Thankful Turkeys: A Thanksgiving craft for the home or classroom
Nov. 9, 2022
It is fall, a time when we’re all excited to share the things we are thankful for in preparation for Thanksgiving.
A fun activity for our kids and students too is to create a Thankful Turkey. This can be done in many ways and can be adapted to every age level. The Thankful Turkeys I decided to ask my third grade students to create, see below, shows the potential for various types of responses. Also, differentiating the writing portion can allow for even more creativity.
Here are six simple steps to create a Thankful Turkey Thanksgiving craft:
1. Find a turkey graphic or clipart online. Adjust a turkey graphic to a desired size, and make sure the turkey image does NOT have feathers.
2. Find a feather graphic or clipart to add to the turkey. The feathers can be as big or as small as desired. You can add lines to write on (for the older kids that will be writing sentences) or leave them without lines for the younger kids to add one-word answers.
3. Print the turkey and feathers. I like to print these on cardstock so that they are sturdy and can be hung at home or in the classroom.
4. Have kids complete a writing rough draft. I always have my students write a rough draft first so they aren’t concerned about spelling and can get their creative thoughts out on paper. I have them write five sentences on lined paper, using the sentence starter: I am thankful for _________ because… Then we revise it together and fix any spelling mistakes.
5. Hand out the turkey and feathers. Once the rough draft is written, students are ready to write their sentences, words or phrases on each feather.
6. Color, cut and glue. Once the writing has been completed, students can color the turkey and feathers, cut them out and finally glue the feathers on the turkey.
These Thankful Turkeys are so cute to display on a bulletin board at school or in a shared space at home.
Here is a PDF I put together from images I found online to help you get started.
How can you adapt this activity for your kids or students? Let us know at Arizona PBS KIDS on Facebook.
Examples
About the author
Marissa Will is the mother of two, Olivia (9) and Logan (8). Writing was her first passion: she’s a freelance writer and a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumna. Will is currently educating the future leaders of tomorrow: She has spent over 10 years educating third graders, with a master’s degree in elementary education from Northern Arizona University-Yuma.
