Thanksgiving trivia questions for kids and families

These Thanksgiving trivia questions give your family an easy way to play together around the dinner table. Divide into mixed-age teams, give one point for each correct answer, and let the kids take turns reading the questions aloud.

There are 60 questions in four rounds, with something for younger children, older kids, teenagers and adults. You'll find Thanksgiving history, familiar holiday traditions, favorite foods and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Start with the easy round and see how many your family can answer without looking at the answers.

Easy Thanksgiving trivia for ages 5 to 7

Start here if you're playing with younger children. These questions cover things they might see at Thanksgiving dinner, hear about at school or recognize from holiday celebrations. Read each question slowly and give little players a few seconds to think.

You can let children answer together if they're still learning. A correct answer earns one point, even if someone needs a little help saying it.

1. What bird is often served at Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: Turkey.
2. Which month do Americans celebrate Thanksgiving? Answer: November.
3. What day of the week is Thanksgiving? Answer: Thursday.
4. What orange vegetable is often used to make Thanksgiving pie? Answer: Pumpkin.
5. What do people often say before eating Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: What they are thankful for.
6. Which sauce is often served with turkey? Answer: Cranberry sauce.
7. What color is a ripe pumpkin? Answer: Orange.
8. What sweet dessert is made with pumpkin, spices and a pie crust? Answer: Pumpkin pie.
9. What do families often do together on Thanksgiving? Answer: Share a meal.
10. What is the name of the holiday celebrated in the United States in November? Answer: Thanksgiving.
11. What vegetable is often mashed and served with gravy? Answer: Potatoes.
12. What do you call the person who cooks the Thanksgiving meal? Answer: A cook or chef.
13. What animal is traditionally shown on many Thanksgiving decorations? Answer: A turkey.
14. What do you put on a turkey to add flavor while it cooks? Answer: Seasoning.
15. What is the word for feeling happy about the good things in your life? Answer: Thankfulness or gratitude.

Medium Thanksgiving trivia for ages 8 to 10

Ready for a little more history? This round introduces the first Thanksgiving gathering, American traditions and some facts children may have heard in school. A few answers take more thought, so let players discuss them before giving their final answer.

If a child gets one wrong, share the answer and move on. They might remember it when the same subject comes up at school.

16. In what year did the famous 1621 harvest feast take place? Answer: 1621.
17. Which Native American people shared the harvest gathering with the English colonists? Answer: The Wampanoag.
18. What was the name of the English settlement where the 1621 feast took place? Answer: Plymouth.
19. In which present-day US state was Plymouth Colony located? Answer: Massachusetts.
20. What season was it when the 1621 harvest feast took place? Answer: Autumn.
21. What was the main reason for the 1621 gathering? Answer: To celebrate a successful harvest.
22. What is a harvest? Answer: The gathering of crops when they are ready.
23. Which woman campaigned for many years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday? Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale.
24. Which US president proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day in 1863? Answer: Abraham Lincoln.
25. What was the name of the ship that brought the English colonists to Plymouth in 1620? Answer: The Mayflower.
26. What does the word Wampanoag refer to? Answer: A Native American people whose homeland includes parts of present-day Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
27. What is the name of the traditional Thanksgiving sauce made from small red berries? Answer: Cranberry sauce.
28. Which November holiday comes shortly after Thanksgiving? Answer: Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving.
29. What do Americans often call the large meal shared on Thanksgiving? Answer: Thanksgiving dinner or Thanksgiving feast.
30. What is another word for giving thanks? Answer: Expressing gratitude.

Thanksgiving family trivia for teens and adults

Bring everyone into this round. Older players get questions about the history of the holiday, the people who helped establish it and the way Thanksgiving became an annual American tradition.

One house rule I like: children can work with an adult teammate, but the adult has to let them answer first. It keeps the game fair without making the history questions too difficult for younger players.

