Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends, express gratitude, and share a delicious meal. It's a holiday that encourages us to reflect on the things we are thankful for and spend quality time with our loved ones. While Thanksgiving is typically associated with a cozy family dinner, it can also be an excellent opportunity to engage in team-building activities. Whether it's with your colleagues, community group, or even with friends and family, Thanksgiving provides a unique backdrop for fostering team spirit, enhancing communication, and building stronger connections.
In this blog, we'll explore some creative and enjoyable Thanksgiving team-building activities that can help bring people closer and make the holiday even more meaningful:
The Gratitude Circle
Thanksgiving Recipe Challenge
The Harvest Scavenger Hunt
Turkey Trot Relay
Community Service Project
Pie Baking Competition
Gratitude Jar
Host Your Next Team-Building Event at Modern Moments.
We’re proud to be the East Valley’s most charming venue with affordable rates! Our half-acre outdoor space can accommodate up to 300 guests and comes with an elegant brick patio, lush greenery, and warm string lights. We also have a bright and airy 1,200-square-foot indoor venue with a refreshment bar and zoned kitchen area that can comfortably seat 60 people.
Book a free tour and see the venue in person. Or better yet, come to one of our monthly open house events and enjoy tasty samplings from our incredible vendor partners!
The Gratitude Circle
Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks, and the Gratitude Circle is a team-building activity that encourages participants to express their appreciation for one another. Gather your group in a circle, and provide each person with a small card or piece of paper. Ask everyone to write a message of gratitude or appreciation to someone else in the group, without signing their name. Then, collect all the notes and shuffle them. Each participant draws a note and reads it out loud to the group, trying to guess who wrote it. The act of acknowledging and expressing gratitude can foster positive relationships and create a sense of unity within the team.
Thanksgiving Recipe Challenge
What's Thanksgiving without delicious food? Organize a Thanksgiving Recipe Challenge, where team members are divided into groups, and each group is tasked with creating a unique dish from scratch. Provide a list of ingredients and kitchen supplies, and let the teams use their culinary creativity to whip up something special. This activity encourages teamwork, communication, and problem-solving as the teams work together to prepare a mouthwatering Thanksgiving dish. Once the cooking is complete, everyone can enjoy a grand feast and share the delicious dishes they've prepared.
The Harvest Scavenger Hunt
Get out of the house and enjoy the crisp autumn air with a Harvest Scavenger Hunt. Create a list of items related to Thanksgiving, fall, or nature and divide your group into teams. Each team will have to find and collect as many items as they can within a specified time frame. This activity encourages teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving as participants work together to locate the items on their list. To add a competitive edge, you can also set up challenges or riddles that need to be solved to reveal the locations of some items. The team that returns with the most items wins a prize.
Turkey Trot Relay
Get some physical activity and fresh air with a Turkey Trot Relay. Organize a relay race with a Thanksgiving twist. Participants can take turns wearing a turkey costume or holding a toy turkey as they race from one point to another. The race can include various fun challenges or obstacles, adding an element of excitement and competition to the event. A Turkey Trot Relay is a great way to promote team spirit and physical fitness, making it an ideal pre-Thanksgiving activity for groups of all ages.
Community Service Project
Modern Moments founder, Ben Kalkman, and his employees pack meals for Feed My Starving Children in Gilbert, Arizona.
Thanksgiving is not only a time for self-reflection but also a time to give back to the community. Organize a community service project as a team-building activity. This could involve volunteering at a local food bank, organizing a charity event, or even preparing and delivering Thanksgiving meals to those in need. Engaging in community service not only builds a sense of unity within the group but also reinforces the spirit of gratitude and generosity.
Pie-Baking Competition
Thanksgiving and pies go hand in hand, and a pie-baking competition is a fun way to bring your team together. Divide participants into teams or pairs and challenge them to bake the best Thanksgiving pie. Provide various pie ingredients, crusts, and fillings, and set up a judging panel to evaluate the results. The competition encourages creativity, teamwork, and communication as participants collaborate to create a delicious dessert. Plus, everyone gets to enjoy the sweet rewards at the end of the competition.
Gratitude Jar
A Gratitude Jar is a simple but impactful team-building activity. Set up a large jar and provide slips of paper and pens. Throughout the Thanksgiving season, encourage participants to write down things they are thankful for and place them in the jar. You can also set aside specific moments during the day, like Thanksgiving dinner, to have everyone share their gratitude notes with the group. As the jar fills up, it becomes a physical representation of the collective gratitude of the team.
Need Space for a Team Building Event in Phoenix’s East Valley? Modern Moments Has You Covered!
Your options for team-building events are endless at Modern Moments, and we’re here to accommodate! We’ll supply tables and chairs, vendor recommendations, and—of course—convenient restrooms and parking. You can also rent à la carte items such as a projector screen, yard games, or even an outdoor fire pit.
Book a free tour of the property today. We’d love to show you around and answer any questions you have about pricing and availability.