Thanksgiving Party Games

While the turkey is in the oven, it's time to play some Thanksgiving party games to keep everyone's mind off their growling stomachs. Most of the games are good for all ages.

1. What's On My Plate. This Thanksgiving party game is designed to stimulate everyone's memories. Form a circle. The first person begins by saying, "At Thanksgiving I am going to eat turkey." The next person repeats what the first person says and adds something else he'll eat on Thanksgiving. Each person has to repeat what everyone before him said and add one more thing. If someone misses, he's out, and it moves on to the next person, until all but one have messed up. The winner is the official "Thanksgiving Turkey."
2. Thanksgiving Trivia. Before the Thanksgiving party, you'll need to do some preparation for this game. Jot down about twenty questions related to Thanksgiving. They can be related to the history, countries that celebrate their own Thanksgiving, foods eaten in different parts of the country and anything else you can think of. Divide the room into two, three or four teams. You can play this Thanksgiving party game before or after the feast.
3. Thanksgiving Drawing Game. Before the party, jot down at least 20 different Thanksgiving words or names on separate pieces of paper, fold them, and put them into a bowl or basket. You'll need a large pad of paper and a timer to play this Thanksgiving party game. Divide the room into teams—men against women, kids against adults or however you want to do it. Flip a coin to see which team goes first. The first team draws one of the words or names then selects a person from the team to draw. Give the team one to three minutes to guess what is being drawn. If that team doesn't guess, the other team gets a shot at it. The teams take turns drawing and guessing. The one with the most correct guess wins.

Thanksgiving party games will give everyone something to do besides eat and watch TV. Give out small prizes, such as chocolate turkeys, turkey callers or packs of breath mints for after dinner.