Looking for a fun and easy Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft to go along with your Thanksgiving read-aloud? This adorable cut-and-paste craft is a wonderful way to bring the silly story to life while giving preschoolers and kindergarten students a chance to practice their coloring, cutting, and gluing skills!
If you’re familiar with There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! by Lucille Colandro, you know just how funny this Thanksgiving story can be. Kids love discovering all the unusual things the old lady swallows, making it a wonderful book to pair with hands-on activities.
I created this free Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft template featuring the old lady with her wide-open mouth, a colorful turkey, and her checkered shirt. Once assembled, it looks like she’s getting ready to swallow the turkey!
This Thanksgiving craft is easy to prepare, requires only a few basic supplies, and works wonderfully for homeschool lessons, classroom activities, literacy centers, and Thanksgiving celebrations.
Be sure to enter your email in the form near the end of this post to get your FREE printable craft template!
Why Kids Will Love This Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Craft
One of my favorite things about creating book-inspired crafts is finding ways to make reading more interactive. Instead of simply listening to a story, children can create something that connects directly to the characters and events.
This Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft is especially fun because kids get to put together the silly old lady and her turkey.
Here are a few reasons I think this craft makes a wonderful Thanksgiving activity:
- Fine Motor Skills: Coloring, cutting, and gluing help children strengthen the small muscles in their hands.
- Story Comprehension: Creating the old lady and turkey encourages children to remember characters and events from the story.
- Creativity: Kids can choose their own colors for the turkey’s feathers, the old lady’s hair, and her checkered shirt.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: Cutting around the craft pieces and positioning them together provides valuable practice.
- Following Directions: Assembling the craft gives children an opportunity to practice completing a project step by step.
I also love that this activity can be adapted for different ages. Younger children may need help cutting out the pieces, while older preschoolers and kindergarten students can work more independently.
Supplies Needed for Your Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Craft
You won’t need anything fancy to make this Thanksgiving craft! Most of these supplies are probably already in your classroom or craft cabinet.
Supplies:
- Free Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft template (download below)
- White printer paper or cardstock
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue stick
- Construction paper (optional, for mounting)
I recommend printing the template on white cardstock if you’d like a sturdier craft, especially if you plan to display the finished projects on a bulletin board.
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How to Make the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Craft
This craft is simple enough for preschoolers and kindergarten students, with a little help when needed.
Step 1: Print the Free Thanksgiving Craft Template
Start by downloading and printing the free craft template on white paper or cardstock.
The printable includes the old lady’s head, her arms, a checkered shirt, and an adorable turkey with feathers.
Step 2: Color the Craft Pieces
Have children color all the pieces before cutting them out.
They can use gray for the old lady’s hair, pink and orange for her checkered shirt, and bright fall colors for the turkey’s feathers.
Encourage children to get creative with their colors. There’s no need for every turkey to look the same!
Step 3: Cut Out the Pieces
Carefully cut around the outside of each craft piece.
Younger children may need assistance with some of the curved edges, especially around the turkey’s feathers and the old lady’s hair.
This is also a great opportunity to practice scissor skills.
Step 4: Assemble the Old Lady
Glue the old lady’s head to the top of her checkered shirt.
Next, attach her arms to the sides of the shirt, positioning her hands toward the center.
Step 5: Add the Turkey
Glue the turkey pieces together if needed, then position the turkey in front of the old lady’s wide-open mouth.
Finally, glue her hands over the sides of the turkey to make it look like she’s holding it!
Step 6: Let Dry and Display
Allow the glue to dry completely.
Your Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft is finished!
You can display the completed crafts on a Thanksgiving bulletin board, hang them around the classroom, or mount them on colorful construction paper.
I think these would make an adorable classroom display alongside the book!
Fun Learning Activities to Pair With Your Thanksgiving Craft
One of the best ways to extend a craft activity is to connect it to other learning opportunities.
Here are a few simple activities that pair wonderfully with this Thanksgiving story and craft.
Thanksgiving Story Retelling
After reading There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey!, encourage children to retell the story using their completed craft.
Ask questions such as:
- Who is the main character?
- What did the old lady swallow first?
- What other things did she swallow?
- What happened at the end of the story?
- Which part of the story was your favorite?
For younger children, you can help them recall the story by looking through the book together.
Turkey Feather Counting
Turn the turkey craft into a simple counting activity!
Have children count the feathers on their turkey and practice identifying the different colors.
You can also ask them to count the feathers of a particular color or create simple addition questions using the feathers.
This is a fun way to incorporate early math skills into your Thanksgiving lesson.
Thanksgiving Color Recognition
Before assembling the craft, have children identify the colors they used on their turkey.
Ask them to point to a red feather, find something orange, or name the colors they chose for the old lady’s shirt.
This simple activity works especially well for preschoolers who are still learning their colors.
Practice Story Sequencing
Story sequencing is another wonderful activity to pair with this Thanksgiving read-aloud.
After finishing the book, ask children to remember the order of the objects the old lady swallowed.
You can use picture cards, printable sequencing worksheets, or simply have children describe what happened first, next, and last.
Sequencing helps develop reading comprehension, memory, and early literacy skills.
Make It a Thanksgiving Literacy Lesson
If you’re planning a Thanksgiving-themed homeschool lesson or classroom activity, this craft can easily become part of a larger literacy unit.
I recommend starting with a read-aloud of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! and encouraging children to make predictions as you read.
Pause occasionally and ask what they think the old lady might swallow next.
After reading, discuss the characters, setting, and important events before introducing the craft.
Once children have finished assembling their old ladies, you can follow up with a sequencing worksheet, story comprehension questions, or a simple writing activity.
For kindergarten and first-grade students, try having them complete the sentence:
“If I were the old lady, I would swallow a ______.”
Children can draw a picture of their silly idea and write a sentence about it.
This is a fun way to encourage creative thinking while practicing early writing skills.
Thanksgiving Picture Books to Read With Your Craft
Pairing crafts with picture books is a wonderful way to make learning more engaging. If you’re planning a Thanksgiving unit, here are a few books I recommend adding to your reading list.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! by Lucille Colandro
This is the perfect book to pair with today’s craft!
The old lady is back with another silly adventure, swallowing a collection of Thanksgiving-themed objects. Children will enjoy the familiar repetitive text, humorous illustrations, and surprising ending.
It’s a wonderful choice for practicing sequencing, predictions, and story retelling.
Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
Turkey knows Thanksgiving is coming, and he doesn’t want to become dinner!
This funny story follows Turkey as he tries several disguises to avoid becoming the main course.
It’s a great book for discussing problem-solving, making predictions, and creative thinking.
How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton
When a turkey escapes during a school Thanksgiving play, the students must figure out how to catch him!
This entertaining story is filled with silly situations and colorful illustrations that children will enjoy.
Pair it with a turkey craft, story sequencing activity, or Thanksgiving writing prompt.
Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
This heartwarming story follows Bear as he wants to prepare a feast for his friends but discovers his cupboards are empty.
It’s a wonderful book for teaching gratitude, friendship, kindness, and sharing.
I especially like this book for balancing out the silly Thanksgiving stories with a meaningful discussion about being thankful.
These books can be used for Thanksgiving read-alouds, classroom literacy centers, or homeschool storytime.
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More Thanksgiving Printables and Activities for Kids
If you’re putting together a Thanksgiving lesson plan, you can easily extend this craft with additional printable activities.
Here are some Thanksgiving learning ideas that work well alongside the story:
- Thanksgiving Coloring Pages: Encourage creativity while practicing fine motor skills.
- Turkey Paper Plate Craft: Add another hands-on project to your Thanksgiving activities.
You can find more free Thanksgiving activities and educational printables here on Missy Printable Design!
Get the Full There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Activity Pack
If you love this craft and want even more activities to go along with the book, I also created a 90-page There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey activity packet!
This printable book companion is filled with literacy, math, writing, and hands-on learning activities designed for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary students.
The full activity packet includes:
- Story sequencing and retelling activities
- Reading comprehension questions
- Story elements and character activities
- True or false worksheets
- Cause-and-effect activities
- Story detective worksheets
- Vocabulary and word activities
- Thanksgiving-themed math activities
- Writing prompts and creative activities
- Coloring pages and crafts
These activities are perfect for homeschool lessons, classroom literacy centers, small groups, and Thanksgiving-themed learning.
I designed this packet to give parents and teachers a variety of ways to explore the story while practicing important early learning skills.
Pin This Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Craft for Later!
Planning your Thanksgiving lessons ahead of time?
Be sure to save this Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft to your favorite Pinterest board so you can easily find it when you’re ready for a fun Thanksgiving activity.
This free printable craft is a great addition to your Thanksgiving crafts, preschool activities, kindergarten literacy lessons, and children’s book companion ideas.
Get Your Free Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Craft Printable Here!
Ready to make this adorable Thanksgiving craft?
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Simply enter your email address in the form below and click the download button to get your FREE Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft template.
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The printable includes the old lady’s head, arms, checkered shirt, and turkey pieces needed to complete the craft.
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Final Thoughts on This Thanksgiving Story Craft
I hope you enjoy making this Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey craft with your children or students!
I love creating simple, hands-on activities that make learning fun, and this Thanksgiving craft is a wonderful way to combine creativity, fine motor practice, and early literacy skills.
Whether you’re planning a Thanksgiving homeschool lesson, a classroom read-aloud activity, or a fun holiday craft, this free printable is an easy addition to your plans.
Don’t forget to grab your free template above, and be sure to check out my other Thanksgiving printables for even more learning fun!
Happy crafting!
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