Sharing is caring!

Here are 20 Terrific Turkey Country Crafts for Kids to take a virtual trip to this amazing country, just in time for their Republic Day on 29th October!

If I ask you where you live, you can probably name your street, town, state, country and finally, continent. However, if you live in Istanbul, this can be a bit of a problem – because you can claim two continents as your own!

It’s true – Istanbul is in a transcontinental country, Turkey. The Bosporous River runs through the country, separating it into an Asian part and a European part. 95% of Turkey lies in Asia, while the rest is in Europe. That is so cool!

Fun Facts about Turkey:

• The name ‘Turkey’ means “land of the Turks“
• Turkey is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world
• Istanbul is the only city in the world that sits on two continents
• Turkey is the 6th most visited destination in the world and Istanbul is the 10th most visited city
• It is Turkey who introduced the tulip to Holland and other European countries
• Turkey is the world’s largest supplier of hazelnuts
• Turkey consumes more tea than any other country in the world
• Santa Claus, or St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey, in a place called Patara

Turkey is truly a melting point of cultures, thanks to the many civilizations and empires that lived here. Turkey was ruled by King Midas, Alexander the Great, Constantine and the Ottomans, before it won its war of independence in 1920 under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, also called ‘Ataturk’ or ‘Father of the Turks’.

Turkey was proclaimed a republic on 29th October 1923 and that day has since been celebrated as Turkey Republic Day. Since this special day is coming up later this month, we think it’s about time we took a virtual trip to this amazing country and learned more about it – with some terrific Turkey country crafts, of course!

20 Terrific Turkey Country Crafts for Kids

1. Turkish Blue Mosque Craft

About 98% of Turks are Muslims, due to which you’ll find a lot of mosques in the country – over 80,000 in fact! Some of these are truly beautiful, like the famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. In the Playroom shows us how to make an easy model of the blue mosque, using paper bowls.

2. Turkish Eye Painting Tutorial

If you ever visit Turkey, one thing you’ll find at every nook and corner is the ‘evil eye’, known as the ‘Nazar boncuğu’. This is exactly why it features on our list of Turkey country crafts! The evil eye is meant to protect from evil spirits and negative energy. It is usually made of glass, iron and copper, but Our Crafty World shows us how to make one with simple craft supplies!

3. Turkish Bazaar Sensory Bin

Turkish bazaars are famous for their bustling business and beautiful colors. In fact, the world’s oldest and biggest market is in Turkey – the ‘Kapalı Çarşı’, also known as the Grand Bazaar. It has been around since the 14th century and has over 3000 shops! Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes creates a lovely sensory bin based on the Grand Bazaar, featuring lots of Turkish trinkets!

4. Sultan Ahmet Paper Model

Our list of Turkey country crafts would be incomplete without a model of the Blue Mosque, and Canon Creative Park gives us an easy printable to build it! It is a great way to study the architecture of the mosque, which has a central dome, four semi-domes and six minarets, laid out in classic Ottoman style. 

5. Erbu Turkish Marbling Art

PBS Kids introduces us to Ebru marbling, which is a kind of paper marbling popular in Turkey. The word is derived from ‘ebr’, a Persian word that means cloud or cloudy. Colors are floated in a liquid and then transferred onto paper or fabric, giving it a lovely marbling effect. 

6. Whirling Dervish Paper Craft

If you hear the name ‘Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi’, you’ll be confused, but when you hear ‘Rumi’, you won’t! The 13th-century Sufi mystic has an incredible following in Turkey, known as Mevlevis or ‘whirling dervishes’. They are called so due to the ‘Mevlevi Sema ceremony’, which has been included in UNESCO’s ‘Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’. Okul Oncesi brings us a craft that recreates a scene of this ceremony. 

7. DIY Turkish Fez

Have you ever heard of a hat being illegal? Well, that’s the case with the ‘Fez’, the Turkish hat! Also known as the tarboosh or tarboush, this hat was banned in Turkey in 1925, since it was considered a symbol of the Ottoman Empire. Well, nevertheless, the hat is still quite popular as a souvenir, and that’s why we’re featuring a version by Belladia in our list of Turkey country crafts.

