Party games aren’t just reserved for Christmas. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year for bringing together friends and family so why not get creative and get everyone involved in a bit of fun? Whether you’re waiting for the turkey to cook or looking for some entertainment afterwards once your stomachs have settled, games are a great and fun way to pass the time with both kids and adults.
With that in mind, here are 8 thanksgiving party games for all the family to try!
1. Traffic Yam
We all buy too many yams so why not use some for this simple and fun game? Try to use odd-shaped yams as they tend to make the game a little harder!
What you need: raw yams, dessert spoons, painter’s tape
How to play: stick a line of painter’s tape to the far end of the room. Give each person a yam and a spoon, placing the yam on the floor and the spoon in each person’s mouth ask everyone to line up across the room from the taped end point. Each person must use the spoon in their mouth to push the yam to the other side of the room. The winner is the first to cross the finish line!
2. Face The Pie
This one is messy so it’s probably best for after the meal!
What you need: gummy letters, paper plates, spray whipped cream, timer
How to play: set up the game by thinking of a word, spell out the word by putting one gummy letter on each paper plate and cover with whipped cream. Mix up the plates so the word is scrambled and line them up on a table. One person steps up to the line of plates, and with their hands behind their backs, they must find the gummy letters using only their mouth. Once all the letters are found, they can use their hands to rearrange the letters and find the word. The quickest person wins!
3. Ping Pong Ball Challenge
This game may seem simple but there’s a catch – each ping pong ball must only be moved by placing it between the chin and the neck!
What you need: ping pong balls, large plastic cups
How to play: Place a line of cups at the end of the room on a table one per team/player. On the opposite side of the room place ping pong balls. The aim of the game is to move three ping pong balls from one side of the room to the other only placing it between your chin and neck. The first player or team to successfully move three ping pong balls into their cup first, wins!
4. Feather Challenge
This is a good game for the competitive members of the family!
What you need: feathers (either real or fake), timer
How to play: The aim of the game is to keep your feather in the air as long as possible by blowing it. This can be an individual game or played in teams but the person or team that keeps their feather in the air for the longest time wins.
5. Paper Plate Toss
This game requires skill and precision!
What you need: paper plates, plastic cups, pieces of fake food (or any light plastic objects)
How to play: put the cups on a table upside down and place the plastic objects on top of the cups. Using the paper plates like frisbees, the aim of the game is to knock off the object in as little throws as possible. The fastest player/team to knock them off is the winner
6. Cork Wars
This game will be loved by family members young and old!
What you need: corks, straws, different colored paints, a large plastic container, water
How to play: paint the top of each cork with a different color and allow it to dry. Carefully fill up a large plastic container (the large types you put under the bed) with water. The aim of the game is for each person to blow their cork with a straw from one end of the container to the other in the quickest time. You can play this one on one or with 3 or 4 people at a time.
7. Shake Your Tailfeathers
This game requires some preparation and possible extensive clearing up afterwards but it’s worth it!
What you need: feathers, tissue boxes, pantyhose
How to play: empty the tissue boxes and fill each box with feathers. Tape a pair of pantyhose onto each box so the box is in the middle of the pantyhose. Give a box to each person and have them tie the pantyhose around their waist so the tissue box is on their backside. The aim of the game is to shake the feathers out the quickest – this is a hilarious game to watch!
8. The Paper Toss Challenge
This game has different levels so can become quite competitive!
What you need: screwed up pieces of different paper made into balls, different sized pots, pans and dishes, sticky labels.
How to play: arrange the pots, pans and dishes of varying sizes on the other side of the room. Put the smaller containers at the back and larger ones at the front, stick labels on each container to indicate the amount of points each one is worth (e.g. large containers at the front could be 2 points, and small containers at the back could be 8 points). Each person must stand at the far side of the room and get their paper balls into the containers. Each person has a minute to reach 21 points.
Featured photo credit: Claudio Schwarz via unsplash.com
