39 Most Fun Thanksgiving Activities for All Ages in 2023

Gathering with friends and family, cooking up a delicious feast and playing games at the table — Thanksgiving activities are something that many people look forward to all year. But of course, having so many loved ones nearby means finding entertainment for people of all ages.

If the family happens to grow bored, it’s only a matter of time until little Sarah stops sharing her crayons and Uncle Chris brings up politics.  

When everyone’s waiting for the big meal or resting with full bellies, how do you make Thanksgiving exciting? Kids are one challenge, but how do you entertain adults on Thanksgiving?

Whether you’re having a grand family reunion or enjoying this holiday solo, here are some fun Thanksgiving activities sure to make everyone smile. 

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• Creative, Hands-on Thanksgiving Activities for Adults
• Fun Thanksgiving Activities for College Students & High Schoolers
• Unique Thanksgiving Activities for Kids & Families

Creative, Hands-on Thanksgiving Activities for Adults

1. Attend a Cooking Class

If you’re looking for Thanksgiving activities that will help you impress on the big day, look no further than cooking classes in Atlanta, cooking classes in Austin, cooking classes in Boston or cooking classes near you!

Whether you decide to attend in-person or online cooking classes, you’ll get to develop new culinary skills that will impress your guests — or yourself — on Thanksgiving Day. Cooking classes are also great Thanksgiving activities to do as a group!

2. Relax at a Paint and Sip 

We love our families, but after a few days cooped up together sometimes you need to get out of the house and relax for a while.

Bring your crew to a paint and sip in NYC, paint and sip in San Diego, paint and sip in Chicago or paint and sip near you to melt away all the holiday stress and come home with a beautiful piece of artwork.

Paint and sip is one of the best fun Thanksgiving activities for adults and can even inspire more holiday paint party ideas for adults!

3. Sign Up for a Pottery Class

Looking for creative hands-on Thanksgiving ideas? Thanksgiving activities don’t get more hands-on than pottery classes in Minneapolis, pottery classes in the Bay Area, pottery classes in Austin or pottery classes near you!

Throw, spin and shape your own unique Thanksgiving décor, holiday gifts or serving dishes to use during Thanksgiving dinner. 

4. Get Creative in an Art Class

Who said you can’t take art classes as an adult? Bringing your friends or family to art classes in NYC, art classes in Portland, art classes in Los Angeles or art classes near you is one of the best Thanksgiving activities to help everyone relax, bond and get themselves into the holiday spirit.

Plus, you’ll get to come home with artwork that reminds you of your precious time together.

5. Bake Treats for the Neighborhood

Baking is easily one of the best hands-on Thanksgiving activities and a great way to show your appreciation for the wonderful people in your life!

Some festive and universally loved treats include mini banana bread, pumpkin bread, cookies or candied apples. Wrap them up with a cute ribbon and deliver them to the neighbors to get a head start spreading holiday cheer.

6. Make Plans for Holiday Shopping

Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for the friends, family and things you have – but flipping through Black Friday catalogs still has to be one of the top 10 things to do on Thanksgiving!

Write up your gifting list, scour through the mail ads and make a plan to get a head start on holiday shopping. If you don’t want to brave the crowds on Black Friday, plan out where you’ll do online shopping to avoid any last-minute shipping delays.

7. Create Care Packages 

One of the best Thanksgiving activities is to make Thanksgiving gifts or assemble care packages for those in need. Pick a cause you’re passionate about and build a cornucopia full of goodies.

Think personal hygiene products and winter clothes for homeless shelters, blankets and toys for animal shelters, school supply restocks for a local teacher or a recovery basket for an ill neighbor. 

8. Build a Family Collage

Flipping through photo albums is already one of the most popular Thanksgiving activities, but you can take the fun a step further by printing photocopies and cutting them out on paper.

