60 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers for Kids and Adults

November 2, 2026

Printable Thanksgiving trivia cards with answers

Thanksgiving trivia is the easiest way to get the whole table talking, from the youngest cousin to Grandpa. Here are 60 Thanksgiving trivia questions with answers, in five categories, each labeled for kids or grown-ups so everyone gets questions at their level.

Skip the prep: Thanksgiving Game Night Kit is an instant download for $3.99.

Printable Thanksgiving trivia cards for kids and grown-ups with answers

How to play Thanksgiving trivia

Split into 2 to 4 teams. Mix ages on every team.
Take turns reading. Someone from another team reads the question. Kids answer kids questions, grown-ups answer grown-ups questions.
Answer in 30 seconds. Teams can talk it over but give one answer.
Score. 1 point for a kids question, 2 for a grown-ups question. A wrong answer lets the next team steal for 1 point.
Play 10 questions per team and crown a Trivia Titan.

60 Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers

Every answer below was checked against sources such as the Smithsonian, History.com, PBS and the NFL.

History

What ship carried the Pilgrims to America in 1620?
Answer: The Mayflower (Kids)
Which Native American people shared the 1621 harvest feast with the Pilgrims?
Answer: The Wampanoag (Kids)
In what year was the harvest feast now called the "first Thanksgiving" held?
Answer: 1621 (Kids)
What was the name of the colony the Pilgrims started?
Answer: Plymouth Colony (Kids)
About how many days did the 1621 harvest celebration last?
Answer: About three days (Kids)
On which day of the week is U.S. Thanksgiving always held?
Answer: Thursday (Kids)
Which magazine editor wrote letters for 17 years asking presidents to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale (Grown-ups)
Sarah Josepha Hale, the "Mother of Thanksgiving," is usually credited with which nursery rhyme?
Answer: "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (Grown-ups)
Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939, earning the nickname "Franksgiving"?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Grown-ups)
In what year did Congress fix Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November?
Answer: 1941 (Grown-ups)
Who was the Wampanoag leader, or sachem, at the 1621 harvest feast?
Answer: Massasoit (Ousamequin) (Grown-ups)
Which Patuxet man spoke English and taught the Pilgrims to plant corn?
Answer: Tisquantum, known as Squanto (Grown-ups)

Food

What is the most popular main dish at Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: Turkey (Kids)
Which tart red berry grows in wet bogs and becomes a Thanksgiving sauce?
Answer: Cranberries (Kids)
Which orange pie is a Thanksgiving classic?
Answer: Pumpkin pie (Kids)
What is the horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruits and vegetables called?
Answer: A cornucopia, or "horn of plenty" (Kids)
What do you call the Y-shaped turkey bone that two people pull to make a wish?
Answer: The wishbone (Kids)
What brown sauce is made from turkey drippings?
Answer: Gravy (Kids)
Which state has raised the most turkeys in recent years?
Answer: Minnesota (Grown-ups)
Which state grows the most cranberries?
Answer: Wisconsin (Grown-ups)
Which Campbell's kitchen worker created green bean casserole in 1955?
Answer: Dorcas Reilly (Grown-ups)
Name the three main ingredients in classic green bean casserole.
Answer: Green beans, mushroom soup, fried onions (Grown-ups)
Which company launched TV dinners in 1953, starting with a turkey meal?
Answer: Swanson (Grown-ups)
According to Edward Winslow, what did the Wampanoag bring to the 1621 feast?
Answer: Five deer (Grown-ups)

Turkey Talk

What is a male turkey called?
Answer: A tom (or gobbler) (Kids)
What is a female turkey called?
Answer: A hen (Kids)
What is a baby turkey called?
Answer: A poult (Kids)
What sound does a male turkey make?
Answer: Gobble gobble (Kids)
True or false: wild turkeys can fly.
Answer: True (Kids)
What is the red flap of skin that hangs under a turkey's beak?
Answer: The wattle (Kids)
What is the fleshy flap that hangs over a turkey's beak called?
Answer: The snood (Grown-ups)
Which Founding Father called the turkey "a much more respectable bird" than the bald eagle?
Answer: Benjamin Franklin (Grown-ups)
About how fast can a wild turkey fly in a short burst?
Answer: Up to about 55 mph (Grown-ups)
About how fast can a wild turkey run?
Answer: About 25 mph (Grown-ups)
Which president gave the first official presidential turkey pardon, in 1989?
Answer: George H. W. Bush (Grown-ups)
A turkey's bare head can change color with its mood. Name two of its colors.
Answer: Any two of: red, white, blue (Grown-ups)

