Interactive Games for Thanksgiving

The holidays are a time of bonding, fun and and social gatherings. Holding a historical significance for the United States dating back to 1621, celebrating Thanksgiving revolves around Americans appreciating the Pilgrims enduring their journey across the ocean to lay down roots here. The feast that followed their arrival served as an honorary meal of unity and perseverance, qualities our country also strives to currently maintain.

Turkey Waddle

Not solely for cooking and being eaten, Turkey Waddle proves that fun and turkeys go hand in hand or maybe even leg in leg. This is a fun, physical game good for groups of active young students as well as an event for the whole family. One person needs to be the referee. He is responsible for drawing a start line in the grass as well as planting an object of medium to large size, perhaps an orange obstacle cone, at the opposite end of the field. To play you will need as many inflatable turkeys as you have teams. Players line up behind the starting point and the first person steps forward to the line. He places an inflatable turkey between his legs and waits for the ref to blow his whistle, signaling the beginning of play. Each person on each team must make a single lap from the start line, down and around the obstacle and back to the beginning. The first team to have all members complete the course wins. No hands are allowed---and if you drop your turkey, you must pick it up, return to the start point and begin again.

If you're hosting a big family dinner for the holiday, or even if you're simply trying to entertain the students in your class, Stump the Chef offers participants the chance to work as a team and test their senses. Before you play this game, you will need to place small amounts of traditional Thanksgiving dinner foods into containers, line them up on a table and cover them so each dish is out of sight. Next, split the group into two teams and have each team designate a leader. The leader is responsible for assisting other team members and keeping score for their group. Supply each leader with a blindfold as well. Instruct both groups to line up, single file, in front of the hidden containers. The leaders secure blindfolds on the first members of their team, then help them approach the table. Players are presented with dishes and have five seconds to shout out what that dish is. The first person to guess correctly wins that round. Each teammate gets his own subsequent container to figure out the contents. The team with the most correct guesses wins the entire game.

For a fun and educational game to enjoy with the family or to play with students in the classroom, try Thanksgiving Trivia. The extent of the historical information is only limited by how much research someone is willing to do prior to playing the game. Suggested questions could revolve around the first Thanksgiving, why, how and where it happened and what the significance is in continuing to celebrate it today. Include questions about the foods originally served as well as current-day meals. Also, make fun questions either about your class and students or family members that everyone in attendance would know the answers to. This last part encourages bonding and good times within the group. The person with the most questions answered correctly wins. Instead of rewarding the winner, consider giving the loser something unpleasant to do at the end of the game, such as straightening up the classroom or washing the dishes.