While the turkey is cooking this Thanksgiving, why not squeeze in some physical activity? Kids still need 60 minutes of exercise every day, and Thanksgiving is no exception!
Check out these fun Thanksgiving games from Kids Activities to get the kids moving and having a blast:
TURKEY LEFTOVERS
- All children stand in pairs holding hands and facing each other. 2. A third child-called the ‘turkey’ stands between each pair. The turkey is in the ‘barnyard (between the two facing children) 3. One child is NOT with a pair and in the ‘barnyard’. This ‘free’ turkey is roaming. 4. At a signal,(such as Gobble, Gobble, Gobble) all turkeys leave their barnyard and run for safety to another barnyard. One turkey will be left over and not be able to find a barnyard to enter. 5. Depending on the number of players-continue until all (or many) have had time to be a left-over turkey!
TURKEY WALK (good for Pre-K to Gr.2) Play music of your choice and encourage the children to move like… • BIG turkeys • Little turkeys • Tired turkeys • Happy turkeys • Scared turkeys • Etc. Make it more interesting by choosing music based on the movement you’d like to elicit.
TURKEY HUNT Hunt quietly; you don’t want to scare the turkeys…
On a dozen or more index cards, draw or paste a picture of a turkey. The amount of cards you will have depends on the number of children you have–and how many groups they will be divided into. Each group should consist of about 12 hunters (children) and 12 cards.
- To play, everyone leaves the room except the leader. The leader hides the cards around the room. Hunters return and begin the hunt. 2. As each turkey is found, it is brought back to the leader who corrals them in a separate pile for each hunter. When all the turkeys have been found, the hunter with the most turkeys is the winner and becomes the leader for the next round.
- This can be done in groups and groups work together! • Each group would have a leader. • Hide the turkey cards and then all hunters find cards that have been hid. • The top finder in each Team-becomes the new leader for that Team. Tip: Let children make the cards before the Holiday. They’ll find lots of magazine pictures and can color some as well!
CORNUCOPIA GAME
Players sit on chairs forming a circle. There should be one more player than there are chairs. The player without a chair is the leader. The leader points to each of the other players to give them a name, such as “Cranberry, Corn, Apple, Turkey,” anything related to Thanksgiving.
- After names are chosen, the leader calls out two names, “Turkey and potato.” 2. Those two players must quickly switch places. The leader keeps calling at a quick pace, until suddenly she says “The cornucopia has tipped over!” 3. Everyone, including the leader, then scrambles for a new place. 4. The player with out a seat is the new leader. More Info: The leader may give the same name to more than one person. This game can be confusing at first, but it is fun! Source: AmazingMoms.com
TURKEY TROT GAME
Required: A Turkey Mascots You can make a mascot by taping a colored-paper turkey head to one end of a football. You can also simply stuff a brown bag with crumpled newspaper and draw on a face with colored markers. Directions: 1. In this wacky outdoor contest, team players join up with their elbows linked, and each team is handed a turkey mascot. 2. On cue, the pairs try to make their way to the finish line at the far end of the playing field.
TURKEY STRUT (For younger children)
- Use pieces of masking tape to make turkey footprints all over the floor. 2. Start playing music. 3. Have children pretend to be turkeys and strut around the room. 4.When you stop the music, have the turkeys find footprints to stand on (one turkey to a footprint). 5. When you start the music again, have the turkeys continue strutting around the room.
Turn every day games into Thanksgiving Games!
- INSTEAD of Duck, Duck, Goose…play DUCK, DUCK, TURKEY! • Play “PIN the WATTLE on the Turkey” instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. • Instead of Simon says-play the TURKEY SAYS… • Use Candy Corn to play Bingo