers can continue playing and try to collect more.
Stop the game after a few minutes. The child with the most turkey feathers wins.
Turkey Baster Feather Race
Place a craft feather in front of each player and mark a finish line on the opposite side of a table.
Children use the air from a turkey baster to move their feather toward the finish line. They cannot touch the feather with their hands or use the baster to push it.
The first feather across the finish line wins. You can also play several short rounds so every child gets another chance.
Sweet Potato Roll
Give each player a sweet potato and a wooden spoon. Children must use the spoon to push the sweet potato across the floor without touching it with their hands.
Sweet potatoes rarely roll in a straight line, which makes this much harder and funnier than a traditional ball race.
Set up one long course or divide the kids into teams for a Thanksgiving relay race.
Thanksgiving Freeze Dance
Play upbeat music and let everyone dance. Whenever the music stops, call out a Thanksgiving pose for the children to make.
They could freeze like:
- A turkey spreading its feathers
- Someone carrying a giant pumpkin
- A football player making a catch
- A chef cooking Thanksgiving dinner
- A balloon in a Thanksgiving parade
Anyone who keeps moving after the music stops sits out for one round or completes a silly turkey gobble before rejoining the game.
Pumpkin Pass
Divide the children into teams and have each team stand in a line. Give the first player on each team a small artificial pumpkin.
Players pass the pumpkin down the line without using their hands. They can hold it beneath their chin, between their elbows or against their chest.
If the pumpkin drops, it returns to the beginning of the line. The first team to pass it all the way to the final player wins.
DIY Thanksgiving Party Games
If you want something a little more creative, these DIY Thanksgiving games use simple supplies and can be prepared at home or in the classroom.
Turkey Bowling
Decorate six empty plastic bottles to look like turkeys. You can add construction paper feathers, googly eyes and small paper beaks, but the decorations don’t need to be elaborate.
Arrange the bottles like bowling pins and let children roll a small ball or artificial pumpkin toward them.
Give each player two turns. The child who knocks down the most turkey pins wins.
This is also an easy Thanksgiving game for preschoolers because you can shorten the distance and use larger bottles.
Stuff the Turkey Toss
Decorate a large paper bag, basket or cardboard box to look like a turkey. Crumple sheets of brown paper to create pieces of pretend stuffing.
Place the turkey several feet away and let kids toss the paper stuffing inside. Give each player five or ten chances, then count the successful throws.
For a Thanksgiving carnival game, create several turkeys and write a different point value on each one.
Turkey Ring Toss
Create a turkey target using an empty bottle, traffic cone or paper towel tube. Add colorful paper feathers if you want to make the target more festive.
Make rings from pipe cleaners, paper plates or glow-stick bracelets. Children stand behind a line and try to toss the rings around the turkey.
Adjust the throwing distance based on the children’s ages. Larger rings and shorter distances work best for toddlers and preschoolers.
Pumpkin Putt-Putt
Create a small indoor autumn golf course using artificial pumpkins, cardboard boxes and plastic cups.
Give children a toy golf club or cardboard tube and let them guide a soft ball through the course. Pumpkins can become obstacles, while cups placed on their sides can serve as the holes.
You can time each player or simply let the kids take turns completing the course.
Turkey Cup Knockdown
Decorate plastic or paper cups with turkey faces, then stack them in a pyramid on a table.
Children toss beanbags, soft balls or rolled-up socks at the cups and try to knock down the entire stack.
Give each player three throws. The child who knocks down the most cups wins the round.
If you’re planning a Thanksgiving classroom game, let the children decorate the cups as a separate craft before playing.
Thanksgiving Punch Game
Place small prizes, stickers, treats or activity prompts inside plastic cups. Cover the top of each cup with tissue paper and secure it with a rubber band.
Arrange the cups inside a shallow cardboard box or attach them to a sturdy display board. Each child chooses one cup and punches through the tissue paper to reveal what is inside.
You could also fill the cups with playful instructions, such as:
- Gobble like a turkey
- Name your favorite Thanksgiving food
- Do a silly fall dance
- Share something you’re thankful for
- Pretend to march in a Thanksgiving parade
Of course, you can skip the prizes completely and use only the activity prompts.
Quiet Indoor Thanksgiving Games
On the other hand, if your group needs something calmer, these indoor Thanksgiving games can be played around a table or in a smaller room.
Thanksgiving I Spy
Create or print a Thanksgiving I Spy page filled with turkeys, pumpkins, pies, leaves and other autumn pictures.
Give each child a copy and ask them to count how many times each object appears. Younger children can circle the pictures, while older kids can record their totals.
You can also turn the entire room into an I Spy game by hiding paper Thanksgiving pictures around the space.
