Looking for a fun and easy paper plate turkey craft to make with your kids this Thanksgiving? I created this adorable turkey craft with a free printable template to make crafting simple for parents, homeschool families, and teachers!
With just a paper plate, some paint, and a few basic craft supplies, children can create their very own colorful Thanksgiving turkey. The printable template includes everything needed to decorate their turkey, including feathers, wings, eyes, a beak, a wattle, and feet.
I love crafts that are easy to prepare but still give children plenty of opportunities to be creative. This Thanksgiving turkey craft is a wonderful way to practice coloring, cutting, and gluing while celebrating the fall season.
Whether you’re planning a Thanksgiving classroom activity, putting together a homeschool lesson, or looking for a creative afternoon project, this simple paper plate turkey is sure to be a fun addition to your November activities!
Why Kids Will Love This Paper Plate Turkey Craft
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to bring seasonal crafts into your learning activities, and this paper plate turkey craft is both adorable and easy to make!
One of my favorite things about this project is that children can personalize their turkeys however they like. They can use traditional fall colors such as red, orange, yellow, and brown or choose bright rainbow colors for a completely unique turkey.
Here are a few reasons I think this Thanksgiving craft is a great choice for preschoolers and elementary students.
An Easy Thanksgiving Craft With Simple Supplies
You don’t need expensive materials or complicated instructions to create something fun!
This turkey craft uses a regular paper plate as the body, making it an affordable activity for families and classrooms. Most of the supplies are probably already in your craft collection.
The printable turkey template also makes preparation easier because children won’t need to draw or measure their own feathers, wings, or facial features.
Helps Develop Fine Motor Skills
Crafting is a wonderful way for children to practice important fine motor skills while having fun.
As children color the feathers, cut around the template pieces, and glue everything together, they’re strengthening the small muscles in their hands that are important for writing and other everyday activities.
This craft gives children opportunities to practice:
- Coloring within outlined shapes
- Cutting along curved and straight lines
- Using glue to attach small pieces
- Coordinating hand and eye movements
- Arranging and positioning objects
For younger preschoolers who aren’t quite ready to cut independently, I recommend preparing the smaller pieces ahead of time.
Encourages Creativity and Self-Expression
Although I’ve included instructions for creating a traditional Thanksgiving turkey, there’s no reason every turkey needs to look exactly the same!
Children can experiment with different feather colors, create patterns, or even add their own decorations.
I think allowing children to make creative choices is one of the best parts of any craft activity. The finished turkeys will each have their own personality!
Supplies Needed for Your Paper Plate Turkey Craft
Before getting started, gather a few basic supplies. I’ve designed this printable turkey craft to be simple enough for home or classroom use.
Supplies:
- Free printable turkey craft template (available below)
- One round paper plate
- Brown craft paint
- Paintbrush
- Crayons or markers
- Scissors
- Glue
Optional supplies:
- Cardstock for sturdier template pieces
- Washable paint for easier cleanup
- A protective table covering
- Additional decorations, such as glitter or stickers
I recommend using washable paint when crafting with younger children. It makes cleanup a little easier, especially when working with a group.
You can also print the turkey template onto cardstock if you’d like the feathers and other pieces to be a little sturdier.
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How to Make a Paper Plate Turkey Craft Step by Step
Ready to make your turkey? Follow these simple instructions to create a colorful Thanksgiving decoration using your free printable turkey craft template.
Step 1: Print Your Free Turkey Craft Template
Start by printing both pages of the turkey craft template onto white paper.
The printable includes eight feathers, two wings, two eyes, a beak, a wattle, and two feet.
I recommend printing the template before starting so children can begin coloring while you prepare the rest of the supplies.
Step 2: Paint the Paper Plate Brown
Using a paintbrush, paint the front of a round paper plate brown.
Make sure to cover the plate evenly, including the raised edges.
Set the paper plate aside and allow the paint to dry completely before attaching any of the turkey pieces.
If you’re making this craft with a classroom, painting the plates ahead of time can help make the activity go more smoothly.
Step 3: Color the Turkey Feathers
While the paper plate is drying, have children color the eight feathers included in the printable template.
Traditional Thanksgiving colors work beautifully for this craft!
Try using:
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Brown
- Gold
- Green
Children can color each feather a different color or create repeating patterns.
For an extra learning opportunity, encourage children to identify the colors they’re using or count the feathers as they finish coloring.
Step 4: Color the Turkey’s Face, Wings, and Feet
Next, color the remaining turkey pieces.
For a traditional turkey, I suggest coloring the wings brown, the beak and feet orange, and the wattle red.
The eyes are already designed with black pupils, so children can leave the white areas uncolored.
Of course, children can always choose their own colors if they’d like to create a more imaginative turkey!
Step 5: Cut Out All the Turkey Pieces
Carefully cut around each feather, wing, eye, beak, wattle, and foot.
Encourage children to follow the thick black outlines as closely as they can.
This is a great opportunity for children to practice scissor skills, especially when cutting around the curved feathers.
Younger children may need assistance with some of the smaller pieces.
Step 6: Attach the Colorful Turkey Feathers
Once the paper plate has dried, arrange the eight feathers in a fan shape behind the top half of the plate.
Position the feathers so their colorful ends extend above and around the turkey’s body.
Glue the small tabs at the ends of the feathers to the back of the paper plate.
I recommend arranging all the feathers before gluing so children can experiment with the colors and spacing.
Step 7: Make the Turkey’s Face
Now it’s time to give your turkey a face!
Glue the two eyes near the center of the paper plate.
Next, attach the orange beak just below the eyes.
Finally, glue the red wattle slightly to one side of the beak.
Your turkey is starting to come together!
Step 8: Glue on the Turkey Wings
Attach one brown wing to each side of the paper plate.
Position the wings so they extend slightly outward from the turkey’s body.
Press them gently into place and allow the glue to set.
Step 9: Add the Turkey’s Feet
Glue the two orange feet to the back of the bottom edge of the paper plate.
Make sure the feet extend below the plate so they’re visible from the front.
Step 10: Let Your Thanksgiving Turkey Dry
Allow all the glue to dry completely before moving or displaying the finished craft.
Your colorful paper plate turkey is now ready to decorate your home, classroom, or Thanksgiving bulletin board!
Fun Ways to Use Your Thanksgiving Turkey Craft
Once children finish their paper plate turkeys, there are plenty of creative ways to use them beyond a simple craft activity.
Here are a few ideas I think parents and teachers will enjoy.
Create a Thanksgiving Classroom Bulletin Board
Turn your students’ finished turkeys into a colorful Thanksgiving bulletin board!
Display each turkey with the child’s name and add a fun heading such as “We’re Thankful for Our Little Turkeys!”
This is a wonderful way to celebrate each child’s creativity while adding some festive decorations to your classroom.
Make a Thanksgiving Gratitude Display
Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to introduce children to the importance of gratitude.
After finishing their turkey crafts, ask children to think about something they’re thankful for.
They can write their answers on small pieces of paper and display them alongside their turkeys.
For younger children, you can write down their responses while they share their ideas aloud.
Decorate Your Thanksgiving Dinner Table
These adorable paper plate turkeys can also make fun Thanksgiving decorations!
Children can place their finished crafts around the dining room or create a special display for family members to enjoy.
You could even attach a child’s name to each turkey and use them as personalized decorations near their place settings.
Educational Activities to Pair With Your Paper Plate Turkey Craft
I love finding ways to combine seasonal crafts with meaningful learning activities.
Although this paper plate turkey craft is fun on its own, it can also be used to introduce early math, literacy, and science concepts.
Practice Counting and Number Recognition
The printable turkey template includes eight feathers, making it a great opportunity to practice counting.
Before attaching the feathers, have children count them aloud.
You can also ask simple questions such as:
- How many feathers does your turkey have?
- How many orange feathers did you color?
- How many red feathers do you see?
- If we add one more feather, how many will there be?
For older children, use the feathers to introduce simple addition and subtraction problems.
Create Color Patterns With Turkey Feathers
Before gluing the feathers onto the paper plate, encourage children to arrange them in repeating color patterns.
For example, they could create a red, yellow, red, yellow pattern or try a more challenging three-color pattern.
This simple activity introduces early pattern recognition and helps children practice sequencing skills.
Learn About the Parts of a Turkey
This craft is also a fun way to introduce children to basic turkey anatomy.
As they assemble their turkeys, talk about the different body parts, including the feathers, wings, beak, wattle, and feet.
You can explain that a turkey’s wattle is the loose skin that hangs beneath its beak.
For an additional learning activity, have children draw a turkey and label its different body parts.
Practice Thanksgiving Vocabulary
Use your craft time to introduce seasonal vocabulary words.
Some fun words to explore include turkey, feathers, Thanksgiving, harvest, autumn, thankful, and gratitude.
Children can practice saying the words, identifying beginning sounds, or using them in simple sentences.
Older students can write a short story about their turkey or describe what makes their turkey special.
Thanksgiving Books to Read With Your Turkey Craft
Pairing a good picture book with a hands-on craft is one of my favorite ways to build themed learning activities.
Reading a Thanksgiving or turkey-themed story before making your paper plate turkey helps introduce the topic and gives children an opportunity to connect the story with their creative project.
Here are a few wonderful books to consider.
Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
In Turkey Trouble, Turkey realizes that Thanksgiving is approaching and decides he needs a clever disguise to avoid becoming dinner!
This funny story is perfect for introducing Thanksgiving-themed activities.
After reading, children can create their paper plate turkeys and imagine what disguises their turkeys might wear.
How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace
How to Catch a Turkey follows a turkey who escapes just before a school Thanksgiving play, leading to a hilarious chase.
This entertaining story is a fun choice for preschool and elementary students.
After reading, ask children to describe how they would catch a turkey or what they think their turkey would do if it escaped.
