At Friendsgiving, we certainly want to have times for reflection and expressing our gratefulness to God. These times of reflection are my favorite part of Friendsgiving celebrations. You can find ideas and resources in my previous posts 5 Tips for Friendsgiving Reflection Time and 5 Ideas for Making Friendsgiving Memorable.
But we also want to facilitate lighthearted moments of comradery. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Laughter lifts a hurting spirit like nothing else does. And there is something about laughing together that bonds people closer.
Sometimes, though, it can be hard to find fun activities for adults that are age-appropriate as well as interactive. Paper quizzes or word games can challenge our brains, but how do we get people to connect with each other?
As I have searched for activities for my church’s Friendsgiving celebrations, I have compiled a list of some of my favorites. Maybe they will add lighthearted moments to your Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving celebration.
Icebreakers
How do we get our guests mingling right from the start? Choose an activity that requires people to interact and get to know each other.
1. Find the Guest Bingo. This has been my favorite icebreaker activity so far. Each guest gets a bingo card and a pencil. Each card has descriptions on them such as watches the Thanksgiving Day parade each year, doesn’t like pumpkin pie, and has already started their Christmas shopping.
I used an editable set that allowed me to make the descriptions more specific for our group. For example, I added descriptions such as can quote Proverbs 3:5, got saved before the age of twelve, and was homeschooled. Guests must find someone who fits each description and put that person’s initials in the box.
You may want to make a rule that you can only use each person for a description once. Set a timer, and see how many people get bingo (five in a row) before the time ends. Have small prizes on a prize table that winners can pick from. You can find the editable set I used on Etsy here: Editable Friendsgiving Find the Guest Bingo.
2. Never Have I Ever. Play a Thanksgiving-themed Never Have I Ever game. I used this one from Etsy: Thanksgiving Never Have I Ever. But I did have to add more descriptions to the list as well.
Have ten pieces of candy corn at each place setting. For each description that matches someone who has done one of the activities, that person must eat one piece of candy corn. If you have a guest that really hates candy corn or wants to spend their calories on the meal itself, have that guest hold up ten fingers and lower one finger for each description that matches. Once someone has eaten all ten pieces or loses all fingers, that person gets a prize.
Dinner Activities
Sometimes it is helpful to have an activity that guests can participate in during lulls in the dinner conversation. Here are some ideas to keep people engaged during this down time.
1. Who Is Most Like the Turkey? This is a cute activity I found, again, on Etsy: Who Is Most Like the Turkey. For this game, print the activity and use place card holders to display them at various points along the table. Or, you can give a copy to each guest. During dinner, guests add points for various descriptions that apply to them, such as 2 points if you are wearing a belt and 1 point if you have hazel or brown eyes. At the end of the dinner, find out who is most like the turkey.
2. Conversation Starters. It is good to have printed questions that can prompt conversation between guests. I am thinking especially of my fellow introverts who struggle to think of questions for making small talk. Print conversation starters and display them with place card holders. You can set two conversation starters back-to-back to display. Or, you can print the conversation starters on small slips of paper and scatter them in the middle of the table for people to use. During dinner, people can use these conversation starters to get to know each other a little better. You can download a set of my conversation starters here:
Interactive Games
At the end of dinner, it is good to have a game or activity that is “just for fun.” Here are some active games to play.
1. Create a Costume. Gather materials such as rolls of brown paper, construction paper, gift tissue, scissors, and tape. Most of these items can be found at a dollar store. Organize those who wish to participate into two or more teams. Set a timer, and give the teams fifteen minutes to create a costume. Each team dresses one person up as a Pilgrim, Native American, or turkey.
2. Turkey Egg Hunt. Although some people in my friend group love scavenger hunts, the thought of designing such an activity overwhelms me. But this year, I came across a brilliant idea while scouring the internet—using Easter eggs for a turkey egg hunt. Dig out those plastic Easter eggs, fill them with candy, and call them turkey eggs. Hide them around your event location, and let your guests loose. You can have guests design their own bags before dinner or use brown sandwich bags. Afraid the cost of candy will break your budget? Hit the stores the day after Halloween for discounted candy.
3. Spoons. This game can get violent. Have a stack of game cards (even Uno cards will work). Set enough spoons in the middle of the table to be one less than the number of players. Each player starts with four cards. The first player picks a card off the top of the deck and decides which card to discard. The person on the left picks up the discarded card and quickly decides which of their own to discard. This process continues around the table. When one person gets four of a kind, that person grabs a spoon from the middle. At that point, everyone scrambles to grab a spoon. The person without a spoon at the end is out. The process starts over again, and the game is played until only one person is left. For more detailed rules and explanations, check out this link: https://gamerules.com/rules/spoons-rules/
Idea File
What are your favorite Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving activities and games? I am always looking for more ideas! Share yours in the comments below. Together, let’s find ways to have good belly laughs with the people God brings to our table each year.
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For more ideas on practicing unconventional hospitality, check out my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking.
Great ideas! When we did Friendsgiving for the internationals, the leaders dressed up like Pilgrims and told the story in a skit form. They loved it!
What a fun idea! And what a great way to show people from other cultures the story of America’s first Thanksgiving.