Gather up old magazines and craft supplies, then cut out faces, letters, clothes and more to create a photo collage starring the whole family. Make your unique collage as silly or sweet as you’d like, then hang it on the wall to enjoy all week long.

9. Craft a Holiday Wreath 

It’s easy to find Thanksgiving crafts that will entertain children, but finding good arts and crafts for adults can be a little more challenging.

A Thanksgiving or winter wreath is the perfect Thanksgiving activity to get creative and inject a little holiday spirit into your home without just generating more clutter.

Grab a grapevine wreath form and weave in faux fall leaves, pine cones, evergreen branches, winter birds and anything else you’d like, then display the wreath on your door for all to enjoy. 

10. Host a Thanksgiving Trivia Tournament

How long was the pilgrim’s voyage at sea? What native tribe did the pilgrims first meet in America? Which popular Thanksgiving dish is the most disliked?

For one of the easiest Thanksgiving activities, challenge your family or holiday work party to a trivia tournament to learn more about the holiday and enjoy a little friendly competition.

11. Participate in a Turkey Trot

Jogging long distances may not be in everyone’s list of top 10 things to do on Thanksgiving, but it’s one of the most fun Thanksgiving activities and things to do with friends.

Most cities host some form of a turkey trot every year, and many people even dress up in Thanksgiving-themed costumes. If you don’t have a formal turkey trot in a city near you, going on a morning trek through the neighborhood is still a great way to work up your appetite!

12. Make Origami Turkeys

Origami can be a bit tricky, but origami turkeys are the perfect challenging craft for adult Thanksgiving activities.

Use pretty paper in a range of autumn tones like red, orange and brown, then follow a video tutorial to create adorable mini turkeys.

Use your origami birds to decorate the table or display in little corners around your home. 

13. Host a Cocktail Competition

Pilgrim’s Punch, apple cider mimosas, pumpkin spice mules — there are so many ways to get creative with cocktails. A cocktail competition is one of the most foolproof Friendsgiving ideas, fall party ideas or fun Thanksgiving activities for adults.

Have everyone bring their own recipe and supplies, then give prizes for the best looking, best tasting and most on-theme cocktails. 

Fun Thanksgiving Activities for College Students & High Schoolers

14. Play Football With Friends 

Thanksgiving and football go together like turkey and mashed potatoes, and there’s no better fall activities or Thanksgiving activities for students than throwing around the old pigskin.

Round up a group of your friends or dorm mates to play a game of football at your local park. For something a little less rough, flag football or frisbee golf can be excellent Thanksgiving activities too. 

15. Treat Your Pets

Everyone with a pet knows that they’re really a part of the family. Show your furry and feathered friends how much you love them by making them their own pet-friendly feast.

Making homemade pet treats is one of the most fun Thanksgiving activities if you're spending the holiday by yourself, but it can also help your pet feel included when you’re with family.

16. Race Through a Corn Maze

When you picture Thanksgiving activities, you probably think of watching football and eating big family feasts, but there are plenty of things to do on Thanksgiving outside of your house!

Corn mazes and hayrides are most popular around Halloween, but many stay open through November. Meet up with friends or bring your family to explore the corn maze together! 

17. Volunteer at a Food Bank

Thanksgiving is about more than just appreciating what you have; it’s also about showing generosity and helping those in need. One of the best fun

Fun Thanksgiving activities for college students are to volunteer at a local food bank, community center or nursing home to ensure that some less fortunate people can enjoy a hot Thanksgiving meal. 

Volunteering does more than just a Thanksgiving activity that looks good on a transcript or job resume. According to a study from the Journal of Psychology in Africa, student volunteers experience higher resilience, gratitude and overall well-being than their non-volunteering peers.

Volunteering is an awesome Thanksgiving activity to boost your mood and help your community. 

18. Draw Secret Santa Names

Secret Santa pairs well with other Thanksgiving activities and Friendsgiving ideas, and assigning everyone’s Santa at Thanksgiving allows plenty of time to plan before the Christmas season.

