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It seems like everywhere I turn, people are getting ready for Christmas, but today I want to share this simple and fun craft that I put together recently for a play date at our house. I love Christmas just as much as the next person, but I still want to be sure to take time to savor each season. So for now, we have one last fall project for the year. This is a simple craft we put together for a play date at our house that turned out to be a big hit!
It’s perfect for Thanksgiving and simple enough that my two year old was able to enjoy it.
I enjoyed that it was easy to put together with things we already had in our craft cabinet and made minimal mess. #momwin
Thanksgiving Turkey Craft
Originally, I planned to have the kids make the turkeys and then I would mount them (read: glue stick them) to a solid piece of card stock. My thought was that I would write a Bible verse on the bottom of the paper then hang the finished project on the fridge. When he finished his turkey though, Little didn’t like this idea and wanted to put his turkey on a wooden craft stick instead and use it like a puppet. I gave him some points for creativity, and that’s what we ended up doing. Pick your battles, am I right?
Supplies
- Construction Paper
- We used card stock for the turkey since it’s heavier and construction paper for the wings and feathers.
- Light brown recommended for turkey and darker brown for wings. Feathers can be various colors, but we chose red, orange, yellow, and green.
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Googly eyes
- Wooden craft sticks
Directions
- Cut out your turkey, feathers, and a small triangle for the beak.
- I used a toddler snack bowl and tervis tumbler lid to draw my turkey, I’ve uploaded stencils for the whole project here if you want to just download and use these.
- For the feathers, I used 1/2 sheet of each color of paper and had enough feathers for 2 turkeys.
- Use a glue stick to cover the top back edges of the turkey in glue.
- I opted to do this part since I didn’t want Little going totally crazy with the glue, but this is totally something kids can do themselves.
- Stick on the feathers however you like.
- You might need to add more glue if you end up layering feathers. Little definitely wanted more glue during his project.
- Flip over your turkey and add the googly eyes and beak.
- At this point, you can add the craft stick to the back or mount your turkey onto card stock paper for display.
That’s it. So so easy. Little was really proud of his turkey and to be honest, I really was, too. He stuck all the feathers, the eyes, and the beak on by himself and helped me hold the craft stick in place while the glue dried.
Other Fun Ideas with This Project
If you’re looking for ways to extend this project beyond just making the turkey, why not try some of these ideas:
- Write something you’re thankful for on each feather of the turkey.
- Identify the feather colors as you add them to the turkey.
- Count how many of each color feathers you have.
- Practice with patterns by alternating feather colors as you put them on the turkey.
I hope everyone has a really wonderful Thanksgiving! Be sure to let me know if you make this craft – I love to see what you’re up to!
Don’t Forget: You Can Download a Free Printable Version of All the Turkey Pieces Here!
If you loved this project, you might also like these fall projects:
What a cute turkey! My kids would love making this. #BringontheCrafts
We had a great time making it, too!
Seems like a craft kids of various ages could enjoy. Pinning.
I think it would be fun for lots of different ages!
So cute! This is the perfect activity to keep kids busy. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!
Thanks so much; we really enjoyed making it!
This is such an adorable craft! My daughter absolutely loves to do things like this so we will have to try it while the turkey is baking on Thursday. The feathers will be good for her to practice her cutting skills too!
Oh good! We had lots of fun with it! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
That is so cool. My girls made snowmen in a similar way yesterday. I threaded cotton from the top and they are hanging on our Christmas tree 🙂
How fun?! I bet it makes them so proud to see their crafts on the tree!
Cute idea! I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year so I may have the kids make some tablescape crafts on Wednesday to keep them busy…and out of the kitchen. Visiting from Really Crafty Party.
Oh, that would be so fun! And what a great way to get them involved!
This is such a fun activity for the kids to do this week! I have tons of construction paper and craft sticks already so it’s perfect!
Yes! We just used what we already had in our craft cabinet! It was really easy to put together and Little still shows off his turkey!
This is the perfect project for kids! With the pieces already cut out, it gives them the freedom to arrange them however they want with just a little help from an adult. I love your alternative ideas too!
Thank you! I definitely cut them out the night before – and it made is SO much easier!
This is so cute. I’m going to try this with my grandson even though we are in Australia and don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing at #BloggersPitStop
Thank you so much! I hope he enjoys it!
I love crafts like this that give Kiddies the creativity to do nearly every step themselves. So Fun!
Same! We love crafting around here!
It’s too bad Canadian Thanksgiving has already passed or I might try this with my oldest (2y5m)! I might anyway because, heck, she doesn’t know when (or what) Thanksgiving is!
I bet she would love it!
This is such a fun idea for the kiddos. I’m definitely sharing with my friends that have little ones.
-xo, Azanique | https://www.lotsofsass.com
Thanks so much! It really was a fun and simple project!
Very cute, I think my little guy would love this. Pinning this now.
Thanks so much! It was really fun to do!
I totally made turkeys with my kids this week. So much fun. Instead of feathers we used their hands. It was a great project. But they always have their own ideas! My toddler wanted 3 eyes on his turkey!
Oh my goodness! We are planning some handprint crafts for Christmas! I can’t wait! So many fun crafts and activities this time of year!
We do something similar – great way to teach kids!
Fun! I love when we can get the kids involved, too!
You did such a great job with this project. I love the idea of writing what you are thankful for on it as well. My kiddo would love this. Thanks!
Thank you so much!! I think we will do that when my little is older.
This is a cute and simple project for young kids to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.
It really is so simple – we loved it!
This is so cute and seems so fun to make it! Great idea for the little ones. Thanks 🙂
Thank you! It was really simple to put together and my son enjoyed it a lot. He still likes to show it to us and remind us of making it. So much fun!
This is so fun! I def want to try this with my nephews at Thanksgiving this year!
You totally should!! I really love crafting with kids!