15 Delightful Thanksgiving Board Games For The Whole Family
Spoiler Alert: You’ve known Thanksgiving was around the corner once you saw the “pumpkin spice” version of everything on every shelf everywhere. And now Thanksgiving is finally here! At my house, we turn our thoughts to gratitude for all we have been given, delicious feasts, and fun times with family and friends. But I’ll be honest, I’m the one who does all the cooking. I also clean up after everyone dismembers the turkey and food comas have overtaken everyone else. So I love these family games for Thanksgiving to keep the tweens and teens around after dinner and give us all another chance for fun, laughter, and connection. Enter family games for Thanksgiving.
Games, especially board games, are the perfect way to catch a few belly laughs, spark friendly (and sometimes serious) competition, and create lasting memories around the dinner table! Finding Thanksgiving-specific board games isn’t as easy as you might think. Sooooo, I dug deep for this post. I put together this list of games we have enjoyed in the past, but I’ve connected each game to something Thanksgiving-related. I award bonus points if you figure out why I included each game.
Each of these Thanksgiving family board games lends itself to including friends and family of all ages and all interests. From toddlers to grandparents, these game options ensure your family’s fun is still rockin’ long after dessert. If anything, I wanted to be certain everyone could come together, so some games admittedly skew a bit toward the younger side. With our list of 15 delightful Thanksgiving board games, you can find the perfect game for your family’s interests and create new traditions that will be enjoyed for years to come. So gather ’round friends and family! Roll the dice, draw a card, and let the festivities begin! This Thanksgiving is going to be unforgettable!
The First Thanksgiving
Fun Thanksgiving trivia: the First Thanksgiving was likely not a family event at all. “The only eyewitness account mentions “some 90 men.” This was a political gathering. The Wampanoags and the Pilgrims were cementing a military alliance. Massoasoit, the Wampanoag king, was there. So was the English governor, William Bradford.” First Thanksgiving Dinner: No Turkeys. No Ladies. No Pies.
This three-day gathering featured various foods that may surprise us today. The most surprising to me was seafood! Lobsters, mussels, oysters, clams, and fish like striped bass and eels made up a huge part of the early diet of the Pilgrims, and at least some of these items were likely present. The Wampanoags brought five deer, so venison was on the menu. The English brought fowl, likely ducks and geese. Winter squashes, corn, and beans were staples for native tribes, so they were likely eaten at the feast as well. The English brought vegetables such as carrots and cabbage to America, so they may have been on the table. What Foods Were Served At The First Thanksgiving?
Unlike our modern feasts, which are filled with turkey and uber carbs, their meal reflected local traditions and what was in season.
Learning the history of our current-day celebration led me to select the games you’ll find below. I encourage a bit of curiosity and investigation into the roots of our holiday as another fun family activity. I know you’re likely to get a round of ? ? ? from the tweens and teens in attendance but give it a shot!
PS – I took a few liberties with apples. Check it out: “It’s unlikely that any of the crops planted by the British settlers were providing much of anything in 1621; apples, for example, are not native to North America and wouldn’t bear fruit for at least ten years (and that’s a very optimistic guess).” Foods Served And pies. They wouldn’t have had flour or butter at that point to have made pies. ? No Pumpkin Pie
Family Games for Thanksgiving
What says fall and Thanksgiving more than the changing of the seasons and the falling of the leaves?
This is a fun tile placement game where you guide leaves to the forest floor to create a thriving ecosystem and compete for the most acorns by touching leaf tiles for extra actions. As the game continues, a beautiful collection of tiled leaves forms across the table. You can also select leaf tiles from the central leaf board and place them on the forest floor. Earn extra points by collecting sets of animals growing mushroom rings on your leaves or advancing the season toward winter. Wooden squirrel meeples offer a chance for bonuses!
There may not have been turkey for the first Thanksgiving, but it was likely they had wildfowl like ducks or geese. Sooooo....
This is an oddly strategic duck kidnapping game. Abducktion is a surprisingly strategic game for grownups (and smart kids), recommended for ages 12+ It's easy to learn in five minutes or less. It only takes 15-20 minutes to play, but it's still strategic enough to take lots of skill and make winning so so satisfying.
If you aren't cooking "farm to table" for Thanksgiving, then you can play "farm to table" with Harvest! Plant your seeds, grow your crops, and bring in the most bountiful harvest in this new take on a classic strategy game. Simple to learn with easy-to-understand icons, this streamlined strategy game adds a chill vibe to any game night. Perfect for family nights with parents and kids, and there's even a challenging solo mode.
