Free printable, no sign-up Thanksgiving Trivia Cards

What's in the Thanksgiving trivia deck

The deck has about 70 questions in five categories. They're the same questions as our Thanksgiving trivia questions list. Each card has one question at the top and its answer upside down along the bottom edge, with no multiple choice options. The full deck prints on about 9 pages.

The History questions stick to names and dates you can look up: the 1621 harvest at Plymouth, the Wampanoag who were there and how the day became a national holiday. They skip the popular myths, which makes them a good start for a conversation at the table or in class.

How to play Thanksgiving trivia at the table

You need the cards, at least two teams and a reader. The table splits itself easily: one side against the other, or kids against grown-ups. Teams of three to five work well.

1. 1Pick a reader. The host can read, or someone from a team that isn't answering can.
2. 2Shuffle the cards and stack them face down. The reader takes the top card and holds it with a thumb over the answer at the bottom.
3. 3The reader reads the question out loud to the team whose turn it is. The team talks it over for about 30 seconds and gives one answer.
4. 4The reader turns the card around and reads the answer. If the team got it right, they keep the card.
5. 5If the team missed, the next team gets one guess to steal. A right steal wins the card. If nobody gets it, the card goes out of play.
6. 6Play passes to the next team with a fresh card.

Each card a team keeps is worth one point, so nobody needs a pen at the table. Count the stacks when the deck runs out, and let the winning team pick the first slice of pie. To play one round before dinner and another with dessert, keep a running total on the Scoreboard and add the steals there.

Thanksgiving trivia in the classroom

The days before the break are a good time for a quick team game. Split the class into teams by table, pick a student reader and play during the last ten minutes of the day. Turkey facts and The food are easy for younger students, and History fits a social studies lesson about the 1621 harvest.

Use the category chips to print only what you need, and keep a cardstock set for next year. Our classroom games have more ideas for quick team games.

• Read a History card as a warm-up and ask the class how they could check the answer.
• Give every student a turn as the reader over the week.
• Ask each team to agree on one answer before anyone speaks, so quieter students get heard.
• Keep a small stack for early finishers, who can quiz each other in pairs.

For the family table and Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving brings together people who don't see each other often, from grandparents to young cousins. Mix the generations on every team, so a grandparent and a nine-year-old answer together, and let the youngest player guess first. The parade and Turkey facts work for the whole family, and History gives the adults something to think about.

At a Friendsgiving or a potluck, put a stack of cards on each table and let the tables play against each other while the food comes out. More ideas for the day are on our Thanksgiving games page.

• Print on cardstock so the cards hold up at a busy table.
• Put one card at each place setting, and have each guest read theirs to the table between courses.
• Keep the deck in a small bowl in the middle of the table.
• Save a few cards for dessert, when everyone is too full to get up.

Ways to play the Thanksgiving deck

Play the same questions on one phone

No printer, or no time to cut? The link “No printer? Play Trivia on one phone” under the Print button opens our Trivia game. Pick the Thanksgiving deck and pass the phone around the table. It asks the questions, hides each answer until you tap and keeps score for 2 to 8 teams. You can also turn on multiple choice, with four options, for younger players.

If you'd rather read from a screen, the same questions are on the Thanksgiving trivia questions page, each with its answer and a short fact.

Questions