Coolest Thanksgiving Activities and Games
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Here are more cool Thanksgiving activities that'll help make your party an unforgettable affair!
Corn Cob Darts: Have the people save their corncobs. Clean off all the kernels. Break off one end of the cob and stick in the quill end of a feather into this soft area. People can then have contest to see who can throw theirs the farthest or make a circle on the ground and see who can hit the center.
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Musical Cornucopias: Players sit on chairs forming a circle. There should be one more player than there are chairs. The player without a chair is the leader. The leader points to each of the other players to give them a name, such as "Cranberry, Corn, Apple, Turkey, anything related to Thanksgiving. After names are chosen, the leader calls out two names, "Turkey and potato". Those two players must quickly switch places. The leader keeps calling at a quick pace, until suddenly he or she says "The cornucopia has tipped over!" Everyone, including the leader, then scrambles for a new place. The player without a seat is the new leader. The leader may give the same name to more than one person. It can get confusing but it is also very fun!
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Thanksgiving Dinner: Players sit in a circle. The first player starts by saying, "At Thanksgiving dinner I like to eat turkey". The next player must repeat, "At Thanksgiving dinner I like to eat turkey..." and add another dish. This continues all the way around the circle with each person reciting the dishes in the exact order they have been given and then adding a new one. If a player makes a mistake they slide out of the circle and the game continues. The person left who can perfectly recite the Thanksgiving menu wins.
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Thanksgiving Charades: During the week leading up to Thanksgiving, ask each family member to write down or ask a parent to write down, something that they are thankful for, big or small. Add to the jar throughout the week. On Thanksgiving Day, pull the papers out of the jar and have a fun game of charades or have people try and guess who wrote what.
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Gratitude Grab Bag: Make up cards, some that say "THANKSGIVING" and others that have a picture on them (no words) of things children may be thankful for. Each child takes a turn reaching into the bag and pulling out a card. If the card says "THANKSGIVING" the child should express something or someone they are thankful for (parents, teachers, pet, favorite food, etc.) If they pull out a picture they show it to all and then express why we should be thankful for that item (food, clothes, trees, grass, stores, cars, etc.). This game is especially fun for preschoolers and their expressions of gratitude are priceless.
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Fox and Rabbit: This blindfold game is as entertaining for the onlookers as it is for the two players taking a turn at being the fox and the rabbit. In this mock hunt, players of all ages are challenged to use only their sense of hearing to find and tag their "prey." You'll need at least five players, two blindfolds and a small grassy area in which to play. Get everyone into a circle, with players about arm's length away from one another. Because this game relies on one player hearing another's movements, everyone should keep very quiet during each round. Pick one player to be the fox and another to be the rabbit. Bring them both to the center of the circle and blindfold them (if young children do not wish to be blindfolded, they can just close their eyes). Explain that the fox is hunting at night and is listening for his prey, the rabbit. The rabbit, naturally, is trying to avoid the fox. The other players are trees that will guide the rabbit or fox gently back into the circle when either wanders off the playing area. Turn the rabbit and fox around several times to disorient them slightly, then let the hunt begin. Allow a little time for this game, as every player will want a turn at being the predator and prey.
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Bean Toss: You'll need three to five dry beans per player, a chair, large bowl or tin pie plate. Have the players divide into two teams. Each player is given five beans. On your mark the players will take a seat in a chair, that is set a distance from the bowl, and try to throw their beans, one at a time, into the bowl. The team with the most beans in the bowl at the end of the relay wins.
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Snap Apple: Pair up the players, hang an apple from a string around the waist of one of the players and have their couple lay on the ground and try to eat it as it swings. This can also be done with a corncob.
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Shepherd and Wolf: One player is the wolf, one the Shepherd and the others sheep. The sheep stand at one end, the shepherd at the other, and the wolf in the middle. The shepherd calls the sheep by name 2-3 at a time and they must try to reach the 'fold' or the shepherd before the wolf nabs them. If the wolf tags them they go to the wolf's den. The shepherd can rescue captured sheep by tagging them in the wolf's den when the wolf is not around. The wolf can do the same in the 'fold'.
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Stick the Feather on the Turkey: Cut out one feather for each player. Put a piece of tape or sticky-tack on the back of the feather. Blindfold one player at a time. Spin the player around a couple of times. The remaining players then verbally direct the blindfolded player to the correct placement of his or her feather.
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Thanksgiving Memory: Gather some fall, harvest or Thanksgiving items and put them on a cookie sheet. Small items are best and using a theme is fun too. Maybe a mini pumpkin, a cranberry, colored cornhusk, pie server, TV remote (to symbolize the Football or Parade that you watch on TV each year) and even a feather are just a few options. Cover the cookie sheet with a dishtowel and put it aside. Give each person a pencil and paper. Set the timer for 1 minute. Uncover the items and let everyone look at them for a minute but they can't write anything down. After the timer goes off cover up the cookie sheet again. Set the timer for 3 or 5 minutes. Everyone is supposed to write down what they saw. The person who remembers the most items if the winner.
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Turkey Hide & Seek: Depending on how many kids are playing, choose two to three to be the Pilgrims going on a turkey hunt, the rest of the children are the turkeys. Have the 'hunters' count to ten to allow the turkeys time to hide. The turkeys may gobble to help the hunters locate them, as the turkeys are caught the hunters place them in a designated 'pen'. When all turkeys are caught, change the hunters and play again, and again, and again.
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Bird, Beast, or Fish: You have to think fast for this game. Everyone sits facing the leader. The leader points to one of the players and says either "BIRD," "BEAST," or "FISH." The chosen player must come up with the name of an animal that fits the category before the leader counts to ten. No repeating! If the player does not respond in time, she is out. The game continues until only one-player remains. As you can guess, after a few rounds it can be hard to think of an animal that has not already been mentioned!
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Word Find: Take a Thanksgiving related word such as: Thanksgiving, Mayflower, Cornucopia, etc. and find as many little words as possible within before the timer runs out.
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Thankful Words: After the Thanksgiving meal, give each person three kernels of corn. Pass a cup around and once the cups arrives to someone, they put one of the corn kernels into the cup and they say something they are thankful for. The cup goes all around 3 times till everyone has said things that they are thankful for. This can bring up wonderful thankful words, and while the cup is passed around, people have time to think about what they are most thankful for.
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Mayflower Memory Game: This is a game challenging people’s memory. Have everyone sit in a circle and designate a person to start the game. They start out by saying, “I am sailing on the Mayflower, and I’m taking…” and they then need to say something that starts with the first letter of the alphabet “A” (for example “acorns”). The next person says, “I am sailing on the Mayflower, and I’m taking…” and they need to repeat and say what the first person has said and after that adds another thing that starts with the letter “B” (for example “barrel”). This continues through the alphabet. If someone can’t remember all of the alphabetized items, they drop out. The last player to remember is the winner.
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