Throw everyone’s name in a hat or basket, then draw one by one until everyone has a giftee. You can spend the rest of the Thanksgiving party getting to know your recipient and determining what Secret Santa gifts they’d love!

19. Make Table Place Cards

Not all Thanksgiving crafts have to be cheesy; making place cards is one of the classiest Thanksgiving activities if you have a large family coming together for Thanksgiving.

Try to decorate each person’s card with something unique to them, such as their favorite garden flower, sports team or movie. This will show your family how much you really pay attention! 

20. Play Holiday-themed Heads Up

For this Thanksgiving activity, write various Thanksgiving-themed words on index cards, like “turkey,” “table,” “pumpkin pie,” or “Mayflower,” then tape a card to each player’s forehead so they can’t see their own word.

Everyone has to move about the room talking to each other until they can guess what their word is. The last person to guess has to help wash the Thanksgiving dishes! 

21. Host a Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving is one of the classic fun Thanksgiving activities for college students, especially those who won’t be returning home for the holiday.

Invite all of your friends over and create a potluck list so that everybody contributes something they love — and nobody has to foot the bill. Fun Friendsgiving ideas can also provide a brilliant way to celebrate the end of finals season!

22. Write a Play for Little Siblings

Need Thanksgiving activities that will help you babysit the little ones? Write up a short play or musical and have your younger siblings and cousins dress up, rehearse and then put on a performance after dinner.

Bonus points if you can catch the performance on film to watch at future family gatherings!

23. Cook Up a Breakfast Feast

Of course, everyone’s thinking about Thanksgiving dinner, but what about Thanksgiving breakfast? Take charge of the kitchen and cook something to quell everyone’s morning appetites until it’s time to feast.

Making cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole or pumpkin pancakes is one of those Thanksgiving activities everyone is sure to appreciate. 

24. Host Your Own Thanksgiving Parade

Another great Thanksgiving activity to keep little cousins busy is decorating bicycles, tricycles, wagons and more, then leading the kids in their own Thanksgiving Day parade.

Play some festive autumn tunes and have family members cheer from the sidelines. Make sure to include a Santa at the end of the parade to ring in the holiday season! 

25. Have a Fall Photo Shoot

If you’re a college student or high schooler who’s homebound for the holidays, staging a fall photo shoot can be a great Thanksgiving activity to view your hometown in a new light.

Dress up in your coziest autumnal attire and recruit friends, siblings or cousins to take photos in your neighborhood or at a nearby park. Share your beautiful pictures on social media with a list of things you’re grateful for!

26. Film a Family Mini-documentary 

One of the best Thanksgiving activities for students is to create a home video and practice their editing skills.

Grab an old video camera and interview your friends and family, then compile the interview into a documentary with a title like “Jones Family Thanksgiving 2023.”

Having these special family interviews will give you some amazing memories to look back on every year. 

Unique Thanksgiving Activities for Kids & Families

27. Make a Gratitude Tree

A gratitude tree is one of the classic Thanksgiving activities to celebrate Thanksgiving for kids. Find a sturdy branch from outside, then set it upright in a flower pot and cut out colorful paper leaves from construction paper.

Have each family member take turns writing something they're grateful for, then hanging their leaf on the branches of the tree. 

28. Watch Traditional Thanksgiving Movies

When it comes to holiday movies, Christmas seems to get all the attention, but there are plenty of great movies that center around Thanksgiving scenes.

Sit down with kettle corn and hot apple cider to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Holidate, You’ve Got Mail, Free Birds or Hannah and Her Sisters.

While it’s not a movie, tuning into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is another one of the best traditional Thanksgiving activities for families to do each year.

29. Go on a Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

Going on a walk is already one of the best family Thanksgiving activities, but to make things more exciting, write up a list of things you might see while on your walk.

It could be a yellow spotted leaf, a busy squirrel, a white car or a friendly neighbor. Whoever sees the most items first earns the first slice of Thanksgiving dessert. 

