Fall Sketch & Guess Game: A Thanksgiving Drawing Game

These Thanksgiving drawing prompts are perfect for:

• family game night
• fall classroom parties
• post-Thanksgiving dinner fun
• youth group
• or a cozy night at home this fall

No artistic skills required. Just grab some paper and pencils, split into teams, and let the sketching begin!

Supplies Needed

• Paper – one stack per player (for Telestrations)
• Whiteboard or paper – (for Pictionary)
• Pens, pencils, whatever you have!
• Game prompts – use the Thanksgiving-themed word list below (easy peasy!) or get creative and add your own festive ideas!
  • Short on time? Grab our simple, ready-to-print set of all 50 Thanksgiving Pictionary cards—available in the shop now and ready to make game time a breeze!
• Timer – set a limit (like 60 seconds) for each turn

You can play the classic Pictionary game, where one person draws while others race to guess the word. Or switch things up with a Telestrations-style version, where drawings and guesses get passed around the group (and often turn into something completely unexpected).

How To Play Pictionary

Pictionary is a classic drawing-and-guessing game that’s simple, fast, and full of laughs.

1. You’ll need paper or a whiteboard, pencils or markers, and the list of words and phrases below.

2. Split your group into two teams. For those who are competitive (you know who you are!), assign a scorekeeper to keep track of points.

3. A player from Team 1 draws a word or phrase without speaking or using letters or numbers.

• Their team has one minute to guess what it is.
• If they guess correctly, the team earns a point.

4. Take turns drawing and guessing between teams. Keep playing until everyone has had a chance to draw multiple times.

5. The team with the most correct guesses at the end wins!

How to Play Telestrations (Telephone Pictionary)

This Thanksgiving twist on Telestrations starts with a simple Thanksgiving-themed word or phrase and passes it from player to player through a series of drawings and guesses.

By the end, your original idea may have turned into something completely unexpected. And that’s when the Thanksgiving giggles begin!

1. Write a Thanksgiving-themed word or phrase at the top of your page.
2. Fold the paper so your word/phrase is hidden, then pass it to the next person.
3. The next person looks at the word/phrase and draws what they see.
4. Fold the paper again to hide the drawing and pass it along.
5. The next person only looks at the drawing and writes what they think it is.
6. Continue alternating between drawing and guessing until everyone has had a turn.
7. Unfold the pages and see how much the original Thanksgiving word/phrase has changed!

50 Family-Friendly Words & Phrases for Thanksgiving Drawing Guessing Game

Ready to start drawing? We’ve put together a fun list of Thanksgiving-themed prompts to make your game easy to play. Prefer to skip the prep? Grab our printable set of all 50 Thanksgiving Pictionary cards from the shop and you’ll be ready to play in no time!

1. Turkey

2. Pumpkin Pie

3. Pumpkin

4. Pilgrim

5. Cornucopia

6. Thanksgiving Dinner

7. Mashed potatoes

8. Mayflower

9. Stuffing

10. Sweet potato

11. Apple pie

12. Dinner table

13. Turkey feather

14. Thanksgiving leftovers

15. Saying grace

16. Serving food

17. Setting the table

18. Baking a pie

19. Carving the turkey

20. Passing the gravy

21. Football game

22. Parade

23. Being stuffed / overly full

24. Washing the dishes

25. Playing flag football

26. Falling leaves

27. Acorn

28. Cranberry sauce

29. Jumping in the leaves

30. Thanksgiving centerpiece

31. Hayride

32. Corn maze

33. Apple picking

34. Raking the leaves

35. Friendsgiving dinner

36. Apple orchard

37. Caramel apple

38. Hot chocolate

39. Cozy blanket

40. Sweater

41. Campfire

42. Squirrel

43. Breaking the wishbone

44. Burning the turkey

45. Turkey run

46. Scarecrow

47. Corn

48. Turkey handprint

49. Pinecone

50. Pecan pie

Explore more Thanksgiving Fun:

• Thanksgiving Photo Scavenger Hunt: FREE Printable!
• Thanksgiving What’s On Your Phone Game
• Free Thanksgiving Dice Game

Make it easy, make it fun!

Whether you’re playing with little kids, teens, or seniors, a few simple tricks can make this Thanksgiving Drawing Guessing Game even more fun. These pro tips will help keep everyone involved, laughing, and ready for the next drawing!

Keep it simple for little ones: Let younger kids draw easier prompts like turkey, pumpkin, pie, or leaves.

Let kids team up: Pair younger players with older kids or adults to make the game more inclusive.

Skip the timer if needed: For younger children, give them extra time to finish their masterpiece.

Don’t worry about perfect drawings: The sillier the sketch, the more fun the guessing can be!

For younger kids, you can use the simpler nouns (turkey, pumpkin, acorn), while teens may enjoy more action-based prompts such as “carving a turkey,” “jumping in leaves,” or “passing the gravy.” Personalize it to make it fit for your family needs!

Add your own prompts: Encourage players to come up with Thanksgiving or fall-themed ideas of their own.

Make it cooperative: Instead of keeping score, challenge the whole group to guess as many drawings as possible.

Give creative clues: If a player is stuck, allow a simple hint to keep the game moving.

Use different drawing materials: Try crayons, markers, colored pencils, or even a whiteboard for a fresh twist.

Keep the laughs going: Celebrate every drawing—even the ones that look nothing like the prompt! 

Keep The Thanksgiving Fun Going!

• 30 Hilarious Thanksgiving Games for Family Fun
• 230 Fun Thanksgiving Charades Ideas
• The Ultimate Thanksgiving Scattergories Game

What’s Next?

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Finally, if you played this game, please share in the comments and let us know! We’d love to hear from you!