8 Turkey Crafts for Kids and the Thanksgiving Table

If you’ve got 15 minutes before dinner and a stack of paper plates, start with the plate turkey. You can set out paper feathers and a roll of tape and leave the paint in the cupboard. For something that can sit by a place setting, try a mini pumpkin with a paper tail.

At a busy kitchen table, give the youngest kids a plate and a pile of broad, precut shapes. Put the felt and the pinecones within reach of older kids, and leave one corner clear for turkeys that need to dry. Save the loose beads for older kids who no longer put small objects in their mouths.

Red, yellow and orange paper will carry you through most of these turkey crafts. Set aside the scraps for paper corn and other corn crafts, or pick a second project from the Thanksgiving craft ideas.

If I were setting out the paper plate craft, I’d make one turkey ahead of time so everyone could see where the feathers go. If a kid wanted purple feathers or four eyes, I’d pass the paper scraps. The only thing I’d copy from the sample is the wide feather base, which gives the tape more room to hold.

Paper turkeys for the kids’ table

Paper plate turkey

Use a plain white plate for the backing and let its rim show around the brown paper body. Five or six wide feathers are plenty, and broad shapes give small hands more room to place them. If glue slides off a shiny plate, use double-sided tape or switch to an uncoated plate.

You need: Paper plate, brown and fall-colored construction paper, scissors, glue stick, tape, black marker

1. Tape a fan of paper feathers to the back of the upper rim.
2. Glue one large brown paper circle inside the plate rim for the face.
3. Add paper eyes, an orange beak and a red wattle.

Paper bag turkey puppet

The folded bottom of a lunch bag becomes the puppet’s head. Slip a hand into the bag before you add the face so you can see which way the flap moves. Leave the fold free of glue so the beak can bob when the turkey talks.

You need: Brown lunch bag, construction paper, marker, scissors, tape, glue stick

1. With the bag flat and the flap facing up, add eyes, a beak and a wattle to the flap.
2. Tape a fan of colored paper feathers to the back of the bag.
3. Slide in a hand and check that the flap opens freely.

Cardboard tube turkey

An empty cardboard tube gives the turkey a body that can stand on its own. Cut a paper towel tube down to about three inches so the tail has less height to pull against. If the bird still tips backward, extend the cardstock base behind the tube.

You need: Short cardboard tube, brown cardstock, colored paper, tape, glue stick, scissors, marker

1. Cut a flat cardstock base with two toes at the front and tape the tube upright on it.
2. Tape a fan of paper feathers low on the back of the tube.
3. Glue the paper eyes, beak and wattle to the front.

Turkey keepsakes to send or save

Traced handprint turkey card

Trace a hand on brown cardstock and cut out the shape. An adult can cut between the fingers or leave a narrow border around them if the gaps are tight. Glue the shape to a cream card, add colored paper to the fingertips and draw a face on the thumb. Put the child’s name and the year inside, where there’s room to add a note.

You need: Brown cardstock, folded cream cardstock, pencil, scissors, paper scraps, marker, glue stick

For a painted version, the full handprint tutorial shows how to press and lift the hand without smearing the feathers.

Full steps for the traced handprint turkey card

No-sew felt turkey

Start with one broad felt fan so each little feather has something to stick to. A square of cream felt behind the bird turns the whole thing into a soft patch you can tuck into a card. Leave it flat until the glue has set, since lifting it early can shift the layers.

You need: Cream, brown and fall-colored felt, sharp scissors, fabric glue rated for felt

1. Cut a broad felt tail and layer smaller feather shapes over it.
2. Glue the tail and brown turkey body to the cream backing.
3. Add a felt face and leave the patch flat to dry.

Small turkeys for the Thanksgiving table

Pinecone turkey

Set a dry craft pinecone on its side so the wide end faces the tail. An oval of scrap cardboard gives the feathers somewhere solid to attach. If the pinecone keeps rocking, turn it until it finds a flatter side and hold it steady while the glue sets.

You need: Dry pinecone, scrap cardboard, fall-colored cardstock, scissors, tape, tacky glue, marker

1. Glue the pinecone sideways to an oval cardboard base.
2. Fold tabs at the bottom of the paper feathers and tape them to the base behind the wide end.
3. Cut a brown paper head with a fold-under tab and attach it in front of the narrow end.

Wood bead turkey

One large unfinished wood bead makes a compact bird for a napkin or a place card. Fold a narrow paper strip into a ring under the bead if it rolls while you work. Give the tail a folded foot of its own so the cardstock can stand on the base without peeling off the curved wood.

You need: Large unfinished wood bead, brown and fall-colored cardstock, paper scraps, scissors, tape, tacky glue

1. Glue the bead to a brown cardstock base cut with two toes.
2. Tape the folded bottom of the paper feather fan to the base behind the bead.
3. Glue lightweight paper eyes, a beak and a wattle to the front.

Mini pumpkin turkey

Look for a mini pumpkin with a fairly flat bottom, then wipe the rind clean and dry so the tape will stick. Keep the face low on the front and write a guest’s name on the largest feather if you want it to double as a place marker. A shallow jar lid can cradle a pumpkin that still rocks.

You need: Mini pumpkin, fall-colored cardstock, paper scraps, scissors, marker, double-sided tape

1. Cut a cardstock tail fan and leave an extra tab at the bottom.
2. Fold the tab and tape it to the back of the pumpkin, pressing into a ridge if the surface curves away.
3. Tape paper eyes, an orange beak and a red wattle to the front.

Compare turkey crafts by time, cost and age

Turkey	Time	Cost	Age
Paper plate	15 min	Under $1	3+
Paper bag puppet	15 min	Under $1	4+
Cardboard tube	15 min	Under $1	4+
Traced handprint card	10 min	Under $1	3+
No-sew felt	25 min	$1 to $3	7+
Pinecone	20 min	$1 to $2	6+
Wood bead	20 min	$1 to $2	8+
Mini pumpkin	15 min	$1 to $3	5+

Cost estimates assume you already have scissors, markers and adhesives. Allow extra drying time for glued felt, wood and pinecones.

Common questions

Which turkey craft works well for preschoolers?

The paper plate turkey is a good group project. Cut the feather and face shapes before kids sit down, then let them pick the colors and stick the pieces on. Draw the eyes with a marker if you want fewer loose bits on the table.

Can you make a Thanksgiving turkey craft without paint?

All eight versions here work without paint. For a handprint card, trace a hand onto brown cardstock and add color with paper scraps. If a child would rather draw, put the eye, beak and legs on with markers.

How do you keep paper feathers from falling off?

Give each feather a wide base and overlap the bases before you tape them. For a turkey that stands up, fold the lower ends of the feathers into tabs and fasten them to the base. The fold gives the tape a flat surface to grip.

More Thanksgiving Crafts

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Thanksgiving

8 Corn Craft Ideas for Kids, Classrooms, and Fall Tables

10 to 35 minutes each, plus dryingUse paper scraps and supplies on hand where possible

Thanksgiving

Handprint Turkey Craft for Toddlers and Preschool

20 minutes plus 30 minutes dryingabout $1 per child

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