"Hide the turkey" is one of the most-searched Thanksgiving activities this month, and the best part is that it costs nothing. Here is a simple way to run it at home, at a Friendsgiving or in a classroom, plus 25 hiding spots that work.
What you need
- One paper turkey per hider (draw one, or print a blank turkey and let kids decorate it first)
- Tape or sticky tack
- A timer (a phone works)
- Optional: a small prize for the finder, like first pick of pie
How to play (home version)
- Decorate. Kids color or disguise their paper turkey. A turkey dressed as a pumpkin, a book cover or a leaf is much harder to find.
- Hide. One player hides the turkey in a single room while everyone else waits outside. It must be visible without moving anything: no drawers, no closed cupboards.
- Seek. Start the timer. Seekers call out "Gobble!" when they spot it but do not touch it, so others can keep looking.
- Score. The finder hides next. Track times on a sheet of paper; the hider whose turkey stays hidden longest wins.
25 hiding spots that actually work
Living room: behind a picture frame edge, on top of a lampshade, between book spines, under a coaster, inside a fruit bowl, on the back of the TV remote, taped under a chair seat edge, among throw pillows.
Kitchen: on the fridge among magnets, behind the cereal box on the counter, on the side of the paper towel holder, inside an empty mug, under the fruit sticker on a pumpkin.
Hallway and doors: on the door hinge side, behind a coat on a hook, on a shoe, on the light switch plate.
Classroom: on the calendar (dressed as a date square), between bulletin-board letters, on the pencil sharpener, inside the class library, on the flag pole, on the clock edge, on the back of a chair, in the lost-and-found basket.
Classroom version (20 minutes)
- Each student disguises a turkey on Monday.
- On game day, the teacher hides five of them before class.
- Students get a "turkey spotted" sheet and write where they found each one.
- The first student to find all five reads the answers aloud; everyone else checks.
It pairs well with a disguise-a-turkey project: kids decorate the turkey so it blends in, then the class tries to find it.
Tips that keep it fun
- For little kids (3–5), keep the turkey at eye level and give "warmer / colder" clues.
- For older kids, shrink the turkey to the size of a sticky note.
- Set a 3-minute limit per round so nobody gets frustrated.
- At a Friendsgiving, hide a turkey before guests arrive and give a prize to whoever finds it first.
Free template
If you need a blank turkey to start with, our free page has a printable blank turkey plus 30 disguise ideas and teacher tips: free turkey disguise template.
If you want more printable games for the kids' table, there is also our Thanksgiving kids party games pack on Etsy.
Happy Thanksgiving (it's Thursday, November 26 this year). 🦃
From Plainbook Studio: printable planners, party games and family budget tools. Follow us on Bluesky: @plainbookstudio.bsky.social.