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Thanksgiving is an occasion to unite, offer gratitude, and celebrate with those close to our hearts. Although the holiday revolves around sumptuous feast, it’s also a prime occasion to involve children in entertaining and artistic endeavors that capture the essence of the season.


Specifically, Turkey crafts are an amazing method to keep little hands engaged and invigorate their creativity. These crafts not only enrich your home with a festive touch, but they also result in enduring memories that children will treasure.
Getting kids involved in Thanksgiving preparations via crafting is a fantastic method to make them feel more connected to the holiday. From easy paper turkeys to more intricate creations, there are numerous projects that accommodate varying ages and skill levels.
As you gear up for Thanksgiving, think about dedicating some time to engage in hands-on crafting activities with your children. These turkey crafts will not only keep them amused, but will also instill a feeling of pride as they get to showcase their art works.
Prepare to explore a collection of outstanding Thanksgiving turkey crafts that will undoubtedly delight children and add a hint of homemade charm to your holiday celebrations.
Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts for Kids
25. Turkey Handprint from Simple Everyday Mom

This craft activity invites children to create a colorful paper turkey using construction paper, scissors, glue, and tape. Kids practice cutting out the turkey’s body and folding strips of paper accordion-style to form vibrant feathers that attach around the turkey.
The project supports the development of fine motor and visual motor skills through cutting, folding, and gluing. Adding googly eyes and a paper beak brings the turkey to life, making it a fun and engaging seasonal craft for young learners.
24. Easy Paper Turkeys from The Inspired Tree House

This craft activity involves creating a colorful paper turkey using construction paper, scissors, glue, and googly eyes. Children cut out the turkey’s body and fold strips of paper accordion-style to form vibrant feathers, which are then attached to complete the turkey.
The project encourages the development of fine motor and visual motor skills through cutting, folding, and gluing. It also offers opportunities for customization, such as adding real feathers or using the finished turkey as a festive card or speech practice tool.
23. Fall Leaf Turkey from Easy Peasy Fun

This item features a printable turkey craft template designed for creating colorful fall-themed turkeys using real leaves. Users can color and cut out the turkey body, then glue a variety of autumn leaves to form a vibrant tail, combining natural materials with simple art supplies.
The project encourages creativity by allowing different leaf colors and layering techniques to achieve a multi-dimensional look. It is suitable for children, especially in preschool and kindergarten, offering a hands-on activity that celebrates the season while developing fine motor skills.
22. Cardboard Gratitude Turkey from A Dab of Glue Will Do

This cardboard thankful turkey craft encourages children to express gratitude by writing things they are thankful for on colorful feathers. Using simple materials like cardboard, colored cardstock, and googly eyes, kids can create a festive turkey that combines creativity with fine motor skills.
The project is suitable for preschool and kindergarten students, with options for adults to assist younger children or for older kids to complete independently. Once finished, the turkey serves as a meaningful decoration and a conversation starter about thankfulness during the Thanksgiving season.
21. Popup Card from Artsy Craftsy Mama

20. Footprint Turkey Art from A Little Pinch of Perfect

This craft uses a child’s handprints and footprints to create a colorful turkey perfect for Thanksgiving decorations. By layering painted handprints as feathers and a painted footprint as the body, kids can assemble a cute turkey with simple shapes like a beak and wattle.
The activity encourages hands-on creativity while offering an easy cleanup process using gentle wipes for paint removal. It’s a fun way for children to engage in seasonal art that can be displayed at home or gifted to family members.
19. Thanksgiving Hat Tutorial from MomDot

Create a festive turkey headband using simple materials like colored cardstock, googly eyes, and scissors or a cutting machine. The project involves cutting out feather shapes, assembling a turkey body, and attaching it to paper strips that wrap around the head for a fun, wearable Thanksgiving accessory.
This craft also offers flexibility, allowing the turkey design to be adapted as a centerpiece or a puppet by attaching it to jars or sticks. It encourages creativity and hands-on fun, making it an enjoyable activity for kids and families during the holiday season.
18. Fall Leaf Turkey’s Feathers from Crafty Morning

