Fifty words from the Thanksgiving table and the day around it. Print a card for every seat, call from the kitchen, and give the cousins something to do during the long hour before dinner.
Thanksgiving Bingo
| B | I | N | G | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkey baster | Acorn | Deviled eggs | Football game | Green bean casserole |
Gratitude | Cousins | Roasting pan | Kids' table | Cornbread |
Carving knife | Pumpkin pie | FREE | Mayflower | Parade |
Oven timer | Squash | Butter | Whipped cream | Afternoon nap |
Pie crust | Stretchy pants | Apple pie | Second helping | Pilgrims |
Card 1 of 30
Thanksgiving Bingo
| B | I | N | G | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkey trot | Dinner rolls | Pecan pie | Tablecloth | Sweet potatoes |
Family photo | Cranberry sauce | Harvest | Cornucopia | Apple cider |
Pumpkin spice | Gobble | FREE | Hayride | Giblets |
Place cards | Autumn leaves | Mashed potatoes | Wishbone | Corn on the cob |
Turkey | Drumstick | Leftovers | Stuffing | Gravy |
Card 2 of 30
Thanksgiving has a built-in dead zone: the turkey needs another forty minutes, the football is at half time, and the children have run out of things to do. Thanksgiving bingo is written for that hour. It is a calm game that can be played at the table where dinner will be, with the place cards already out, and it stops cleanly when the food arrives. Cards can come back out after pie for a full-card round while the dishes soak.
The list is the day itself: the dishes (stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole), the table (place cards, the kids' table, the carving knife), the traditions (wishbone, parade, turkey trot) and the aftermath (leftovers, the afternoon nap, a second helping). Grown-ups get the jokes and children recognise most of the nouns.
Hand out cards and pens when people sit down with their drinks. Whoever is least busy in the kitchen calls from the printed sheet, one word every fifteen seconds or so, and the first player to a line calls "gobble". Check the card against the ticked sheet, award the prize, and keep going on the same cards for the next pattern. If the cook has to disappear, pass the sheet to the next person; the order is on paper, so the game doesn't depend on anyone.
With a family of eight and a list of 50, the first line comes around the twentieth call, and three rounds fit comfortably in twenty-five minutes because later rounds on the same cards are quicker.
The wishbone (the winner gets to pull it), first choice of pie, the last of the crispy skin, the comfortable chair for the game, a pass on drying the dishes, or the right to choose the film. For a bigger group, a jar of homemade cranberry sauce or a bag of the good coffee. Nothing that needs to be bought on the day.
Cards are 5 x 5 with a free centre square. Edit the list, add your own squares or change the card size above; the cards update as you type.
Pass the caller sheet round: each person calls one word and hands the sheet on. It keeps the cook in the game, since calling is a one-handed job, and it means nobody has to sit out. Or put the caller on a tablet in the middle of the table and let whoever is nearest tap it.
Yes, and that is the most common use. Readers from about seven can manage the list. For younger children make a second game on 3 x 3 cards with the simplest words (turkey, pie, corn, leaves, football, parade, acorn, squash, feast) and let an older cousin call.
A "T" for turkey: the whole top row and the whole centre column, nine squares. It is quick to explain, looks right, and with the free centre it is eight calls, about twice a line.
That is the best version. "Grandpa falls asleep", "someone mentions the year the turkey was frozen", "a dog under the table". Add six to ten of these to the general list; the cards will mix them in randomly, and the moment someone marks "second helping" is the moment the game earns its place.