# Thanksgiving games for the whole family

Source: https://roam.new/thanksgiving-games/. Checked November 3, 2026.

Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Most people searching want games for a mixed-age crowd with no shopping list, so these start with games that need nothing, then a few for kids, then options for relatives joining online.

## At the table, no props

Play these between courses. Each round takes a few minutes.

- **Gratitude alphabet**: Go around the table naming something you are thankful for, A to Z in order. Kids get creative around X.
- **Who said it**: Everyone writes a funny thing a relative said this year on a napkin. Read them out, guess who said it.
- **Thankful two truths**: Two true things that happened to you this year and one made up. The table votes.
- **Turkey trivia**: Five quick questions about the holiday and the family. Hint: the family questions are harder.
- **Pass the compliment**: Say one nice thing about the person on your left. Harder than it sounds with cousins.

## For the kids' couch

Kids finish eating first and need something to do. Turkey Says works like Simon Says, with gobbling. Hide the paper turkey: one kid hides a drawn turkey, the others search, warmer or colder. Hot potato with a mini pumpkin needs only music and a pumpkin. Charades with Thanksgiving words, like parade, pie and nap, works for all ages.

Football is part of the day too. The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys host games every Thanksgiving, so a halftime guessing game about the final score keeps the couch busy.


## For relatives joining online

If some of the family is remote, keep it to one shared game. A Kahoot quiz about the year, made the night before, works on a video call: one screen shows questions, everyone answers on their phone. Jackbox needs one copy, and others join on jackbox.tv. On Roam, a free iPhone app, you can make a quick quiz about the family the night before and pass the phone around the table.


## Make a turkey-chase game before dinner with Roam

Describe the game in a sentence and Roam makes it playable on your iPhone. Put the family in it for extra noise. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "the turkey escapes the kitchen and runs through our house, catch it before dinner, my little brother is the turkey"

[Get Roam on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6745489251?pt=126889634&mt=8&ct=rnew-thanksgiving-games)

## Questions people ask

**When is Thanksgiving 2026?**
Thursday, November 26, 2026.

**What are good Thanksgiving games for family with no props?**
Gratitude alphabet, Who Said It, Thankful Two Truths and Pass the Compliment all need nothing but the table.

**What Thanksgiving games can we play online?**
A family Kahoot quiz or a Jackbox pack on a video call. One person hosts, everyone joins from a phone.

## Sources

- Thanksgiving 2026 is November 26 (fourth Thursday): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
- Lions host every Thanksgiving since 1934, Cowboys since 1966: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_on_Thanksgiving_Day
- Jackbox: one owner, others join at jackbox.tv on phones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackbox_Party_Pack_12

## About Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play. https://roam.gg