Get ready for some amazing turkey fun!
Thanksgiving is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than with exciting turkey activities?
If you’re learning about these intriguing birds or getting ready for the big holiday, we’ve got awesome projects that will keep you busy and happy.
From crafting colorful turkey crafts to playing silly turkey games, these activities are perfect for little hands and big imaginations.
You’ll laugh, learn, and create memories that will last all season long.
So grab your art supplies and put on your thinking caps – it’s time to talk turkey and have a blast!
The Spirit of Thanksgiving in the Preschool Classroom
Thanksgiving offers a perfect opportunity to introduce essential values to preschoolers.
Children can learn to appreciate gratitude through simple activities, such as sharing what makes them happy.
When children create turkey crafts together or participate in “thankful circles,” they develop crucial social skills.
These shared experiences help them feel connected to their classmates and community.
The friendly turkey character serves as an engaging symbol that captures young imaginations.
Its distinctive features, colorful feathers, funny waddle, and gentle personality make it instantly recognizable and appealing to preschoolers.
Through these turkey-themed activities, children learn fundamental concepts of thankfulness while having fun with a character they love.
Why Do Turkey Activities Matter for Preschoolers?
Turkey-themed activities help preschoolers connect with the changing seasons and American traditions.
Children learn about fall and holiday customs through fun, hands-on experiences.
When little ones create turkey crafts, they practice essential skills such as cutting, gluing, and coloring.
These activities develop fine motor skills and creativity in exciting ways.
Turkey games encourage movement, cooperation, and following directions.
Teachers and parents can use these themed activities to create special moments during the Thanksgiving season.
The familiar turkey symbol gives children a friendly character to engage with. This makes learning feel like play rather than work.
Thanksgiving Turkey Activities for Kids
Get ready for turkey-themed fun that your preschoolers will gobble up!
These simple activities combine creativity with learning, making them perfect for classroom celebrations or creating at-home holiday memories.
From colorful crafts to active games, these turkey ideas will keep little ones engaged while developing important skills.
1. Handprint Turkey Art
This adorable craft uses a child’s handprint to create the body and feathers of a turkey, letting kids explore painting or tracing while learning about Thanksgiving symbols.
After pressing or tracing their hand onto paper, they turn each finger into a colorful feather and the thumb into the turkey’s head.
Adding googly eyes, a beak, and feet brings the turkey to life and makes a fun keepsake for parents.
2. Paper Plate Turkey Craft
Preschoolers can turn a simple paper plate into a charming turkey by painting it brown and gluing bright paper feathers around the edge to form a full tail.
They then add googly eyes, a paper beak, and a red wattle to complete the turkey’s face.
This project not only lets children practice cutting and gluing but also gives them a fun and festive decoration for the Thanksgiving season.
3. Coffee Filter Turkeys
In this colorful craft, kids decorate a plain coffee filter with markers, then spray it lightly with water to create a soft, blended tie-dye effect that looks like turkey feathers.
Once dry, the filter becomes the tail for a paper turkey body, which they decorate with eyes, a beak, and legs.
This activity encourages creativity and teaches children how colors mix while producing a vibrant classroom display.
4. Toilet Paper Roll Turkey
This eco-friendly craft turns an empty toilet paper roll into a silly little turkey by adding paper feathers, eyes, a beak, and a red wattle.
Children can paint the roll or wrap it in brown construction paper, then glue colorful feathers on the back and a funny face on the front.
It’s a great way to reuse materials and gives preschoolers a chance to practice fine motor skills with joy.
5. Leaf Feather Turkey
This nature-themed activity blends outdoor play with Thanksgiving fun by having children collect real fall leaves to use as turkey feathers.
They glue the leaves behind a paper body shape, then add googly eyes, a triangle beak, and stick-on legs to finish the look.
This project helps kids explore the beauty of autumn while practicing gluing and arranging textures, creating a craft that celebrates both art and nature.
6. Cupcake Liner Turkey
Flattened cupcake liners make the perfect base for this cute turkey craft, where children use the liners as tail feathers and add a paper circle for the turkey’s head.
They decorate it with eyes, a beak, a red wattle, and drawn-on legs or glued paper ones.
