Family Activities for Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is traditionally a day for friends and families to gather around for a special meal. Usually celebrated with a turkey dinner, some people have refrained from using turkey and instead use chicken. Thanksgiving is almost here and as happy as the kids are, you are not! Well, not as a parent but as an adult, I can understand what parents go through when hosting a Thanksgiving lunch or dinner and having a ton of kids running around the house. In this blog, I am going to give away some trendy and worthwhile family activities that will involve everyone. All these activities, you can do it after having your lunch or dinner, it is a way to get mixed up with the kids to create a more comfortable environment and to build up relations that will stay forever.

Rip It Up – The game is to tear a sheet of construction paper into a turkey shape. The challenge is to do so while holding the piece of construction paper behind your back and with a time limit — a minute is usually a good amount. Before you start, choose someone to be the judge, and the winner is the person with the most recognizable shape.

Blowing Leaves – Split your guests into teams for this relay race. Each team needs to blow a leaf from one point to another with a straw. Play until everyone has a turn. The first team to finish wins.

Mini Pumpkin Hunt – For kids and adults, hide mini pumpkins throughout the house or yard. The goal of the game is to be the person who finds the most mini pumpkins. At the end, it may be a challenge just to carry them. You can use a timer to set a time limit or play a song and the game ends when the song is over.

What’s Missing? – On a tray, place 20 Thanksgiving-related items such as candy corn, miniature boats, pilgrims and turkeys. Have participants look at the tray carefully for 30 seconds then close their eyes. While their eyes are closed, remove one object. Have them reopen their eyes and ask what item is missing. It’s a version of the Concentration Game.

Pumpkin Roll – This one gets everyone moving and could help burn off those extra calories from the big dinner. You need two large pumpkins and maybe a couple of spares if one breaks. Pumpkins are not smooth balls, so they do not roll in a straight line. They tend to roll all over the place, which means ample space is needed for this game. Racers line up and use their hands to move the pumpkin to the finish line. If you have many players, then make it a relay race.

Feather Toss – Tape a weight to the end of a feather. For the weight, use a flat blunt nail to give stability to the feather. Mark the floor and place a basket a few feet away. Have participants take turns tossing the feathers into the basket. Keep score to determine the winning player.

Turkey Tag – If the weather permits, try a Thanksgiving version of flag tag to shake off the sluggishness often felt after a Thanksgiving meal. Each player wears three clothespins on their clothing. Participants run around trying to remove clothespins from competitors. This is an activity that combines the need to get moving with a healthy dose of competition.

Guess Who is Thankful – As guests arrive, have them each write down on a piece of paper what they are thankful for, then have them fold up the note and place in a basket. After everyone’s arrival, have one person read the notes out loud as others guess who wrote it.

Toss and Tell – Participants sit in a circle. The first person starts by tossing a small turkey stuffed animal or a football to someone else and asks a question. For example, who do you think will win today’s football games or what are you thankful for today? This game is good for multi-generations to get interactive with each other.

For Thanksgiving Dinner I Had – This fun memory game might have your guests all tongue-tied! The first person starts by saying For Thanksgiving dinner I had then adds something they actually ate, such as turkey. The second person has to repeat the first person’s sentence adding another food item at the end. The game continues around the circle. If a player makes a mistake, they are out. The person who can perfectly recite the Thanksgiving menu is the winner.

Memory Sharing – Memories are the best throwback that anyone can get. By putting this as an activity, you are making the bond between you and your guests strong that each of you have something worth remembering. You can have a themed memory sharing as well. Have it recorded because every time you are creating memory.

Now that you have an idea of how a Thanksgiving lunch or dinner should be, what about you look out for the next post to this blog!

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