What's in the Thanksgiving would you rather deck
The deck has 90 family-friendly questions in six categories, and the full deck takes 12 pages. They're about food, family and the long weekend, so they work at a family table, a Friendsgiving, a class party or an office potluck. They're the same questions as our Thanksgiving would you rather list.
Dinner
16 cards about turkey, sides and the cranberry sauce debate. Would you rather skip the turkey and eat only sides, or skip the sides and eat only turkey?
Pie & dessert
14 cards for the real main course. Would you rather have one huge slice of one pie or a tiny sliver of every pie?
Family table
16 cards about seating charts, relatives and the kids' table. Would you rather sit at the kids' table as a grown-up or at the grown-up table as a kid?
Travel & traditions
16 cards about getting there, the parade and the big game. Would you rather hold a giant balloon in the parade or ride on a float?
Leftovers
14 cards for the day after. Would you rather turn all the leftovers into one giant soup or into a Thanksgiving pizza?
Gratitude
14 gentle cards for the end of the meal. Would you rather be thanked in front of everyone or in a private note?
How to play at the Thanksgiving table
- 1Shuffle the cards and set the stack face down near the middle of the table.
- 2The first reader takes the top card and reads both choices out loud.
- 3On three, everyone holds up one finger for the first choice or two fingers for the second.
- 4One person from each side explains their pick. Then the table can try to change a mind.
- 5Pass the stack to the next person. Save the Gratitude cards for dessert.
There's no score. If the table wants one, hand the card to anyone who wins someone over. Whoever holds the most cards when the pie comes out gets the first slice.
Printing and hosting tips
- Print on cardstock so the cards hold up at a busy table.
- Cut along the dashed lines with a paper cutter or scissors. One page makes 8 cards.
- Set out two small bowls marked 1 and 2. Everyone votes by dropping in a piece of candy corn, and the reader counts.
- Laminate a set and keep it with the fall decorations for next year.
- Print Dinner and Pie & dessert for before the meal. Keep Leftovers for the day after, when the house is still full.
Ways to use the cards
Place cards
Write a guest's name on the back of each card and set one at every place. Between courses, each person reads theirs.
Mix the tables
Give the kids' table its own stack. Before dessert, each player carries one card to the other table and asks it.
Gratitude round
After dinner, go around the table with only the Gratitude cards. Everyone answers one.
Pick a side of the room
At a class party, point to one wall for the first choice and the other wall for the second. Students walk to their pick.
On the drive
Bring the Travel & traditions cards for the car ride there. The passenger reads, and the driver answers first.
Relatives far away
Prop a phone at the end of the table for a video call and read each card loud enough for both rooms. More ideas are on our video call games page.
For families, classrooms and Friendsgiving
Every question is about food, travel, traditions and thanks, not anything that divides a table. The words are plain, so grandparents, cousins and new guests can all play together.
Teachers can print a set for the class party before the break, read a card and take a vote with a show of hands. At a Friendsgiving or an office potluck, Dinner, Pie & dessert and Leftovers are easy places to start. For more ideas, see our Thanksgiving games.
Play the same deck on one phone
No printer? The same 90 questions are in our Would You Rather game. Pick the Thanksgiving deck and pass the phone around the table. You can also read them from the online list.
For after dinner, print Thanksgiving bingo cards. For a game where everyone points and votes, try the Thanksgiving most likely to questions.
Questions
How many cards are in the Thanksgiving deck?
90 cards in six categories. They print 8 to a page, so the full deck takes 12 pages. Pick fewer categories for a shorter stack.
Can I print only some categories?
Yes. Turn categories on or off above the preview before you print. Pie & dessert has 14 cards, so on its own it fits on 2 pages.
Are the questions good for all ages?
Yes. They're family-friendly and use plain words, so grandparents, kids and new guests can all join in. Nothing touches on topics that divide a table.
When is the best time to play?
While the turkey rests, between dinner and pie, or on the couch afterward. Save the Leftovers cards for the day after.
What paper should I use?
Regular printer paper works. Cardstock lasts longer, and a laminated set can come back out every November.
Can we play without printing?
Yes. Open the Would You Rather game on one phone and pick the Thanksgiving deck, or read from the online list.