Thanksgiving is right around the corner. How about adding some cooperative games to your Thanksgiving celebration? Cooperative games are not only fun, but they facilitate happy and healthy relationships. I know of nothing better than playing cooperative games at family get-togethers to set a convivial mood and include everyone in the joy.

There are all kinds of cooperative games, as I describe on my website CooperativeGames.com https://cooperativegames.com/. For Thanksgiving, board games are very appropriate. How about bringing out some cooperative board games before dinner to keep guests happy while the cooks finish up in the kitchen? Or save them for relaxing after dinner when it’s time to get cozy on a full stomach.

What are the best cooperative games for kids? For adults? For mixed ages? For children ages 4-8, I recommend the classic Max the Cat. For older kids, Caves and Claws is one of many good choices. For kids and adults playing together, consider Pandemic. Shop for these and many more games on my website CooperativeGames.com

If board games are not your thing, play some party games. (Again look to CooperativeGames.com for ideas https://cooperativegames.com/fun-free/) Here are some

Thanksgiving-themed cooperative games that require no materials at all….

1. Basket of Plenty

Players sit around the dinner table. Pass around a small basket (or bowl) full of dried flowers, fruits, or favorite things—a cornucopia of your own making. The group recites this poem:

Basket of plenty, around you go-

Where you stop, nobody knows.

But when you do, one of us will say

What he is thankful for this day.

 

2. Gobble-Happy

A player leaves the room while those left behind hide small treats or funny objects. When the player returns, the group guides him or her to the treat by saying “gobble, gobble†louder and louder as the player gets closet to the prize. Gobble very softly or not at all when the player is “cold†and raise the gobbling to a happy cacophony as the player nears the sought-after object.

 

3. Thanksgiving Joke-a-Thon

Put two strips of paper under each dinner plate. One strip has a joke, and the other has a punch line to a different joke. On each player’s turn, she reads her joke. The player who thinks he has the punch line reads it. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what the correct punch line is, but mismatched jokes and punch lines are part of the fun!  Here are some corny Thanksgiving jokes and punch lines you can use.

 

Why was the turkey the drummer in the band? 
Because he had the drumsticks.

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? 
Pilgrims.

What has feathers and webbed feet? 
A Turkey wearing scuba gear.

What key has legs and can’t open doors? 
A turkey.

What kind of vegetable do you like on Thanksgiving? 
Beets me!

Why can’t you take a turkey to church? 
Because they use such FOWL language.

Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State Building? 
Yes – a building can’t jump at all.

Who is not hungry at Thanksgiving? 
The turkey because he’s already stuffed!

What does Dracula call Thanksgiving? 
Fangs-giving.

Which side of the turkey has the most feathers? 
The outside.

What kind of music did the Pilgrims like? 
Plymouth Rock.

Why did the police arrest the turkey?
They suspected it of fowl play.

What did the turkey say before it was roasted? 
Boy! I’m stuffed!

Where did the first corn come from? 
The stalk brought it.

How did the Mayflower show that it liked America? 
It hugged the shore.

Why did the turkey cross the road? 
It was the chicken’s day off.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!