Thanksgiving is a unique holiday that’s perfectly suited for teaching kids about gratitude! Families across the US gather together, share a special meal, and discuss everything they’re grateful for.

After the big meal, why not come together and make this easy paper plate turkey craft? It’s a simple way to build special family memories and get the kids thinking about their blessings!

Read or watch our step-by-step video tutorial below to see how easy it is to make this little turkey with your kids. For more ideas, look through all of our turkey activities for kids!

Turkey Paper Plate Craft

Cover Image of the Paper Plate Turkey Craft with the word Paper Plate Turkey in the middle

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Paper plate crafts are some of kids’ favorite activities because they love seeing something ordinary transform into a cool new art project!

Moms love them because they’re simple, only require a few supplies, and are great for a wide variety of young children.

If your kids love paper plate crafts where they paint, they’ll especially love this turkey craft.

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Supplies

Paper plate
Brown acrylic paint
Colored cardstock or construction paper
Glue stick
Paintbrush
Scissors
Turkey template (click the “click here to get your freebies” image at the end of the post)

Click here to see our favorite kids’ craft supplies.

Directions

Start by downloading the template and printing it out. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this turkey to life!

First, guide your child to paint the paper plate brown and let dry completely.

Next, glue the turkey wing in the center of the paper plate.

hands gluing wing onto paper plate turkey craft

Click here to see why I recommend these craft supplies

Assemble the turkey head by gluing the eyes towards the top of the head.

hands gluing eyes onto paper plate turkey craft

Now, help your child glue the snood onto the beak, then use scissors to trim the excess off.

Glue the beak onto the head, just below the eyes.

hands gluing beak onto paper plate turkey craft

Glue the completed turkey head onto the paper plate.

hands gluing head onto paper plate turkey craft

Position the feathers along the backside of the paper plate and glue them in place.

hands gluing feathers onto paper plate turkey craft

Finally, encourage your child to place the feet at the bottom of the turkey’s body and glue in place.

hands gluing feet onto paper plate turkey craft

That’s all the steps to make a simple Thanksgiving craft for kids!

Cute Turkey Handprint Craft

Thanksgiving Ideas For Kids

Thanksgiving is a great time to teach kids about the importance of being thankful, pilgrims, and being with family. And what better way to do that than to throw together a Thanksgiving-themed unit for kids that is not only fun but also educational?

We have lots of ideas that will keep kids busy and engaged. Read on below for our favorites!

Thanksgiving Children’s Books

One of our favorite things to start with is books. Reading to your kids is a fun way to spend time with them and great for helping them improve their vocabulary and develop a love of reading!

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 Kids’ Crafts

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get crafty with your kids! Not only are there a ton of Thanksgiving-themed crafts to choose from, but working on crafts together can have some great benefits for your children.

For one, it can help them to express their creative side. Another way it can help is to boost their self-esteem. Finally, it’s just so much fun!

So, this Thanksgiving, put down the pumpkin pies and turkey roasting, and enjoy some quality time crafting with your kids. Try out these fun ideas:

Handprint Pilgrim Craft – This Thanksgiving, why not have the kids make their handprint pilgrims? It’s a great way to keep them occupied during the long holiday weekend and a lot of fun. Plus, no messy paint is needed!

All you’ll need is some paper, scissors, glue, and our free template to make this fun Thanksgiving craft.

Flamingo Turkey Disguise Craft – Mr. Turkey is up to his old tricks again, disguising himself as a flamingo! But with this easy and fun flamingo turkey disguise craft, your kids can help Mr. Turkey fool the farmer and stay safe this Thanksgiving.

Collage image of the Thanksgiving Kids' Crafts

Name Turkey Craft – Another year, another turkey crafts project! This year, help your little ones learn how to spell their name with this fun and easy name turkey craft. Just download the editable template, print it out, and let them go to town creating their very own personalized turkey.

Acorn Paper Bag Craft – This cute and easy acorn puppet craft is perfect for kids to make and play with. The best part is that it requires only a few supplies that you probably already have around the house.

Thanksgiving Kids’ Activities

This Thanksgiving, why not give your kids something that will keep them entertained and learning – these free printable turkey worksheets! This set can help kids with handwriting, scissors skills, letter recognition, and more.

Try this Paper Bag Pilgrim Craft

These turkey connect the dot printables for kids are great for helping little ones practice their fine motor skills. Each printable features a different turkey, with dots to be connected in order to complete the picture. As kids work on each one, they’ll be improving their pencil control and coordination.

Collage image of the Thanksgiving Kids' Activities

Our pin the beak on the turkey game is perfect for younger and older children! It’s a classic game that never gets old and will provide hours of fun. Simply print out the turkey poster and beak cutouts, blindfold the players, and watch as they try to pin the beak in the correct spot.

Not only is this game entertaining, but it also helps with hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.

This There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey sequencing activity is a great way to combine literacy with Thanksgiving fun. Have your little ones cut out the pictures and put them in order according to the story! It’s a great way to practice reading comprehension and retelling skills.

Shape Turkey Craft

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!

More Thanksgiving Ideas

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