Thanksgiving crafts are not only fun to do, but they are different as well. How often do you get a reason to create a paper plate turkey or a regular paper turkey? Children will especially love taking part in these crafts!
While Thanksgiving crafts are fun and creative, they can also remind someone of what they have in life. One craft to do just that is the thankful turkey. This will allow you and your child to express what you are thankful for in a fun way. Since you will need to use scissors and glue, you should be there to help and watch your little one as they complete this craft.
Here are the materials and directions on how to make a thankful turkey.
Materials:
Paper plates.
Colorful construction paper.
Scissors.
Glue (tape may be used as an alternative).
Black washable marker (a black pen, crayon, or colored pencil may be used as an alternative).
Directions:
1. Color two paper plates brown and cut one of them into a smaller circle. The smaller paper plate will act as the turkey’s head and the larger paper plate will act as the turkey’s body.
2. Glue the smaller of the paper plate to the larger paper plate. Glue the bottom front of the smaller paper plate to the upper back of the larger one. Make sure there is enough room for the glue to hold, but make sure you can still see the turkey’s head. Give the glue some time to dry.
3. Decorate the head with a face and the body with the wings by drawing them on. An alternative to drawing the wings on is to draw and cut them out of construction paper and glue them on to the sides of the larger paper plate. If you decide to draw, cut, and glue them on to the paper plate, then allow the glue some time to dry.
4. Draw and cut out the turkey’s wattle feet from construction paper. Glue the wattle under the turkey’s chin and the feet to the bottom of the turkey’s body and give the glue some time to dry.
5. Draw and cut out the feathers out of the construction paper. Make sure they are big enough to write on.
6. Using the black washable marker, write one thing you are thankful for on each feather you have cut out. This can include being thankful for your family, friends, pets, good health, job, and so on.
7. Before gluing, place each feather on the back of the turkey, they are sticking up from the back. Make sure you can see all of the writing on the feathers. If you cannot, cut out another feather and write a little smaller.
8. When you are ready, glue the feathers on the back of the turkey. You want the feathers to stick up from the back. Give the glue some time to dry.
Once you learn how to make a thankful turkey, you can get started on the craft! You can make one on your own, with your child, or ask the whole family to make one! This Thanksgiving craft can also be done in schools and daycare centers. If you would like, you can even ask the family or class to read their thankful wheel out loud and share what they are thankful for.
On Thanksgiving and all year around, always remember what you have to be thankful for and do not be afraid to show it! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