The mix of colors, shapes, and textures makes this activity visually interesting while also building fine motor and spatial awareness skills.
7. Pom-Pom Turkey Stick Puppets
In this playful craft, kids build their own turkey puppets by gluing large and small pom-poms onto a craft stick to form the body and head.
They then attach googly eyes, a paper beak, and craft feathers to bring the character to life.
These turkeys are not only adorable, but also perfect for imaginative play, story time, or Thanksgiving songs, helping develop language and storytelling skills through art.
8. Pine Cone Turkey Craft
With this fun and textured craft, children turn a real pine cone into a turkey by attaching feathers in the back and a small paper face in the front with eyes, a beak, and a wattle.
Each turkey looks different depending on the pine cone’s size and shape, which makes the activity more exciting.
It’s a great way to bring nature into the classroom and teach about Thanksgiving traditions.
9. Button-Feather Turkey Collage
This bright and engaging collage has kids use colorful buttons as turkey feathers, gluing them around a cut-out turkey body for a fun, shiny look.
They decorate the face with eyes, a beak, and little paper feet, creating a mix of colors and textures.
The activity is great for counting practice, color sorting, and hand-eye coordination, making it both an artistic and educational Thanksgiving project.
10. Paper Bag Turkey Puppets
Children use brown paper lunch bags to make their own turkey puppets, decorating the flap with a turkey face and gluing feathers on the back for a full tail.
Once their puppet is finished, they can use it to sing turkey songs or act out silly stories during circle time.
This craft is not only creative but also encourages imaginative play and social interaction through storytelling and performance.
11. 3D Construction Paper Turkeys
Children create these colorful 3D turkeys by folding and gluing layers of construction paper to build a round body and fanned tail feathers that stand up.
They cut out a small head and attach googly eyes, a beak, and a red wattle to give the turkey its face.
This project encourages creativity and teaches kids how flat paper can turn into a fun, stand-up decoration perfect for Thanksgiving.
12. Recycled CD Turkey Craft
Using old CDs as shiny turkey bodies, kids glue feathers around the edges and attach a paper circle to the center for the face.
They add eyes, a beak, and a wattle, watching as the reflective surface sparkles like magic.
This craft not only gives new life to something old but also creatively introduces recycling while building fine motor skills and imagination through colorful design.
13. Spoon Turkeys
With just a few craft supplies and a plastic or wooden spoon, children can create playful turkey characters by decorating the spoon’s bowl with a face and gluing feathers to the back.
They can also wrap the handle with yarn or colorful paper to add extra detail.
These spoon turkeys are great for puppet shows, Thanksgiving storytelling, or simply displaying as cheerful holiday decorations around the classroom.
14. Turkey Crown/Headband with Feathers
This festive headband craft lets kids become little turkeys by making wearable crowns with paper feathers sticking up in the back and a turkey face on the front.
They start by sizing a strip of paper to fit their head, then decorate it with drawn or glued feathers, eyes, and a beak.
It’s a fun way to build fine motor skills while giving kids a costume piece for seasonal activities.
15. Paper Cup Turkey with Pipe Cleaner Legs
This fun craft turns an upside-down paper cup into a turkey’s body, which kids can then decorate. They glue colorful paper feathers to the back.
Then, they twist pipe cleaners into legs that stick out underneath, making the turkey stand. A paper face is added to the front, complete with googly eyes and a triangular beak.
This craft helps build spatial awareness. It also gives kids a chance to explore balance and structure while creating something fun.
16. Pin the Feather on the Turkey
This Thanksgiving version of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” is a classroom favorite where kids take turns trying to pin or stick a paper feather onto a turkey poster while blindfolded.
Each feather can have their name or a number, and laughter fills the room as they guess where to place it.
The game is perfect for group fun and builds coordination, turn-taking, and playful social interaction.
17. Turkey Feather Color Match Game
In this fun Thanksgiving-themed activity, kids match colorful feathers to the correct spots on a printed turkey template.
Feathers can include color swatches, words, or Velcro to make the game interactive.
As children play, they practice color recognition, sorting, and visual discrimination, building focus and independence while enjoying a hands-on, holiday-themed learning experience.
