Using a stuffed paper bag to make a Thanksgiving turkey craft is a genius idea to make some low cost decorations.
The kids will have a great time ripping and scrunching up paper, and there is plenty of cutting and gluing to test out their motor skills at the same time in this easy project.
Read on for step by step instructions on how to make your own paper bag turkey decorations. Including photos and videos to help you along.
Prepare Your Craft Area
Your paper bag turkey will be made entirely out of paper. But you will need a handful of other fiddly materials.
Best to prepare a clear area with your materials off to the side. If you have a toddler and they get hold of the string then things could get messy!
Plus it is also safe to keep the scissors out of reach.
Paper Bag Thanksgiving Turkey Craft Video Demonstration
Before we jump into the written instructions the video below will give you a quick demonstration for how your stuffed turkey craft will come together.
Watching this in full before starting will help you understand the full process so you stay on track when guiding your kids.
How to Make a Stuffed Paper Bag Turkey Craft
Made entirely from paper, this Thanksgiving turkey craft project is an easy one for kids to get involved in while preparing for the holiday celebrations.
The materials are cheap, easy, and safe to use for toddlers and up. All you may need to help with is some of the cutting and arranging of the features.
Materials
- Bond Paper
- Paper Bag
- Glue
- Tape
- String
- Old Newspaper or Magazine
Instructions
Stage 1: Fill the Paper Bag with Crumpled Paper
- Step 1 - Tear up some pages from an old newspaper or magazine (if you still buy them?!) and stuff it in the brown paper bag until it is half full. This will form the body of the turkey.
- Step 2 - Tie the opening of the paper bag tightly with string to form a thin neck-like shape that stays narrow all the way to the top of the bag.
- Step 3 - Tear up some additional pieces of newspaper and stuff into the small cavity created above the string to create a ball shape at the top of the neck.
- Step 4 - Seal the top of the bag using glue. This will allow you to mold it into a round shape to make the head of the turkey.
Stage 2: Cut the Features of the Turkey
- Step 5 - Using a marker draw two eyes on white paper and cut into two small circles.
- Step 6 - Using yellow paper, cut a small triangle for the Turkey's beak.
- Step 7 - Then with red or orange paper cut a small J shape for the snood of the turkey to hang underneath the beak area.
- Step 8 - Trace a long oblong shape on colored paper.
- Step 9 - Place on top of a multicolored stack of paper and proceed to cut out the shape. This will give you multiple cuts of the same shape to create a colorful array of feathers for your turkey.
Stage 3: Assemble the Turkey Features on your Paper Bag
- Step 10 - Glue the facial features of the turkey; eyes, beak, and snood.
- Step 10 - Arrange the feathers and glue together to create your turkey tail.
- Step 11 - Attach the feathers at the back of the paper bag on the opposite side of your turkey face using tape.
- Step 12 - Your stuffed paper bag Thanksgiving turkey craft is now complete and ready for decoration!
Why Make a Stuffed Paper Bag Turkey
These are cheap to make, and can be a large decoration depending on the size of your paper bag.
You can make a few of these to scatter around the house as part of your Thanksgiving decorations, and you may even want to make a larger one for a Thanksgiving centerpiece.
More Thanksgiving Crafts
If you are looking for more ideas that your kids can enjoy then check out our full list of Thanksgiving craft ideas.
These are all suitable for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Here is a sample of some of our other projects:
Final Word
You can get very creative with these stuffed paper bag turkeys, and your kids can go crazy with the colors and some googly facial features if they wish.
Most importantly it is a great way to get your kids involved in the Thanksgiving celebrations, and have some ownership in the day.
