Looking for fun Thanksgiving youth group activities for student gatherings? Then prepare to feast on the eight ideas below. Feel free to adapt them to fit the needs of preteens or teens. Kids will be grateful for these awesome Thanksgiving youth group experiences!
8 Thanksgiving Youth Group Ideas to Try
1. Turkey bowling
Grab a frozen turkey (don’t thaw it out) and fill a dozen two-liter bottles with water. Line them up, and let ‘er rip. Two warnings: A frozen turkey will knock a hole in a sheetrock wall. And a two-liter bottle of carbonated drink can explode. We promise.
2. Cranberry sauce sculpting
Make sure you use the gelatin version in a can. Set out various tools, such as those you use to carve pumpkins. Oh, and this can get very messy. So provide extra napkins.
3. Jimmy Fallon “Thank You Note” game
Divide students into teams. Then have them write thank you notes, like Jimmy Fallon does on his TV show. When kids are finished, have them read the notes aloud on stage.
4. Local mission project
Depending on the needs in your area, take students out to serve. You can sing outside an assisted living facility, rake leaves for elderly church members, or pick up trash in a local park.
5. Thanksgiving tree
Create a tree out of paper, repurposed wood, or a simple drawing. Then have students attach things they’re thankful for to the tree. For a fun ending, read “The Giving Tree.”
6. List 100 things to be thankful for
Give students 10 minutes to write down 100 things they’re thankful for. The goal is to write items down as quickly as possible, in order to complete the list in 10 minutes. Debrief and invite students to make observations about their lists.
