4 Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint Crafts

Children can make Thanksgiving turkey handprint crafts as favors and table decorations in preparation for their family holiday or while they wait for their Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving will be here in just a short time! The days are getting chilly and darkness arrives too early which means the grandkids are inside more. Instead of watching TV, movies, or playing video and computer games, give them craft supplies to make Thanksgiving turkey handprint crafts to give as favors and gifts to those who join your family on Thanksgiving Day.

One of our daughters is a preschool teacher (and mother of Kaitlin, Emily, and Luke.) Poppy and I visited our daughter’s pre-school class when we picked the girls up to go see Puss in Boots in 3D (NJ public schools were closed). On display she had two different turkey crafts and also a turkey favor her students had made, which could all be made with young children’s handprints.

Thanksgiving turkey handprint crafts make fun gifts for parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles too! They help us hold on to the memories…

4 Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint Crafts

1. Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint Craft Picture

This turkey handprint craft is made with foam board and orange and black foam pieces cut from larger pieces to create a frame around the child’s handprint turkey decoration.

Supplies:

• white, orange, and black foam board
• orange acrylic paint
• brown, yellow, red construction paper
• glue stick
• squiggly eyes or black marker
• string or ribbon

How to:

1. First, dip the child’s hands in orange paint and place one at a time on the foam board for the feathers, overlapping the palms a little.
2. Cut out the body, wings, and head from brown paper while waiting for the “feathers” to dry.
3. Cut out a yellow triangle and a red oval for the red mettle that hangs from the turkey’s neck.
4. Let your child glue the pieces on with a little guidance, if needed.
5. Add a couple of eyes with a black marker or use squiggly eyes.
6. Attach a string or ribbon to the back of the board and hang for all to enjoy on Thanksgiving Day.

OR…a placemat…

2. Thanksgiving Turkey Craft Placemat

Follow the steps above for this handprint turkey craft to create a personalized Thanksgiving Placemat.

1. Substitute construction paper for the foam board background and trim.
2. Personalize each placemat with a family member’s or guest’s name and date.
3. Then laminate the Thanksgiving turkey craft placemats at a local office supply store.

3. Geometric Thanksgiving Turkey Craft Decoration

Our daughter’s preschool class is also learning about triangles this month. In celebration of Thanksgiving, they made a turkey with a triangle body. Emily, while waiting for us to arrive, decided she wanted to make wings using her handprints. She is a very creative (and cute) kindergartner. This turkey was given many colorful feathers, rectangle legs, circle head, and hair too!

4. Thanksgiving Turkey Craft Mini Pail Favor

This adorable Thanksgiving turkey craft mini pail favor can be used as favors to adorn your Thanksgiving table place settings. Let children fill each pail with treats such as Thanksgiving themed cookies (you can make together), candy or popped corn wrapped in favor bags found at party and craft stores.

Materials:

• brown mini pail
• colorful foam pieces (feathers, beak, wattle)
• brown foam piece
• squiggly eyes
• tacky glue
• black sharpie

How to:

1. Trace child’s handprint on one piece of foam board and cut out.
2. Trace child’s footprint on brown foam board and cut out.
3. Trace each of the 4 fingers on separate pieces of foam board for feathers, cut out, and glue onto hand piece.
4. Add squiggly eyes, yellow triangle, and red oval to face (heal of footprint) with glue.
5. Glue footprint onto front (tuck under pail and trim).
6. Glue handprint onto back of mini pail.
7. Add a name and use this Thanksgiving turkey craft as a place card, too.

For more Thanksgiving crafts, recipes, and poems visit here. (I did the search for you!)

Happy Thanksgiving!