This craft encourages children to collect colorful fall leaves and transform them into a turkey by gluing the leaves onto paper as feathers. Kids then add a paper turkey body with googly eyes, a beak, and feet to complete the festive creation.
The activity combines outdoor exploration with hands-on creativity, making it ideal for Thanksgiving or autumn-themed projects. It helps develop fine motor skills while allowing kids to enjoy the natural beauty of the season.
17. Construction Paper Turkeys from Twitchetts

This craft creates a colorful 3D turkey using strips of construction paper in fall hues like red, orange, yellow, and brown. The paper strips are shaped into teardrop feathers and assembled to form a layered, textured tail that adds dimension to the turkey.
The body is cut from brown paper and decorated with googly eyes, a beak, and a wattle for a playful touch. Once assembled, the turkey makes a charming decoration perfect for Thanksgiving displays or kids’ craft projects.
16. Kids Finger Puppet from Artsy Momma

This craft project guides you through creating a turkey finger puppet using simple materials like cardstock, artificial leaves, and googly eyes. The finished puppet fits on two fingers, allowing for playful storytelling and imaginative Thanksgiving fun.
The process involves cutting shapes for the turkey’s body and head, adding feathers, and assembling facial features including a beak and eyes. Once complete, the puppet can be worn for interactive play, making it a charming seasonal activity for kids.
15. Paper Fan Turkey from A Girl and A Glue Gun

This craft project involves creating colorful paper turkeys using folded strips of fall-colored paper. The folded strips are layered from smallest to biggest to form a fan-shaped tail, which is then attached to a simple turkey body made from paper.
The activity encourages creativity by varying fold sizes to change the turkey’s bulk and size. Finished turkeys can be personalized with name tags and used as festive place cards for Thanksgiving tables.
14. Fingerprint and Handprint Craft from Crafty Morning

This craft activity invites children to create colorful turkeys using their fingerprints and handprints. By painting their thumbs and fingers in autumn colors, kids can stamp shapes onto paper that resemble turkey feathers and bodies, adding details like googly eyes, beaks, and legs for a fun, festive look.
The project encourages sensory play and creativity while celebrating Thanksgiving traditions. It’s simple enough for young children to enjoy independently or with minimal assistance, making it ideal for classrooms or family gatherings during the holiday season.
13. Treat Bags from Artsy Fartsy Mama

These Thanksgiving Turkey Treat Bags offer a creative way to make festive, handcrafted treat holders perfect for holiday gatherings or gifts. The design includes a foldable turkey body with colorful feathers, feet, and facial features that can be assembled around a small bag of treats.
The project is kid-friendly and encourages customization through coloring and decorating the turkey parts before assembly. Once completed, these treat bags can serve as charming place settings or thoughtful tokens to share with family, friends, or teachers during Thanksgiving celebrations.
12. Paper Headbands from Sew Woodsy

These Turkey Paper Headbands offer a quick and simple craft project that kids can enjoy making for Thanksgiving. Using card stock and basic supplies like double-sided tape, the headbands come together in minutes and feature colorful feathers, eyes, and a beak to create a festive turkey look.
The project encourages creativity and can be adapted with different colors or materials, making it suitable for group activities or solo crafting. A printable template is available for those without cutting machines, allowing for easy hand-cutting and assembly.
11. 3D Paper Craft from Kids Craft Room

This craft features a colorful, three-dimensional paper turkey with a distinctive round pot belly made from interwoven paper strips. The turkey’s tail feathers fan out brightly, creating a cheerful and tactile project that children can easily assemble using a printable template.
The activity encourages fine motor skills through cutting, folding, and gluing various paper pieces to build the turkey’s body and features. It offers multiple template options, including traceable, color-in, and pre-colored versions, making it accessible for different ages and skill levels.
10. Free Printable Template for Paper Turkeys from The Best Ideas for Kids

This turkey template offers two creative options for making a Thanksgiving-themed craft. Users can either cut out and assemble colorful paper pieces to build a 3D turkey or decorate a full-page turkey coloring sheet with crayons and other art supplies.
The template includes shapes for feathers, body parts, and facial features that can be traced onto cardstock or construction paper. Adding details like googly eyes and layering the pieces helps bring the turkey to life, making it a fun and hands-on project for kids.
9. Family Handprint Craft from Crafts by Amanda