30. Arrange a Pumpkin Hunt

Like an Easter egg hunt in the fall, give everyone a basket to collect as many mini pumpkins as they can. If you’re hosting a fun Thanksgiving for kids, older kids will love being challenged to hide the pumpkins, and younger kids will love running through the yard to find them.

For added excitement, write a number on each pumpkin that correlates with a cute prize. 

31. Play Turkey Tag 

Turkey tag is one of the silliest Thanksgiving activities perfect for lightening the mood and keeping the party going all day long.

Glue a few long feathers onto wooden clothespins, then throughout the day, family members have to try to clip them to each other’s clothing without their victims noticing. This funny Thanksgiving game is sure to get everyone roaring with laughter! 

32. Paint Handprint Turkeys

Handprint turkeys are one of the best Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers, but don’t be surprised if the whole family wants to get in on the fun.

Paint the kids’ hands with brown craft paint, then press them onto a sheet of felt to create a turkey shape. Add an orange foam beak, feathers, googly eyes and more to finish off this adorable keepsake. 

33. Play Cornhole

Cornhole is a classic family game year-round and also one of the best Thanksgiving activities to enjoy before or after your feast.

Split into teams like boys vs. girls, adults vs. kids or cat lovers vs. dog lovers and battle it out until the very last bean bag. As players are eliminated, they must start cheering from the sidelines! 

34. Set Up a Turkey Baster Race

Need Thanksgiving activities or Thanksgiving games that will get everyone up and out of their seat? Measure out an area on the floor to use as a relay racetrack, then split into teams and give each team a turkey baster and a feather.

Team members have to use the turkey baster to puff air and push their feathers across the finish line! 

35. Play a Round-table Gratefulness Game

An alphabet gratefulness game is one of the easiest Thanksgiving games to play while you’re patiently waiting for the food to finish cooking.

Going around the table, everyone must say one thing they’re grateful for, starting with A and ending with Z. For an extra challenge, the whole group must start over if anyone gets stuck! 

36. Play Thanksgiving Day Parade Bingo

Parade bingo is an ideal Thanksgiving activity to keep kids busy and out of the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning. Print out or make your own bingo cards with possible parade sights on them, such as a female singer, a red coat, confetti, a reindeer or an electric guitar.

Provide stickers or markers so each child can mark their bingo card as the parade rolls on. 

37. Write Thank You Cards

What do families do together on Thanksgiving? Express their thanks, of course! Writing thank you cards is one of the best Thanksgiving activities to help kids learn and practice letter writing, whether they’re thanking family for Thanksgiving gifts, reaching out to friends or expressing some gratitude for their teacher. 

38. Make a Candy Corn Ring Toss Game

Pick up a few small orange construction cones from your local hardware store, then paint them with yellow and white tips to look like candy corn.

Use glow stick necklaces as rings and try to toss them onto the candy corn, with cones further away counting as more points.

This glow-in-the-dark ring toss is one of the best activities for preschoolers, college students and grandparents alike. 

39. Make Ugly Holiday Sweaters

It seems like almost everyone gets invited to (at least) one ugly sweater party every year, so why not turn your holiday obligations into fun Thanksgiving activities for families?

Gather old plain sweaters, pom poms, glitter glue, felt shapes and more and laugh along as you DIY your own sweaters. Making ugly holiday sweaters will keep everyone busy after the big meal is over, plus, they make hilarious take-home family gift ideas. 

While it may not be the “main course” event of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is a very special time of the year to gather around with loved ones and enjoy living in the moment.

Having Thanksgiving activities ready to go will ensure that everyone stays busy, laughs a lot and grows closer together on this cozy day.

While you’re waiting for the turkey to finish roasting or winding down after the big meal, we hope you’ll try one of these fun Thanksgiving activities to make lasting holiday memories.  

For even more fun things to do this fall, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!