Thanksgiving Mad Libs are a fun and easy screen-free activity for kids of all ages.
We’ve got three super fun and free Thanksgiving Mad Libs stories for kids and families in our Free Printables Library. We can’t wait for you to check them out!
They’re sure to be a great addition to your Thanksgiving holiday this year.
First, let’s quickly cover what Mad Libs are and why they’re great for kids in the first place.
What are Mad Libs?
Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re already familiar with Mad Libs.
But just in case, here’s a quick refresher.
Mad Libs consist of a simple story, but many important words throughout the story have been taken out. It’s your job to fill them in.
But here’s the catch: you don’t get to see the story or the sentences you’re trying to complete at first!
Instead, you and your kids fill in a list of words based on their parts of speech.
For example, this list might look like this:
- noun: ____________________
- adjective: ____________________
- body part: ____________________
- number: ____________________
And you might write down:
- noun: turkey
- adjective: slimy
- body part: fingernail
- number: 17.5
Once you’ve completed the blank word list, one person then writes the words you’ve come up with into the blanks in the original story.
When you go back and read the story, there’s sure to be lots of laughs!
(And don’t worry if you don’t remember everything you learned in 6th grade English class – we’ve included a cheat sheet with reminders for all of those parts of speech!)
Why kids love Mad Libs
Here are some of the top reasons why Mad Libs games are great for kids:
- Extremely EASY to play. No complex rules to understand.
- No preparation is required! Simply print them out and grab a pencil or pen.
- Screen-free fun
- Kids of all ages can participate (keep reading for some age-appropriate variations!)
- Can help defeat boredom
- They’re funny!
And equally excellent, Mad Libs can also be educational – and your kids may not even realize it!
Here are a few of the ways that these Thanksgiving Mad Libs have educational value for your kids:
- Learn and reinforce spelling skills
- Increase their vocabulary
- Reinforce understanding of the English language
- Review the major parts of speech
- Practice grammar skills
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Related article: 101 Kids Thanksgiving Jokes That’ll Keep Them Laughing
When to use these Thanksgiving Mad Libs printables
There are lots of times when this fun Mad Libs games set would be great to do as a family!
Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- during family dinner time in November
- on a long Thanksgiving road trip
- when it’s a rainy day outside
- while waiting in a doctor’s or dentist’s office
- during quiet time
- for a family Thanksgiving party
- while waiting for a sibling at practice or rehearsal
- during Thanksgiving dinner
Also, these free Thanksgiving Mad Libs printables are fantastic to use with a larger group!
They’d work great at any of these events:
- school or classroom Thanksgiving feast
- local Thanksgiving festival
- church harvest festival
- before-vacation office party
- Thanksgiving homeschool co-op activity
- included in Turkey Trot goodie bags
Related article: 80 Thanksgiving Questions the Whole Family Will Love
A Closer Look
Here’s a closer look at the three printable Thanksgiving Mad Libs games we’ve got for you here in the Jen Bradley|MOMs Free Printable Library. (You’ll see the link to get yours at the bottom of this article!)
Our Mad Libs Thanksgiving set starts off with a quick refresher on the parts of speech you’ll need to know to fill in the word lists.
The first story is entitled Turkey Tricks. It’s all about some tricks you might teach a turkey to help them avoid being eaten on Thanksgiving Day.
There are twenty blanks to fill in.
The best blanks for younger kids to help with in this story are a body part, a celebrity, and another body part.
Related article: Fun and Free Thanksgiving Word Searches for All Ages
The second story is called Pies vs. Potatoes and it compares which of these beloved Thanksgiving foods is tastier than the other.
There are eighteen blanks to fill in, with lots of adjectives (words that describe) needed.
The best blanks for younger kids in this story are a body part, a number, a food, and the name of a person in the room.
Our third story, Dinner with the Relatives, is super funny. It’s all about getting advice for things you might do before going to your relatives’ house for Thanksgiving dinner!
There are nineteen blanks to fill in for this fun story.
The simplest blanks for younger ones to fill are a number, an animal, a food, a celebrity, an exclamation, and a goofy word.
Using these Mad Libs games for Thanksgiving dinner
We’d be absolutely delighted if you want to use these Mad Libs during your Thanksgiving Day celebration with family and friends!
You can have everyone contribute the needed words as a group and create one funny story with contributions from everyone.
Or you could print out enough copies of our Thanksgiving Mad Libs so that each guest can create their own. They could then share their own funny story with the group once everyone is done.
It’s totally up to you!
How to reuse your free Mad Libs printable pages
Another big plus: these Thanksgiving Mad Libs are completely reusable if you need or want them to be!
Simply slide them into plastic sheet protectors and use a dry-erase marker to fill in the blanks.
For even more durability, you may consider printing them on white card stock and laminating them!
(I’ve been a homeschool mom for 10 years now, and I swear by this inexpensive laminator! It’s THE best.)
Related article:
Final thoughts about these Thanksgiving Mad Libs for kids
These Thanksgiving Mad Libs are one simple way to create some more fun holiday memories with your kids (and give them something educational to do)!
Be sure to join our Free Printable Library here to get your Thanksgiving Mad Libs Games!
Inside the library, you’ll find over 100 other awesome printables, such as Thanksgiving I Spy games, scavenger hunts, Thanksgiving mazes, Thanksgiving word puzzles, and more! We hope to see you inside!
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving this year!
Related articles about Thanksgiving family fun:
21 Awesome Ideas to Make the Most of Your Virtual Thanksgiving
How to Teach Gratitude to Your Kids
9 Awesome Thanksgiving Day Activities for Kids and Toddlers
Tell us your thoughts on these Thanksgiving Mad Libs in the comments!
