Free Printable Turkey Puppet for Kids

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The creating part is just the beginning of the fun with this paper turkey puppet craft. Once you make it, it’s time to play. Put on a puppet show as a little family entertainment for Thanksgiving. It’s a great way to build even more memories into the holiday.

And if you enjoy this simple craft, you’re going to love making this thankful turkey craft, this clothespin turkey craft and this paper bag turkey craft too.

I bet you’ve never heard of craft flashcards…Of course you haven’t…because I totally made it up 🙂 As a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I’ve witnessed kids struggle to complete multi-step activities. So, I came up with this brilliant (if I do say myself) way to break down crafts into bite-sized pieces in the form of flashcards.

These are especially perfect for those kiddos who have limited attention spans.

Crafts are such a great developmental tool for kids (improves motor planning, attention span, executive functioning, fine motor skills, language development and more), and using flashcards makes planning crafts for your kids to enjoy even easier.

Just print out a few of your favorites onto cardstock, cut them into the cards with a hole in the corner and place them on a keyring that you can connect to your craft supply bag (which you can fill using our master list of supplies that we stick to for every single one of the projects in the flashcard collection). It’s so simple.

And the best part is that there’s not a screen in sight. Technology is such a great thing, but it’s also nice to take a break from it once in awhile and let the brain explore in other ways. Click the image to learn more about our collection of 100 Craft Flashcards for Kids.

FFun Facts about Thanksgiving

Americans eat 704 million pounds of turkey every Thanksgiving
Lots of Americans go to the movies on Thanksgiving. The movie “Frozen” had the biggest Thanksgiving day opening of all time.
“Jingle Bells” was originally a Thanksgiving song.
The first Thanksgiving lasted 3 days.
About 50 million people watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade each year.

To learn more about Thanksgiving and its traditions, check out this article from Good Housekeeping.

All activities require adult supervision. By using this site, you are agreeing to our terms of use. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Save this fun Thanksgiving craft for later. Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…

A colorful paper puppet of a turkey designed as a preschool craft for Thanksgiving, perfect as a fall craft activity for kids.

Combine Reading with Crafting

The absolute best way that I can think of to elevate the crafting experience is to combine with reading a good book. Here are some of our favorite turkey themed books for kids.

How to make a Turkey Puppet

As always, the simple craft you see here is only a starting place. You can take it in any direction you want. Change up the colors, add more feathers, add texture or whatever you want. The only limit is your imagination.

SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

Construction paper
Glue stick
Scissors
Markers or crayons
Turkey puppet template

You’ll notice that every single item on this supply list is part of our master supply list that we use for every single craft on this site. By sticking to the list, we keep things simple so that you can get right to crafting with your kids with less prep, less expense and less mess.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Step 1: Use the Free Craft Template

Download the turkey craft template.
Choose the size that works for your child’s hand and print it out (onto cardstock works best).
Cut out the eyes for your turkey.
Then choose colors of construction paper and use the feather template as a guide to cut out 3 feathers.
Cut the beak from a scrap of yellow construction paper using the template.
Last, use brown paper to create the band for the puppet.

Step 2: Add Some Details to Your Turkey Craft

Use markers or crayons to add details to the feathers and any other parts of your puppet that you want.

Step 3: Assemble the Turkey Puppet

Begin to assemble the turkey puppet by add the beak to the center of the band.
Then add the eyes on top of the beak.
Last, glue the three feathers sticking out the top of the turkey’s head.

Step 4: Wear the New Paper Puppet on Your Wrist

To finish off your turkey hand puppet, measure the band to fit around your wrist, with enough room for your hand to slide in and out.
Glue the ends together.

How to Make a Puppet Show

Now it’s time to put on a puppet show. Make more turkeys for your puppet show, put on a “one turkey” show or create other puppet characters. You can make a simple cardboard puppet stage, purchase one or just duck below the back of the couch.