Thanksgiving Charades
A collection of 101 Thanksgiving Charades ideas for the holiday season. Not sure how to play? We will show you how.
Charades is a fun game packed with laughter (for more laughs, check out our thanksgiving jokes for kids). Everyone has their own traditions and ways of celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Some people travel, some watch the parade, and some people enjoy a game of football, but no matter how you choose to spend your day, it’s important to appreciate the time you have with your family. Eat, talk, play games, and enjoy each other’s company.
Consider putting a basket by the front door and tell the kids to put all their electronic devices in there until later in the day. Gather everyone for some old-fashioned indoor games and activities that can be enjoyed by the whole group no matter their ages.
You might want to plan a scavenger hunt for the kids where they can find some fun Thanksgiving treats at the end, read some Thanksgiving stories to the younger kids, or plan to play some Thanksgiving Day charades.
For years, people have turned to charades as a fun way to bring a group together. It’s a game that is full of fun and laughter, and best of all, it can be played by everyone, so the little ones won’t feel left out.
Keep reading to learn more about how to play charades and for a list of 101 Thanksgiving Charade ideas, you can use to get the game started.
So, go ahead and start planning your day so that nobody will get bored or decide to draw a mustache on Dad when he falls asleep.
How to Play Thanksgiving Charades
Thanksgiving Charades is played just like the traditional game except the clues all have something to do with Thanksgiving.
If you’ve never played charades before it’s simple to learn, easy to play, and can be enjoyed by everyone in the family no matter their ages.
Depending on the number of players you can either divide up into two teams or you can play as one big group.
The object of the game is for the actor, using gestures only, to make the others guess what they are describing without speaking.
Preparation:
Cut the Thanksgiving Charades ideas we have provided into strips, fold them, and place them in a container. Split the group into two teams and choose a team and player who will be the actor to give the first clue. Agree on a time limit and set a timer.
How to Play:
The actor must pick a clue from the container. Once the timer has been set the actor will then begin to act out the clue for the rest of his/her teammates to guess. The team then can shout out answers until someone guesses correctly. If the answer is correct the team will get a point, but if they don’t guess correctly when the time is up, the opposing team will get a chance to guess. If the opposing team guesses correctly they will receive the point. If neither team guesses correctly, no points will be earned, and the game will continue with the next player of the opposing team.
If you choose to play as a group instead of teams, choose one person to begin acting out the clue. Play will then continue as above except the group as a whole will have a chance to shout out the answers. When a person shouts a correct answer before the time is up, that person will become the next actor. If no one gets the correct answer, the actor will then trade in the clue for a new one and begin again. Play continues until everyone has had a turn or all the clues have been used.
Remember, there is no speaking when acting out a clue, only hand and body gestures can be used. If you want to throw in a challenge, you can choose to disqualify an actor for talking and automatically give a point to the opposing team. Younger players might not understand what a gesture is, so the following are some suggestions to help everyone understand when playing charades:
- If you are giving a clue that is the title of a book you can pretend to read.
- If the clue is a song you can pretend to sing.
- If you have a movie, pretend to crank a movie camera.
- If you want to describe a word that sounds like another, tug on your ear to tell the players the word sounds like something.
- When you want the group to know how many words are in the clue you can hold up the appropriate number of fingers.
If you want, you can set the timer after the actor has had time to read the clue and after he/she has used any of the above gestures.
The game is that simple! Use the following 101 Thanksgiving charades ideas to get started. You can tweak this list to fit your needs and age group and you can even add to it, just remember, no talking from the actor or the other team could choose to disqualify them if they want!
Charades Ideas
1. Cooking
2. Prayer
3. Mom
4. Grandma
5. Family
6. Kid’s Table
7. Cooking
8. Baking
9. Pumpkin Pie
10. Apple Pie
11. Mashed Potatoes
12. Gravy
13. Turkey
14. Caramel Apples
15. Cranberry Sauce
16. Sweet Potato Casserole
17. Green Bean Casserole
18. Salad
19. Stuffing Turkey
20. Pilgrim
21. Scarecrow
22. Wishbone
23. Cold Weather
24. Playing Football
25. Eating Snacks
26. Putting on a Coat
27. Playing a Board Game
28. Leaves Falling
29. Raking the Leaves
30. Jumping in the Leaves
31. A Hayride
32. Chopping Wood
33. A Parade
34. A Corn Maze
35. Setting the Table
36. Using a Napkin
37. Travel
38. Hugging Family Members
39. Washing Dishes
40. Charlie Brown
41. Passing the Food Around the Table
42. Getting Food from a Buffet Table
43. A Centerpiece
44. The Mayflower
45. A Tablecloth
46. Sleeping
47. Vegetables
48. Feeding a Baby
49. Eating
50. Indians
51. Carving Turkey
52. Lighting Candles
53. Slicing Bread
54. Delicious Food
55. Cornucopia
56. Reading a Recipe
57. Putting on an Apron
58. A Turkey Platter
59. Sailboat
60. Stirring the Food
61. Ham
62. Holiday
63. Tradition
64. Eating Leftovers
65. Grandpa
66. Grandparents
67. Aunt
68. Uncle
69. Siblings
70. Kids
71. Pretty Clothes
72. A Hoodie
73. Whipped Cream
74. A Feast
75. Pleasant Aroma
76. A Bouquet of Flowers
77. Conversation
78. A Fireplace
79. Giblets
80. Kitchen
81. November
82. Plymouth Rock
83. Relax
84. Stressful
85. Red
86. Orange
87. Brown
88. Thankful
89. Full
90. Thursday
91. Menu
92. Once a Year
93. Eating Utensils
94. Welcoming Guests
95. Feeding the Dog Under the Table
96. Eating a Turkey Leg
97. Shopping
98. Candy Corn
99. Apple Cider
100. Passing the Rolls
101. Loading the Dishwasher
So, when all the tummies are full, and the dishes have been cleaned, gather everyone in the room for a fun and exciting game of Thanksgiving Day charades. You won’t have to worry about Dad falling asleep from all the tryptophan because this game is sure to keep him awake! When you run out of Thanksgiving Charades ideas, click here to find 101 more charades ideas.
Also check out our Christmas charades.