Easy Fun Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts for Toddlers to Make
As the holiday season approaches, it's the time of year to bring out the crafting supplies and get creative with kids of all ages. Crafting not only ignites imagination but also fosters bonding moments and quality time between parents, teachers, and children. Thanksgiving, with its rich history and traditions, offers the perfect opportunity to engage kids in DIY projects and easy Thanksgiving crafts that celebrate gratitude and creativity.
Gobble Up Fun: DIY Turkey Themed Crafts for Kids
In this blog post, we'll explore why crafting is especially fun during the Thanksgiving holidays, how teachers and parents can utilize these crafts to enhance learning experiences, tips on explaining Thanksgiving to kids, and a delightful list of turkey-themed crafts sure to keep little hands busy and hearts full of joy.
Why Crafting Is Fun at the Thanksgiving Holidays:
The holidays are a magical time filled with warmth, joy, and anticipation and so much fun. Crafting during this season adds an extra layer of excitement and creativity. It's a chance for kids to express themselves, explore their artistic abilities, and create cherished keepsakes. Engaging in DIY projects also encourages mindfulness and relaxation, providing a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday rush. Plus, the sense of accomplishment from completing a craft project boosts confidence and self-esteem in children, making them feel proud of their creations.
How Teachers and Parents Can Use These Turkey Thanksgiving Crafts:
Crafting isn't just about making pretty decorations; it's also an excellent educational tool. Teachers and parents can integrate these turkey-themed crafts into lesson plans or holiday activities to teach children about gratitude, history, and cultural traditions. Fun Thanksgiving craft options can be adapted to suit various age groups and learning styles, making them versatile teaching aids. Additionally, crafting promotes fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive development in young children, making it a valuable learning experience beyond the art table.
Displaying Thanksgiving turkey crafts created by children is a wonderful way to showcase their creativity and celebrate the holiday spirit. Here are some ideas for how teachers and parents can display these crafts:
Bulletin Board Display:
Create a dedicated bulletin board in the classroom or at home specifically for showcasing Thanksgiving turkey crafts.
Arrange the turkey crafts in a visually appealing manner, perhaps in a flock formation or surrounding a central theme like "Thankfulness" or "Gobble Gobble!"
Add decorative elements such as fall leaves, pumpkins, or cornucopias to enhance the display.
String Garland:
Attach a piece of string or twine across a wall or fireplace mantel.
Use clothespins or paper clips to hang the turkey crafts along the string, creating a festive garland.
Mix in other Thanksgiving-themed decorations like paper leaves or acorns for added flair.
Window Display:
Arrange the turkey crafts on a windowsill or windows around the classroom or home.
Use double-sided tape or removable adhesive hooks to secure the crafts to the window glass.
The natural light shining through the window will highlight the vibrant colors of the turkey crafts.
Tabletop Centerpiece:
Place a large tray or shallow basket in the center of a table.
Arrange the turkey crafts in the tray or basket, stacking them if necessary to create layers.
Surround the centerpiece with additional Thanksgiving decorations like candles, gourds, or mini pumpkins.
Classroom or Home Door Decor:
Hang a decorative wreath on the classroom or home door as a base.
Attach the turkey crafts to the wreath using ribbon or floral wire, interspersing them with fall foliage or bows.
This welcoming display will greet students or guests with a cheerful Thanksgiving theme.
Interactive Display:
Create an interactive display where children can contribute their own turkey crafts throughout the holiday season.
Set up a large poster board or blank canvas with a turkey outline drawn on it.
Provide feathers, construction paper, and other craft materials nearby for children to create and attach their own turkey feathers to the outline.
Classroom Gallery Walk:
Host a classroom gallery walk where students can showcase their turkey crafts to their peers and families.
Set up easels, tables, or designated areas around the classroom where each child's turkey craft can be displayed with a name tag or description.
By displaying Thanksgiving turkey crafts in creative and engaging ways, teachers and parents can foster a sense of pride and accomplishment in children while adding a festive touch to their learning environment or home décor.
Explaining Thanksgiving to Kids:
Thanksgiving is more than just a feast; it's a time to reflect on the blessings in our lives and show appreciation for the people and things we hold dear. When explaining Thanksgiving to kids, it's essential to keep the conversation age-appropriate and focus on the themes of gratitude, sharing, and community. Use simple language and interactive activities to help children understand the significance of the holiday. Simple crafts, such as making gratitude journals or creating a thankful tree, can reinforce these concepts in a fun and engaging way and provide adorable Thanksgiving decorations for years to come.
There are so many easy and fun craft ideas for Thanksgiving to enjoy with your children, grandchildren or classroom! These Free Printable Thanksgiving Place Mat printables are perfect to keep kids busy while waiting for the Thanksgiving meal to be ready! I love doing this Free Kids Handprint Easy Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving and seeing how much their hands have grown each year. 9 DIY Acorn Crafts for Kids Easy Thanksgiving and Fall are a fun way to gather items from the yard and get crafty! DIY Thanksgiving Clay Pot Turkey Craft makes a great gift for grandparents too!
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List of Turkey Themed Crafts:
Coffee Filter Turkey Craft - This Easy Thanksgiving craft is perfect for kids of all ages. Coffee filters and clothespins will easily transform into the cutest Thanksgiving Turkeys ever! Grab your children or host a play date this month to get to crafting for these easy and fun Thanksgiving craft! Best of all, this coffee filter Thanksgiving craft is super cheap to gather and perfect for saving for future year’s decor! This little turkey also doubles as an adorable Thanksgiving place cards for Thanksgiving dinner. It is such a great way for young kids to be included in prepping for Thanksgiving Day and feel included, and to add a cute Turkey craft as Thanksgiving decorations ad place settings for your table.
2. Turkey Clay Pot Thanksgiving Craft - Turkey craft ideas are not only fun ideas but also Thanksgiving decoration for the table or a shelf during this fall season. Take an everyday clay pot and make it a cute little turkey craft. Thanksgiving turkeys are a fun craft for kids of all ages. Spruce up your Thanksgiving table and make this terra cotta pot turkey a cute addition! Create these DIY Thanksgiving Clay Pot Turkeys with older kids in just about 30 minutes with measuring, tracing and cutting help from the kiddos! I promise you will love making these Thanksgiving clay pot crafts. These are the cutest turkey crafts and great for your favorite shelf. Younger children may need some help but they can work on fine motor skills and assist with various steps for this fun turkey crafts! Be sure to take a Thanksgiving clay pot turkey photo and send it to all of your friends, they are going to be so jealous by your great craft! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your turkeys! Now lets get crafting with this fun activity.
3. Cute Turkey Toilet Paper Roll Craft - This cute toilet paper roll turkey craft for kids is the perfect project to celebrate Thanksgiving. Minimal craft supplies needed for this easy craft of adorable turkeys and takes 15 minutes total. Every family has toilet paper rolls around and you can make a ton of these cute turkeys for place settings. These are one of my favorite easy turkey crafts to do as a room parent, especially if you are in a little pinch on time or resources. Allow children to personalize their toilet paper turkey with different colors for turkey's feathers! Even younger kids will need little help which is great fine motor skills practice.
4. Thanksgiving Footprint Art - This Thanksgiving footprint art project is the perfect Thanksgiving keepsake craft. It is excellent for infants up to elementary age and makes a great gift for families, parents, and others that are special in a child’s life. Little kids think this turkey handprint craft and activity is a lot of fun because they get messy, and loved ones get a cute turkey to hold onto for years.
5. Handprint Turkey Paper Bag Turkey Puppets - This turkey paper bag puppet craft for kids is a simple, thanksgiving craft for kids to make. It can be made by children ages 2 and up and decorated as much or as little as desired. The perfect fall craft for kids! To complete this easy Thanksgiving turkey craft you will need a brown paper lunch bag, construction paper in many colors, and optional googly eyes and crayons/markers. It uses materials you probably already have around the house and takes minimal time to throw together.
6. Cute Little Turkeys Hat Craft - This turkey hat craft can be used in so many ways! Write about things you are thankful for this Fall, create an adorable turkey name craft, or use it as a fun Thanksgiving hat craft before the Fall break. You’ll love that the supplies for this turkey hat craft can be found around your house or classroom. An easy peasy simple turkey craft that will be sure to have 2-6 year olds very excited to wear! Or work on these for the entire family and wear on Thanksgiving!
7. Thanksgiving Thankful Turkey Activity - This is an excellent activity to help them think about things they are thankful for while building up excitement for the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you find this “I Am Thankful For” printable as a great way to create an attitude of gratitude in your home or classroom. Parents and teachers will enjoy the free printable template.
8. Thanksgiving Paper Plate Turkey - Paper plate crafts are some of kids’ favorite activities because they love seeing something ordinary transform into a cool new art project! Moms love them because they’re simple, only require a few supplies like plates, and are great for a wide variety of young children. Paper plate turkeys are great construction paper crafts that are good to do at a family thanksgiving activities. Colorful turkey feathers are fun to add on these best turkey crafts and have kids individualize each turkey.
Here's a list of Thanksgiving craft and art supplies to have on hand for your fun turkey crafts sessions:
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Use various colors to create turkey feathers, beaks, and other decorative elements.
Extra white paper and scrap paper can be handy for sketching ideas or creating additional elements.
Add texture and dimension to crafts by using tissue paper for feathers or as a background for turkey-themed projects.
Opt for cardstock for sturdier crafts like cards or decorations that need a stronger base.
Both liquid glue and glue sticks are essential for securely sticking paper, feathers, googly eyes, and other embellishments onto crafts.
Child-safe scissors are perfect for the little ones, while regular scissors are suitable for adults or older children for cutting paper, feathers, and other materials.
Provide a variety of colors for decorating and adding details to crafts, such as drawing turkey faces or coloring in feathers.
Acrylic or washable paints and paintbrushes are ideal for painting pinecones, leaves, or other craft materials for turkey-themed projects.
These are essential for adding personality and whimsy to turkey crafts and other creations.
Gather colorful feathers to use as turkey tail feathers or other decorative accents, adding a vibrant touch to crafts.
Pinecones:
Collect pinecones from outdoors to use as the base for pinecone turkeys, providing a natural and rustic element to crafts.
Pipe Cleaners:
Use pipe cleaners for creating turkey legs, antlers, or other 3D elements in crafts, adding depth and texture to the finished pieces.
Fall Leaves:
Gather colorful fall leaves to paint or use as decorations in leaf-themed crafts, incorporating the beauty of the season into your projects.
These can be used for creating fluffy turkey bodies or clouds in craft projects, adding softness and texture to the finished creations.
Perfect for making wreaths, masks, or other circular-shaped crafts, providing a versatile base for turkey-themed projects.
Use felt for making finger puppets, ornaments, or other fabric-based crafts, adding warmth and texture to your creations.
Add a festive touch to crafts by incorporating ribbons or string for hanging ornaments or creating garlands, enhancing the overall presentation of your projects.
Use brown paper bags as a base for turkey crafts, such as making puppets or creating textured backgrounds.
Toilet Paper Rolls:
Repurpose toilet paper rolls for making turkey bodies or as a base for other craft elements, providing a cost-effective and eco-friendly material option.
A craft stick can be used as handles for puppets, as the structure for 3D crafts, or as part of creative storytelling props, adding versatility to your crafting options.
With these supplies on hand, you'll have everything you need to create a wide range of turkey-themed crafts that are sure to delight kids and adults alike!
By having these supplies on hand, you'll be well-prepared to dive into a fun and creative Thanksgiving crafting session with kids!
Crafting with kids during the holidays is a delightful way to celebrate the season and create lasting memories. Whether you're a teacher looking to enhance classroom activities or a parent seeking fun-filled family projects, these turkey-themed crafts are sure to inspire creativity and laughter. As we gather together to give thanks and celebrate the blessings in our lives, let's embrace the joy of crafting and the spirit of Thanksgiving with open hearts and grateful hands. Gobble up the fun and let your imagination soar!