18. Turkey Bean Bag Toss
In this active game, children toss small bean bags into buckets or bins decorated as turkeys, each marked with numbers, letters, or colors for points or learning goals.
They can play individually or in teams, working on their aim, coordination, and patience as they try to earn the most points.
It’s a perfect activity for mixing physical movement with early learning, and it brings energy to holiday events.
19. Turkey Waddle Relay
This silly relay has kids hold a balloon between their knees and race across the room, waddling like turkeys without letting it drop.
Whether played in teams or alone, the activity brings laughter and excitement while helping children improve their balance and gross motor coordination.
It’s a great way to add joyful movement to Thanksgiving celebrations and gives young learners a chance to burn off energy playfully.
20. Feather Hunt Around the Room
In this Thanksgiving-themed scavenger hunt, children search the classroom or house for hidden feathers that might have numbers, colors, or letters written on them.
They collect their finds in bags or baskets and count or sort them when finished.
This fun, low-prep game promotes attention to detail, problem-solving, and early academic skills while encouraging exploration and curiosity in a festive and engaging learning environment.
21. Turkey Bowling
In this fun indoor game, children bowl with a small ball and try to knock over plastic bottles decorated as turkeys using paper eyes, beaks, and feather cutouts.
Kids can take turns, count how many turkeys they knock down, and even help set them up again.
It’s a great activity for developing hand-eye coordination, early math concepts like counting and turn-taking, and adds giggles to any Thanksgiving event.
22. Musical Feathers
This Thanksgiving twist on musical chairs uses feathers placed in a circle on the floor instead of chairs.
As music plays, children walk around the feathers, and when the music stops, they quickly find one to stand on. One feather is removed each round.
The game encourages listening, quick reactions, and fair play, making it a great movement activity that fits perfectly into fall classroom celebrations.
23. Roll-a-Turkey Dice Game
In this game, children roll a die to collect different turkey parts one at a time: the body, feathers, eyes, beak, wattle, and feet, until their turkey is complete.
Each number corresponds to a specific part, adding excitement and surprise to each roll.
This activity is great for practicing number recognition, taking turns, and following directions, and kids love seeing how their silly, unique turkeys turn out in the end.
24. Turkey Yoga Poses
With turkey-themed yoga, kids stretch and move like different Thanksgiving animals, doing poses such as “turkey wings,” “pumpkin pose,” and “fall tree balance.”
These gentle movements help children stay active while practicing balance, mindfulness, and body control.
Turkey yoga can be a calming brain break or a lively morning routine, giving preschoolers a fun way to connect movement with seasonal themes through playful physical activity.
25. Read “10 Fat Turkeys” with Finger Play
Reading the silly picture book “10 Fat Turkeys” becomes extra fun when children act it out using their fingers to count along.
With each page, they hold up or lower fingers to match the number of turkeys, giggling as they disappear one by one.
This storytime activity supports number recognition, rhythm, and participation, making it a joyful way to blend early math and literacy with Thanksgiving storytelling.
More Turkey Fun for Little Learners
Looking for even more turkey fun?
These additional activities are perfect for extending the Thanksgiving theme.
Each one is designed with young children in mind, keeping activities short, simple, and filled with opportunities to practice new skills while celebrating the season.
26. Turkey-Themed Alphabet Matching
This literacy game helps preschoolers recognize letters by matching uppercase and lowercase turkey feathers to a body with the same letter.
Kids can use printed feather cards, Velcro boards, or even magnetic pieces to complete their turkeys.
The activity boosts early alphabet knowledge, visual discrimination, and matching skills in a way that feels playful and exciting thanks to the seasonal turkey theme and colorful design.
27. Turkey Name Puzzle
In this personalized craft, each child creates a turkey using paper feathers, writing one letter of their name on each feather.
They then mix the feathers up and practice putting them in the correct order to build their name.
This simple puzzle not only strengthens letter recognition and spelling but also gives each child a chance to create something unique that reflects their identity festively.
28. Turkey Storytelling with Stick Puppets
Children create turkey stick puppets using printed or hand-drawn images glued to craft sticks, then use them to tell silly or thoughtful Thanksgiving stories.