I know - this is technically a Halloween special, right? But remember the pumpkin pie ? This game is excellent for the whole family! Put your memory to the ultimate test at your next game night with this entertaining Great Pumpkin Charlier Brownf card game. Partner up and compete in a memory game. It takes 5 minutes to learn and 30 minutes of fun to play!
I confess, we haven't played this one - but we have the original Tea Dragon Society game. You collect growth tokens and cards to create memories with your Tea Dragon in this light deck building card game.
Another game great for all ages and for bringing people together! This game is the perfect family fun while waiting on the Thanksgiving turkey. Pass the "pie plate" around the dinner table as each guest takes a conversation starter "slice." Prompts include questions such as "What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?" "What are you thankful for?" "What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?" and so much more!
Y'all! This one is so fun - and it's best for a range of ages. Easy for grandparents to learn and play and super fun for even the youngest family members! In Piece of Pie, you pick pie pieces that match the recipes on display, and don't forget the decorations! (Don't tell, but this one will help kids develop math and strategy skills too!)
Gobblet Gobblers...get it? Gobble, gobble ? With this fun children’s game, kids will exercise memory, strategy and focus & attention. It is great for enhancing critical thinking and strengthening social skills. Easy to understand and play - no reading required. In this fun 3-D twist on the classic tic-tac-toe game, line up three of your gobblers on a 3x3 grid to win - but beware, as bigger gobblers can gobble (cover) smaller ones, and one gobbler belonging to your opponent could be hiding underneath the gobbler you want to move across the board!
Ok, so this one is pushing the boundaries a bit. But, it is about a harvest festival - even if it's set in China. The harvest is in and artisans are preparing for the upcoming festival. Players place tiles to adorn the palace lake with floating lanterns to earn the most honor before the festival begins.
EVERYONE loves an escape room game. This one is packed into a light, easy-to-carry holder, making it ideal as a travel game, holiday game, or as a fun gift! This is a family game for kids and adults that you can jump right into, thanks to super clear instructions and the help of your phone.
Another game for the young and young at heart! Players help Charlie gather up all his nuts for winter. But watch out - when he gets too full, he'll scatter acorns everywhere! (They come out his bottom which should get "that" age group laughing non-stop!) Be the first player to fill your secret stash and win the game!
I included this one since the Pilgrims sailed to America! This is a fun trick-taking game unlike any other. Steer your boats and fight the Kraken based on which cards are played to the tricks and who wins each trick. Work through four difficulty levels in the scenario book, or build your own on the customizable map. Reach the end of this dangerous deep end, and avoid taking damage from the Kraken to win the game together, or your crew will be sleeping with the fishes!
Each round, you and your partner will play tricks until one of you wins four tricks.
As you play (while following suit), you will attempt to play cards with icons that pair with what your partner plays. Playing these special icon pairs allows you to move your ship or fight the Kraken. Playing icons that form the wrong kind of pair makes the Kraken attack you!
FISH??? Yes, fish were abundant at the first Thanksgiving table ? Players are dealt out fish in secret and everyone answers the question. But...all the red fish (red herrings...get it?) make up their answers and the one blue fish gives the real answer. The Guesser's job is to pick all of the fake answers, but to avoid the real answer.
Venison. Abundant at the first Thanksgiving. Deer in the Headlights is fun and moves super fast. Players race to be the first to discard all of their cards and win the round. But watch out! If a “Deer in the Headlights” is rolled, progress stalls. Roll a “Car” or “Running Deer” and dump cards on your opponents!
And last but not least, what would a good fall turkey day be without apples???? The classic Apples to Apples is filled with surprises and outrageous answers! From seven cards, players pick the closest “Apples to Apples” comparison. If the judge likes your comparison the best, you keep the Description card. Collect the most Description cards to win!
Games As A Thanksgiving Day Tradition
As kids and adults gather ’round, I hope these Thanksgiving games get the oldest to the youngest connecting.
If you are creating new traditions or continuing the old with new selections, this list is perfect. As you play, encourage grandparents to share favorite childhood stories and watch the kids marvel at life before screens. Don’t forget to suggest some investigation into those early years of American life. Maybe a friendly competition for who can discover the most interesting fun fact about Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and bond over delicious food, fun, and collective memories. Once you’ve had a chance to play, let me know which ones you liked the most.
My hope for this season is that we can all let Thanksgiving be more than an endless week of cooking and tedious chores. I encourage you to jump at the chance to enjoy a feast (or cut back on the feast if you need to) and spend time with family and friends. It’s an opportunity to create amazing memories through connection with one another. Table top games are one of my favorite traditions in our family…
don’t forget to pin this so you can come back and grab another game!
