How Do You Set Up a Thanksgiving Memory Tray Game?

Put a few distinct objects on a tray, give everyone time to look, cover the collection, and invite players to name what they remember. For Thanksgiving, choose familiar table or autumn-themed objects and keep the first round short. The activity can be a shared challenge rather than a competition.

This look-cover-recall format is often called Kim’s Game. The Scouts’ activity guide describes the basic setup with objects, a cover, paper, and pencils. You do not need a purchased game or a special answer sheet.

Build one clear six-object tray

For an easy first version, try this original assortment:

• One wooden serving spoon
• One folded cloth napkin
• One large paper leaf
• One fabric pumpkin decoration
• One round coaster
• One postcard with a simple turkey drawing

Use objects you already own, substituting as needed. These suggestions offer different outlines and materials; six nearly identical decorations would make identification more confusing. The postcard can be an index card you draw yourself. Avoid anything valuable, fragile, sharp, or unsuitable for the people joining in. Choose large items appropriate to the group rather than tiny decorative pieces.

Set the objects on a plain tray with space between them. None should sit underneath another. Check the view from the chairs guests will use, not only from directly overhead. If the tray is too small, use a cleared section of a table instead.

Write the actual six items on a private host sheet before covering them. If you substitute a book for the coaster, change that sheet too. It is the record of this particular round, not a generic list of expected holiday objects.

Make the sequence predictable

Tell the group what will happen before revealing anything: first look, then cover, then recall, then reveal again. Keep pencils aside until the looking stage ends so everyone is playing the same version.

A themed tray is a flexible adaptation of the format. Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast demonstrates a themed edition in which the chosen objects connect to one subject. Here, the connection is the Thanksgiving gathering rather than the council’s historical theme.

Try this first round:

1. Seat players where they can see the whole tray.
2. Remove the cloth and allow about one minute to look. Say the ordinary name of each object if that helps clarify what it is.
3. Cover everything completely without moving the items.
4. Let players write, sketch, or tell a partner the items they recall.
5. Uncover the tray and compare answers with the actual collection.

The minute is a starting suggestion, not a test standard. The Scouts’ version allows timing to change and accepts written or drawn responses. Give everyone enough time to finish comfortably before the reveal.

Decide what counts before scoring

You can skip points and make one shared list. Ask whether the group can collectively recover all six objects. A person who remembers only the napkin still contributes an answer.

If guests prefer scores, use one point for each different correct object, up to six. Count “spoon” for “wooden serving spoon”; the first round is about identifying the objects, not remembering every descriptive detail. Do not award two points for naming the same item twice.

Treat these as your house rules. Say them in advance and avoid turning an uncertain answer into a lengthy argument. Spelling and artistic skill need not affect whether an object is recognizable.

Try a missing-object round

For a second version, show the same collection again. Cover it, remove one object while nobody is watching, then uncover the remaining five. Players identify what disappeared rather than reciting the whole list.

Harrysmuir Primary School’s family activity describes this missing-object variation and suggests starting with a small collection. Keep the other objects in their original positions for your first attempt so the only change is the missing item.

For example, remove the paper leaf and leave the spoon, napkin, pumpkin, coaster, and postcard in place. After the guess, return the leaf before choosing another object. This reset prevents accidental confusion about how many objects should be present.

End while it still feels like a game

Offer pairs, fewer objects, or a longer look when those changes would make the activity more enjoyable. A guest can also watch, keep the host list, or lift the cover without having to recall anything aloud.

Finish after one or two rounds unless people ask for more. Return borrowed table items before they are needed for the meal, tuck the paper pieces away, and let the conversation continue without a score to settle.