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Thanksgiving
table games.

Six quick games for the dinner table, with no props, no screens and nothing to buy. Read every rule here, print two games free, or read the cards from a phone.

Thanksgiving table games: the printed free sample with Pie or Pass cards, and a phone showing a Pass the Gravy question

In short

The best Thanksgiving table games need nothing but the people at the table. Guess who wrote each gratitude slip, vote Pie or Pass on silly questions, put family moments in order, invent a dish from three leftovers, race through a thankful alphabet and pass the gravy with a question. Each takes 5 to 15 minutes and suits mixed ages. Free for guests, no download, no sign-up.

Six games to play at the Thanksgiving table

Each one takes 5 to 15 minutes, needs no props and stops politely when the food arrives. The first two print free.

Print at homeFree to print

Gratitude Guess

Everyone writes one thing they’re thankful for. Can the table guess who wrote each one?

  • 4–20 players
  • About 10–15 min
  • Ages 6+, with help to write

How to play

  1. Hand everyone a slip. Each person secretly writes one thing they’re thankful for this year, folds it and drops it in a bowl.
  2. The host mixes the slips and reads them aloud, one at a time.
  3. On the count of three, everyone points at the person they think wrote it.
  4. The writer owns up and says one sentence about why.

Scoring. 1 point for each right guess. The writer scores 2 points if fewer than half the table pointed at them.

You need: A slip and a pen each, and a bowl. Young children can draw their answer instead, and the host describes the drawing.

Print or play on a phoneFree to print

Pie or Pass

Would you eat it, do it or wear it? Thumbs up for Pie, flat hand for Pass. The reader guesses the table first.

  • 3–20 players
  • About 10 min
  • Ages 5+

How to play

  1. Pick a reader. The reader draws a card and reads it out, for example “Pumpkin pie for breakfast?”
  2. Before anyone answers, the reader guesses how many thumbs will go up.
  3. On three, everyone else shows a thumb up for Pie or a flat hand for Pass.
  4. Count the thumbs, score, and pass the cards to the left. The next person reads.

Scoring. Reader: 2 points for an exact guess, 1 point if off by one. Anyone who is the only Pie or the only Pass scores 1 point for bravery.

You need: The cards, or this page on a phone. Keep it moving: one card each, then swap to another game while the plates are cleared.

Play the pie or pass cards on a phone
Print at homeFull pack · At Yours Plus

Family Timeline

Six family moments, read in a jumble. Teams put them in order, then the years come out, and so do the stories.

  • 4–30, in teams
  • About 15 min
  • Ages 8+

How to play

  1. Before dinner, the host writes six family moments on the timeline card, each with its year on the fold-back strip: a move, a new baby, the snowstorm Thanksgiving.
  2. At the table, read the six moments out in a jumbled order.
  3. Teams of two to four agree an order, oldest first, and write it down or say it.
  4. Reveal the years one by one, oldest first. Let the stories run.

Scoring. 1 point for each moment in the right place, and 3 extra points for a perfect order.

You need: A filled-in timeline card, or a ready-made set. No time to prepare? Play a ready-made set: Thanksgiving history or holiday firsts.

Print or play on a phoneFull pack · At Yours Plus

Leftover Remix

Three random leftovers, two minutes, one brand-new dish. Teams pitch it like TV chefs, and the table votes.

  • 4–20, in teams of 2–4
  • About 15 min
  • Ages 7+

How to play

  1. Each team calls out three numbers from 1 to 30 without looking. The host reads out their three leftovers.
  2. Teams get two minutes to invent a dish that uses all three, and give it a name.
  3. Each team pitches its dish in 30 seconds, as if on a cooking show.
  4. On three, everyone points at their favorite dish that isn’t their own.

Scoring. 2 points for each vote. The youngest player awards 1 bonus point for the best name.

You need: The numbered leftovers list. Nobody has to cook it. Nobody is allowed to say “soup” for every round.

Play the leftovers list on a phone
Nothing to printFull pack · At Yours Plus

Thankful Alphabet

A to Z round the table, one thankful thing each, without a pause. Stuck for five seconds? You’re stuffed.

  • 3–15 players
  • About 5–10 min
  • Ages 5+

How to play

  1. The youngest player starts with A: “I’m thankful for apple pie.”
  2. The next person takes B, and so on round the table.
  3. The table counts to five out loud. Stuck? Say “Stuffed!” and you’re out until the next round.
  4. Hard mode: repeat every thankful thing so far before adding yours.

Scoring. The last player in wins the round. Skip Q, X and Z if you like; nobody will mind.

You need: Nothing at all. It’s all spoken, so it works in the car or on a video call too.

Print or play on a phoneFull pack · At Yours Plus

Pass the Gravy

Whoever holds the gravy boat answers the card, then passes it to someone who answers in one word.

