24 Festive Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving after you eat than with these fun Thanksgiving Minute to Win it Games. They add a whole lot of fun and laughter to your celebration with quick and challenging games that are perfect for all ages. So gather around for some really friendly and fun competition. 

Games are such a fun way to gather the kids and adults on Thanksgiving. We usually start with some Thanksgiving Trivia and some Thanksgiving Scattergories, and end the day with these Thanksgiving Minute to Win it Games! It is the perfect way to add joy and laughter to any Thanksgiving celebration. 

If you are looking for some other fun Minute to Win It Game ideas, check out our Easter Minute to Win It Games, Halloween Minute to Win It Games or our Bridal Shower Minute to Win It Games.

What are Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games?

Minute to Win It games are so fun because they involve the entire family, and are really quick, hence the name! You can play most rounds in less than a minute. They are fun, fast paced, and usually silly games that involve everyone. 

Whether you play individually or in teams you are guaranteed to have a good time. Most Minute to Win It games involve few supplies, so they’re convenient and easy to pull together. 

Why I Love Minute to Win It Games

Minute to Win It Games have so many benefits for families! 

• Teaches teamwork, especially when playing in pairs or teams.
• Kids get to experience healthy competition.
• Most Minute to Win It Games involve fine motor or gross motor skills, so kids can practice those skills in a fun way!
• Spend time together a whole family, little kids all the way to adults.
• Most games are easy to set up with little cleanup! 

How to Play Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games

One of the best things about Minute to Win It is that it is so easy to adapt to work with your family. You could play individually, and keep score after each game. This will take longer, as everyone will need a chance to play each game, but might work better if your kids all want to play every game. Each game will give players a point, and the person with the most points at the end of your game night wins. 

Another way to play Minute to Win It Games is in groups of 2. This allows a break between rounds, team work, and encouraging your teammates, while allowing everyone to play more games. If you don’t have time to play individually, but your kids want to play a lot of the games, this might be a good option! 

You could also split your family into two teams and work together, switching off who will participate in each game. This is especially helpful if you have young kids who you could team up with other kids or adults. Each game is worth points, and individuals who play just earn points for their team. 

Full Supply List

These Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games need just a few supplies, and often they are supplies you already have. Here is a list of everything you need for these Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games. Just add what you need to your next grocery order or grab off Amazon (links included) and you’re ready for a fun family game night! 

• Ball or mini pumpkin
• 10 Plastic cups 
• 2 pie tins or pie plates
• Can of whipped cream
• Bubble gum (chunks work better than sticks)
• Feathers (smaller, more downy feathers work better than heavier feathers)
• Nerf gun with darts
• Candy Corn
• Bowls
• Spoons
• Crushed Oreos
• Gummy worms
• Straws
• Pumpkin candies
• Balloons
• Empty Tissue Box
• Turkey Baster
• Popsicle Sticks
• Raw yams or sweet potatoes
• Painter’s tape
• Chopsticks
• Paper plates
• Popcorn kernels
• 4 different fall candies (candy corn, pumpkins, etc.) 
• Cardstock
• Apple Jacks cereal
• Pipe Cleaners
• Leaves (either from outside or cut out of paper)

Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games

Turkey Bowling

You will need: 

• Ball or mini pumpkin
• 10 Plastic cups, decorated to look like turkeys (add googly eyes, a beak and feathers)

How to Play Turkey Bowling:

• Split into teams. It would be fun to have older siblings team up with younger siblings, or boys versus girls. 
• Stack the plastic cups in a pyramid, with 4 on the bottom, 3 stacked on those, 2 on those and 1 at the top. 
• Teams take turns knocking down the “Turkey Pins”. When all the pins have been knocked down, teams race to stack the cups back up and the next team member begins knocking them down. 
• Teams continue for 1 minute, and the team who has knocked down all the pins the most times in 1 minute wins! 

Pie Eating Contest

You will need: 

• 2 pie tins or pie plates
• Can of whipped cream
• Bubble gum

How to play Pie Eating Contest: 

• Place a piece of bubble gum in the bottom of the two pie tins or pie plates. 
• Fill the pie pans with whipped cream. 
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• 1 member of each team puts their hands behind their backs, and eats the whipped cream from the pie tin, until they reach the bubble gum. They then try to chew the bubble gum and blow a bubble. 
• If one member does get to blow a bubble before the time goes off, they win. If neither blows a bubble, whoever was closest wins! 

Float the Feather

You will need: 

• Feathers (this game works best with downy, small feathers rather than larger, heavier feathers)

How to play Float the Feather: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Teams will place a feather on their lips, and then blow the feather up, trying to keep it in the air for 1 minute. 

Shoot the Turkey

You will need: 

• Nerf guns with darts
• 9 Plastic cups (with turkey decorations if you’d like)

How to play Shoot the Turkey: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Stack the cups, with 4 cups on the bottom row, 3 on the next, 2 on the next, and 1 on the top. 
• Teams or individuals try to shoot the tower of turkeys down before the minute is up. If they knock it down, then their team gets a point! 