This craft creates a colorful turkey using handprints from each family member, layered and glued together to form the feathers and body. It turns simple traced and cut construction paper hands into a charming keepsake that captures a moment in time.
The project is quick and easy, taking less than 15 minutes with minimal supplies needed. It’s perfect for families to make together and can be displayed as a festive decoration or given as a heartfelt gift to loved ones.
8. Paper Plate Thanksgiving Wreath from The Resourceful Mama

This craft creates a colorful turkey wreath using a painted paper plate and loops of red, orange, and yellow paper strips to mimic feathers. The turkey’s body is assembled from cut-out paper shapes with googly eyes and a pipe cleaner adds feet, giving the wreath a playful, three-dimensional look.
Once completed, the wreath makes a festive decoration perfect for Thanksgiving, suitable for hanging in a classroom or home. It offers a hands-on activity that encourages creativity and fine motor skills while celebrating the holiday.
7. Sponge Painted Turkey from The Resourceful Mama

This craft invites kids to create a colorful Thanksgiving turkey using a paper plate and sponge painting technique. The feathers are made by dabbing paint onto the plate with sponge strips, allowing for a fun mix of colors and textures.
Once the painted plate dries, a turkey body is cut from brown paper and glued to the plate’s bottom. Eyes, a beak, and a gobbler are added to complete the turkey’s face, resulting in a festive and hands-on holiday decoration.
6. Fork Painted Thanksgiving Craft from I Heart Arts and Crafts

This craft uses a simple fork stamping technique to create colorful turkey feathers on a paper plate. Kids can dip a fork into paint and press it onto the plate, layering red, orange, and yellow to mimic the look of feathers.
The turkey’s face is made from a brown cardstock circle with googly eyes and a beak glued on. Younger children can replace the cut-out face with a brown handprint for a fun, personalized touch.
5. Easy Paper Plate Craft from The Resourceful Mama

This craft involves transforming a simple paper plate into a colorful turkey by painting the plate’s rim to resemble feathers and decorating the center with eyes, a beak, and a gobbler.
It encourages creativity by allowing children to choose their own colors and add personal touches to their turkey designs.
The project uses basic supplies like paint, scissors, and paper, making it accessible for kids and adults to enjoy together. It also offers a hands-on activity that helps slow down the holiday rush and fosters quality family time through art.
4. Paper Plate Leaf Turkeys from Our Kid Things

This craft uses a painted paper plate as the base to create a festive turkey decorated with real fall leaves. Large googly eyes, a folded orange paper beak, and a red paper snood add charming details to bring the turkey to life.
The project encourages gathering freshly fallen leaves and assembling them around the plate’s edge to mimic feathers. It offers a hands-on way to celebrate the fall season and Thanksgiving while engaging kids in a simple, creative activity.
3. Coffee Filter Turkeys from Darby and Brian

This craft allows kids to create colorful turkeys using coffee filters, clothespins, and simple art supplies. The coffee filters are tie-dyed with washable markers and water, producing vibrant, blended feather patterns that dry into unique designs.
Children paint and assemble the turkeys by attaching googly eyes, foam beaks, and wattles to the clothespin bodies. The finished turkeys make charming decorations that can be displayed as place cards, banners, or fridge magnets for Thanksgiving celebrations.
2. Painted Pinecone from Live Craft Eat

This craft features charming turkeys made from painted pinecones, where the natural scales become vibrant feathers in shades of red, yellow, and orange. Small pom poms, googly eyes, and felt pieces form the turkey’s face, creating a playful and festive decoration.
The project uses simple materials like pinecones, paint, and glue, making it accessible for kids and adults alike. These pinecone turkeys can serve as cute Thanksgiving table decorations or place card holders, adding a handmade touch to holiday celebrations.
1. Windsocks from Happiness is Homemade

This craft creates a charming turkey windsock using a recycled tin can, ribbons, and simple craft supplies like paint, googly eyes, and feathers or paper for the tail.
The can is painted and decorated to resemble a turkey, with ribbon streamers attached to the bottom to catch the wind and add movement.
The project encourages creativity by allowing different materials to be mixed and matched for the turkey’s feathers and details. It results in a festive decoration that can be hung outdoors or indoors, adding a playful touch to Thanksgiving celebrations.