So, you want to spice up your Thanksgiving gathering with some friendly competition? You’ve got to play these Thanksgiving minute to win it games that are guaranteed to get everyone laughing, moving, and maybe even crying (from laughter, of course!). We’ve divided the 20 minute to win it Thanksgiving games below into Thanksgiving-themed games and classic games that fit any occasion.
Before we jump into the games below, here’s a quick reminder: each of these games is timed for a minute. Whoever successfully completes the task or finishes first wins the mini game. Then, tally up the points to determine who wins the entire minute to win it party after you finish all of the games.
THANKSGIVING-THEMED MINUTE TO WIN IT GAMES
Let’s start off with some super fun Thanksgiving-themed minute to win it games that’ll definitely get the party started and everyone into the true Thanksgiving spirit while having fun.
1. FEATHER FLOAT
Every player gets two feathers. The mission? Keep them in the air for 60 seconds using only your breath. No hands, and no cheating. The real challenge is going to be not passing out from laughing at everyone’s intense puffing and flailing!
If you want to make this minute to win it game kid-friendly, have them float just one feather.
2. CORN TO CUP
Grab a bowl of candy corn and an empty bowl for each player. Then, using only a spoon (no hands allowed!), players must transfer as many pieces as possible in one minute. This is a low-key stressful Thanksgiving-themed minute to win it game.
3. ROLL THE PUMPKIN
To play this game, you’ll need a mini pumpkin for each player. Then, mark the start line for this challenge. Once everything is set up, have all players stand behind the start line with their mini pumpkin. When the whistle blows, everyone must roll their pumpkin across the floor to hit a target, whether that’s a soda can or a paper cup.
Here’s the catch, however: no hands. You can only use your nose, elbows, or feet. Watching adults crawl around like turkeys chasing pumpkins is the real prize.
4. TURKEY WADDLE
Want to channel your inner bird? Place a balloon between your knees and waddle your way to the finish line without dropping or popping it. Nothing says Thanksgiving like watching your relatives penguin-walk across the living room while screaming encouragement.
5. STUFF THE TURKEY
Give each player a paper bag (AKA “the turkey”, which you can decorate beforehand if you want to do some arts and crafts as well) and a pile of cotton balls. Using only a spoon or a pair of tongs, players have to fill their turkey as fast as possible. The player with the most “stuffing” after one minute wins!
6. PUMPKIN STACK
Think you’ve got steady hands? Stack as many mini pumpkins (or apples if you don’t have enough mini pumpkins) as you can in 60 seconds without them toppling over. It’s basically Jenga with produce.
7. PIE FACE TOSS
For this Thanksgiving minute to win it game, you’ll need to divide everyone up into pairs. One person stands back while the other tosses mini marshmallows (or whipped cream blobs) toward their partner’s mouth. Whoever lands the most in one minute wins. Keep in mind, this game gets messy quickly!
8. PASS THE CORN
Line up in teams of four or five. Each person holds a spoon in their mouth and must pass candy corn from one spoon to the next. No hands allowed! The first team to get their candy corn to the end of the line wins.
9. TURKEY HUNT
Before this minute to win it Thanksgiving game starts, hide little paper turkeys or feathers around the room. Then, set a timer for one minute, and let everyone loose to find as many as they can. To spice things up, make one “golden turkey” worth extra points.
10. CRANBERRY DROP
To play this challenge, give each player a slice of bread with cranberry sauce spread on top and a few cranberries. Then, have players stand a distance away from the bread. The challenge? Get as many cranberries as you can and stick them to the bread. Sounds silly, right? It’s actually way harder than it looks!
CLASSIC MINUTE TO WIN IT GAMES
Now, what about mixing in some classic minute to win it games into the mix this Thanksgiving? Check these out!
11. COOKIE MONSTER
This is probably one of the most classic minute to win it games that both adults and kids love. To play, place a cookie (or a small slice of pumpkin pie, if you dare) on your forehead. When the timer starts, try to move it into your mouth using only your facial muscles. You can’t use your hands, and if the cookie falls, you start over.
12. SHAKE YOUR TAIL
For this challenge, grab an empty tissue box, fill it with ping pong balls, and strap it to your lower back using pantyhose or a belt. When the timer starts, shake it like you mean it before the minute is up. As you might expect, no hands allowed. Just a lot of shaking!
13. FLIP THE BOTTLE
This one’s another classic. I mean… everyone’s tried to flip a bottle before, right? Contestants must simply flip a partially filled water bottle and have it land upright. This challenge is a lot harder than it looks.
14. PENNY STACK
Stack as many pennies as you can using only one hand in 60 seconds. It starts easy… until you’re at 12 pennies high and your hand starts trembling like you’re defusing a bomb. Pro tip: make everyone use their non-dominant hand for an extra laugh.
15. SUCK IT UP
Give each contestant a straw and a plate of small items, like M&Ms or cranberries, if you want to stay festive. Using only suction, players must transfer as many of these small items as possible to another plate before time runs out.
16. NOSE DIVE
This is one of our favorite minute to win it games you can play at any holiday, including Thanksgiving and even Christmas. Dab petroleum jelly on your nose and use it to pick up cotton balls from one bowl and move them to another. Again, no hands allowed.
17. PING PONG BOUNCE
Set up a row of cups and start bouncing ping pong balls into them, beer pong style. The goal is to land one ball in every cup before the timer runs out. This challenge is harder than you think!
18. A BIT DICEY
Place a popsicle stick in your mouth and start stacking dice on top of it, one at a time. Your goal: get to six dice and balance them for three full seconds! The more dice you stack, the more your mouth is guaranteed to shake!
19. MUMMY WRAP
For this Thanksgiving minute to win it challenge, you’ll need to divide everyone into partners. Then, grab a roll of toilet paper. One person spins, the other wraps, and you’ve got 60 seconds to turn them into a Thanksgiving mummy (or an mummy if you’re playing this minute to win it game on Halloween). Whoever’s most covered at the end wins! But you can also give out extra points for the best mummy.
20. MOVE ON UP
For this challenge, you’ll need a stack of 40 plastic cups, with one cup in a different color. The challenge: move the top cup to the bottom, one by one, until the colored cup makes it back to the bottom again. This game is all about speed and not panicking when you realize you’ve still got 20 cups to go and 10 seconds left on the clock!
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