Candy Corn Relay Race

You will need: 

• Bowls of candy corn
• Empty bowls
• Spoons (can be smaller for more challenge, or large for an easier game)

How to play Candy Corn Relay Race: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Place the bowls of candy corn on one side of the room, and the empty bowls on the other. You can set up obstacles like pillows or chairs to make the game even more challenging!
• Teams race to get their candy corn from one bowl to the next. There are many ways you can do this. Members of teams can take turns filling their spoon and running them to the other bowls, then handing off the spoon to another team member. One member of each team can try to get as many as they can in a minute. Choose what is best for your family! 
• Whichever team has the most candy corn in their bowl at the end of the minute wins! 

Pecking Turkey

You will need: 

• Pie tins or pie pans for each team
• Can of Whipped Cream
• Crushed Oreos
• Gummy worms or other candy

How to play Pecking Turkey: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Place 10 gummy worms in one pie tin for each team, then fill with whipped cream. Add crushed oreos on top of the whipped cream. Each team also needs an empty plate or pie tin.
• Teams race to uncover all 10 of their candies before the time runs out, much like turkey’s beaks pecking for insects under the ground. 
• Whichever team uncovers the most candies by the end wins! 

Suck Up the Pumpkin

You will need: 

• Straws for each team/individual
• Pumpkin-shaped candies (or cranberries if pumpkins are too challenging)
• Pie tin or plate

How to play Suck Up the Pumpkin: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Each team tries to suck up the pumpkin candies with their straws, and move it to the plate or pie tin. 
• For added challenge, place the plate or pie tin on a separate table. 
• The team with the most pumpkins on their plate or pie tin wins! 

Turkeys Go Flying!

You will need: 

• 3 Balloons for each team or individual (can decorate as a turkey, if you’d like)

How to play Turkeys Go Flying: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Teams or individuals must keep their 3 balloons in the air for 1 minute using any part of their body, but they cannot rest on your body, or be held. 
• Teams or individuals with all their balloons in the air at the end of the minute get a point! 

Pumpkin Dance

You will need: 

• Pumpkin candies
• Empty tissue box with string or yarn attached to it to securely tie it around your waist

How to play Pumpkin Dance: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Fill the tissue box with pumpkin candies and securely tie it around the waist of the contestant.
• Players try to shake as many pumpkins out of their tissue box as they can. They cannot use their hands. 
• If your box is empty by the time the timer goes off, you get a point! 

Don’t Lose the Corn

You will need: 

• Spoons for each team/individual (use a smaller spoon for an easier game)
• Candy Corn
• 2 Bowls for each team/individual (or plates. Plates are easier)

How to play Don’t Lose the Corn: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Place 5 candy corn in one bowl on one table. Place the empty bowl across the room.
• Players must place the spoon in their mouth, and try to scoop out the candy corn, one by one, and race them to the bowl across the room. 
• Teams or individuals who get all 5 candy corn across the room get a point! 

Baste the Balloon

You will need: 

• Turkey Baster
• Balloon (you can draw a face on it to make it look like a turkey!)

How to play Baste the Balloon: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Place the balloons on the starting line. Place a line across the room. This is easiest on a hardwood floor, but carpet is fine too. 
• Players try to use their turkey baster to blow enough air to move the balloon from the starting line to the finish line. 
• Anyone who crosses the finish line gets a point! 

Shake Your Tail Feathers

You will need: 

• Feathers
• Empty Tissue Box with string or yarn attached to it to securely tie it around your waist

How to play Shake Your Tail Feathers: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Fill the empty tissue box with feathers and securely attach it around the player’s waist. 
• Players spend 1 minute trying to shake the feathers out of the box, without using their hands. 
• Players who empty their tissue box in 1 minute get a point! 

Pass the Corn

You will need: 

• 2 Popsicle sticks (or spoons for an easier game)
• Candy Corn
• Bowl

How to play Pass the Corn: 

• This game requires 2 people to play, so it wouldn’t be a good fit for individuals. 
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Place the candy corn in one bowl, and the empty bowl across the room. 
• Pairs put the popsicle sticks in their mouths, and one person puts a piece of candy corn on their popsicle stick. 
• Players race to put the candy corn on their popsicle stick, walk across the room, pass the candy corn to their partner’s popsicle stick (also in their mouth) and then their partner places the candy corn into the empty bowl. If they miss the bowl, it doesn’t count.  
• The team with the most candy corn successfully in their bowl at the end of 1 minute wins! 

Yams Are Rolling

You will need: 

• Raw yams or sweet potatoes
• Spoons for each player
• Painter’s Tape or something to add a finish line

How to play Yams Are Rolling: 

• This game is best played on a hardwood floor. 
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players all start at one place, and then try to get their yams across the finish line, only pushing them with the metal spoon. 
• This game is especially fun when everyone races together, as the yams tend to go off in crazy directions because of their shape. 
• Anyone who gets their yam across the finish line before the timer goes off gets a point! 

