The Great Turkey Bowl Competition

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Teach the meaning of Thanksgiving to your small church children’s ministry with four kids’ competitions. We give all the details you need to run a great turkey November event.

Fall is a great time to gather kids in your small church for fellowship, fun, and the opportunity to invite new friends to experience your church. The world today is constantly promoting the opposite agenda of the lifestyle Jesus modeled for us. Jesus modeled a life of caring, selfless giving, and one full of appreciation and thankfulness.

Sometimes it can be a challenge to help our children focus on the true meaning of the holidays. This event invites guests to participate in all kinds of fun. And it balances out the party with the message to live lives full of gratitude.

Discover how four silly competitions can help teach the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Each game has an element that gives a nod to the first Thanksgiving gathering. The devotional at the end of your competition discusses the reasons and principles why the Pilgrims gathered to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.

Children’s events like these can build connections with the kids in your small church. They can encourage people of all ages in your church to get involved and support your children’s ministry. Check out more ideas for small church children’s ministry events in One Year Of Monthly Saturday Events.

Combine The Fun With Caring & Sharing

Add an element to your event by asking each participant to bring a canned food item to donate to a local food pantry or family in need. Asking participants to bring canned food to donate models caring and kindness to our children.

Have an area set aside at the party when the kids first arrive, where they can make a Thanksgiving card to deliver with the food. Provide construction paper, stickers, markers, and pencils for the children to use. Write out a Bible verse about giving thanks on a poster board for the kids to copy if they want. 

Turkey Bowl Game Day Playbook

Set The Stage With Decorations

When guests enter your event, the decor can definitely help them feel excited and give them a sense of anticipation for what lies ahead! Make this event colorful and fun. Let your decorations announce the theme of the party. Decorations don’t have to be expensive, and they can play an important role at your small church event and make any gathering a memorable one!

• Ask a creative person in your church if they could try making a Pilgrim ship out of a refrigerator box. Paint it and use a flat bed sheet for a sail. A PVC pipe or a tube from a carpet store or fabric store can turn into a great mast!
• Hang a banner, or create cardboard pilgrim figures to stand by fake fall trees or a bunch of corn stalks.
• Make fall leaf garlands and paper turkey cutouts. Add a special touch with a festive balloon arch. 

Make Your Turkey Bowl Teams

As children arrive, give each one a name tag with their team assignment. Alternate the tags as you distribute them so you have the same number on each team.

Team Name Ideas

• Turkeys
• Gobblers
• Bows
• Arrows
• Drumsticks
• Wings

Be creative! Ideally, two teams work best, but if you have more than ten on a team, break into two additional teams. 

Keeping Score

Make a scoreboard to keep track of the team points. Enlist someone in your church to make one on poster board or foam core. If available, use a chalkboard or portable dry-erase board.

Have a volunteer scorekeeper for the competition. Make them official by giving them a referee-style t-shirt, or a funny turkey hat. Of course, don’t forget the whistle or, even more fun, a turkey call!!

Opening Ceremonies For Your Turkey Bowl

We all know large event competitions often start with the Opening Ceremonies, right? So, once your guests have their teams, play some fun music and have them march together, complete with their team flags.

Team flags can be as simple as a white pillowcase painted with stencils or paint pens. Write the team names on them and draw some fall leaves or other significant features.

If you plan to host this competition as an annual event, you can be more elaborate and order custom flags with team names. What a fun tradition!

Teams march in with their flags. The MC introduces the teams, referees, and the scorekeeper. Then, they open the ceremonies with prayer.

Four Turkey Bowl Games for Kids’ Fun

1. Set The Table Relay Race

Set up a table at the end of the room, ready for a feast! With a tablecloth, a centerpiece, and candles. Place one chair at each end of the table.

Instruct each team to use a plastic “carrying” plate to transport all their place-setting items to the table and set it up for the Turkey Bowl Feast.

Even the pilgrims sat around a table when they gathered together with their Native American friends for the first Thanksgiving. Although they might not have had formal dinnerware, they probably had plates and cups, which they brought from England on their journey. They likely wouldn’t have had the full set of silverware we use today. We will let you make a modern-day version of a place setting today.

Line children up in their teams. Children race to set their team’s end of the table. Take the plastic carrying plate and put one item on it. Players quickly walk to place the item on the table, then run back to the line and hand off the empty carrying plate to the next person in line. They may not touch their item to keep it on the plate. If it falls off, pick it up off the floor and go back to start again at the beginning of the line.

How To Set Your Table

Set the table with the following items in the order listed. 

• Place the napkin to the right of where the plate belongs.
• Put the fork to the left of where the plate will be.
• The spoon goes on top of the napkin.
• Add the cup. It belongs above the napkin and spoon.
• Finally, place the plate in the center of the place setting.

The first team to finish their place setting in the correct order gets 5 points.

The bonus of this game is it teaches kids how to set a proper table.

2. Gather Your Grub

The idea of this game is to gather the elements of your feast, just like the Pilgrims had to gather the food they would eat at their Thanksgiving celebration. Although some of the food they grew in their own fields, much of it needed to be gathered from the surrounding area they lived in.

Each team needs a basket for gathering. Set up the Gathering Area (a table in the center of the room). Each team sends up one person at a time. When a team member approaches the center table, they each take a turn rolling a large die. Each number on the die represents an item of food players can take from the basket of printed cards. These are easy to print on your own with simple clipart. 