Roll a Turkey
Give each child paper, crayons and one die. Assign a different turkey part to each number:
- Body
- Head
- Eyes
- Beak
- Feet
- Feathers
Children take turns rolling the die and drawing the matching part. If they roll something their turkey already has, they simply wait for their next turn.
The first player to complete an entire turkey wins.
For a noncompetitive version, let everyone continue until all the drawings are complete, then compare the funny finished turkeys.
Thanksgiving Bingo
Create bingo cards using Thanksgiving pictures or words. Possible spaces include turkey, pumpkin pie, football, corn, leaves, gravy and a parade balloon.
Call out one item at a time while children cover the matching squares. The first player to complete a row wins.
Picture cards are best for preschool Thanksgiving games, while older children can use words or short clues.
Thanksgiving Would You Rather
Ask children to choose between two funny Thanksgiving options.
For example:
- Would you rather have turkey wings for arms or pumpkin pies for feet?
- Would you rather eat only mashed potatoes or only stuffing?
- Would you rather ride in a Thanksgiving parade or play in a football game?
- Would you rather gobble every time you speak or waddle everywhere you go?
- Would you rather bake a pie or decorate Thanksgiving cookies?
Children can answer from their seats or move to opposite sides of the room to show their choices.
The movement version works especially well when you need an easy Thanksgiving classroom game without many supplies.
RELATED: 50 Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions to Turn Into a Game
Thanksgiving Charades
Write Thanksgiving words and activities on small pieces of paper. Fold them and place them inside a bowl.
Children take turns selecting a prompt and acting it out without speaking. The rest of the group tries to guess the answer.
Easy Thanksgiving charade ideas include:
- Carving a turkey
- Baking a pumpkin pie
- Watching a parade
- Picking apples
- Raking leaves
- Playing football
- Making mashed potatoes
- Jumping into a pile of leaves
Use simple actions for younger kids and more challenging prompts for older children.
Thanksgiving Pictionary
Divide the children into teams and give each team paper or a dry-erase board.
One player selects a Thanksgiving word and tries to draw it while the team guesses. The artist cannot speak, write letters or act out the answer.
Give each team one minute to guess before passing the prompt to the next group.
You can use many of the same words from the charades game, which makes it easy to prepare both activities at once.
Thankful Games and Activities
And if you want to add something more meaningful, these gratitude games give children a simple way to talk about the people, places and experiences they appreciate.
M&M Gratitude Game
Place colorful candies in a bowl and assign a thankful prompt to each color.
For example:
- Red: Name a person you’re thankful for.
- Orange: Name a food you’re thankful for.
- Yellow: Name something that makes you happy.
- Green: Name a place you enjoy visiting.
- Blue: Name something you like about yourself.
- Brown: Share a favorite memory.
Each child chooses a candy and answers the prompt that matches its color. You can go around the group once or continue until everyone has answered several questions.
Pom-poms or colored paper squares work too if you prefer not to use candy.
Thankful Alphabet Game
The first player names something they’re thankful for that begins with the letter A. The next player uses B, and the group continues through the alphabet.
Answers could include apples, books, cousins, dogs and family.
Some letters will naturally be harder than others, so let children help each other when someone gets stuck. The goal is to keep the activity moving, not make every answer perfect.
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
Give each child a list of things to find around the house, classroom or yard.
Prompts could include:
- Something that makes you smile
- Something you can share
- Something soft
- Something from nature
- Something that reminds you of a friend
- Something you use every day
- Something in your favorite color
- Something that helps another person
Children can bring the items back, take pictures or write down what they found. Once everyone finishes, let them share a few of their choices with the group.
Adjusting the Games for Different Ages
Most of these Thanksgiving games for kids can be changed to fit the ages in your group.
For toddlers and preschoolers, use large targets, simple picture prompts and shorter playing distances. You can also skip strict scoring and let everyone take several turns.
Elementary-aged children may enjoy team competitions, timed rounds and point systems. If your group includes several ages, pair younger children with older kids or adults.
You don’t need to plan a complicated tournament. Even two or three simple games can keep kids busy and make the gathering more memorable.
Thanksgiving Games for Different Settings
These ideas can also be mixed and matched depending on where you’re celebrating.
For a Thanksgiving classroom party, try Turkey Cup Knockdown, Roll a Turkey, Thanksgiving Bingo and the M&M Gratitude Game.
If you’re hosting at home, active choices like the Turkey Waddle Race or Sweet Potato Roll can keep children moving while dinner is being prepared.
Outdoor autumn parties have even more room for Turkey Tag, Pumpkin Pass, Turkey Bowling and larger relay races.
For a church group or family gathering, combine one active game with a quieter gratitude activity so the event includes both laughter and meaningful conversation.
Choose the games that work for your space, gather a few simple supplies, and let the kids have fun. The activities don’t need to be elaborate to bring plenty of laughter and energy to your Thanksgiving celebration.
