20 Fun Things To Do On Thanksgiving Day This Year (2023)
These fun things to do on Thanksgiving promise to make this holiday your best yet.
What are you looking forward to MOST this Thanksgiving? Whether it’s football, the parade, or a mountain of mashed potatoes, these activities will please even your bantering crazy aunt!
Keep reading for additional tips for the best Thanksgiving.
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Fun Things To Do On Thanksgiving Day
Make sweet memories with your family using these 20 incredible (and cheap or free) activities.
1. I SPY THANKSGIVING
Have kids color and find all the fun Thanksgiving-themed objects!
Check it out HERE from Paper Trail Design
2. A THANKSGIVING GRATITUDE GAME
This game uses M&Ms but you can use anything that’s colorful like craft sticks or straws.
Check it out HERE from Happy Go Lucky
*Find more fun kids gratitude activities HERE!>>
3. THANKSGIVING COLORING PAGES
Color a page with the kids in your family while you wait for dinner to be ready!
Check it out HERE at Paper Trail Design
4. FREE THANKSGIVING JOKES & RIDDLES
Amp up the fun with some silly Thanksgiving jokes and riddles!
Related: What Am I Riddles
5. THANKSGIVING MINUTE TO WIN IT GAMES
There are so many simple and fun games to play on Thanksgiving. This site even has a scorecard to keep track of the winners.
Check it out HERE at Happiness Is Homemade
6. GRATITUDE SCAVENGER HUNT
*Great for teens
Get everyone moving with this easy Thanksgiving photo scavenger hunt for kids!
7. THANKSGIVING BOOKS
Read a few fall and Thanksgiving books to help teach those valuable Thanksgiving lessons!
Bear Says Thanks
*Best Thanksgiving book or preschoolers!
We love the way this book rhymes and mama loves how it emphasizes togetherness and gratitude.
Thankful
This short little board book for kids discusses being thankful for all of the little things. Children and adults can always use a reminder of this!
*Watch the read aloud of this book!
Thanks for Thanksgiving
Another amazing book to guide you in a thankful discussion!
The Magic Treehouse: Thanksgiving on Thursday
This is perfect for older kids! My son LOVES the Magic Treehouse series. It’s a great way to discuss Thanksgiving traditions and history.
8. THE BOWL GAME
This game looks like the PERFECT family Thanksgiving game!
First, every person writes down something others don’t know about them. Then, players try to guess who wrote it. Points are given to those that guess correctly. The trick is to write random and silly things not even your spouse would know!
9. THANKSGIVING CONVERSATION STARTERS (PRINTABLE CARDS)
Keep the conversation at dinner lively with these fun Thanksgiving question starters.
10. THANKSGIVING PICTIONARY
Create a Thanksgiving-themed drawing game by writing fall and Thanksgiving words on paper. Teams take turns drawing and guessing for fast-paced fun!
11. TURKEY TAG
Now, this is possibly the cutest idea I’ve ever seen. Have kids make these simple clothespin turkeys, then attach them to their shirts. It becomes a game of tag to get the clothespins off. Don’t just let the kids do this one. It’s a playful game for everyone!
Check it out HERE at Let’s Get Together
12. THANKSGIVING WOULD YOU RATHER QUESTIONS
Would you rather wear a turkey costume all day or a pilgrim hat all day? Print out these Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions for more fun dinner discussions.
13. THANKSGIVING TRIVIA
What year was the first Macy’s Day Parade? Discover fun and historial questions with Thanksgiving trivia quiz questions.
Also, check out fall trivia.
14. THANKSGIVING DAY MAD LIBS
This light-hearted mad libs printable will give everyone something fun to laugh about on Thanksgiving Day!
15. PLAY THANKSGIVING CHARADES
Work off that turkey with a friendly game of charades for Thanksgiving. Use the printable cards, act it out, and see how your team does!
16. PLAY AN ICEBREAKER GAME
*Perfect for kids and teens
These easy and fun icebreaker games will get the whole family moving and laughing together.
17. FILL A GRATITUDE JAR
Instead of sharing what you are grateful for aloud, write it down! Collect them in a jar and read them aloud. Guess who wrote each one. Save the slips to read next year or pass them out to each family.
18. DESIGN A THANKFULNESS TABLECLOTH
Keep your kids busy before your meal! Lay out butcher paper on your table and have kids color, write, and express words of thanks on it. Use this are your tablecloth for your meal.
Grab a disposable tablecloth to color that includes activities on it!
19. DRAW NAMES FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS
Use your time together to plan out your holiday gift exchange. Choose one person to buy a gift for instead of shopping for everyone.
Pro Tip: You may be able to score a Black Friday deal by planning ahead. (BUDGET WIN!)
20. START A NEW TRADITION
Mix things up by starting a new Thanksgiving tradition.
- Bake a new dessert
- Watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
- Make a Christmas tree ornament
- Deliver pies to friends and neighbors
- Play a game of football
- Assemble care packages
- Write thank you notes
Related: Family Traditions Examples and Christmas Traditions that Encourage Giving
Tip #1: Define Your Perfect Holiday
The holiday season often brings overzealous expectations and overwhelming stress to make things perfect.
Therefore, take a moment to remember that people have flaws and this is real life. Your kids may WILL PROBABLY melt down. It’s possible you’ll burn something. And there are any number of things that will not be “just right.”- But in the grand scheme of things, those things don’t matter.
So, distinguish what the MOST important things are to you this Thanksgiving. Strive to make those happen, and let go of the rest (especially things outside of your control).
Your attitude towards the day makes a HUGE difference in how much you enjoy the holiday.
Tip #2: Decrease the Work
You know what I hate?
Cooking for Thanksgiving while my family lays on the couch watching the parade. Darn it, I want to be with them!
So, I prefer to make breakfast ahead and make side dishes AROUND the parade and our other traditions.
Here are some flavorful make-ahead breakfast ideas:
- egg casserole (my personal favorite)
- fruit muffins
- cinnamon rolls or french toast
- baked oatmeal
- breakfast cookies
- yogurt protein bites
Click HERE for Healthy holiday breakfast ideas that also make PERFECT Thanksgiving options!
Furthermore, spread out the work when it comes to preparing food! If you host the holiday, have others bring plenty of sides.
And as the kids get older, it’s a great opportunity to teach them how to make their favorite dishes. We’ll be pulling jobs out of a hat this year to get the kids more involved!
Check out these posts for other great ways to plan ahead:
- 14 Things To Do In November To Banish Holiday Stress
- 21 Healthy Fall Recipes
- Try the Free Thanksgiving Menu Planner Template
Looking for more ways to be playful with your kids?
Check out: Easy Ways To Become A Playful Mom or Free Printables for Your Amazing Fall Bucket List
What’s Next?
Disconnect from phones and shopping madness. Make Thanksgiving about connecting with loved ones. Use these fun things to do on Thanksgiving to enhance the celebration.
Cheers to your perfect holiday, whatever that may be!
Next, check out 55 Friendsgiving Games For Kids & Adults and consider hosting a Friendsgiving this year!
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