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Thanksgiving Turkey Craft For Kids - Free Printable

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Guest blog by Everyday Thrifty

This Free 3D Thanksgiving Turkey Craft is a fun way to get everyone in the Thanksgiving spirit! The last quarter of the year is my FAVORITE time of year. There is a major holiday going on every month! With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas back-to-back, the opportunities to keep the kids engaged with all the festivities are basically endless.

But let’s be honest, Thanksgiving seems to have a bit of “middle child syndrome” going on, doesn’t it? First, you have Halloween with all its candy and costume goodness.  But then around the same time, stores have already started putting out Christmas decorations. 

Kids are usually so pumped that CHRISTMAS IS COMING because they’re probably still hyped up on candy from trick-or-treating.   In all this madness, Thanksgiving seems to get overlooked and lost in the shuffle a tad, doesn't it?! 

Resurrect the spirit of Thanksgiving with this fun activity! The FREE 3D printable Thanksgiving Turkey Craft will be a great avenue to teach the kids about Thanksgiving and encourage them to get crafty. 

This is a great toddler or preschool activity that can be adapted to your child’s age level. There is no "right way" to decorate the turkey. You can make this craft your own by coloring it with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. You can even dress it up with stickers, glitter, or any other fun craft supply you have on hand. 

Here a few educational ideas for this Thanksgiving Turkey Craft:

Toddlers:

Have them color the turkey and then assist them by cutting out the pieces and gluing it together. You can work on color identification, counting the number of feathers, and identifying the parts of the turkey!

Preschoolers and Elementary:

Color the turkey and explore with designing patterns on the feathers and chest! You can also have kids cut out the turkey and assemble it themselves after it is colored for fine motor development. Another idea is to write down something to be thankful for on each feather! 

Go further and make this into a Thanksgiving lesson for the day with these talking points:

  • Turkeys are native to North America and were around when the Pilgrims settled into North America. 

  • Turkeys are large animals and can feed a lot of people and do not have other purposes such as providing milk and eggs. 

  • Thanksgiving was officially declared a holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln with roasted turkey being reportedly being his favorite meal. 

  • The turkey's involvement in the first Thanksgiving is more “myth” than fact! Turkey at Thanksgiving evolved over time and gained popularity in the 1800s. 

In case you were wondering, this printable is NOT just for kids! 

Brighten up your desk and alleviate some stress by coloring your own FREE 3D Thanksgiving Turkey Craft! Not only will you have fun putting it together, but it could be a fun conversation starter with coworkers when they spot it at your desk or workstation. 

Instructions: 

  1. Download and print the PDF onto Cardstock paper which works best for durability.

  2. Color the turkey with crayons, colored pencils, or markers. On Piece C, color both the front and back.

  3. Cut out each item: head, hat, body, and feathers.

  4. On the two body segments (Pieces C and D), and the turkey head (Piece A), you’ll see a thick black line on each. Cut into those thick black lines and stop cutting where the lines end.

  5. Using glue or tape, attach the hat (Piece B) onto the turkey head (Piece A).

  6. Assemble the turkey body by sliding Piece D into Piece C (forming a “T” shape).

  7. Then attach the feathers (Piece E) to the backside of the turkey body (Piece D).

  8. Slide the turkey head (Piece A) into the slit on the turkey body (Piece C).

  9. Marvel at your finished craft!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this fun Thanksgiving activity!

Be sure to share your FREE 3D Thanksgiving Turkey on social media and tag us so we can see your creativity!

About the author:

Nicole is the owner of Everyday Thrifty, a lifestyle website focused on frugal family living! After paying off nearly $68,000 of debt in just 16 months, her family has been passionate about helping others learn how to live a debt free life. Living debt free is not about the amount of money you earn but rather about how you spend the money you have. Follow along with her and her family as they give practical tips and tricks on how to creatively save money, earn extra cash on the side, and live life to the fullest. 

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