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
In this sweet Thanksgiving story, Mrs. Moose wants a turkey to join her family’s holiday celebration.
The story offers a wonderful opportunity to talk about friendship, kindness, and including others.
Children can create their turkey crafts afterward and share what they’re thankful for.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! by Lucille Colandro
This silly Thanksgiving story follows the Old Lady as she swallows an assortment of unusual items.
It’s a fun book for practicing sequencing and recalling story events.
After reading, children can make their paper plate turkeys and talk about the different things that happened in the story.
More Fun Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities for Kids
If you’re planning a full week of Thanksgiving activities, this paper plate turkey craft is a great starting point!
I recommend combining it with other hands-on projects and printable learning activities to keep children engaged throughout November.
Make a Thanksgiving Gratitude Tree
A gratitude tree is a wonderful companion activity for your paper plate turkey craft.
Cut a tree trunk and branches from brown construction paper, then create colorful paper leaves.
Have children write or draw something they’re thankful for on each leaf.
Attach the leaves to the tree to create a beautiful Thanksgiving gratitude display.
This activity is especially meaningful when paired with a story about thankfulness.
Create a Turkey Disguise Drawing Activity
Encourage children to imagine that their turkey needs a disguise!
Provide a blank turkey drawing and ask children to turn it into something completely different.
Their turkey could become a superhero, a firefighter, a princess, or even a pumpkin.
Once they’ve finished decorating their turkeys, invite them to explain why they think their disguises would work.
This is a fun way to encourage creativity, storytelling, and early writing skills.
More Free Thanksgiving Printables for Kids
Looking for even more Thanksgiving activities?
I’ve created a variety of free printable worksheets and activities that are perfect for adding to your November homeschool lessons, classroom centers, or holiday celebrations.
Here are a few Thanksgiving printables you might enjoy:
- Free Thanksgiving Planner: Organize your Thanksgiving celebration with printable planning pages.
- Thanksgiving Word Search: Help children practice vocabulary and word recognition with a fun holiday word search.
- Thanksgiving Word Scramble: Challenge students to unscramble Thanksgiving-themed words.
- Fall Coloring Pages: Enjoy a relaxing coloring activity featuring seasonal designs.
- Fall Roll and Cover Games: Practice counting and number recognition with fun printable dice games.
These activities are great for keeping children learning while enjoying the excitement of the Thanksgiving season.
I recommend choosing a combination of crafts, literacy activities, and math games to create a balanced Thanksgiving learning experience.
Tips for Making This Turkey Paper Plate Craft With Preschoolers
If you’re making this craft with preschoolers or younger children, a little preparation can make the experience much easier.
Here are a few tips to help everything go smoothly.
Prepare the materials ahead of time. Print the templates, gather the supplies, and cover your workspace before beginning.
Paint the plates in advance if needed. Since the brown paint needs time to dry, you can prepare the paper plates earlier so children can focus on coloring and assembling their turkeys.
Help with difficult cutting. The smaller facial features and curved feather shapes may be challenging for younger children. Consider cutting these pieces ahead of time.
Use glue sticks for lightweight paper pieces. Glue sticks can be easier for young children to control, although liquid school glue may work better for attaching pieces to the painted plate.
Encourage independence. Let children choose their own feather colors and arrange the pieces themselves whenever possible.
Most importantly, remember that the goal isn’t to create a perfect turkey. It’s to give children an opportunity to learn, explore, and enjoy making something of their own!
Pin This Paper Plate Turkey Craft for Later!
Planning your Thanksgiving crafts and activities?
Be sure to save this easy paper plate turkey craft to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it again when you’re ready for some festive crafting!
It’s a wonderful activity for Thanksgiving classroom parties, preschool craft time, homeschool lessons, and creative afternoons at home.
You can also share it with other parents and teachers who are looking for simple Thanksgiving crafts with free printable templates.
Get Your Free Paper Plate Turkey Craft Template Here!
Ready to make your own adorable Thanksgiving turkey?
I’ve created this free printable paper plate turkey craft template to make your Thanksgiving crafting easy and fun!
The download includes two printable template pages with all the pieces needed to assemble your turkey, including:
- Eight turkey feathers
- Two wings
- Two eyes
- One beak
- One wattle
- Two feet
Simply enter your email address in the form below and click the download button.
Your free turkey craft template will open instantly after you click the download button!
You can print the pages, gather your craft supplies, and start creating your colorful Thanksgiving turkey right away.
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Final Thoughts on This Easy Paper Plate Turkey Craft
I hope you and your children enjoy making this adorable paper plate turkey craft!
Thanksgiving crafts are such a fun way to combine creativity, learning, and seasonal celebrations, and I especially love projects that don’t require a long list of supplies.
With a simple paper plate and my free printable turkey template, children can create a colorful Thanksgiving decoration while practicing important fine motor skills.
Whether you’re crafting with preschoolers, kindergarten students, or older children, I hope this little turkey brings some extra fun to your November activities.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy crafting!
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