  • 3–20 players
  • As long as you like
  • Ages 6+

How to play

  1. The host reads a question card and hands the gravy boat, or any dish, to someone.
  2. They answer in a sentence or two.
  3. They pass the dish to anyone they choose, who answers the same question in one word.
  4. That person reads the next card. Keep going until everyone has held the gravy.

Scoring. No points. It’s the warm-up that gets quieter guests talking.

You need: Question cards, and the gravy boat or any dish. Anyone can say “pass the gravy” to skip a question, no explanation needed.

Play the pass the gravy questions on a phone

Play the cards on a phone.

No printer? Read the cards from here. Pick a deck, read the card out, and pass the phone to the next reader.

The first 12 cards of each deck are free. The host’s At Yours Plus opens every card.

Pie or Pass · card 1

Pumpkin pie for breakfast?

Thumb up: Pie · Flat hand: Pass

Card 1 of 12 free

The actual pages, sized for A4 and US Letter. Print at 100% and cut along the dashed lines.

Choose your paper size

We’ll remember your choice on this device. Choose the size that matches your printer paper.

The free sample cover: the six Thanksgiving table games and a 60 to 90 minute plan
Twelve printable Pie or Pass cards with dashed cutting lines
Free sample

Two complete games, free

Four pages: the cover and plan, the rules for Gratitude Guess and Pie or Pass, 18 gratitude slips and the first 12 Pie or Pass cards. No account needed.

US Letter PDFA4 PDF

A page from the full pack: the family timeline card with fold-back years and two ready-made timeline sets
Full pack · included with Plus

All six games, 114 cards and lists

Every rule, 18 gratitude slips, 36 Pie or Pass cards, 36 Pass the Gravy questions, the family timeline card with two ready-made sets, the leftovers list with pitch slips, and a score sheet. It prints from your browser in A4 or US Letter.

Get the full pack with At Yours Plus

US$4.99/month or US$29/year. One host’s Plus covers the whole table; guests never pay. Already a member? Sign in and the print button appears here.

A 60–90 minute plan for the table.

Short bursts between the food. Skip anything, and stop the moment the pie arrives.

  1. Arrivals

    Gratitude Guess slips go round with the drinks, about 10 minutes.

  2. At the table

    Pass the Gravy between courses, then Pie or Pass, about 20 minutes.

  3. Before pie

    Family Timeline or Leftover Remix in teams, about 15 minutes.

  4. With pie

    Read the Gratitude Guess slips, then a round of Thankful Alphabet, about 20 minutes.

One host’s Plus covers the whole table.

Every rule here is free, and so are the two sample games and the first 12 cards of each deck. At Yours Plus (US$4.99/month or US$29/year) adds every card on screen and the full printable pack, along with the rest of the Thanksgiving collection: all six rounds of Thanksgiving Trivia and every Thanksgiving & Friendsgiving game show board. Guests never pay, sign up or install anything.

See At Yours Plus

Thanksgiving table games: your questions.

What games can you play at the Thanksgiving dinner table?

Games that need nothing but the people at the table: Gratitude Guess (guess who wrote each thankful slip), Pie or Pass (thumbs up or flat hand on silly questions), Family Timeline, Leftover Remix, Thankful Alphabet and Pass the Gravy. Each takes 5 to 15 minutes, and you can stop between courses.

Do these games need props or screens?

No. A pen and the printed slips and cards are enough, and Thankful Alphabet needs nothing at all. If you’d rather not print, open this page on a phone and read the Pie or Pass, Pass the Gravy or Leftover Remix cards from the screen.

Are they good for a mixed-age table?

Yes. Gratitude Guess and Pie or Pass work from about 5 or 6 with a grown-up to help write. Family Timeline and Leftover Remix suit teams, so put a child with a grandparent and let them argue it out kindly.

What is free, and what does At Yours Plus add?

Every rule on this page is free, and the free sample prints two complete games, Gratitude Guess and Pie or Pass, with the slips and the first 12 cards, in A4 or US Letter. On a phone, the first 12 cards of each deck are free. The host’s At Yours Plus (US$4.99/month or US$29/year) adds every card on a phone (36 Pie or Pass cards, 36 Pass the Gravy questions and all 30 leftovers) and the full printable pack: all six games, the family timeline card, ready-made timeline sets, the leftovers list and a score sheet. One host’s Plus covers the whole table, and guests never pay.

Can we play over a video call?

Yes. Thankful Alphabet and Pie or Pass work well on a call: read the card, and everyone shows a thumb or a flat hand to the camera. For Gratitude Guess, people send their slips to the host privately by text.

How long should Thanksgiving table games take?

Plan on 60 to 90 minutes for the whole evening, in short bursts: one game while people arrive, one between courses and one with the pie. Nobody has to play every game, and you can stop the moment the food arrives.