They can work alone or in small groups to act out short tales, create characters, or perform a class play.
This activity promotes imagination, speaking skills, and collaboration while helping children engage with storytelling in a hands-on and creative way.
29. Create a “Thankful Turkey” Book with Class Contributions
Together, the class creates a “Thankful Turkey” book where each child adds a page with a drawing or sentence about something they’re thankful for.
Pages are collected and bound into a class book that can be read aloud during circle time.
This shared project builds gratitude, literacy, and a sense of community, giving children a chance to express emotions and reflect on the meaning of Thanksgiving.
30. Gobble Rhyming Word Games
This playful language activity has kids practice rhyming by coming up with words that match silly Thanksgiving prompts like “What rhymes with gobble?” or “turkey?”
Teachers can say a word, and children respond with rhymes, or use picture cards to match rhyming pairs.
It’s a great way to build early phonemic awareness, listening skills, and vocabulary while keeping things light, fun, and filled with turkey-themed giggles.
31. Letter T Is For Turkey Tracing Sheet
This tracing activity introduces preschoolers to the letter “T” by connecting it to the word “turkey” using a fun, themed worksheet.
Children trace uppercase and lowercase T’s with pencils, crayons, or markers while colorful turkey illustrations decorate the page.
As they trace, kids practice proper letter formation, build fine motor skills, and strengthen alphabet recognition, all tied to a festive Thanksgiving theme.
32. Turkey Syllable Clapping Game
In this interactive language game, children say a Thanksgiving-themed word, like “turkey,” “pumpkin,” or “feathers”, and clap for each syllable they hear.
The class can do it together or in small groups, helping kids break words into parts by sound.
This activity supports phonological awareness and listening skills while keeping preschoolers engaged through movement, rhythm, and fun turkey-themed vocabulary that fits the season perfectly.
33. Make a Turkey-Themed Word Wall
Children and teachers work together to build a Thanksgiving word wall filled with turkey-related vocabulary like “gobble,” “feathers,” “cranberry,” and “thankful.”
Words are written on colorful cards and displayed with pictures for visual support.
This ongoing activity encourages children to recognize new words, practice early reading, and expand their vocabulary through seasonal themes that feel fun, familiar, and visually inviting in the classroom.
34. Story Sequencing with a Turkey Tale
After reading a simple turkey-themed story, kids use printed pictures or handmade drawings to retell the story in order.
They arrange the events from beginning to end, either on a table or glued onto a strip of paper.
This sequencing activity helps build comprehension, memory, and storytelling skills while reinforcing the idea that stories have a clear order, beginning, middle, and end, that kids can understand and recreate.
35. Turkey Feather Counting Mats (1–10 or 1–20)
Kids use themed counting mats that show a turkey missing its tail feathers and place items, like paper feathers, pompoms, or buttons, on numbered spaces from 1 to 10 or even 20.
This hands-on activity builds number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, and counting skills while keeping things playful and festive.
It can be done individually or in small math centers and adjusted for different learning levels.
36. Numbered Turkey Feather Clip Cards
Each turkey card features a number and several feathers with different dot amounts. Kids count the dots and clip a clothespin to the matching number, or vice versa.
These clip cards strengthen fine motor coordination while also reinforcing early math concepts like counting, number matching, and quantity recognition.
They’re great for centers, independent work, or even a calm activity during a busy classroom day.
37. Feather Color Graphing
In this math activity, children collect and sort feathers by color, then graph the results using bars or rows on a simple chart.
The graph can be drawn on paper or built with physical items like blocks. Kids learn to count, compare quantities, and talk about “more,” “less,” or “equal.”
It’s a colorful and interactive way to introduce basic graphing concepts using seasonal materials.
38. Build-a-Turkey Shape Matching
Children create turkeys by matching and gluing different shapes, like circles, triangles, and rectangles, for the body, beak, and feathers.
Teachers can provide templates or cut-out pieces for kids to explore independently. As they build, they learn shape names, practice spatial reasoning, and work on arranging pieces correctly.
The final product is a fun, silly turkey made entirely from shapes, perfect for both art and math learning.
