10 Creative and Easy Turkey Crafts for Toddlers, Preschoolers and Kids

One of the best things about Fall is Thanksgiving! The little birdie or turkey associated with the festival of gratitude offers great crafting ideas for kids of almost all age groups. If you are hunting for some creative and easy turkey craft ideas for kids, well, we have some fun and exciting ideas that will get children all excited and geared up for Thanksgiving! Keep reading this blog and get acquainted with some wonderful craft ideas!

Wonderful Turkey Crafts for Toddlers

Here are some fun turkey craft ideas to keep the little hands busy in doing something constructive and fun!

1. Cute Paper Plate Turkey

This adorable hand turkey craft is something your toddler would enjoy doing anytime!

What You Will Need

• Paper plates – 2
• Construction papers in three to four bright colours (yellow, orange, pink, etc.) – 1 each
• Brown acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Goggly eyes – 1 pair
• Glue
• Scissors
• A Pencil

Procedure

• Take one paper plate and cut a smaller circle from it to make the face of the turkey.
• Use brown acrylic paint to colour both the paper plates and leave them for drying.
• Place your child’s hand on a yellow construction paper, use a pencil to draw the outlines.
• Using the scissors, cut along the outline.
• Using the same cutout cut 5 to 6 more cutouts in more colours.
• Glue the smaller circle in the centre of the plate. Glue the googly eyes.
• From the coloured construction papers, cut a small yellow triangle, and a little orange tongue for the turkey face.
• Glue the nose and the tongue cutouts on the turkey face.
• Glue the hand cutouts on the top, but behind the paper plate.
• Cut two small feet shapes using yellow construction paper and glue them on the bottom of the plate.

2. Paper Roll and Leaves Turkey

This turkey art is made using a mix of natural and recycled material.

What You Will Need

• Paper towel roll or toilet paper roll (you just need the leftover cardboard roll)
• A handful of colourful leaves
• Brown acrylic colour or brown paper to cover the paper roll
• Glue
• Googly eyes – 1 pair
• Yellow construction paper – 1 sheet
• Scissors

Procedure

• Take the paper roll and use brown acrylic paint to colour it. Set it aside for drying.
• Once the roll is dry, hold the roll vertical and stick two googly eyes on the upper edge.
• Cut a drop shape using the yellow construction paper, glue it a little below the googly eyes to make the nose of the turkey.
• Take the leaves and start glueing on the backside. Let the first layer dry up before you start sticking another layer. You can use cloth pins to hold the leaves as they dry.
• Apply two to three layers of leaves and secure them with a generous amount of glue. Let it dry completely.

3. Potato-Stamped Handprint Turkey

This hand turkey craft is an amazing way to engage young minds into doing something constructive!

What You Will Need

• Yellow and orange card stock –  each
• Brown, yellow, and orange acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Marker pen
• Glue
• Scissors
• A potato cut in half
• Mixing plate

Procedure

• Place your kid’s hand on the yellow card stock and trace it.
• Using a scissor, cut out the handprint. You can repeat the process to make as many turkeys as you wish.
• Squeeze out some brown paint on a mixing plate.
• Take the potato and dip it in the brown paint and stamp this in the centre of the handprint cutout. Leave it for drying.
• Use the orange card stock to cut two legs (in the shape of hockey sticks).
• Glue the legs at the bottom of the brown circle.
• Using the black marker pen, draw eyes in the brown circle.
• Use yellow paint to make the nose and orange paint to make the small snoot.
• Let everything dry completely before showcasing it!

Creative Turkey Crafts for Preschoolers

Here are some turkey art and craft activities for preschoolers:

1. Paper Plate and Leaves Turkey

This one is a very easy and interesting activity for preschoolers. Here’s what you need to do!

What You Will Need

• Paper plate – 1
• Some leaves in brown, yellow, and orange colours (in different sizes).
• Brown and yellow cardstock – 1 each
• Googly eyes – 1 pair
• Glue
• Scissors
• A Pencil

Procedure 

• Take all the leaves and separate the smaller and bigger ones.
• Starting from the centre, arrange the leaves from ascending order (smaller to bigger) on the paper plate. Use glue to secure the leaves in their place all along the top curve to form the turkey feathers.
• Take the brown cardstock and draw the shape of a turkey (a little more than half the size of the plate). Cut it along the outline.
• Use yellow cardstock to cut out a small nose.
• Glue the turkey body shape on the leaves. Use your hand to press the body shape on the leaves to secure it.
• Stick the googly eyes and nose on the turkey body shape. Leave the plate for drying.

2. Feather and Handprint Turkey

This is a very engaging and creative craft idea for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

What You Will Need

• White cardstock – 1 sheet
• Colourful feathers (available at any craft store) – 4 to 5
• Glue
• Brown acrylic paint
• Black, yellow, and red colour pens
• Glue
• Mixing tray

Procedure 

• Take a blob of brown acrylic paint on the mixing plate and add a few drops of water.
• Ask your child to dip his hand in the paint in a way so that the entire palm region is smeared in paint.
• Ask your kid to gently make the impression of the handprint on the white cardstock by keeping all the fingers and thumb stretched.
• Let the paint dry completely before working on it.
• Place different coloured feathers in between the fingerprints. Use glue to secure them in their respective places. Let it dry.
• Use the yellow pen to draw a beak at the tip of the thumbprint and feet on the bottom edge of the palm print.
• Use a black pen to draw eyes and a red pen to draw the snoot below the beak.

