Cute & Easy Turkey Craft Ideas for Kids (Thanksgiving 2020 Guide with Steps)

By Drisana Wallace of Modern Cali Mom

I’m in shock that Thanksgiving is a couple days away. Where did this year go? My goal for the holidays this year has really been to emphasize on making memories especially since things will be so different given social distancing orders. We are spending more time at home, so why not create special memories with my family and start new traditions. I went all out for Halloween and Thanksgiving will be no different. Something about crafting as a family that brings everyone so much joy. The kids have looked forward to it so much and that makes my mama heart so happy. Below are some ideas for Turkey Crafts for kids to try out this Thanksgiving at home with your family.  

Pumpkin Turkey 

If you are like me you probably have pumpkins leftover from Halloween that you can use for this craft. If not pumpkins are either on sale at craft stores or you can still purchase real ones at your local groceries stores. My kids love this craft because they are obsessed with anything to do with pumpkins. I believe that the curiosity spark of the turkey coming alive is very exciting for them to watch.  Definitely one of my favorite Turkey Crafts for kids.  

What you will need:  

• Assorted pumpkin sizes  
• Feathers 
• Wooden skewer  
• Googly craft eyes  
• Brown, orange and red felt  
• Tacky Glue  

Read the following for instructions 

1. Clean pumpkins from dirt or dust.  
2. Use the large skewer to make holes on the back side of the pumpkin. Start with a couple holes and insert the feathers. Make as many holes as you please. My kids love color, so we purchased rainbow colored feathers. There are many inexpensive options for colored feather options as well. In addition, if you don’t have feathers you can also use colored construction paper. If you decide to use paper, you could cut the colored paper into leaf shapes and write things you are thankful for on each leaf. Once that is complete you can use a pumpkin carver to make larger slits into the pumpkin and insert the colorful paper leaves. It’s good to have options, especially with crafts to keep the kids busy. A good suggestion might be to make one pumpkin with feathers and another day make a pumpkin with the colorful construction paper leaves alternative that I gave above. 
3. Cut out a triangle turkey nose with the orange felt and an oval shape turkey neck with the red felt. Apply both to the front of the pumpkin with tacky glue.  
4. Apply the craft googly eyes. 
5. Finally capture some photos of your kids holding up their masterpieces. Display in an area where the kids can see them daily to remind them of their artwork and their contribution to Thanksgiving decorations.   

Turkey Made Out of a Paper Plate  

This craft is nostalgic for me because I remember as a child my mother displaying these on our fridge proudly. I also helped my daughter make some in schools, so it’s such a heartfelt craft for me. This is another craft that is super simple, and the kids can help you with!  There are a few options on making turkeys out of a paper plate, but this is my favorite way.   

What you will need:  

• Paper Plates 
• Feathers  
• Googly craft eyes 
• Glue 
• Wooden Skewer  
• Brown, red and yellow construction paper  
• Tape  

Read the following for instructions 

1. Use the wooden skewers to poke holes on the top of the plate at an angle. Once you have poked 8 holes start inserting the feathers. Tape the feathers down by applying tape to the back of the plate.  
2. Apply googly craft eyes. 
3. With the red paper cut out a neck shape for your turkey. Glue onto the plate. 
4. With the yellow paper cut out a nose shape for your turkey. Glue onto the plate.  
5. Finally, don’t forget to display the turkey crafts for kids around the house. Kids love seeing their artwork being appreciated.    

Thankful Turkey Handprint  

I love to do this craft with the kids especially to see progression over the years on how big their hands are getting. This is an easy task and if your kids are like mine, they love painting.  

What you will need:  

• White paper plate  
• Brown, orange, yellow and purple paint   
• Googly craft eyes 
• Red felt sticker paper 
• Paint brush 
• Black fuzzy craft sticks 
• Tape 

Read the following for instructions 

1. Apply brown paint to your child’s palm only. Then quickly apply different colored paint to each finger. If you only have two colors, feel free to alternate as the fingerprints on the paper plate will ultimately be the turkey’s feathers. Immediately apply the painted hand to the white paper plate and press down lightly. Let the paint dry.  
2. Once the handprint is dry apply the googly craft eyes. 
3. I love using fuzzy craft sticks whenever I can. The fuzzy craft sticks will be used as the turkey’s legs. Grab two fuzzy sticks and tape them onto the plate. Tape the fuzzy sticks on the back of the plate with them hanging below so you can hide the tape. 
4. As always, I suggest displaying the kid’s artwork on your fridge, in the kid’s rooms or in their playroom.  

Rock Turkey 

Here is another easy and quick project for the family. Once again on our park adventures we collected rocks for this craft. The kids were excited to pick rocks and my oldest was excited to see how mommy was going to transform a rock into a Turkey!  

What you will need:  

• Flat medium-large rocks  
• Washable brown paint 
• Googly craft eyes 
• Colorful feathers 
• Tacky Glue 
• Paint brush 

Read the following for instructions 

1. Apply brown paint on rocks. Let them dry.  
2. Parents should do this step because we will be using tacky glue. Turn the rock over and apply tacky glue to the back of it. Gently apply the feathers to the glue. Let them dry.  
3. Once the tacky glue is dry and the feathers are stuck on firmly turn the rock around and apply the googly craft eyes.  
4. Display rocks where children can see them. Another place that you can display them would be as a centerpiece on your table, your garden or your front porch to add some decorative fall touches to your home.  

Pinecone Turkeys 

This is yet another easy Thanksgiving craft for kids that you can do with supplies you probably already have at home. The kids really love this craft because again they see the turkey come alive in another creative way. On our many park adventures we have collected pine cones, so that was extremely helpful to save money on. This Thanksgiving craft for kids will be a hit, trust me! 

What you will need:  

• Pinecones 
• Googly craft eyes (Small Size) 
• Tacky Glue 
• Feathers  
• Orange and red felt   

Read the following for instructions 

1. Apply googly craft eyes to the front of the pinecone. Let dry. 
2. Apply feathers on the top side of the pinecone with the Tacky Glue.  
3. Cut out a nose shape with the orange felt. Apply to the front of the pinecone. 
4. Cut out a neck shape with the red felt. Apply to the front of the pinecone.  

Crafting with my kids can be messy sometimes, but it ultimately is extremely fun. I also love displaying my children’s artwork where they can see it because they get so happy and proud that we are recognizing their work. Hopefully these Thanksgiving ideas for Turkey craft for kids give you some inspiration on some DIY with your family at home. For more inspiration on holiday décor check out these deals!   

Drisana Wallace

Drisana (Dris for short) Wallace built https://www.moderncalimom.com/ to bring together a community of mothers that had similar interests as it takes a village. As a content contributor for brands such as Fabletics, General Mills, PBS Kids, Pink Blush Maternity and more, she blogs about all things motherhood and lifestyle. I love the positive impact that Modern Cali Mom has in building a community. I love coffee, traveling and staying active with my little family – my husband, D, my daughter Danica, my son Dylan, and our dog, Duke!