39. Count and Glue Feathers on a Turkey Printable
Kids receive a printable turkey missing its feathers and are asked to count and glue the correct number of feathers based on a number shown on the page.
Teachers can vary the difficulty by choosing numbers from 1 to 10 or higher.
This craft combines number recognition with hands-on activity, giving kids a chance to use glue sticks and small items while strengthening basic math skills.
40. Patterning with Colored Feathers
In this colorful math activity, children create patterns using different colored feathers, such as red-yellow-red-yellow or blue-green-orange-blue.
They can glue them onto a strip, arrange them in trays, or build them using felt pieces.
Teachers can prompt kids to continue a pattern or create their own. It’s a fun and creative way to introduce the concept of patterns while giving kids freedom to experiment and explore.
41. Turkey Dice Roll & Count Game
In this math activity, children roll a die and place the same number of feathers, buttons, or tokens on a turkey mat. They repeat the process as they build their turkey piece by piece.
This simple yet effective game helps with counting, number recognition, and turn-taking.
It also keeps preschoolers actively engaged with a playful Thanksgiving theme that encourages repetition, patience, and hands-on learning.
42. Fill The Turkey Ten-Frame Activity
Children use a ten-frame mat shaped like a turkey’s body and place counters, feathers, or themed manipulatives into each square to match a given number.
This visual and tactile activity strengthens number sense, especially understanding numbers up to ten.
It’s a great introduction to basic math concepts, such as addition and early place value, while keeping the activity fun and festive with a cute turkey theme.
43. Turkey Size Sorting
Kids sort turkey images, paper feathers, or other themed objects by size, labeling them as small, medium, and large, onto labeled mats or baskets.
Teachers can also use real objects, such as foam turkeys or cutouts, to make the activity more hands-on.
This builds early math skills related to measurement and comparison while encouraging vocabulary development as children describe and explain their sorting choices using size-related words.
44. One-to-One Correspondence with Feathers and Pom-Poms
In this activity, children place one feather or pom-pom on each dot or image on a turkey mat, practicing one-to-one correspondence as they count.
This helps them understand that each object represents a single number in a sequence.
The colorful materials keep it fun and engaging while reinforcing careful counting, attention to detail, and number fluency in a gentle, supportive learning environment.
45. Feather Sensory Bin with Hidden Turkeys
Children dig through a bin filled with feathers, rice, or beans to find small hidden turkey figures, cards, or cutouts.
As they search, they use scoops or tongs, which helps build hand strength and fine motor skills.
Teachers can incorporate a sorting or counting element to provide extra learning opportunities.
The textures, surprises, and simple tools make this sensory activity both exciting and educational during the Thanksgiving season.
46. Turkey Lacing Cards
With pre-cut turkey shapes and hole-punched edges, kids use shoelaces or yarn to lace around the border of the turkey.
This activity strengthens hand-eye coordination, finger dexterity, and early sewing skills. Children can choose colorful strings or beads to add a touch of flair.
It’s a calming, focused task that encourages patience while still tying into seasonal fun and creating something they can be proud of displaying.
47. Playdough Turkey with Feather Sticks
Children mold a turkey body out of playdough, then insert colored craft sticks, feathers, or pipe cleaners into the back to act as the tail.
They can also add small eyes, a beak, and legs using loose parts or modeling tools.
This creative activity combines sensory exploration with fine motor development and imaginative play, giving kids the freedom to design their own silly or beautiful Thanksgiving turkey.
48. Turkey Sticker Collage
Kids create a turkey by covering a drawn or printed turkey shape with stickers, feathers, shapes, dots, or fall-themed stickers.
This activity improves finger strength and control as they peel and place each sticker, while also giving them full creative control.
It’s an open-ended project that can be as simple or detailed as each child chooses, making it great for mixed skill levels in the classroom.
49. Turkey Pokey Pin Activity
Using a printed turkey outline placed on foam or corkboard, children use a push pin or toothpick to poke holes along the lines of the image.
This builds hand strength, focus, and pencil grip, all important pre-writing skills.
Once complete, they can hold it up to the light and see the shape outlined in tiny holes. It’s quiet, focused, and very satisfying for young learners.