Food Items cards you should print are:

• Bunch of grapes
• Mushrooms
• Cranberries & Blueberries
• Fish
• Corn & Potatoes
• Turkey & Duck

Have a time limit or a limit of how many times you go through the line on your team (i.e., everyone gets to roll three times). At the end of the time, see how many items each team has in their basket. The team with the most items gathered receives 5 points.
If you roll a number of an item you already have, you lose your turn and have to sit back down; the next team member comes up.

3. Put The Pilgrims In The Boat

For this game, you need a container to use as your ‘Mayflower’ boat. A cardboard box, a big Rubbermaid tote, or a large laundry basket work equally well. Enlist some artistic help. Make an outline of a boat representing your Mayflower ship and attach it to the box or basket. Cartoony clipart images work great and are easy to find online. Remember, the pictures are for fun, not historical accuracy!

Tell your teams this competition reminds us the first Thanksgiving never would have happened if the Pilgrims weren’t brave enough to get in the boat and sail off on the ocean! They were committed to worshiping God and needed to get on the ship to start their faith journey!

You also need 4, for each team, recycled soda pop or water bottles (12-16 oz. size). Sanitize them by running them in a dishwasher. Dry thoroughly.

Print out Pilgrim faces from clip art and photos, or use bulletin board cutouts. Use hot glue or strong tape affix on the bottles. For an easy alternative, use stuffed animals and pretend they are pilgrims.

Have each team form a line. Place the Mayflower box a reasonable distance away. (Practice yourself before you set up the game!). Give each team their 4 ‘pilgrim’ bottles. When you say GO, each child in the line steps up and tosses their Pilgrims, trying to land them on the Mayflower! 

Teams get one point for each Pilgrim that lands in the boat. 

Collect the pilgrims after each turn and pass them on to the next person in line until everyone takes a turn. Count up the total number of Pilgrim points and add them to the team scoreboard.

4. Thanksgiving Waddle

For this game, you need enough solid-colored paper plates for everyone in attendance. Use a permanent marker to write one First Thanksgiving element on each plate. 

Choose from our word list or use your own.

Write a set of matching words (to your plates) on pieces of paper. Fold them up and put them in a basket to draw from during the game.

Place the plates in a large circle on the floor. Use packing tape underneath so they stay in place.

Ask the kids to gather around the outside of the circle and stand behind the plates. Explain how all these items have something to do with the very first Thanksgiving celebrated in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

This game is played for small prizes. Lay the prizes out on a tray, in a wooden chest, or trunk-like box that reminds us of how the Pilgrims would have carried their items on the Mayflower ship. Choose inexpensive prizes such as pencils, erasers, lollipops, fun-size candy packs or treats, note pads, etc.

Waddle When You Walk In This Game

The game is called the Thanksgiving Waddle, so make sure to have all the kids walking and ‘waddling’ like a turkey around the circle as the music plays. This element just adds a bit of laughter and fun! This is also a great time for photos.

This game is played like musical chairs. Play music while everyone walks around in the circle. Stop the music in 7 to 15-second intervals. When the music stops, players stand by the closest plate. The game leader asks a volunteer to grab a slip of paper from the basket and read the element. Whoever is standing by that paper plate is the winner. The winner chooses a prize; their team receives 1 point. 

Celebrate In Your Closing Ceremonies 

Let the teams carry their flags and march back into your gathering spot. Invite your scorekeeper to come to the front and announce the official team winner. Each child on the winning team receives a medal, and everyone celebrates with clapping and cheering.

Initiate a round of applause to say thank you to the referee and scorekeeper.

Ask teams to sit together to have a time of devotion.

Print some clipart pictures of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, or if you have a screen available, make a PowerPoint to show while you speak.

Serve First Thanksgiving Themed Snacks

Finish off the Great Turkey Bowl Competition with refreshments that give a nod to the first Thanksgiving. These snacks add fun and let you enjoy a Thanksgiving feast without the traditional turkey and dressing.

Play Off The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving Meal

• Corn and pumpkin flavored muffins. 
• Cranberry cookies or bars
• Apple slices with or without caramel or pumpkin dip
• ‘Turkey cookies’ from Oreos and candy corn feathers
• Goldfish-style crackers (for the fish they had)
• PB & J or turkey & cheese sandwiches cut out with a turkey cookie cutter
• Carrot sticks

Make It Memorable With A Take Home

Most children love to take home a gift. Give one to remind them of the theme. It can help them remember the fun and share their memories with their family. Gifts can make an impact and help your guests to want to come back to your small church in the future.

Children’s Event Thanksgiving Party Favors

• Individual bags of candy corn like this Scripture Candy
• Bags of popcorn in lunch sacks, decorated to look like turkeys.
• A fun craft kit that can make them smile and reinforce the lesson.

As your guests leave with party favors and memories in hand, connect one more time with a thank you for coming and an invitation to your children’s ministry or upcoming events for the holidays. Thank parents for allowing their children to attend and tell them how much you enjoyed having their children participate. 

After your event is finished and your clean-up crew has everything spic and span, gather your team together and take some time to ‘Rejoice, pray, and thank God’ for all He has done for your small church!!

This fun children’s event can make a difference in your neighborhood and your church this November. Speaking of November, this 30-Day Grateful Challenge has the ability to transform your month and your heart!

Read more:

It’s A Rubber Duck Carnival For Kids!

How To Host A Kids Pumpkin Party

A Cheap & Easy Option For Your Small Church Children’s Ministry Curriculum