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November is a busy month in kindergarten! As Thanksgiving approaches, it can feel like there just isn’t enough time to get to everything! Even when time is short, crafts are an essential part of the kindergarten day. This thankful turkey craft is no exception! Your students can create a fun seasonal craft as they practice a variety of important skills. Keep reading to see why a 3D thankful turkey craft should be part of your November plans this year!
Before I tell you about all the reasons why you’ll love this craft, I wanted to show you what I’m talking about! This fun Thanksgiving turkey craft is made from templates copied onto construction paper. This resource has color suggestions for each part of the turkey, but you can also customize the colors however you’d like.
Students will write one thing they’re thankful for on each colorful feather. After they have completed the writing activity, students will assemble their turkeys with a fun stand-up feature. This makes it so the turkey can sit up practically anywhere: Window sills, table tops, bookshelves, you name it!
One reason that I love to use crafts in kindergarten is that students can practice following directions. This 3D thankful turkey craft is really fun for students to make, but they need to carefully follow the assembly directions in order for it to stay upright on its own.
Your students will be so proud of themselves after they have completed this craft! It really does encourage them to follow directions for future activities once they see what they’re capable of when they listen carefully to instructions.
As with any kindergarten crafts, this turkey craft activity helps students improve their fine motor skills. In just this one activity, students will practice cutting, gluing, folding, and writing! Are you concerned that your students would need a bit more scissor practice before being able to cut out the small pieces? Not to worry! You (or a volunteer) can pre-cut any of the pieces that might be too challenging for your students. There will still be plenty of fine motor practice in this activity for your students!
If you have students who aren’t quite ready to write, the feathers are also large enough for students to draw pictures of what they’re thankful for. This engaging activity will keep students focused on strengthening their hand muscles but they won’t even realize they are hard at work!
The concept of gratitude can be a little bit abstract for young students, so this craft is a great way to open a conversation about what it means to be thankful for something. When young students are asked about what they’re thankful for, they often just list things that they like. This is totally fine! However, they might change their minds after learning more about gratitude and write things that they are truly thankful for.
The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving can be such a busy time in kindergarten! Creating this Thanksgiving turkey craft is a great way to acknowledge the holiday season and have some turkey fun while still working on important skills. This is a very fun seasonal activity to do with your students on the day before leaving for Thanksgiving break!
Instead of waiting until the last day before Thanksgiving break to complete the turkey craft, you might decide to have your students create them earlier in the month. This way, you’ll have an adorable classroom decoration for the month of November!
Some schools have cafeteria staff or librarians who send out requests for seasonal artwork to put on display. Since these 3D turkey crafts can sit pretty much anywhere with no extra tape or fasteners, these are a great option for displaying around the school. Kindergartners get so excited when they see their artwork out “in the wild”! If you know in advance that the turkeys will be on loan to the library or cafeteria, be sure to tell your class. They will put extra effort and care into this project when they know they are creating something for the whole school to enjoy!
Whether you decide to display the turkeys in your classroom or around the school, this will encourage your students to read what their peers have written. Each time they pass the thankful turkeys on display, students will work hard to read what is written on each feather. They always get so excited when they can recognize the words on the thankful turkeys, especially if it’s similar to something they wrote on their own!
Once you’ve had plenty of time to enjoy the thankful turkey craft at school, it’s time for the turkeys to go home with the students. Your students will be so proud to take their creations home to share with their parents. Since they stand up so nicely, it’s likely that families will include these turkeys as part of their own holiday decor. After the holiday, these turkeys can make a great kindergarten keepsake for your students!
Would you like to have your class create their own thankful turkeys for a fun seasonal classroom activity this year? I have created a resource with everything you need to complete this thankful turkey craft in your own classroom. You’ll find the templates for all of the turkey pieces and step-by-step instructions with pictures!
If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, you can find it in the A Spoonful of Learning shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers.
I hope that you and your students love this fun thankful turkey craft! If you’re short on time but want to come back to this idea, be sure to add the pin below to your favorite teaching or holiday board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find this resource whenever you’re ready to download and print!
These alphabet books will have students dive deep into learning about each letter of the alphabet while eager to see what activity they get to complete next!
