Grab these free printable Thanksgiving conversation starters to use at the dinner table this year! These printable conversation cards are a great way to keep your Thanksgiving dinner guests talking!
Picture this… You’ve just spend HOURS cooking an incredible Thanksgiving dinner and WEEKS planning to be the perfect Thanksgiving hostess. All of your guests have made their plates and everyone takes their seats at the table. And then…
Crickets!
Nothing kills the holiday spirit like awkward silence… or worse, emotionally-charged conversations about politics or religion or one of the other topics that your parents taught you to avoid for dinner table conversations.
You’ve used these 12 easy tips to prepare for hosting the BEST Thanksgiving, but did you prepare for the possibility of bad conversation? Be proactive, and go ahead and grab these free printable Thanksgiving conversation starters, just in case. It’s better to be EXTRA prepared, right?!
Tips for Great Thanksgiving Dinner Table Conversations
Before we get to the free printable Thanksgiving conversation cards, let’s talk about keeping the good dinner table conversation going. Here are some easy tips to ensure that your Thanksgiving conversations are as good as the food:
- Avoid topics that could lead to emotionally charged conversations, especially if your dinner guests are not close family members. Politics and religion are the two most obvious conversation killers, but other topics like parenting styles and money could also dampen the mood. Here are even more dinner table topics to avoid.
- Be inclusive. If you notice that some of your guests are more quiet, make it a point to ask them questions to get them talking. Ask about how their kids are enjoying the school year, or if they have any big plans for Christmas. Even shy people are more comfortable answering questions, rather than trying to lead a conversation.
- Don’t ONLY talk about yourself. Be sure to ask questions of others also, rather than only talking about what is going on in your own life.
- Be prepared for the lulls in conversation. This is where the free printable Thanksgiving conversation cards come in handy! If you sense that the talking is starting to fizzle out, grab the stack of cards and have someone choose one to get the conversation going again.
Thanksgiving Conversation Starters
If you don’t want to print out the Thanksgiving conversation cards out of fear of appearing TOO prepared, then just make a list of Thanksgiving conversation starters to use if the dinner table talk dwindles.
Here are some ideas for Thanksgiving Conversation Starters you can use:
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
- What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving?
- Who made a positive impact on your life recently?
- What is your favorite family tradition?
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving smell?
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
- If you could invite anyone for Thanksgiving dinner, who would it be and why?
- What are you most thankful for this year?
- What makes your family special?
- Name someone younger than you that you’re thankful for.
- Name someone older than you that you’re thankful for.
- Name 3 things that you associate with Thanksgiving.
- Give a compliment to the person on your right.
- Give a compliment to the person on your left.
- What is your favorite thing about the holidays?
- Name one person that you’re thankful for, and why.
- If you could only eat ONE food for Thanksgiving dinner, what would it be?
- Go around the table and everyone tell a joke… Then vote on the best joke.
- What is a personality trait of yours that you’re grateful for?
- What is something that you accomplished this year that made you feel thankful?
- What is something about your childhood that you’re thankful for?
Free Printable Thanksgiving Conversation Cards
Grab the free printable Thanksgiving conversation starters by clicking the link below!
FREE Printable Thanksgiving Conversation Starters
Then, all you have to do is print the cards and cut them out. I do recommend printing the cards on white card stock, because they will hold up better and look nicer on your Thanksgiving table.
Here are some easy and fun ideas for how to use the conversation cards:
- Tape one card to the bottom of each chair. Then, once all of your Thanksgiving dinner guests are seated, have them look at their cards.
- Stack all of the conversation cards together and put them in the center of your table face down for your guests to randomly pick a card.
- Lay one card at each place setting.
- Print the conversation starters on card stock, and write each guest’s name on the back side to use as place cards. Then, clip them to these cute 5 minute DIY Thanksgiving Place Card Holders.
Do you have any no-fail dinner table topics or fun games that you use when hosting large gatherings? If so, leave me a comment down below! I’d LOVE to hear from you!
And be sure to check out some of my other posts for hosting Thanksgiving… I DID host 35 people last year!
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