3. Pinecone Turkey

This interesting turkey craft activity is done using a pinecone!

What You Will Need

• A pinecone
• Orange, yellow and brown craft paper
• Goggly eyes – 1 pair
• Glue
• Scissors
• Playdough (optional)

Procedure

• Clean and wash the pinecone and let it dry completely.
• Take the orange and yellow craft papers and cut 4 to 5 leafy patterns in each colour to make turkey feathers.
• Glue these leaves in random order at the back of the pinecone.
• Take the brown paper and cut a small circle, use this as the turkey head.
• Use yellow craft paper to cut a small triangle, use this as the nose.
• Paste googly eyes and nose on the head and glue the head on top of the pinecone.
• Alternatively, you can use different coloured leaves to make turkey feathers.
• If the pinecone is not steady to stand on its own, you can place some playdough underneath the pinecone to make it stand firmly.

Exciting Turkey Crafts for Older Kids

Older kids need a little more than the ideas given above. Try these to keep them engaged.

1. Turkey Magnet

This exciting activity can be useful for making Thanksgiving gifts for friends!

What You Will Need

• Cardboard (an empty cereal box can be used too) – 1 sheet
• A packet of readymade fall leaves (available at any craft store)
• Twine or yarn for the turkey legs (pick up a thicker one)
• A thin orange or yellow ribbon
• Glue
• Magnet
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Black, yellow, and red acrylic paint
• Paintbrush

Procedure

• Take the cardboard and cut a turkey body cutout of approximately 3 inches in height and 1 ¼ inch as a base.
• Make two small holes at the bottom of the turkey body.
• Cut the twine in approximately 10 inches length, threading each end from a different hole, secure the ends by tying a knot at both ends. Keep the length of the twine the same on both sides.
• Use black paint to make two eyes, yellow paint to make the beak and red paint to make the snoot of the turkey.
• Take two leaves in different colours and sizes. Keep the smaller ones in the front and larger in the rear and glue them to the turkey body.
• Use the ribbon to make a bow. Glue it on the neck of the turkey.
• Taking the double-sided tape to secure the magnet at the back of the cardboard.
• The turkey magnet is ready!

2. Turkey Balloons

Holiday celebrations are incomplete without balloons, and this craft involves creating adorable and fun decoration for a Thanksgiving party!

What You Will Need

• Balloons in gold or yellow colour
• Few colourful feathers
• Googly eyes (in pairs)
• Ribbon
• Construction paper in red colour
• Glue
• Scotch tape

Procedure

• Take the balloons and fill helium gas into them. Alternatively, you can buy helium-filled balloons.
• Secure the ribbon in the centre of the balloon with the scotch tape.
• For the beak, cut a small triangle from the red construction paper and glue it to the tied end of the balloon. Stick the beak in a way that it hides the knotted part of the balloon.
• Stick googly eyes close to the beak with the help of glue.
• Take feathers and start sticking them with glue on the top end of the balloon. Do not place more than 5-6 feathers or else the weight of feathers will weigh down the balloon.
• Use the loose end of the ribbon to tie the balloon wherever you want.
• Use these cute turkey balloons to decorate the chairs of every child guest!

3. Turkey Place Holder

This cute place holder paper turkey craft can be an ideal addition to the holiday-themed party décor. They can also be used for writing dinner menus or guest names!

What You Will Need

• Brown, white, and yellow construction papers
• Yellow and orange acrylic paint
• Black marker pen
• Scissor
• Paintbrush
• Glue
• Cloth pins (preferably wooden ones)

Procedure

• Ask your kid to draw the outlines of his hand on the brown construction paper using the marker pen.
• Cut the hand cutout with a pair of scissors.
• Cut small beak shapes from the yellow construction paper and stick them with the glue on the tip of the thumb of the palm cutout.
• Draw the eyes on the top of the beak with the marker pen.
• Use the yellow and orange paint alternatively to colour the fingertips and paint the feathers (the four fingers on the palm cutout).
• Cut a small rectangle from the white construction paper and write the name of the dish and stick it in the centre of the hand cutout.
• Place cloth pins on the bottom end of the hand cutout to make them appear like turkey legs. You can paint the cloth pins in orange colour.
• Place these holders on the dinner table to lend a more festive feel to your festive meal!

4. Paper Bag Turkey

This fairly simple craft activity for kids needs minimal supplies and is fun to make.

What You Will Need

• Brown paper bag – 1
• Yellow construction paper – 1 Sheet
• Googly eyes – 1 Pair
• Colourful feathers – 4 to 5
• Glue

Procedure

• Place the bag in a way that you get the base area to work on. You should be able to figure out the rectangle that forms the base of the paper bag.
• Glue the feathers one by one at the back of the base of the paper bag. Let them dry completely.
• Take the googly eyes and stick them in the centre of the base of the paper bag with the help of some glue.
• Cut a small beak shape or a triangle from the yellow construction paper and glue it below the eyes.
• Make sure the bag dries properly before your kiddo uses it for putting his/her things inside it or starts using it as a paper puppet!

These are some wonderful and creative craft ideas that you can try with your toddler, preschooler, and even with older kids! You can make changes and improvise the crafts according to the available material and create something fun and exciting with your child!

Also Read:

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Easy Pumpkin Crafts And Activities For Toddlers, Preschoolers and Children
Amazing Apple Crafts And Activities For Toddlers, Preschoolers and Children