Thanksgiving Minute to Win It games are an easy way to get everyone laughing and moving before dinner, after dessert, or anytime your gathering needs a little extra energy.
Most of these challenges use inexpensive supplies you may already have at home, and each game takes just 60 seconds to play.
Choose a few favorites for a quick activity or set up all 17 for a full round of friendly Thanksgiving competition.
Supplies for the Games
The exact supplies depend on which games you choose, but here are the main items used throughout the list:
- Plastic cups and bowls
- Spoons and chopsticks
- Straws
- Mini marshmallows
- Candy corn or small wrapped candies
- Fresh or artificial cranberries
- Craft feathers
- Balloons
- Ping-pong balls
- Beanbags
- Mini pumpkins
- Paper bags
- Empty cans
- An ear of corn
- Pipe cleaners
- Turkey basters
- Timer or phone stopwatch
- Paper and pencil for scoring
You don’t need to play every game, so simply choose your favorites and gather the supplies for those challenges.
4 Ways to Play Minute to Win It Games
Before getting started, decide how you want to organize the competition.
Play Individually
Players take turns completing each challenge against the clock. Record everyone’s results and award a point to the person with the best score.
Face Off
Two players attempt the same challenge at once. The player who completes the objective first or earns the highest score wins the round.
Play in Teams
Divide everyone into teams and select one player from each team for every challenge. Award points after each round, then add the scores at the end.
Create Game Stations
Set up several games around the room and let guests rotate between them. This works especially well for large family gatherings, classroom parties, and Friendsgiving celebrations.
How to Keep Score
A simple scoring system is usually enough:
- First place: 3 points
- Second place: 2 points
- Third place: 1 point
You can also award one point to the winner of each challenge. The player or team with the most points after the final game wins.
Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games
Now that the basic setup is handled, it’s time to choose your games.
Gobble ’Til You Wobble
Supplies: Two plates, chopsticks and small wrapped candies
Objective: Transfer as many candies as possible using only chopsticks.
How to Play: Place all the candies on one plate. Players use the chopsticks to move them to the empty plate without touching the candy with their hands.
How to Win: The player who transfers the most candy in one minute wins.
Turkey Feather Toss
Supplies: Craft feathers and a basket or large bowl
Objective: Toss as many feathers as possible into the basket.
How to Play: Place the basket several feet away from the throwing line. Players toss one feather at a time and may not step across the line.
How to Win: Count the feathers inside the basket when time runs out. The player with the most wins.
Cranberry Scoop
Supplies: Two bowls, fresh or artificial cranberries and a spoon for each player
Objective: Move the cranberries from one bowl to another while holding the spoon in your mouth.
How to Play: Players place the handle of the spoon in their mouth and use it to scoop and transfer the cranberries. Hands may not touch the spoon or cranberries once the timer begins.
How to Win: The player who transfers the most cranberries in one minute wins.
Pilgrim Hat Stack
Supplies: Large marshmallows
Objective: Build the tallest freestanding marshmallow tower.
How to Play: Players have one minute to stack their marshmallows. They can rebuild the tower as often as needed, but it must remain standing when time expires.
How to Win: Measure or count the marshmallows in each completed tower. The tallest stable tower wins.
Candy Corn Transfer
Supplies: Candy corn, two bowls, and a straw for each player
Objective: Transfer candy corn between bowls using suction from a straw.
How to Play: Players place the straw against one piece of candy corn, use suction to lift it and carry it to the empty bowl. Hands cannot touch the candy.
How to Win: The player who transfers the most pieces in one minute wins.
Younger children can move pom-poms instead of candy corn to make the game a little easier.
Turkey Waddle
Supplies: One balloon for each player and two markers
Objective: Complete as many trips as possible while holding a balloon between your knees.
How to Play: Players place the balloon between their knees and waddle from the starting line to a marker and back. If the balloon drops, they must stop and replace it before continuing.
How to Win: The player who completes the most full trips in one minute wins.
Pumpkin Pie Panic
Supplies: Paper plates, whipped topping and three pieces of candy corn per player
Objective: Find all three pieces of candy corn without using your hands.