8. Egg Carton and Cardboard Baklava Craft

The Turkish people take their food quite seriously – in fact, many years ago, not being provided coffee was grounds for divorce! Sweets are an important part of Turkish culture and are served on all occasions from birth to death. Caactus Care joins in the celebrations with a cardboard version of the Turkish favorite, baklava!

9. Chenille Stem Whirling Dervishes

A Crafty Arab creates a model of a whirling dervish using basic craft supplies like pipe cleaners. The dervish keeps their left foot on the floor and uses it as an axis to move in a circle by moving the right foot.  They wear long white robes with tall brown or maroon hats, and the sight of them whirling is truly one to behold!

10. Moving Turkish Flag

The Turkish flag is completely red, with a white star and crescent in the middle. It is called the ‘Al bayrak’, and is derived from the older Ottoman flag. ETKİNLİK SAATİ shows us how to make a moving version of this flag which can be hoisted up and down!

11. Turkish Police Officer Craft

This Turkish policeman craft from Paper Crafts-TR may seem like a strange addition to these Turkey country crafts, but it’s a great representation of police officers in Turkey. They wear navy uniforms and caps, and the police cars also have a blue and white theme, with ‘Polis’ written on it.

12. Turkish Kilim Rug Activity

Turkish rugs are famous across the world, and the most popular varieties are kilims and Anatolian rugs. A kilim is a tapestry-style woven carpet that is used either for decoration or prayer. Mrs. M’s Art Room shows us how to make our own mini versions of kilim rugs and fill them with all the colors we like!

13. Evil Eye Hamsa Craft

As mentioned earlier, the evil eye is a popular souvenir in Turkey, and they are visible in several forms, often as talismans that are worn. One of the most commonly found talismans is in the form of a hamsa, a palm-shaped amulet. Check out Kid World Citizen to see how you can make your own evil eye hamsa.

14. Paper Mache Iznik Dish

The Blue Mosque gets its name from the blue patterns on its tiles, and these are a special kind of tiles called Iznik. Iznik is a town in Turkey, known for its blue and white pottery inspired by the Chinese. The Louvre Abu Dhabi shows us how we can make our own Iznik-style dish with a paper mache project.

15. Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Art

Most people who visit Turkey are sure to make an excursion to Cappadocia, which has a gorgeous landscape with fairy chimneys and cave houses. The best way to admire this is by taking a hot air balloon ride, and the sight of several colorful balloons against the blue sky is truly breathtaking! Ecem Öğretmen tries to recreate this scene using clay models of fairy chimneys against a backdrop of balloons.

16. The Blue Mosque Collage Activity

It goes without saying that the Blue Mosque is one of the most identifiable structures in Turkey, and it attracts 5 million visitors every year. These include famous personalities like Pope Francis and Barrack Obama. This project from Education is an easy one for little kids to learn more about this structure.

17. Galata Tower Drawing

When Turkey was ruled by Constantine, a Genoese colony used to live in the Galata area of Istanbul. The area had a watchtower known as the Galata Tower which is today a museum and tourist attraction which offers a 360-degree view of the entire city. Learn how to draw the beautiful tower with this tutorial by Art by Mariam.

18. Turkish Ice Cream Craft

You’ve probably seen the Turkish ice cream turning and twisting a paddle with ice cream at the end, while the poor customer tries to grab at it! Turkish ice cream is called Dondurma, and it is quite a big deal in Turkey. In fact, the average Turk consumes 2.8 liters of ice cream per year – compared to just 14.2 liters per American, which is why it’s on this list of Turkey country crafts! 

19. Hagia Sophia Kirigami Paper Art

You’d think that the Blue Mosque is the most visited spot in Turkey, but it isn’t – that honor goes to the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was once a church, and then a mosque turned into a museum and now a mosque/tourist attraction. Make and Learn shows us how to make a kirigami model of this structure, using both folding and cutting techniques.

20. Bean by Number Turkish Tiles

Iznik tiles are inspired by the blue and white pottery of China but also include Arabesque patterns like paisleys. Well, Paper, Plate and Plane shows us how you can create the same kind of patterns – using dried beans!

Turkey is a country with a rich history and a mix of multiple cultures – it has 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with 84 World Heritage Sites in the tentative list. We hope these Turkey country crafts can encourage kids to learn more about this amazing nation and everything it has to offer.