Fall Turkey Craft for Kids [Free Printable Template]

What’s a turkey to do when there’s a big pile of colorful fall leaves nearby? Jump right in, of course! This turkey in a leaf pile craft features a happy little turkey peeking out from bright orange, red, and yellow leaves. It’s a cute Thanksgiving project for kids ages 5-8 that takes about 25-35 minutes to make.

There’s just something about turkeys that makes them perfect for November crafting. They always seem to have the funniest expressions! If kids can’t get enough of these silly birds, check out our collection of turkey activities for kids for even more crafts and printables to enjoy throughout the month.

Pin

Turky in a Pile of Leaves Activity

My favorite part of this craft is the turkey’s big, excited expression. He looks like he’s having the best time playing in those leaves! Kids can arrange the colorful paper leaves around their turkey, making each finished project look a little different. Some might pile the leaves high, while others leave more of their turkey showing.

All those leaves also give kids plenty of opportunities to practice their scissor skills. Cutting around the curved shapes takes a little concentration, and arranging and gluing them helps with hand-eye coordination. It’s a good way to keep those little hands busy while they’re making something cute for Thanksgiving.

This paper craft uses simple shapes and familiar supplies, so it’s easy to work into a November afternoon or classroom craft session. And wouldn’t a whole bulletin board full of turkeys peeking out of colorful leaf piles look adorable? It would be like having a little fall leaf party right on the wall!

Supplies

• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Fall turkey template (click the “click here to get your freebies” image at the end of the post)

Directions

Start by printing the template, then gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this fall turkey to life!

Pin

Glue the eyes onto the turkey’s face, just below the eyebrows. Help your child position them side by side to give their turkey a cute, wide-eyed expression!

Pin

Take the red snood piece and glue it between the eyes, letting it hang down along the turkey’s face. This is a fun chance to teach your child about the different parts of a turkey!

Pin

Color in the the beak, then glue it over the top of the snood, right between the eyes.

Pin

Help your child arrange the leaf pieces along the bottom of the turkey’s body, overlapping them and letting some peek out from behind the sides. Once they’re happy with the arrangement, glue them in place to create a colorful leaf pile.

Pin

Finally, grab the small head leaf piece and glue it near the top side of the turkey’s head, just above one eyebrow.

Pin

Look at that adorable turkey peeking out from the autumn leaves! Kids will have so much fun arranging and layering the colorful paper leaves while building hand-eye coordination and practicing their gluing skills.

Check out our related crafts, printable worksheets, and hands-on learning activities below to help you plan engaging autumn lessons, Thanksgiving classroom activities, or creative afternoons at home!

Pin

Thanksgiving Books for Children

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!

Pin

November Craft Ideas

Pilgrim Turkey Craft: This turkey looks like he’s ready to attend the very first Thanksgiving! With his tall black pilgrim hat, little buckle, and fancy collar, he’s certainly dressed for the occasion. Kids can use the printable template to put together their own pilgrim turkey, and those colorful tail feathers give him just the right amount of Thanksgiving personality.

Pumpkin Pie Craft: Is it really Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? This paper version has a cute smiling face and a dollop of whipped cream on top, which might make it even harder to resist! Kids can create their own pretend slice using colored paper and the printable template. The best part is that there’s no baking or messy kitchen cleanup involved.

Pin

Turkey Leaf Craft: Who needs ordinary turkey feathers when there are so many beautiful fall leaves around? This turkey uses colorful leaves for its tail, and I love how they give it that classic autumn look. Kids can use artificial leaves or collect some from outside, which gives them a good excuse to head outdoors for a little leaf hunt before craft time.

Turtle Turkey Disguise: Apparently, this turkey thinks hiding inside a turtle shell is his ticket to avoiding Thanksgiving dinner! It’s a pretty funny disguise idea, especially since a turtle isn’t exactly the fastest animal around. Kids can help their turkey blend in by making this turtle costume with the printable template. Now, whether it would actually fool a farmer is another question!

Fun Learning Printables for Thanksgiving

That poor old lady just can’t stop swallowing things, can she? These There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Turkey free printables go along with the silly Thanksgiving story and give kids more to do after reading. I especially like the turkey labeling activity, where kids figure out where the bird’s eyes, beak, wings, and feet belong. It’s a nice way to connect story time with a little hands-on learning.

Pin

The letter P gets some extra attention in these pilgrim worksheets. Kids can trace uppercase and lowercase P’s, find their way through a letter maze, and label the parts of a pilgrim. The maze is a nice change from regular letter tracing because kids have to look carefully to figure out which letters will get them through to the end!

Pin

Sometimes kids just want to get their hands on a pair of scissors and start cutting! These Thanksgiving cutting practice worksheets give them a reason to do just that. They’ll follow straight, curvy, and zigzag paths featuring cute fall characters, then try some cut-and-paste activities. It’s a playful way to practice controlling scissors without just cutting random strips of paper.

There’s something satisfying about watching a picture slowly fill with color, especially when kids have to figure out which color goes where! These Thanksgiving color by numbers feature familiar fall favorites like pumpkins, turkeys, corn, and leaves. Kids match the numbers to the color key, then fill in each section to reveal their finished picture. It’s a good choice for a quieter Thanksgiving activity when everyone’s ready to sit down with some crayons.

Share With Us

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

For a chance to have your child’s project 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!

Free Fall Turkey Template

Pin