Thanksgiving is more than a holiday — it’s a chance to build stronger connections, express gratitude, and boost workplace engagement through intentional Thanksgiving team building activities. Whether your team is in-person, hybrid, or fully remote, practical and fun activities can build cohesion, reduce stress, and improve collaboration.
In this guide, you’ll find proven ideas, clear outcomes, and easy ways to implement them into your workplace culture.
Why Thanksgiving Team Building Activities Matter
Thanksgiving is an ideal moment for workplace reflection and connection. Beyond gratitude, team building during this season supports:
- Better morale and engagement: Activities around appreciation and fun build deeper relationships among coworkers.
- Improved communication: Games and shared tasks encourage collaboration and break down barriers.
- Increased productivity: Teams that bond tend to be more effective and resilient.
By integrating workplace Thanksgiving activities, you can create meaningful experiences that foster appreciation and unity — key drivers of long-term employee engagement.
Creative Thanksgiving Team Building Activities
This Thanksgiving, bring your team together with various engaging and festive team-building activities that embrace the holiday spirit. These team building Thanksgiving activities encourage collaboration, improve communication, and celebrate gratitude and unity in a fun and meaningful way, making them perfect for strengthening team bonds during the holiday season.
Celebrate Gratitude Together
Elevate engagement with BRAVO — launch recognition challenges that connect and inspire.
Book a Free Demo1- Pie-Eating Contest
Gather your team for a classic pie-eating contest that will bring out laughter and friendly competition!
This messy, lighthearted activity is a great way to break the ice and let everyone unwind while enjoying delicious pies. Set a time limit, provide a variety of pie flavors, and watch as your team members race to finish their slices first.
A fun prize for the winner can add extra motivation and excitement. This activity will create memorable moments and foster team bonding through laughter and shared fun.
2- Office Trivia
Host an office trivia game that celebrates the unique culture of your workplace.
Focus on fun facts about the company, employees, and industry to help team members bond while deepening their understanding of the company’s history and values. Sharing inside jokes, trivia, and historical moments fosters camaraderie, creating an environment where employees feel more connected and motivated to collaborate.
3- Escape Room Challenge
The Escape Room Challenge is a thrilling activity where teams work together to solve intricate puzzles, decode clues, and navigate through a series of challenges to escape a locked room before time runs out.
The pressure of the ticking clock makes collaboration essential, promoting communication, creative problem-solving, and teamwork.
As teams combine their strengths to unlock solutions, this activity fosters a more profound connection among colleagues and reinforces the importance of working together to overcome obstacles.
4- Cooking Classes
Cooking classes are a fun, interactive way to bring your team together. With a professional chef leading the session, employees can collaborate to prepare a festive meal while developing new skills.
This activity promotes teamwork, creative collaboration, and communication, all in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. It’s an excellent opportunity for employees to unwind, learn something new, and create lasting memories while working side by side.
5- Team Sports
Organizing team sports like soccer, volleyball, or basketball is a fantastic way to bond and boost morale.
These team building Thanksgiving activities encourage communication, teamwork, and friendly competition while promoting physical fitness.
Stepping outside the office for a fun, casual game gives employees a break from their routines and fosters a sense of achievement and belonging as they work toward a collective goal. Plus, it’s an excellent stress reliever during the busy holiday season.
6- Problem-Solving Workshop
A problem-solving workshop challenges teams to collaborate on finding creative solutions to business-related issues.
It encourages innovative thinking, strategic planning, and efficient teamwork under pressure. This activity enhances communication and critical thinking skills, making it a valuable exercise for personal and professional growth. It’s a great way to bring employees together, sharpen their problem-solving abilities, and prepare them to tackle challenges in the workplace.
7- Two Truths and a Lie
Two Truths and a Lie is a fun icebreaker that helps team members learn more about each other in a lighthearted setting.
Participants shared two truths; one lied about themselves, and the other tried to guess the false statement. This game is a playful way to foster personal connections and create a more cohesive team dynamic.
It’s a simple but effective way to build camaraderie and encourage communication in a relaxed and informal environment.
8- Workshops on Communication Skills
Effective communication is the foundation of great teamwork. Workshops focusing on active listening, conflict resolution, and feedback-giving can significantly enhance team dynamics.
These sessions equip employees with the tools to communicate more effectively, solve problems collaboratively, and work toward common goals more quickly. By improving communication skills, teams can work more harmoniously, preventing misunderstandings and fostering a culture of respect and cooperation.
