Colorful Turkey Craft for Kids {Builds Fine Motor Skills!}

Inside: Looking for a colorful turkey craft kids can make for Thanksgiving? This art activity is fun and strengthens fine motor skills, too!

You’ve searched for a craft your preschoolers can do for Thanksgiving.

However, most of what you see looks more like an adult-made craft.

Or, it’s a piece of art that doesn’t allow for much creativity.

This tends to happen during the holidays, when there is so much cookie cutter art taking place.

If you’ve been on Pinterest lately, you know what I’m talking about.

This year I came up with a turkey craft that involves lots of process – process that they loved.

The result: A turkey craft that is colorful and fun to make!

Colorful Turkey Craft for Kids {Builds Fine Motor Skills!}

Supplies Needed

• white basket coffee filters
• your choice of colored construction paper plus brown paper and orange paper
• colored feathers
• liquid watercolors
• paint brushes
• googly eyes
• pipettes or droppers
• white glue

Watercolors and Coffee Filters

The first step is creating the body of the turkey.

Choose bright colored liquid watercolors and place them in containers, along with droppers, trays, and coffee filters.

(Tip: Put the name on the coffee filter with a Sharpie before the process begins. It’s much easier than trying to do so afterwards, when they are wet. Trust me on this.)

 

Glue the Colorful Coffee Filter to Construction Paper

This is something you can do before the children arrive, or you can get them involved in the process.

Simply squirt glue to one side of the coffee filter, turn it over, and press onto the construction paper.

Details, Details

Before assembling this turkey craft, cut some feet and beaks from orange paper.

Then, cut the neck and head from brown paper.

Get the googly eyes and feathers ready, too.

Assemble the Body

Now it’s time to glue everything on the coffee filter.

I chose to let them squeeze the glue onto the paper, rather than pouring glue into trays and having them brush it on.

The latter is just fine, but I wanted some extra fine motor going on.

Squeezing glue is an excellent way to strengthen the hands and fingers.

You do need to keep an eye on it, of course, so that they move the glue around and they don’t empty the bottle’s entire contents.

 

Add the Feathers

The last step to this turkey craft is adding the feathers. More color!

Find all 3 of our turkey crafts here: