Families across the US gather together, share a special meal and talk about all the things they’re grateful for.
After the big meal, why not come together and make this paper plate turkey craft? It’s a simple way to build special family memories and get the kids thinking about their blessings!
Read or watch our step-by-step video tutorial below to see how easy it is to make with your kids.
Making a paper plate turkey is a fun and easy Thanksgiving craft idea for kids. With just a few simple materials like a paper plate, paint, and construction paper, you can create an adorable turkey decoration or centerpiece.
This paper plate turkey craft is perfect for preschoolers and elementary students. It’s also a great way to keep young kids entertained while you cook Thanksgiving dinner! Follow the step-by-step instructions below to make this project.
Supplies Needed
To make the paper plate turkey, you will need:
- Paper plate
- Brown acrylic paint
- Colored construction paper or cardstock (brown, yellow, orange, red)
- Glue (glue stick or white school glue)
- Scissors
- Black marker or googly eyes
- Turkey craft template (printed out)
Step 1: Paint Paper Plate
Start by taking a sturdy paper plate and painting the entire front and back brown using acrylic paint. Make sure to cover the entire surface area so no white is showing.
Set aside and allow the painted paper plate to fully dry before moving to the next step. The drying time may take 30 minutes or more.
Step 2: Cut Out Turkey Parts
While the painted paper plate is drying, use the free printable turkey template to cut out the turkey parts from construction paper.
You’ll need to cut out:
- Turkey head
- Wattle (snood)
- Feet
- Tail feathers
Use brown orange, yellow and red construction paper. Cut along the outlines so each piece is ready to assemble.
Step 3: Assemble the Head
Once the paper plate is completely dry, you can start assembling the turkey head. Use glue to attach
- Googly eyes or draw eyes with marker near the top of the head
- Orange wattle (snood) under the eyes/beak area
- Brown beak below the wattle
Let the glue dry fully before moving on.
Step 4: Glue the Head to the Plate
Next, glue the completed turkey head to the paper plate. Turn the plate so one of the narrow ends is at the top.
Position the head near the top so there is enough room to add the body features below.
Press the head firmly to secure it to the plate. Allow a few minutes for it to set.
Step 5: Add the Feet and Tail
Use glue to attach the brown turkey feet cutouts at the opposite end of the paper plate, along the bottom edge.
Then, take the small tail feathers and glue them in a fan shape above the turkey feet.
Add as many tail feathers as you’d like, overlapping them and gluing in place.
Step 6: Draw on Details
Finally, use a black marker to add some details to your turkey. You can:
- Draw lines on the feathers to show texture
- Add dots or oval shapes on the wattle
- Draw small circles on the feet for toes
Add any other details you think would make your turkey craft look complete! Then let the glue fully dry before displaying your paper plate turkey.
Turkey Craft Variations
There are all kinds of ways to customize this paper plate turkey craft:
- Use real feathers instead of cut paper for the tail
- Add wiggle eyes instead of drawing them
- Create beaks and feet out of orange and brown modeling clay
- Glue on fall leaves around the turkey’s body
- Use glitter, sequins, pom poms to add texture
- Make the turkey different colors like blue, pink, or purple
You can make a individual turkey or have kids make several turkeys and turn it into a turkey family craft. Display your paper plate turkeys as part of your Thanksgiving table decor!
Turn into Thankful Turkey
To turn this into a thankful turkey craft, have kids write what they are grateful for on the turkey’s feathers. Use a black marker to jot down messages like:
- I’m thankful for my family
- I’m thankful for my teacher
- I’m thankful for pizza
- I’m thankful for my cat
Younger kids can also draw pictures of things they are grateful for. Make it into a gratitude activity by having the kids share what they wrote with the family.
Turkey Craft Tips
Here are some helpful tips when creating paper plate turkeys with kids:
- Have kids wear old shirts or smocks to keep paint off clothes
- Cover work surface with newspaper or butcher paper
- Let kids choose their own construction paper colors
- Remind them to wait for glue to dry between steps
- Write names on the back so they know which turkey is theirs
- For younger kids, cut out the pieces beforehand
- Use washable school glue in case of spills
- Give them cotton swabs for precision gluing
More Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
Looking for more Thanksgiving craft ideas? Here are some fun projects perfect for November:
- Handprint turkey
- Clothespin turkey decoration
- Toilet paper roll pilgrim hats
- Indian corn craft with real popcorn
- Mayflower shipcraft from milk carton
- Find the matching turkey feather game
- Glittery turkey footprint keepsake
- Paper bag turkey puppet
Let the kids unleash their creativity and make something unique to celebrate Thanksgiving! Arts and crafts are a great way to teach them about the holiday.
So try out this easy paper plate turkey craft and enjoy an afternoon of crafting with the kids. Then display their adorable turkeys for a fun Thanksgiving decoration!
Thankful Turkey Craft Idea
As moms, we’re always trying to find ways to help our children recognize the abundance of blessings present in their lives.
With young kids, it’s not always easy, but this turkey craft can help!
If you want to turn this craft into a gratitude turkey, all you need to do is add the things your child is thankful for onto the turkey’s feathers.
We used a black sharpie, but you can use whatever you have at home.
Sometimes it’s hard for kids to answer the question, “What are you thankful for?”, so we thought we’d give you a list of a few questions that may help your child think of things in a new way.
Ask them questions like:
- What’s your favorite toy?
- What’s your favorite thing to do?
- What made you smile today?
- What’s the best thing about your house/room?
- Who do you like spending time with?
- What’s your favorite food?
Hopefully, these questions will get the ball rolling and your child thinking of all the amazing blessings they have in their life!
This craft would be perfect for the kids to do while Thanksgiving dinner is being cooked. It’ll keep them occupied and then during dinner, they’ll be able to share with the family all the things they’re thankful for!
Turkey Craft For Preschoolers
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, and are great for a wide variety of young children.
If your kids love paper plate crafts where they paint, they’ll especially love this turkey craft.
- Paper plate
- Brown acrylic paint
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Glue stick
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Paper plate turkey craft template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)
Download the turkey craft template, print, and cut out the pieces.
Paint the paper plate brown and let dry completely.
Glue the turkey wing in the center of the paper plate.
Assemble the turkey head by gluing the eyes towards the top of the head.
Glue the snood onto the beak, then use scissors to trim the excess off.
Glue the beak onto the head, just below the eyes.
Glue the completed turkey head onto the paper plate.
Position the feathers along the backside of the paper plate and glue them in place.
Place the feet at the bottom of the paper plate and glue them in place.
That’s all the steps to make a simple Thanksgiving craft for kids!
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This craft is so simple and works great for toddlers (with help of course), preschoolers and kindergarten children.
Inside the template download, there are two different versions. One is for home use with just a couple of kids. You’ll print it out on white card stock, then trace the pieces onto the colored card stock of your choice.
The other version has multiple copies of the same piece all organized by the colored paper it should be printed on.
This type is great for doing in classrooms, daycares, and library storytime. You’ll just print it out directly onto the colored card stock. The kids won’t need to trace any pieces and they’ll only have to cut them out one time.