Inside: Download these free turkey printables for a fun preschool Thanksgiving circle time activity!
We love adding turkey activities to our Thanksgiving theme.
We’ve worked on color recognition with our turkey feathers printable, talked about thankfulness while creating colorful turkeys, and worked on letter recognition with our turkey alphabet cards.
This year I created a couple of turkey printables that can be added to circle time and adapted as a table activity for centers time.
These printables can be used with a variety of songs and stories that are used during the November theme.
Preschool Thanksgiving Circle Time Activity
If you’ve been Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds for awhile, you know how much I love to use props during circle time.
When I was a new teacher, I quickly realized how hard circle time could be.
I would start reading a book and lose their attention within seconds.
It took me a few years (and many frustrating circle time sessions) before I realized that props made such a difference.
I talk about it in this video, in fact.
Props pull the children in, keeping them more engaged than if you were simply reading a story or reciting a finger play.
I even use them while reading books!
What You Will Need
For each of these activities, you will need parts of the turkey printable.
Scroll down towards the bottom of this page to find the link to the free download.
Turkey Puppet Sticks
What you will need:
- Popsicle sticks or Jumbo Craft Sticks
- Laminator (optional)
- Scotch tape
- Turkeys (scroll down page to find free printable)
Make enough copies of page 2 for each child (and teacher).
I suggest copying them onto card stock (heavy paper) so they are a bit sturdier.
You can also laminate them.
Then tape them to the tops of the craft sticks.
While reading turkey books, reciting turkey finger plays, and singing turkey songs, hand a turkey stick to each child to hold.
Using these Turkey Props During Virtual Teaching
Make enough turkey sticks so that each child gets one. Place them in take home packets and invite your children to hold them during your turkey books, songs and finger plays online.
Turkeys 1-5
Also in this printable packet is a larger set of turkeys that are numbered 1-5.
During circle time, invite the children to help you count each turkey as you place it on a flannel board.
You can refer to these turkeys while reading, singing, and reciting anything involving turkeys 1-5.
Using Numbered Turkeys on a Flannel Board
I love using printables on the flannel board.
(Note: I love our new flannel board! As of this writing, it’s no longer available, but they do have other colors, such as green and blue.)
You might recall our leaf printable that I used on our flannel board a couple of weeks ago.
To do so, make sure they are copied on to heavy paper and/or laminated.
Then, place velcro tabs on the back so that the printables will stick to the flannel surface.
Using the numbered turkeys for virtual teaching:
During our online meeting I first invited the children to help me count the turkeys.
I then read Five Silly Turkeys by Salina Yoon.
Turkey Table Activity
Add some simple counting to your table activities during centers time!
What you will need:
- Numbered turkeys printable (scroll down for free printable)
- Pom poms or other small pieces to use as markers
Setting up this activity:
Cut the numbered turkeys and place them on a tray with the pom poms or other small pieces.
The counting activity:
Place the turkeys on a tray along with the pom poms (or other small pieces).
Your children will recognize the number on each turkey and place that many pom poms on top.
This is a fun way to work on simple counting during your Thanksgiving theme!
More Circle Time Resources
Ten Little Dinosaurs Printable Props
Fall/Autumn Songs for Circle Time
Preschool Circle Time Activities
When Circle Time Doesn’t Go As Planned (Video)
My Secrets to a Successful Circle Time (Video)
More Circle Time Props!
Keep your toddlers and preschoolers engaged during circle time with props to favorite songs and rhymes!
