Looking to gobble up some fun? Here are 5 easy Thanksgiving turkey-themed activities and crafts to do with your little ones this Thanksgiving.

[ONE] Paper Plate Turkey

The Paper Plate Turkey is a fun activity for creative kiddos, and can be used as Thanksgiving decor once it’s complete. For this activity, you’ll need a white paper plate, toilet paper roll tube, glue, art supplies (markers, crayons, paint, etc.), and various decorative craft supplies – such as feathers, pom poms, stickers, googly eyes, and more.

Cut the paper plate in half, and let your child go to town decorating the turkey’s body (toilet paper roll tube) and fan (the paper plate). Once their masterpiece is complete, glue the TP roll to the paper plate. Let dry before displaying.

[TWO] Pumpkin Turkey

Have any pumpkins leftover from Halloween? Put them to use with this Pumpkin Turkey activity. For this activity you will need a pumpkin, hammer (we used a plastic toy hammer), golf tees, and art supplies to create a turkey face.

We started by using paint markers to create a turkey face on our pumpkin (the one pictured is a turkey monster pumpkin). Once the face was dry, we created the turkey’s fan by using colored golf tees and hammering them into the back. It does take a certain amount of strength to hammer the golf tees in so that they stay in the pumpkin, so this activity is probably best for ages 3 and up.

For a pumpkin-free version of this activity, use a large ball of play-doh similar dough.

[THREE] Color Match Turkey

There are so many ways to do this activity. The main focus is to match some sort of item or medium to different colored turkey feathers.

I chose to setup our color match turkey activity to focus on cutting and glueing skills. I started by drawing a turkey on a large piece of paper. Next, I drew feathers, outlining each with a different color marker. Last, I gathered scrap paper in all the different colors of the feathers.

To make the turkey come to life, my son cut up the paper into smaller pieces, then glued the pieces to each corresponding feather. 

[FOUR] Nature Turkey

Take all those pinecones and leaves that your kiddo insists on keeping in your home and turn it all into a Nature Turkey. For this activity you’ll need a pinecone, a variety of leaves in different sizes, play-doh, piece of cardboard or paper plate, and a turkey face.

To create the turkey’s body, I used play-doh to stick the pinecone upright on a piece of cardboard. You can also use a paper plate or other surface you don’t mind getting play-doh on. I created a simple turkey face with some scrap paper from the Color Match Turkey activity and more play-doh to stick that onto the pinecone.

To create the turkey’s fan, have your child stick the leaves in the back of the pinecone. This is MUCH harder than it sounds! If anyone starts to get frustrated, put more play-doh on the back of the turkey, and then stick the leaves to the play-doh.

[FIVE] Thankful Turkey

I love the idea of creating a Thankful Turkey every year. It’s a great opportunity to teach young children about the concept of being thankful. I started this tradition with my son when he was 3 years old.

To create our thankful turkey, I used two different sized mixing bowls and traced 2 circles on a large piece of brown construction paper. Next, I cut out the two circles, along with feathers I traced on pieces of different colored construction paper. I glued the turkey’s body onto a large piece of construction paper and decorated the turkey’s face and legs.

To create the turkey’s fan, add a feather with one thing your child is thankful for throughout November.

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I hope you have fun doing these turkey-themed activities with your little turkeys this Thanksgiving.

If you enjoyed this post, don’t miss our other fun at-home activities! And make sure to follow One Little Small on Pinterest for even more great ideas.