Football & Parade

In which city does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade march?
Answer: New York City (Kids)
Who arrives at the very end of the Macy's parade?
Answer: Santa Claus (Kids)
Name one of the two NFL teams that play at home every Thanksgiving.
Answer: Detroit Lions or Dallas Cowboys (Kids)
What are the giant floating characters in the parade?
Answer: Balloons (Kids)
Which Peanuts beagle has flown as a Macy's balloon more than any other character?
Answer: Snoopy (Kids)
Which sport do many families watch on Thanksgiving?
Answer: Football (Kids)
In what year was the first Macy's parade?
Answer: 1924 (Grown-ups)
What was the first giant character balloon, in 1927?
Answer: Felix the Cat (Grown-ups)
What was the parade called when it started in 1924?
Answer: Macy's Christmas Parade (Grown-ups)
Animals from which zoo marched in the very first Macy's parade?
Answer: The Central Park Zoo (Grown-ups)
During which years was the parade canceled because of World War II?
Answer: 1942 to 1944 (Grown-ups)
In what year did the Detroit Lions play their first Thanksgiving game?
Answer: 1934 (Grown-ups)

Pop Culture

In "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," what does Snoopy serve for dinner?
Answer: Toast, popcorn, pretzels and jelly beans (Kids)
Which Peanuts character invites herself and friends to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving?
Answer: Peppermint Patty (Kids)
What is the big shopping day after Thanksgiving called?
Answer: Black Friday (Kids)
What is the online shopping day the Monday after Thanksgiving called?
Answer: Cyber Monday (Kids)
In the movie "Free Birds," what kind of animals travel back in time?
Answer: Turkeys (Kids)
In the original poem "Over the River and Through the Wood," whose house are they going to?
Answer: Grandfather's (song: Grandmother's) (Kids)
What is Arlo Guthrie's 18-minute Thanksgiving song called?
Answer: "Alice's Restaurant" (Grown-ups)
Which 1987 movie stars Steve Martin and John Candy trying to get home for Thanksgiving?
Answer: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Grown-ups)
In "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," which city is Steve Martin's character trying to reach?
Answer: Chicago (Grown-ups)
On "Friends," which character gets a turkey stuck on his head?
Answer: Joey (Grown-ups)
On "Friends," Monica wears a turkey on her head to cheer up whom?
Answer: Chandler (Grown-ups)
Which comedian debuted "The Thanksgiving Song" on Saturday Night Live in 1992?
Answer: Adam Sandler (Grown-ups)

Tips for a great trivia round

Print the questions as cards with the answer upside down, so whoever reads can check the answer without giving it away.
Color-code categories so teams can pick a category on their turn.
Save the grown-ups questions for a final round worth double points.
Mix in other games. Trivia pairs well with Thanksgiving bingo for younger kids and active Thanksgiving games after pie.

Printable Thanksgiving trivia cards

Want all 100? Our Thanksgiving Game Night Kit has 100 printable trivia cards (the 60 above plus 40 more) in five color-coded categories, 50 kids and 50 grown-ups, with the answer printed upside down on every card and a quiz-night answer sheet. It also includes 20 picture bingo boards, 18 Minute to Win It games, table talk cards and party plans, for $3.99.

Frequently asked questions

What are some easy Thanksgiving trivia questions for kids?

What is a baby turkey called? (A poult.) What ship carried the Pilgrims? (The Mayflower.) What is the big shopping day after Thanksgiving? (Black Friday.)

What are hard Thanksgiving trivia questions for adults?

Who campaigned for 17 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday? (Sarah Josepha Hale.) What was the first giant character balloon in the Macy's parade? (Felix the Cat, in 1927.)