Turkeys are going to feature a lot this Thanksgiving with our 20 terrific turkey crafts for kids to make! Make cards, place holders, puppets and much more!
Just say ‘Thanksgiving Dinner’ and the first image that comes to mind is a nicely roast turkey, in the middle of the table, surrounded by sides of all kinds. But amid all the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, it is the turkey that is the superstar!
Apparently, although 90% of people who celebrate Thanksgiving do so with turkey, it wasn’t the original Thanksgiving meal. When farmers realized that they had plenty of turkeys, it became the natural choice for Thanksgiving dinner. And the reason they’re so popular today!
Now while Mom and Dad are busy with the turkey in the kitchen, the kiddos shouldn’t feel left out. So here are 20 terrific turkey crafts for kids which they can make and play with. The best part is that most of these crafts are made from recycled materials of all kinds. So if you’ve got lots of odds and ends left over from the crafts of the past several months, bring them out – it’s time to make turkeys!
20 Terrific Turkey Crafts for Kids
1. Thankful Handprint Turkey Craft
This idea from Happy Home Fairy is so cute! This turkey is more than just a bright craft for kids. Download the free printable and let the kids write down what they’re thankful for – and hand it to the appropriate person!
2. Paper Quilled Turkey Craft
Turkeys aren’t celebrated for their beauty, but they do have their own charm! Bring it out in this paper quilling craft, which doesn’t require too much work. With mostly one shape of coil in different colors, you can easily make this.
3. Styrofoam Cup Turkey
This is such an easy craft even toddlers can have a go at it! The Resourceful Mama uses a plain cup and paints it brown, but if you can get your hands on a brown cup then all you need to do is stick the parts together and you have a cute little turkey!
4. Mini Popsicle Stick Turkey Craft
Wondering how to make a turkey out of Popsicle sticks? Crafty Morning shows us how – with mini craft sticks! The result is a rather mischievous looking turkey – just look at those big googly eyes!
5. Simple Paper Turkey Craft
Seriously, all you need for this turkey craft from Easy Peasy and Fun are craft paper, glue and scissors! If you have those zig zag scissors, it’ll be easier to get the ‘feather effect’, but regular scissors should also work as well. Makes for great cutting practice!
6. Thanksgiving Turkey Pop Up Card
If you’re planning to give someone a Thanksgiving card, please make it this one! With a pop up turkey, pumpkins and a cute sign, this is a card they’ll treasure for ever!
7. Toilet Roll Turkey Craft
You can’t have a list of crafts without featuring toilet rolls at least once! A Dab of Glue Will Do has a simple toilet roll craft that also uses handprints made on construction paper. You can also use craft foam in different colors for a sturdier turkey.
8. Gobble Gobble Globes
Snow globes are usually associated with Christmas, but I Love to Create has a special globe for Thanksgiving! Baby food jars work perfectly for this craft, and with all that glitter, you’ll have something blingy to decorate your mantle with this Thanksgiving!
9. Turkey Pumpkin Craft
Three Fall icons come together in this craft from Growing up Bilingual – pumpkins, leaves and turkeys! Of all the ways you can decorate pumpkins, set aside one for this project – and watch people admire as they walk by your front porch!
10. Place Card Turkey
Planning an elaborate sit down dinner for Thanksgiving? Then you need to set places, and what better way to do it than with a turkey? Keeping it Simple has a clever idea of using craft sticks to spell out names, decorated with washi tape in fall theme colors.
11. Paper Plate Tissue Paper Turkey Craft
Here’s a pretty little turkey craft using common craft supplies like tissue paper, googly eyes and craft paper. Add a paper plate and you have the perfect base to create a brightly colored, festive themed turkey!
12. Turkey Finger Puppets
We love finger puppets – they’re easy to make and play with, and you can create pretty much any character you like. Which in this case, is a turkey from I Heart Crafty Things! The leaves and balloons add a lot of texture and interest, rather than just plain paper.
13. Wood Slice Turkey Craft
The Craft Patch Blog has a rather glamorous looking turkey craft – something you can almost call a turkey princess! It’s the glitter washi tape that actually adds the glam factor to this craft that can also be reused a place holder or napkin ring.
14. Egg Carton Turkeys
Keep those egg cartons stored somewhere – they’re going to turn into turkeys! Crafty Morning shows how the entire carton can be reused to make the turkey – the body as well as the feathers. Just add googly eyes and a beak, and you can have an entire battalion of little turkeys ready!
15. Recycled CD Turkey Craft
Speaking of reusing trash, don’t throw out the old CDs either, they’ll come in very handy to make this recycled CD turkey craft from The Resourceful Mama. You can either use real leaves or artificial ones, or you can make your own out of orange and yellow craft paper.
16. Stained Glass Turkeys
These stained glass turkeys from Glued to My Crafts are easier to make than they look! The body and feathers are available for free download, and all you need to do after that is stick on the colored paper for a cool stained glass effect!
17. Handprint Turkey
This one is for the littlest ones among us. Just smear paint in different colors and print!! Of course the real challenge here is not going to be the actual printing – it’s getting them to sit still while you apply the paint on their hands!
18. Scrap Paper Turkey Craft
Do you know what’s special about this turkey craft from The Pinterested Parent? Yes, there’s a little baby turkey too! If you’ve got lots of paper scraps after crafting all year, put them to good use by making them the feathers of this multicolored Mama and Baby turkey pair!
19. Cupcake Liner Turkey Craft
This project from Raising Little Superheroes has many craft techniques and is a good project for beginner crafters to learn. There cutting, folding and gluing, and working with different supplies like cupcake liners, foam sheets, googly eyes and more.
20. Coffee Filter Turkey Craft
We’ve made turkeys out of old CDs, scrap paper, Styrofoam cups, paper plates, egg cartons, cupcake liners – what’s left? Why coffee filters, of course! Buggy and Buddy has the perfect project for this, that gives our turkey a rather exotic look!
Looks like these turkey crafts for kids can be made with just about anything! From usual supplies like paper, foam and craft sticks to things like pumpkins and wooden blocks, anything goes! Go ahead and pair them up with other fall crafts including pumpkins, autumn trees and more!
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