It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I feel like we just got started with Fall! As we near the holidays, I like to focus some of the activities for my kiddos around each specific holiday. Right now I am really focusing on number recognition with my 4 year old and counting with my 2 year old, so I wanted an activity that would be suitable for both of them. This turkey certainly fit the bill! I used to do this activity with my Kindergarten class and it was great number recognition and counting practice for them. So I knew it would be perfect for my toddlers! Lets break it down:
Making your Turkey
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Materials:
- Construction paper or colored cardstock (brown for the body and multiple colors for the feathers)
- Googly eyes
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- Marker
Building your Turkey
I find it best to do all of the prep while my kiddos are sleeping, so there are no interruptions in getting this craftivity set up.
Related: Check out this fun Thanksgiving activity that has an awesome fine motor focus!
First, you need to create the body of your turkey. I like to keep mine simple and a bit silly. Think of a bowling pin and cut your brown paper into a similar shape. Sometimes it helps to draw it out first. You should be able to fit 2-3 turkey bodies on one piece of brown construction paper.
Next, prepare your feathers! You can use whichever colors you would like for this part. I like to cut out a rainbow of choices and let my kiddos decide which colors they want to use. You should be able to cut out about 5 feathers per piece of construction paper.
Finally, cut out all of the turkey details. Cut a diamond shape on orange paper and fold it in half to form a beak. Then, cut the feet out in orange as well. Check out my photos below to see how I cut the feet out. Now, use your red paper to cut out the ‘gobble’ as my kiddos call it. You can really make this whatever shape you would like as long as it fits beneath the beak!
Put it All Together
This is where the kiddos come in. When everything is cut out and prepped, lay it all out on the surface that you would like your littles to build on. I recommend an easy-wipe surface since there is glue involved!
Let your sweeties choose their feathers. I use this as a counting activity and have my kiddos count out 10 feathers. If you are working on number recognition, this is where you would want to write a number on each feather. Help your toddlers put their feathers in number order and get ready to glue!
Demonstrate how to glue the feathers in a fan-like pattern to the back of the turkey. The younger toddlers may need a little extra help (and a lot of supervision!) with this step.
Once all of the feathers are glued on, flip the turkey over and have your kiddos add all of the details.
Once your turkeys are dry, hang them proudly on the art wall. Or, if your kiddos are anything like mine, hand the turkeys over for some imaginative play with their toys!
What craftivities do you do with your kiddos around Thanksgiving?
Working on number recognition?! Check out my Fishing for Numbers activity here!
