A Thanksgiving fold-and-pass drawing game turns one sheet of paper into a holiday creature made by three people. One draws the head, another adds the body, and the third supplies the legs and feet. Each player sees only a few connecting lines, so nobody knows what the finished character will look like until the paper opens.
The format adapts the collaborative drawing game called “exquisite corpse,” which appears in MoMA’s family learning activities. For this Thanksgiving version, think pumpkin creatures, leaf-covered animals, and imaginary dinner guests. No drawing skills are needed.
Gather paper and three players
Set out plain paper, pencils or crayons, and a clear drawing surface. Avoid thin paper that lets everyone see the picture through the back. A clipboard or book can provide support if people are drawing away from a table.
Start with one sheet per group of three. For a busier round, give each person a sheet and pass all three around the group, so everyone draws at once. Allow about two minutes per section as a starting suggestion, then adjust to your players.
Explain one rule before beginning: keep earlier sections hidden until the reveal. Players should not unfold the sheet, turn it over, or describe what they drew.
Make three horizontal sections
Place the paper in portrait orientation, with its short edges at the top and bottom. Make two horizontal creases to divide it into three roughly equal bands, then open it flat. The bands run across the page, not down it.
Use the top band for the head, the middle for the body, and the bottom for legs and feet. This follows the three-part structure used in MoMA’s drawing activity. Keep every drawing on the same original face of the paper.
Draw, fold, and pass
First player: draw the head. Add an imaginary head in the top third. Bring two neck lines down across the first crease, extending them about a quarter-inch into the middle section. Those little extensions are the next player’s starting points.
Fold the completed top third backward, underneath the middle third. Do not fold it forward over the blank drawing space. The middle and bottom sections should remain facing up, with the neck marks visible at the top of the middle section. Pass the sheet flat without turning it over.
Second player: draw the body. Begin at the neck marks and fill the middle third. Extend the body’s two lower outline lines just across the second crease into the bottom third. Keep the head tucked behind the body section, then fold that whole packet backward underneath the bottom third. Only the bottom drawing area and its connector marks should face up.
The National Gallery of Art’s instructions use the same essential trick: lines continue beyond a fold while the completed image stays hidden.
Third player: draw legs and feet. Connect to the visible marks and finish the creature in the bottom section. Keep the rest folded until everyone is ready. If a connection looks awkward, turn it into a boot, a bend, or a new shape rather than starting over.
Try these Thanksgiving drawing ideas
Offer a few prompts without requiring anyone to match them:
- Heads: a smiling acorn, a pumpkin with curly eyebrows, or a sleepy owl wearing a knitted cap.
- Bodies: a squash-shaped sweater, a torso wrapped in fallen leaves, or a round body with cranberry-patterned pockets.
- Feet: rain boots filled with leaves, tiny wheels beneath striped socks, or broad duck feet in cozy slippers.
Keep the characters imaginary. Avoid drawing recognizable guests or making anyone’s appearance the joke. A strange combination can be funny without teasing a person at the table.
Make the reveal relaxed
Unfold each sheet and let its three makers inspect the result together. Give the creature a name and choose its favorite Thanksgiving food, an extension inspired by Te Papa’s creature-making activity.
For anyone who dislikes the hidden-picture element, leave the sheet open and take turns adding sections. A player can also describe an idea while a willing partner draws it. Skip rankings and let people color their shared creature afterward. The finished pictures can become a small, wonderfully mismatched Thanksgiving gallery.
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