Thanksgiving Icebreakers

Thanksgiving icebreakers are short, friendly prompts for the weeks before the holiday: would you rather choices, this or that picks, and questions about gratitude and fall. This page has 100 cards in two sets. The classroom set (60 cards, ages 5–12) sticks to food, fall, school, friends, and imagination, and never asks kids about their home or family plans. The work set (40 cards) is safe for a team meeting or a Zoom call. Choose a group in the picker above, then draw a card, show it fullscreen, or print the set.

How to Run a Thanksgiving Icebreaker

In the Classroom

1. In the picker, keep the Class groups selected and choose your age range.
2. Press Present fullscreen and read the card aloud.
3. Kids point or walk to the side they pick, then two or three share why.
4. Five to eight cards fill a morning meeting or the start of a class party.

Ages 5–7. Choose Class, ages 5–7 and plan for 5 minutes with the whole class. Stick to would you rather and this or that cards. Say: "Stand up if you pick the first one. Stay sitting if you pick the second one."

Ages 8–12. Choose Class, ages 8–12 and allow 8 to 10 minutes. Put students in pairs for a 30-second turn-and-talk before anyone shares with the room.

For both age groups, open a Thanksgiving icebreaker by stating the rule: every answer is fine, and anyone may say "pass". If a child brings up something personal, thank them and draw the next card instead of asking follow-up questions.

At a Team Meeting

1. Select Work in the picker.
2. Share your screen, draw a card, and give everyone 30 seconds.
3. On a video call, ask people to answer in the chat, then invite two or three to say more.
4. Keep it optional. "Pass" is always a fine answer.

In person. Run Thanksgiving icebreakers at the start of the meeting, not the end. One card takes about 3 minutes with up to 8 people: read it, go around the table, and stop. With 9 or more, ask for a show of hands and hear from one person on each side. The host answers first, in one sentence, to set the length.

On a video call. Paste the question into the chat. Say: "Type your answer, but don't press Enter until I say go." That way nobody copies the first reply. For a group of more than 12, send people to breakout rooms of 3 or 4 for 4 minutes with two cards.

Use the Filters, Fullscreen, Timer and Print

The Group filter has three options: Class, ages 5–7, Class, ages 8–12, and Work. Pick one before you share your screen so a work card never shows up in a classroom.

Fullscreen hides the rest of the page for a projector or a shared screen. The timer starts at 30 seconds; call for answers when it ends. Without a screen, print the filtered Thanksgiving icebreakers, cut the cards apart, and put one stack on each table of 4 to 6.

Keep It Short the Week Before the Holiday

Set a limit before you start a Thanksgiving icebreaker: 5 minutes for a class, 3 minutes for a team. Decide the number of cards in advance (two for a meeting, five for a morning circle) and say it out loud. On the busiest days choose this or that cards, which need no explanation.

Include People Who Do Not Celebrate

Not everyone in a class or on a team marks the holiday. Most Thanksgiving icebreaker cards here are about fall, favorite foods, and gratitude, so they can be answered without celebrating anything. Before you present, skip any card that assumes a holiday meal or tradition.

In a classroom, lean on the school-based prompts, such as "What is one thing at school you are thankful for?" With a global or mixed team, use the gratitude and year-end questions, such as "What is a small win from this year you are proud of?"

Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions for Kids

• Would you rather be a turkey in a parade or a giant balloon in a parade?
• Would you rather eat pumpkin pie or apple pie?
• Would you rather jump in a pile of leaves or run through a corn maze?
• Would you rather have a pet turkey or a pet squirrel?
• Would you rather wear a hat made of leaves or a scarf made of corn husks?
• Would you rather ride a hay wagon or ride a pony?
• Would you rather pick apples or pick pumpkins?
• Would you rather make a hand turkey drawing or make a paper leaf garland?
• Would you rather be a squirrel collecting acorns or a bird flying south?
• Would you rather eat mashed potatoes with every meal or cranberry sauce with every meal?
• Would you rather have a tiny pumpkin as a hat or a giant pumpkin as a house?
• Would you rather watch a parade or march in a parade?
• Would you rather have a gravy river or a mashed potato mountain?
• Would you rather sing a song about fall or dance like a falling leaf?
• Would you rather have a class feast of pie or a class feast of cornbread?
• Would you rather be a scarecrow for a day or a farmer for a day?
• Would you rather gobble like a turkey or quack like a duck?
• Would you rather wear a turkey costume or a pumpkin costume?
• Would you rather have a pie-decorating contest or a leaf-catching contest?
• Would you rather have fall last all year or skip right to winter?
• Would you rather invent a new pie flavor or invent a new fall holiday? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather design a parade float or fly a giant parade balloon? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather write a thank-you note to a teacher or make a thank-you poster for the school? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather cook the whole feast for the class or decorate the whole classroom? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather build the tallest leaf pile ever or find the biggest pumpkin in the patch? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather be a chef on a cooking show or a judge on a cooking show? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather only eat side dishes or only eat desserts? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather have a parade go past our school or have a football game at our school? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather learn how cranberries grow or learn how pumpkins grow? (ages 8–12)
• Would you rather turn every leaf a different color or make every leaf fall at once? (ages 8–12)

Thanksgiving This or That Questions

Quick picks: point to one side of the room for each option.

