Thanksgiving is a special time of year when families gather around the table and express gratitude for the many blessings they have. Before the grand feast begins, get the little ones into the holiday spirit with a cute craft project that’s bound to make them gobble with joy!

This adorable accordion turkey craft will keep the kids entertained, and add a festive touch to your Thanksgiving celebrations. The highlight of this craft is creating the turkey’s tail feathers by making an accordion fan out of colorful paper.

What makes this craft even more special is that it’s a perfect family activity. Gather around the table with your little ones and get crafty making adorable decorations for Thanksgiving. It’s a wonderful way to engage kids in a hands-on, holiday themed activity.

For even more festive projects your little turkeys will gobble up, check out these fun Thanksgiving crafts!

Construction Paper Turkey

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Get started by gathering up a few basic supplies and our free turkey template. Your kiddos will be well on the way to creating a festive turkey they’ll be proud to display.

Supplies

• Colored cardstock
• 12″ x 18″ Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Glue dots (optional)
• Tape
• Accordion Turkey template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to get the template)

Directions

Download the accordion turkey template, print, and cut out the pieces. We used cardstock for the turkey pieces and the construction paper for the feathers.

Begin by gluing the eyes just below the eyebrows.

Glue the snood just below the eyes.

Apply glue to attach the beak to the top of the snood, covering the lower part of the eyes.

Next, glue the wings on both sides of the body.

Glue the legs to the back and bottom part of the body.

Fold the paper accordion style to create the feathers. Hold the bottom part of the fan together, then wrap a piece of tape around it to secure it.

Finish up by taping the bottom of the feathers to the back of the body. We also used a glue dot to secure the middle section of the feathers to the back of the turkey.

That’s it! It’s super simple and easy to do. Don’t forget to explore our Turkey Activities for kids while you’re here!

Kids’ Thanksgiving Ideas

Keep the little ones engaged and excited for Thanksgiving all month long. If you’re looking for Thanksgiving ideas to incorporate this fall with your kiddos, we have a cornucopia of inspiration from books to crafts and activities that will make learning fun.

Read on below for a bountiful selection of ideas that will have kids learning, laughing, and celebrating Thanksgiving throughout the month of November!

Thanksgiving Children’s Books

Below are some of the top Thanksgiving books for kids!

Turkey Trouble – If you’ve never read this book, you have to add it to your holiday collection! It’s so cute and fun and kids just love it! Follow the turkey around the farm as he disguises himself as different animals so the farmer doesn’t catch him for Thanksgiving dinner!

How To Catch A Turkey – Kids who love the How To Catch books will want to see all the crazy contraptions kids make to try to catch a turkey loose at the school!

Pete The Cat: The First Thanksgiving -Every Pete the Cat book is fantastic, but this one takes it up a notch with flaps for the kids to open. It’s a great way to get the kids excited about reading and Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day Crafts

Disguise a Turkey Pilgrim Craft – We’re on a mission to save Mr. Turkey from the Thanksgiving table! Kids can craft the perfect pilgrim disguise to keep him safe, plus learn a little about the First Thanksgiving with the pilgrims.

Turkey Handprint Card Craft – Kids can show someone they’re thankful for them with a keepsake card featuring their own little hands. It’s a fun project that lets them practice various skills while spreading love and gratitude!

Mayflower Handprint Craft – Let’s set sail on a creative journey to the past with this Mayflower craft! Kids will craft a piece of history they’ll be proud to display. It’s a hands-on way to discover the stories of the Mayflower and the brave pilgrims.

Corn Craft – Make an adorable paper corn craft that pays tribute to the bountiful harvest season. This craft is perfect for preschoolers honing their fine motor skills and expanding fall vocabulary. Get creative and celebrate the season with a cornucopia of crafting fun! 

Thanksgiving Printable Activities

Your young puzzle masters will love these Thanksgiving pattern block mats! Thanksgiving just got even more exciting with these festive puzzles and they’re practically no prep! Download, print, laminate, and the kids are ready to break out the pattern blocks and play.

They’ll be excited to complete these engaging tangram puzzles featuring turkeys, scarecrows, Thanksgiving dinners, and more. This educational activity promises hours of fun while kids learn shapes, patterns, and problem-solving at the same time. 

Gobble up some learning fun with our turkey worksheets! Kids can explore the letter T, enhance their handwriting skills, and discover the parts of a turkey, all while having a great time with these printable worksheets.

They’ll navigate a letter maze by identifying all the uppercase and lowercase ‘Tt’s, practice writing the letter with the help of dashed lines, and label and color in a cute turkey! Whether you’re at home or in the classroom, this engaging activity is perfect to use this fall!

Your little artists will love using the dot markers on this set of Thanksgiving do a dot printables! They’re ideal for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kids. There are 27 pages filled with fun activities.

Kids will see a cornucopia of Thanksgiving themed illustrations while improving fine motor skills and learning about letters, numbers, objects, shapes, and beginning sounds. It’s the perfect way to combine fun and learning during the fall season.

Add a splash of color to your Thanksgiving celebrations with These Thanksgiving color by number printables! From pilgrim hats to delicious pies, these 8 exciting coloring pages will ignite kids’ creativity.

These pages also offer the opportunity to practice handwriting and simple math. Kids will enhance their concentration, coordination, and color recognition skills while making festive art! 

Share With Us

Did you make this craft with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s craft featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

More Thanksgiving Ideas

Accordion Turkey Template