31. Who was president when Thanksgiving became a national annual observance in 1863? Answer: Abraham Lincoln.
32. Which writer spent years asking American presidents to establish a national Thanksgiving holiday? Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale.
33. What year did Lincoln issue his Thanksgiving proclamation? Answer: 1863.
34. What major conflict was taking place in the United States when Lincoln issued the proclamation? Answer: The American Civil War.
35. What was celebrated at the 1621 gathering? Answer: A successful harvest shared by English colonists and the Wampanoag.
36. Was the 1621 harvest feast a modern-style national Thanksgiving holiday? Answer: No. It was a local harvest gathering, not a national holiday.
37. What was Sarah Josepha Hale's occupation? Answer: She was a writer and editor.
38. Which US president made Thanksgiving a national holiday through a proclamation in 1863? Answer: Abraham Lincoln.
39. What is the name of the famous English ship associated with the Plymouth colonists? Answer: The Mayflower.
40. What is the name of the Native American leader associated with the Wampanoag people at the time of the 1621 gathering? Answer: Massasoit.
41. What does the word 'gratitude' mean? Answer: Being thankful for something.
42. What is the name of the day after Thanksgiving, often associated with holiday shopping? Answer: Black Friday.
43. What is the traditional date range for Thanksgiving in the United States? Answer: The fourth Thursday of November.
44. What kind of celebration did the 1621 gathering follow? Answer: A successful autumn harvest.
45. Why did Sarah Josepha Hale want Thanksgiving to become a national holiday? Answer: She believed a shared day of thanks could bring Americans together.

Thanksgiving food and parade trivia

This round brings the game back to the things everyone can see, smell and taste during the holiday. It also includes the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has been part of the celebration for generations.

Food questions are a good chance to let children guess before the grown-ups jump in. You might even discover that someone at your table has a very strong opinion about stuffing.

46. What sweet pie is commonly served after Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: Pumpkin pie.
47. What red berry is used to make a popular Thanksgiving sauce? Answer: Cranberry.
48. What thick sauce is often poured over turkey and mashed potatoes? Answer: Gravy.
49. What is the name of the bread-based dish often cooked with herbs and served alongside turkey? Answer: Stuffing or dressing.
50. Which orange vegetable is often baked into a sweet Thanksgiving side dish? Answer: Sweet potato.
51. What nut is often used in a traditional Thanksgiving pie? Answer: Pecan.
52. What dairy product is commonly added to mashed potatoes to make them creamy? Answer: Butter.
53. What is the name of the famous New York City parade held on Thanksgiving morning? Answer: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
54. In what year did the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade first take place? Answer: 1924.
55. What large inflatable characters are a famous feature of the Macy's parade? Answer: Giant character balloons.
56. In which US city does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade take place? Answer: New York City.
57. What kind of performers can you see marching and playing music in the parade? Answer: Marching bands.
58. What type of vehicle carries performers and decorations through the parade? Answer: Floats.
59. What famous holiday character often appears at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Answer: Santa Claus.
60. What time of year does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade take place? Answer: Late November, on Thanksgiving Day.

Print the Thanksgiving trivia questions as cards

Want to keep the game going without passing a phone around the table? Copy the questions onto separate pieces of paper or print them as cards. Put each question on the front and its answer on the back. Folded index cards work well, too.

Keep the four rounds in separate piles so you can choose the difficulty as you play. Younger children can draw from the easy pile, while older family members tackle the family round. You can also mix all the cards together for a surprise game.

For another quiet activity while dinner is cooking, try our Thanksgiving word search printable. You can also set out some coloring sheets for children who finish the trivia early.

Put the cards in the middle of the table before everyone sits down. Let a different child read each question, keep score on a scrap of paper, and give the winning team first choice of dessert.

Questions parents ask

How do you play Thanksgiving trivia with kids?

Divide everyone into teams with a mix of ages. Take turns reading questions aloud and give one point for each correct answer. Younger children can team up with an adult if they need help.

What are some easy Thanksgiving trivia questions for preschoolers?

Choose questions about turkeys, pumpkins, cranberry sauce and Thanksgiving dinner. Keep the answers short and familiar, and let children answer with a little help if needed.

How many questions should a Thanksgiving trivia game have?

Around 15 questions makes a good short round, while all 60 questions here give your family four rounds to play. You can stop after any round if dinner is ready or the younger children need a break.