• Sweet potatoes or corn on the cob?
• Pie or cookies?
• Leaves or acorns?
• Parade or football?
• Corn or carrots?
• Orange or brown?
• Scarf or mittens?
• Hot cocoa or apple cider?
• Rolls or cornbread?
• Muffins or pancakes?
• Squirrel or owl?
• Cranberries or apples?
• Drawing a turkey or writing about fall? (ages 8–12)
• Sweater or jacket? (ages 8–12)
• Cooking or baking? (ages 8–12)

Thanksgiving Icebreaker Questions for the Classroom

For a morning meeting circle, a journal prompt, or a turn-and-talk.

• What is one thing at school you are thankful for?
• What is something kind that someone at school did this week?
• What is your favorite fall food?
• If a turkey could talk, what would it say?
• What is your favorite thing about fall?
• If you could make a new pie, what would be inside?
• What animal do you think is the most thankful?
• What color leaf do you like best?
• What is something that makes you smile every day?
• If you were a parade balloon, what shape would you be?
• Who at our school helps us every day, and how could we thank them? (ages 8–12)
• What is something you learned this fall that you are proud of? (ages 8–12)
• What is a small thing you are thankful for that people might not notice? (ages 8–12)
• If you could thank someone from history, who would it be? (ages 8–12)
• What is a way our class could say thank you to someone? (ages 8–12)

Thanksgiving Icebreaker Questions for Work

Would you rather, this or that, and open questions for a team meeting or the last call before the long weekend.

• Would you rather have Thanksgiving leftovers for a week or never have leftovers again?
• Would you rather host a team potluck or go out for a team lunch?
• Would you rather watch the parade or watch the football game?
• Would you rather only eat side dishes or only eat dessert?
• Would you rather run a turkey trot or nap after the big meal?
• Would you rather cook the whole meal or do all the dishes?
• Would you rather have a four-day weekend every month or a full week off once a year?
• Would you rather bring the pie or bring the rolls?
• Would you rather plan the office potluck or judge the office pie contest?
• Would you rather have pumpkin spice everything or no pumpkin spice at all?
• Stuffing or mashed potatoes?
• Pumpkin pie or pecan pie?
• Early dinner or late dinner?
• Turkey or ham?
• Cranberry sauce from a can or homemade cranberry sauce?
• Black Friday shopping or staying in?
• Hosting or being a guest?
• Apple cider or hot cocoa?
• Leftover sandwich or leftover pie?
• Early bird or long nap?
• What is one thing you are thankful for at work this year?
• Who on the team helped you out this year? Give them a shout-out.
• What is a small win from this year you are proud of?
• What is your go-to dish to bring to a potluck?
• What is the best fall tradition you have ever tried?
• What is one tool or app you are grateful for?
• What is a skill you learned this year that you are thankful for?
• What is the most underrated Thanksgiving side dish?
• If our team had a Thanksgiving parade float, what would it look like?
• What is something that made your workday easier this month?
• Which piece of advice are you most thankful someone gave you?
• What are you looking forward to before the end of the year?
• What is your favorite way to recharge over a long weekend?
• If you could thank one person outside our team, who would it be?
• What is one thing a teammate does that you appreciate?
• What is your ideal fall afternoon?
• What is a book, show, or podcast you are grateful you found this year?
• Pie or cake, and which kind?
• What is one thing you would like to thank your past self for?
• What is one goal you are thankful you reached this year?

5 Quick Thanksgiving Icebreaker Games

1. Thankful Toss

Stand in a circle and toss a soft ball. Whoever catches it names one thing they are thankful for, then tosses it on. For a team, keep it to work: a tool, a teammate, a small win.

Time: 5 minutes. Group: 6 to 15. Materials: one soft ball or beanbag. In a classroom, narrow the prompt to "one thing at school".

2. Pie Chart Poll

Draw a big circle on the board. Ask a this or that question, count the votes, and split the "pie" to match. Kids practice fractions; teams get a quick laugh at the results.

Time: 5 to 8 minutes. Group: any size. Materials: a board and a marker, or the poll tool in your video call.

3. Turkey This or That Walk

Read a this or that card and have everyone walk to the left or right side of the room. Ask one person from each side to explain their pick.

Time: 5 minutes for six cards. Group: 8 to 30. Materials: open floor space. On a video call, swap walking for cameras: camera on for the first option, camera off for the second.

4. Gratitude Chain

Hand out paper strips. Everyone writes one thing they are thankful for, and you link the strips into a chain. Hang it in the classroom or the office kitchen.

Time: 10 minutes. Group: any size. Materials: paper strips, markers, and tape or a stapler. With ages 5–7, an adult can write the words while the child decorates the strip.

5. Thanksgiving Bingo

Make bingo cards with squares like "prefers pumpkin pie" or "has been in a parade". Players find people who match. Create cards with the icebreaker bingo generator.

Time: 10 to 15 minutes. Group: 10 or more. Materials: one printed card and a pencil per player. For a class, keep every square about school, fall, or favorites.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some fun Thanksgiving questions?

Would you rather and this or that questions work best because everyone can answer in a second: "Would you rather eat pumpkin pie or apple pie?" or "Parade or football?" Then ask a few people why.

What are some fun activities I can do at work for Thanksgiving?

A two-minute icebreaker at the start of a meeting, a thankful toss or gratitude chain, a potluck, or a bingo card round. Keep every activity optional.

What are good short Thanksgiving icebreakers?

Draw one card, give everyone 30 seconds, and move on. The picker's timer keeps it to a minute or two.

Are these Thanksgiving questions okay for kids?

Yes. The classroom cards are about food, fall, school, friends, and imagination. They don't ask about home, family plans, or anything that costs money, so every child can answer.