Don’t Drop the Potato

You will need: 

• Raw potatoes (baker size is the most challenging)
• Metal small spoons for each player

How to play Don’t Drop the Potato: 

• This game plays similar to an egg race, but is more challenging because of the weight and size of the potato.
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players rest a potato on their spoon and try to cross the room to the finish line, dodging obstacles, without dropping their potato. 
• If players do drop their potato, they can pick it up and start again from the starting line. 
• Any player who crosses the finish line with their potato gets a point. 

Pick Up the Corn

You will need: 

• Candy Corn
• Chopsticks
• 2 plates

How to play Pick Up the Corn: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute.
• Put 10 candy corn on one plate. 
• Players will use their chopsticks to pick up one candy corn at a time and move them to the other plate. For the simplest game, put the plates next to each other. For a more challenging version, put the plates across the room from each other.
• Any player who gets all 10 of their candy corns from one plate to the other gets a point! 

Pass the Pumpkin

You will need: 

• Candy pumpkins
• Plastic cup

How to play Pass the Pumpkin: 

• This game requires 2 people to play, so it wouldn’t be a good fit for individuals. 
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players stand 5 feet from each other. One holds the cup and the other has the pumpkin candies. The player with the candies tries to throw as many pumpkins as they can into the cup before the minute is up. 
• The team with the most pumpkins in their cup at the end of the minute wins. 

Find the “Needle” in the Popcorn 

You will need: 

• Container with popcorn kernels
• 1 (or more) popcorn kernel colored red with a sharpie or other marker

How to play Find the Needle in the Popcorn: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Add the red kernel into the container of popcorn and mix thoroughly so the red kernel is hidden. 
• Players have 1 minute to find their red kernel. 
• Any player who finds their kernel by the end of the minute gets a point. 

Turkey Stack It

You will need: 

• 9 plastic cups, decorated like turkeys if you’d like
• 3 paper plates big enough to fit 2 cups on

How to play Turkey Stack It: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players race to put one cup on the table, then a paper plate. Then they put 2 cups side by side on the paper plate. They do this again, and again, until there is 1 cup with a paper plate with 2 cups, 3 times, for a total of 9 cups. 
• Players who stack all their cups and plates before the minute is up get a point! 

Make a Match

You will need: 

• 10 plastic cups
• 8 pieces of fall candies (2 of each kind). This could be candy corn, pumpkins, etc.

How to play Make a Match: 

• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Place the 8 pieces of candy under 8 cups and shuffle with the two empty cups. 
• Players try to match the candies under the cups, like playing a matching game. They can only flip 1 cup at a time, and if the 2 cups don’t have matching candy, both must go back over the candy before the player can check under another one. 
• If players match all the candies before the end of the minute, they get a point. 

Candy Corn Shake

You will need: 

• 15 Candy corns
• 5 Plastic cups
• Cardstock 
• Tape or glue

How to play Candy Corn Shake: 

• Before you gather to play, put 1 candy corn in one cup, 2 in another, 3 in another, 4 in another, and 5 in another. Cover the opening with cardstock and tape/glue, noting how many each cup has. I labeled mine A, B, C, D, and E, and I knew how many each had. 
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players take turns shaking the cups to try to determine how many candy corn are in each. They will order them by how many candy corn they think each has. 
• If the player guesses all 5 correctly, they get a point!  

Don’t Topple the Turkeys

You will need: 

• 3 plastic cups decorated as turkeys
• 2 pieces of cardstock

How to play Don’t Topple the Turkeys: 

• Stack the cups and cardstock so they are a tower with a cup on the bottom, then a piece of cardstock, then a cup, then cardstock, then a cup, with all the cups with their openings down. 
• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players try to yank the piece of cardstock out. If they do this quick enough, the cup above the cardstock should just fall onto the one below it, not knocking the tower over. 
• Anyone who successfully gets all their cups in a stack at the bottom gets a point! 

Apple Threading

You will need: 

• Apple Jacks cereal
• Pipe Cleaner

How to play Apple Threading:  

• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Players try to thread as many Apple Jacks on their pipe cleaner as they can in 1 minute. 
• The player with the most Apple Jacks on their pipe cleaner at the end of the minute gets a point. 

Leaf Blower

You will need: 

• Leaves (either from outside or cut out of paper)
• Straw

How to play Float the Feather:  

• Set a timer for 1 minute. 
• Place a leaf at one end of a table. Players try to blow their leaves from one end of the table to the other, using only their straw. If the leaf falls on the ground, they have to start over at the beginning again. 
• Players who get their leaf to the other side of the table get a point. 

These Thanksgiving minute to win it games are sure to add a little competition and a whole lot of laughs this year. These games will not only create bonds this holiday but memories that will last a lifetime that everyone will remember. Be sure to check out our other minute to win it games like our Easter Minute to Win it or our Halloween minute to win it games for even more excitement. 

And if you got video or pictures of the fun, tag us on Instagram @micheletripple. We can’t wait to laugh with you!