50. Q-Tip Painting a Turkey
Children use Q-tips instead of brushes to paint a turkey outline, dipping them in paint and dotting colors around the feathers and body.
This activity is great for developing fine motor skills and control, and it also introduces a unique painting technique.
Kids enjoy the novelty of using Q-tips, and the final artwork is full of bright, dotted texture that adds charm to Thanksgiving displays.
51. Feather Threading
In this fine motor activity, kids practice threading craft feathers through short straws, yarn loops, or pipe cleaners.
As they slide the feathers through the openings, they build hand strength, concentration, and coordination.
You can turn it into a pattern-making activity by offering different colored feathers.
It’s a quiet, engaging task that works well in centers and helps young learners develop early pre-writing and motor control skills.
52. Paper Tearing Turkey Mosaic
Children tear pieces of colored construction paper and glue them onto a turkey outline, forming a bright, textured mosaic.
They focus on filling in different sections, feathers, body, beak, using reds, yellows, oranges, and browns.
Tearing paper by hand strengthens fine motor skills in kids who are still mastering scissors and adds a playful, sensory element to the craft.
53. Turkey Tweezing Activity with Mini Feathers
This simple but effective activity involves using plastic tweezers to pick up small feathers and place them into containers, egg cartons, or even a turkey-shaped tray.
As children grip and move each feather, they practice control, coordination, and focus.
The lightweight texture of feathers adds a sensory element, making the game adaptable for sorting by color or counting, and thus both fun and educational.
54. Turkey Bead Bracelet
Kids create bracelets using pony beads in fall colors like red, orange, yellow, and brown, threading them onto pipe cleaners or yarn.
They can follow a repeating pattern or make their own, learning about sequencing, color recognition, and AB or ABC patterns.
Once finished, they twist or tie the bracelet to wear. It’s a fun mix of creativity and math that also builds strong finger muscles.
55. Turkey Emotion Faces
In this thoughtful activity, children create turkey faces that express different emotions, such as happy, sad, surprised, or excited, using paper cutouts or drawing materials.
Teachers can use them to start conversations about feelings and how to recognize them in ourselves and others.
This helps kids build emotional vocabulary and empathy in a gentle, engaging way while also connecting emotions to something familiar and seasonal.
56. Turkey Says
This Thanksgiving version of “Simon Says” replaces Simon with a silly turkey! The leader gives directions like “Turkey says flap your wings!” or “Gobble like a turkey!”
Kids have to listen carefully and only follow directions that begin with “Turkey says.”
It’s a fun way to build listening skills, focus, and self-control while keeping everyone moving, laughing, and enjoying a themed classroom brain break.
57. Kindness Feather Jar
This social-emotional learning activity involves a classroom jar where kids earn a paper feather each time they do something kind, like sharing, helping, or using kind words.
The feathers are placed in a large paper turkey or real jar, and the class watches it fill up throughout the week.
It promotes positive behavior, builds a sense of community, and teaches children that kindness is something to be proud of.
Tips for Teachers and Parents
Maximizing the enjoyment of turkey-themed activities requires some planning.
Here are some simple ways to make these activities work for all preschoolers:
- Use bigger materials for younger children and detailed crafts for older ones.
- Ask children to share one thing they’re thankful for each day.
- Mix quiet activities, such as coloring, with active games like “Turkey Tag.”
- Display children’s work to build confidence and pride.
- Include books about turkeys and Thanksgiving during story time.
Remember that the goal is to have fun while learning.
Children will remember these special activities and the warm feelings of gratitude they experience during this holiday season.
Summing It Up
What an incredible turkey adventure you’ve had!
From making handprint turkeys to gobbling like real birds, you’ve learned so much while having tons of fun.
These activities helped you practice counting, colors, and creativity simultaneously.
The best part?
You can recreate these turkey projects with friends and family time and again.
Keep exploring, keep creating, and most importantly, keep having fun!
Remember, every day is a great day to learn something new and make incredible memories.
Now go show off your amazing turkey creations to everyone you know!
Ready to gobble up more fun?
Share your favorite turkey activity in the comments below!
Craft time isn’t over; head to our Children’s Crafts category for more!