9- Treasure Hunt
A treasure hunt is one of the most entertaining team building activities for Thanksgiving. It offers a great way to get your team working together. Whether inside the office or in an outdoor area, teams solve clues to find the hidden “treasure.”
This activity promotes problem-solving, teamwork, and creative thinking while encouraging friendly competition. It’s an exciting and interactive way for employees to bond over a shared objective and foster collaboration.
10-Personality Tests
Take your Thanksgiving team building activities to the next level with personality tests such as Myers-Briggs or DISC assessments.
Employees can improve communication and collaboration by understanding individual strengths, preferences, and working styles.
When teams discuss their results, they gain insight into each other’s work approaches, creating more potent synergy and enhancing mutual respect. It’s a fantastic way to build more effective working relationships and a cohesive team dynamic.
11- Board Games
Classic board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, or Settlers of Catan offer a relaxed way for employees to bond.
These games challenge teams to use strategic thinking and problem-solving skills while promoting teamwork in a fun, laid-back environment. It’s an excellent way for employees to unwind and connect personally while fostering creativity and critical thinking.
12- Hackathons
Hackathons are an exciting way to challenge your team to innovate under pressure. Hackathons can be adapted to any field and are often popular with tech teams. Employees collaborate to create new products, apps, or solutions in a time-sensitive environment.
The combination of time pressure and the need for innovation fosters collaboration, creative problem-solving, and a sense of accomplishment.
13- Group Exercise Challenges
Fitness challenges, yoga sessions, or team workout events are perfect Thanksgiving team building activities to promote health and well-being.
These activities offer employees a break from their typical workday, reducing stress and boosting morale. Group exercise fosters camaraderie as team members work together toward common health goals, creating a supportive and energized environment.
14- Themed Dress-Up Day
A themed dress-up day adds some fun to the workplace. Whether it’s a holiday costume day or dressing up as movie characters or superheroes, this lighthearted activity encourages creativity and laughter.
Employees can relax and have fun, creating a positive, creative atmosphere in the office while connecting on a more personal level.
15- Office Olympics
Office Olympics is one of the best Thanksgiving team building activities that brings the team together for playful, competitive events like chair races, paper airplane contests, or mini basketball games.
These fun team building activities for Thanksgiving activities help employees blow off steam, strengthen bonds, and promote teamwork. It’s a great way to engage your team in a spirited and enjoyable way while fostering a sense of unity.
16- Cooking Challenge (Iron Chef Style)
Bring the kitchen into the team-building experience with a cooking challenge. Similar to the famous Iron Chef TV show, employees are divided into teams to create the best dish from a set of ingredients.
This competitive yet fun activity promotes teamwork, creativity, and resourcefulness as employees work under pressure to deliver a delicious result.
17- Team Outings
Team outings provide a perfect opportunity for employees to bond outside of the office environment. Whether it’s a trip to a museum, an amusement park, or an outdoor adventure, team outings allow employees to connect on a more personal level. These shared experiences foster team unity and provide a relaxed setting to create lasting memories.
18- Virtual Thanksgiving Craft
Let your team’s creativity shine with one of the most engaging Thanksgiving team-building activities virtual settings can offer—a Thanksgiving craft session! Send out craft kits or provide a list of simple supplies for everyone, and gather on a video call to create holiday-themed decorations.
Whether making paper turkeys, gratitude jars, or autumn wreaths, this activity brings everyone together hands-on, even from a distance.
This virtual craft session promotes relaxation, creativity, and a sense of accomplishment as team members showcase their creations and bond over shared festive projects, making it a memorable addition to your virtual Thanksgiving team-building activities.
19- Thanksgiving-Themed Bingo
Bring the spirit of Thanksgiving into your team-building with a festive round of Thanksgiving-themed bingo! Design custom bingo cards filled with holiday-themed words and images, like “pumpkin pie,” “fall leaves,” “turkey,” and “gratitude.”
This activity can be easily adapted for in-person or virtual settings, making it perfect for all team types. Thanksgiving Bingo is a fun way for team members to engage, relax, and get into the holiday spirit. Add small prizes for the winners to make the game more enjoyable and interactive.
20- Volunteer as a Group
Volunteering together for a good cause is one of the most meaningful ways to strengthen team relationships.
Whether serving meals at a shelter, cleaning up a park, or contributing to a community project, these acts of kindness promote empathy, reinforce a sense of purpose, and bring employees closer together. The sense of fulfillment and pride from giving back is invaluable and leaves a lasting impact on your team’s sense of unity and collective accomplishment.
