Fun Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

by Megan Bacchus · October 4, 2023

When I first started teaching Kindergarten, I felt pressured to make cutesy crafts for holidays. Most of the time, I didn’t mind, but when it came to Thanksgiving, it seemed like every teacher had a version of a turkey craft and I didn’t feel compelled to make turkeys with my students.

There are the turkeys with feathers that list what students are thankful for. There are the turkeys that persuade students to eat something other than turkey for Thanksgiving. There are handprint turkeys, tissue paper turkeys, and toilet paper roll turkeys.

WHY?

Can’t we just focus on gratitude and family?

It’s taken me some years of teaching to come to the terms with the fact that no, we can’t. Turkey has cultural significance and traditions rooted in Canadian Thanksgiving. People love the turkey craft. Especially in Kindergarten.

So here it is – my version of the Thanksgiving Turkey Craft.

The kids love making them. The parents love hanging them up. There’s a little bit of a math connection. And I think they’re kind of funny.

Grab the FREEBIE for the Turkey Craft with Patterned Feathers printable and instructions here.

Watch how we made them: