Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Game

This fun and hilarious turkey trot game is a hilarious combination of classic games like musical chairs and spoons but with a Thanksgiving twist. It’s one of the easiest Thanksgiving games to setup and most fun to play!

Classic Game with a Thanksgiving Twist

When I was growing up, my family would play ultimate spoons with our friends that included the classic game of spoons but instead of the spoons being in the center of the circle, the spoons were across the room.

When you got four of a kind, you didn’t just have to grab a spoon – you had to run and get one. Playing ultimate spoons in high school and college is still one of my favorite family memories.

This turkey trot game combines the idea of ultimate spoons with a classic cake walk – all with a Thanksgiving theme of course. You could play this for any holiday honestly, but we thought it’d be fun to turn it into a turkey trot game. And this is my kind of turkey trot, especially after eating a plate full of turkey and mashed potatoes!

It’s also one of my new favorite Thanksgiving games and a perfect complement to something that’s a little less interactive like Thanksgiving Jeopardy.

Who Will Love This Game

If you’re looking for something active, fun, and a little competitive – this one’s perfect for you! You can play this with up to 24 people and honestly it’s best with at least eight people, and even better with more!

Game Supplies & Setup

Just like all of the printable Thanksgiving activities we share, this one is super easy to setup with minimal supplies.

All you need are:

• Thanksgiving turkeys with numbers on them – get our printable version at the bottom of this post, you need as many as people are playing (so 20 people playing means you need turkeys 1-20).
• Stuffed turkey or some other Thanksgiving item that you can grab without hurting yourself. I love this one because it’s easy to grab and soft! You can use it our turkey hunt game too!
• Tape – something that you can use to tape the turkeys on the ground
• Speaker and a playlist – you’ll need to be able to play music loud enough that everyone can hear it. I have this one and LOVE it, it can get so loud!

To setup the game:

1. Print out two copies of the turkeys on white card stock (important) so that you have two of each number you’re using. You only need enough so that there is one per person playing to start the game. Cut the turkeys out, keeping the two sets separate.
2. Tape one set of the turkeys in a circle on the ground, mixing up the numbers so it’s not just 1-20.
3. Place the other set of turkeys upside down in a pile on a nearby table or chair.
4. Test out your speaker and playlist to make sure it works properly.
5. Place the stuffed turkey in the center of the circle to complete your setup!

How to play Turkey Trot

If you’ve ever done a cake walk, this game will come easy to you because the basic idea is very similar, but with a “turkey trot” twist at the end of each round!

1. Have everyone stand in a circle, near the numbered turkeys but not on top of them.
2. Play the music and while it’s playing, everyone should walk in a circle around the turkeys.
3. When the music stops, everyone has to go and stand on a number. There should be enough numbers for everyone, but it’ll probably still feel like a race to get there!
4. Once everyone is standing on a number, choose two of the turkeys from the second pile randomly and lift them up at the same time so that everyone can see them.
5. The two people who are standing on the turkeys who match those two numbers have to try and be the first one to grab the turkey in the center.
6. The first person to grab the turkey stays in the game for the next round and the other person is out.

That completes a round. Remove one of the turkey numbers from the circle and the matching turkey card from the pile of turkeys since you have one less person playing.

Repeat steps 1-6 above, getting rid of one player each round, until you only have two people left. Then you’ll finish the game with one final head to head round.

How the Game Ends

For the final round of the game, place four random numbered turkeys in a circle around the stuffed turkey. These won’t be used for numbers but will be used to make sure that the final two players are walking in an actual circle around the turkey instead of just on top of it.

Whoever is playing the music should turn around and play one last clip of music. While the music plays, the two people walk in a circle around the turkey, making sure to stay along the turkey line (to keep things fair).

As soon as the music stops, the two players have to try and grab the turkey in the middle. Whoever grabs the turkey first wins a prize of some sort!

Make It Less Active

If you want something that anyone can play and not just people who are willing to race to get the turkey, try playing this at a table instead. Place the turkeys around the table and when the music stops, they have to stand in front of a turkey.

Then instead of having to go from a walking circle to grab the turkey in the center, just show the two numbers and whoever can grab the turkey from the center of the table first stays in. This makes it still a little active but more doable for people who aren’t going to want to get crazy and competitive like my family!

Helpful Tips

Make sure that whoever is holding up the two turkeys is somewhere that everyone can see clearly. You don’t want to give anyone an unfair advantage because people can’t see the numbers.

Laminate the turkeys you’ll be taping to the ground if you’re worried about them getting destroyed (about happens with smaller kids).

If you don’t want people to get out, you could just have whoever grabs the turkey first earns a point or wins a small Thanksgiving themed prize. This makes it more like a cake walk but can still be fun! Then just do however many rounds you have prizes!

More Thanksgiving Games

Enter your first name and email address in the form below to get the printable free download PDF. You will receive a link to download the PDF to your email within minutes. I highly recommend printing on cardstock rather than regular printer paper!

If you’d prefer to not provide your email address, you can get a copy in my shop here.

If you do not see the form, click here to get to it.

If you do not see the email with the printable turkey cards immediately after you fill out the form, make sure to check your promotions, spam, and junk folders!

The file will include:

1. Instructions
2. 24 turkey cards (print out two copies)
3. Use policy – everything is for personal use only