A great way to celebrate Thanksgiving is with this easy paper plate turkey craft for kids, which can be done at home or in a large classroom full of kids. Add this to your list of fun turkey crafts for Thanksgiving this year!.
Looking for a fun and easy Thanksgiving craft to do with your kids? Look no further than this adorable paper plate turkey! This simple project is perfect for kids of all ages and requires minimal supplies, making it a great option for a quick activity or a festive classroom project.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Paper plate
- Brown acrylic paint
- Colored cardstock or construction paper (brown, yellow, red, orange)
- White cardstock
- Kraft paper
- Glue stick
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Paper plate turkey craft template (download link provided in the instructions)
Let’s Get Crafting!
- Download and print the turkey craft template. You’ll find the link at the end of this post. Cut out all the pieces.
- Paint the paper plate brown. Let it dry completely.
- Glue the turkey wing to the center of the paper plate.
- Assemble the turkey head: Glue the eyes near the top of the head. Glue the snood onto the beak, then trim off any excess. Glue the beak onto the head, just below the eyes.
- Glue the completed turkey head onto the paper plate.
- Position the feathers along the back of the paper plate and glue them in place.
- Place the feet at the bottom of the paper plate and glue them on.
And voilà! Your adorable paper plate turkey is complete!
Make it a Gratitude Turkey!
This craft can be easily transformed into a “gratitude turkey” by adding things your child is thankful for onto the turkey’s feathers, Use a black marker or whatever you have on hand to write down their blessings
Here are some questions to help your child brainstorm things they’re grateful for:
- 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?
This craft is a fun way to help your child reflect on all the good things in their life and share them with the family during Thanksgiving dinner!
More Thanksgiving Fun for Kids
Looking for more Thanksgiving-themed activities for your kids? Check out these ideas:
- Read Thanksgiving-themed children’s books. Some favorites include “Turkey Trouble,” “How To Catch A Turkey,” and “Pete The Cat: The First Thanksgiving.”
- Make other Thanksgiving crafts. Try a handprint pilgrim craft, a flamingo turkey disguise craft, or a name turkey craft.
- Do Thanksgiving-themed activities. Try these free printable turkey worksheets or these turkey connect the dot printables.
Have a fun and crafty Thanksgiving with your kids!
P. S. Remember to tag us on Facebook with photos of your finished paper plate turkeys!
PAPER PLATE TURKEY CRAFT INSTRUCTIONS:
The first step in making your paper plate turkey is to paint the back of it brown. We merely covered each child’s plate with a layer of brown acrylic paint using paintbrushes after that. By doing this, we kept them from using too much paint on the paper plate.
CLASSROOM TIP: If students are doing this Thanksgiving craft with a group of kids or in a classroom, have them write their names on the back of their plate shapes before painting. This will help to keep their projects separate and easy to find when they’re finished.
Have students spread the paint evenly to cover the whole nack of the plate. We had to remind our students to make it even so they wouldn’t leave spots with thick paint that would take a long time to dry.
Set the plates aside to dry, and move on to the next step.
VARIATION: If students would rather skip the painting step and make a less messy craft, they can also color their plates with crayons or brown markers.
Step 2: While you wait for the paint to dry, students can cut out the remaining pieces for their turkey craft.
Each student will need to cut out 6-8 tail pieces for their turkeys. We used bright, rainbow-colored construction paper, but you can also let students choose their colors too.
Have students draw and cut out feather-shaped pieces, or draw it for them. We found it helpful to have them trace around a single pre-cut tail piece as a guide while they made their tail feathers.
If your paper plates have dried, use school glue to adhere the flat ends of the tail feathers to the top of the back of the plate (Step 3). Overlap each feather just a bit to make the turkey’s tail look nice and full.
Flip your plates over to dry so the feathers dry flat.
Step 4: To complete their turkey, students must cut out a yellow triangle for the beak and a long teardrop shape for the wattle.
FUN FACT ABOUT TURKEY: The wattle on a turkey can change color. It is typically red, but when it gets scared, it can turn blue.
You will also need two googly eyes per student.
STEP 5: Attach the pieces to the paper plate using school glue. Be sure to glue on the wattle first, before gluing on the beak piece.
When finished, your paper plate turkey craft should look like this! Students can use these as engaging activities to engage in hands-on Thanksgiving learning, or they can use them as masks!
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS PAPER PLATE TURKEY CRAFT
- Plates. Get the cheap paper plates for this craft. They work the best for this turkey craft. You can also utilize plates with designs on them, as you will be painting the reverse side.
- Painting. If you would prefer not to paint, have the children color the paper plate with markers or crayons.
- Googly Eyes. To make your turkey look goofy, you can either use two large googly eyes or give him one large eye and one small eye.
- Prep. Give the kids all the materials ahead of time, or let them cut everything out on their own. You can choose the technique for this Thanksgiving craft based on how much time you have available.
How to Make Paper Plate Turkeys
How do you make a Turkey from a paper plate?
Cut a small peanut shape out of red construction paper for a waddle. Cut two feet out of orange construction paper. Tape the feathers onto the back of the paper plate. Glue the eyes, beak, waddle, and feet to the front of the paper plate. Make a Thanksgiving Turkey out of a paper plate! This is a great holiday craft that is easy and fun to do.
What is a paper plate Turkey craft?
This paper plate turkey craft is a simple and fun Thanksgiving craft for kids. It’s easy to prep and put together with a free, printable turkey template.
How do you paint a Turkey with a paper plate?
Using scissors and/or craft knife (adult only), cut around your turkey’s body leaving the outside rim of the paper plate intact. 3. Paint your turkey’s body brown and allow to dry. 4. Chose paint colors for your turkey’s feathers.
How do you make a turkey body?
1. Draw a turkey body onto your paper plate or print out our template (linked above in the supplies) and trace onto your paper plate. 2. Using scissors and/or craft knife (adult only), cut around your turkey’s body leaving the outside rim of the paper plate intact. 3. Paint your turkey’s body brown and allow to dry. 4.