How to Plan Effective Thanksgiving Team Building Activities
Effective planning is the backbone of successful Thanksgiving team building activities and workplace Thanksgiving activities that truly engage employees and strengthen team cohesion.
1. Tailor Activities to Your Team Culture
Not all team engagement ideas fit every workplace. Start by understanding your team’s preferences and work style — whether your workforce is primarily in-office, hybrid, or fully remote. Choosing activities that resonate with your group maximizes participation and makes your team feel valued and included.
2. Schedule and Structure Activities Clearly
Set clear roles, objectives, and timelines for each activity. Advance scheduling ensures everyone knows what to expect and can participate without conflicts. Structured plans — including a defined start time, materials list, and estimated duration — help make activities run smoothly and keep employees engaged from start to finish.
3. Communicate Purpose and Expectations
Before launching activities, clarify their purpose: to foster connection, boost morale, celebrate gratitude, and strengthen collaboration. Communicating why these activities matter will encourage buy-in and motivate employees to contribute meaningfully throughout.
4. Celebrate Effort and Participation
Recognition amplifies engagement. Publicly celebrate wins — whether it’s a team that completed a virtual Thanksgiving trivia first or an individual who creatively led an activity. Positive reinforcement encourages ongoing participation in future Thanksgiving team engagement ideas.
5. Gather Feedback and Iterate
After your activities, collect feedback to understand what worked and what could improve. Continuous refinement based on employee insights ensures your workplace Thanksgiving activities evolve and remain impactful year after year.
Thanksgiving Activities That Give Back to the Community
Incorporating community service into your holiday celebrations adds deeper meaning to your Thanksgiving team building activities and reflects shared values of gratitude and generosity.
Group Volunteering Experiences
Organize a team volunteer outing at a local food bank, shelter, or community hub. Participating in meaningful service projects together encourages teamwork while making a positive impact in your community. These activities strengthen team unity and reinforce a culture of giving back.
Charity Drives and Donation Campaigns
Host a canned food or donation drive where employees and teams collect items for local nonprofits. Combine the drive with friendly challenges or goals to boost participation and engagement. Charity drives are a meaningful way to align your workplace with community needs during Thanksgiving.
Service Projects for Positivity and Purpose
Create service-oriented activities like assembling care kits, writing gratitude letters for veterans, or organizing holiday cards for families in need. These community service-focused Thanksgiving activities bring employees together around shared purpose and make the holiday season more meaningful.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with BRAVO: Building a More Cohesive Workplace
BRAVO, an AI-powered employee recognition platform, strengthens workplace cohesion during Thanksgiving by promoting gratitude-driven initiatives that unite teams. With BRAVO, you can launch festive campaigns like “Thankful for You,” where employees can easily celebrate one another’s contributions, which fosters unity and visibility across the organization.
To add a special touch, BRAVO’s Reward Shop offers Thanksgiving-themed gifts, allowing employees to select meaningful rewards that show appreciation for their hard work. Through BRAVO’s “Feats” feature, you can create interactive challenges such as “Thanksgiving Recipe,” “Desk Decor,” “Costume Contest,” and more, sparking creativity and friendly competition.
In short, BRAVO offers engaging activities to make holiday celebrations inclusive, fun, and memorable while fostering gratitude and a positive workplace culture that extends well beyond Thanksgiving.
Conclusion
Thanksgiving presents a meaningful opportunity to strengthen team bonds through intentional Thanksgiving team building activities and workplace Thanksgiving activities that celebrate gratitude, fun, and collaboration. From in-person games to virtual experiences, these ideas help boost morale, enhance teamwork, and reinforce a culture of appreciation going into the year’s end.
Whether you’re organizing a Thanksgiving trivia challenge, gratitude wall, or virtual Bingo, the goal remains the same: bring your team closer and make memories together.
Ready to take your workplace celebration to the next level? Book your free BRAVO demo today and discover how easy it is to inspire gratitude and unity across your team.
FAQs
They’re workplace events and games designed to foster teamwork, gratitude, and engagement during the Thanksgiving season.
Virtual activities leverage tools like Zoom to host games, scavenger hunts, or gratitude boards that include remote team members.
Yes — they boost employee morale, strengthen communication, and build stronger team bonds.
Try shared digital gratitude walls or hybrid trivia where both remote and in-office employees participate.
Activities can range from quick 10-minute icebreakers to 60-minute interactive sessions depending on your team’s schedule.