How to Play: Hide the candy corn beneath a small amount of whipped topping on each plate. Players keep their hands behind their backs while searching.
How to Win: The first player to uncover all three pieces wins.
This one gets messy, so I’d save it for an outdoor gathering or place a disposable tablecloth underneath the playing area.
Stuff the Turkey
Supplies: Beanbags and a box or basket decorated like a turkey
Objective: Toss as many beanbags as possible into the turkey.
How to Play: Place the turkey container several feet from the throwing line. Players repeatedly toss the beanbags, retrieving and reusing them as needed.
How to Win: The player who lands the most successful throws in one minute wins.
Gravy Boat Balance
Supplies: Spoon, ping-pong ball and two markers
Objective: Carry the ball on the spoon without dropping it.
How to Play: Players travel between the two markers while balancing the ball. They must return to the starting line each time the ball falls.
How to Win: The player who completes the most trips in one minute wins.
For an easier children’s version, let players hold the spoon in their hands. Adults can hold it in their mouths for an extra challenge.
Pilgrim Hat Ring Toss
Supplies: A cone-shaped party hat and rings made from pipe cleaners
Objective: Land as many rings as possible around the hat.
How to Play: Place the hat on the floor or table. Players stand behind a designated line and toss the rings one at a time.
How to Win: The player who lands the most rings in one minute wins.
Harvest Spoon Relay
Supplies: Spoon, bowl and small items such as acorns, pom-poms or wrapped candy
Objective: Carry as many harvest items as possible across the room.
How to Play: Players carry one item at a time on the spoon and drop it into the bowl at the opposite end. Any item that falls must be returned to the starting point.
How to Win: The player who delivers the most items in one minute wins.
Roll the Corn
Supplies: An ear of corn and six empty cans or plastic bottles
Objective: Use the corn like a bowling ball to knock down the targets.
How to Play: Arrange the cans in a pyramid. Players roll the corn from behind a starting line, reset the cans and continue until the timer expires.
How to Win: Count every can knocked over during the minute. The player with the highest total wins.
Marshmallow Mayhem
Supplies: Mini marshmallows and plastic cups
Objective: Toss as many marshmallows as possible into the cups.
How to Play: Arrange several cups on a table and mark a throwing line. Players toss the marshmallows one at a time without crossing the line.
How to Win: The player who lands the most marshmallows inside the cups in one minute wins.
Turkey Baster Feather Race
Supplies: Turkey basters, craft feathers and a table
Objective: Blow a feather from one end of the table to the other.
How to Play: Players use only the air from the turkey baster to move their feather. They may not touch or push it with the baster.
How to Win: Award the win to the first player who reaches the finish line. If no one finishes, the feather that traveled the farthest wins.
Stuffing Toss
Supplies: Brown paper, paper bags or newspaper and a large bowl
Objective: Toss balls of paper “stuffing” into the bowl.
How to Play: Crumple the paper into small balls and place them beside the throwing line. Players toss the stuffing into the bowl one piece at a time.
How to Win: The player who lands the most pieces in the bowl in one minute wins.
Pumpkin Stack
Supplies: Mini decorative pumpkins or pumpkin-shaped containers
Objective: Stack the pumpkins into the tallest stable tower.
How to Play: Players may arrange and rearrange their pumpkins throughout the minute. The final stack must stand without assistance for at least three seconds.
How to Win: The player with the tallest completed stack wins.
Artificial pumpkins work best because they are cleaner and easier to reuse.
Cranberry Bounce
Supplies: Red ping-pong balls and plastic cups
Objective: Bounce the “cranberries” into the cups.
How to Play: Place several cups near the opposite side of a table. Players must bounce each ball on the table at least once before it enters a cup.
How to Win: The player who lands the most balls in the cups in one minute wins.
Adjusting the Games for Your Group
You can easily make these Thanksgiving games work for different ages and group sizes.
For younger children, shorten the throwing distance, use larger containers and allow them to hold spoons in their hands. If adults and teens are playing, increase the distance or add slightly harder rules.
For a large group, team play or game stations will keep everyone involved without making guests wait too long for a turn. You can also choose five or six challenges instead of trying to fit all 17 into one gathering.
