This Thanksgiving turkey centerpiece is a simple craft project that you can do with the kids in preparation for holiday.
It is both decorative and practical with a handy paper basket the result that you can fill up with after dinner treats.
This is an easy craft project to do with your kids that is suitable for toddlers and pre-schoolers. It is an interactive and fun way to start teaching them about Thanksgiving traditions from a young age.
We have included detailed instructions for how to create your own centerpiece turkey project, with pictures and video to show you every step.
Prepare your Craft Area
The majority of the materials you will be using are made from paper so mess will be minimal on this project.
This is a much easier proposition than if we were to be using paints, or glitter. The messiest element will be some glue if it gets into the wrong hands!
Spread your materials out so that you have easy access to them, and keep the scissors out of reach of any toddler hands so they cannot grab them unsupervised.
Centerpiece Thanksgiving Turkey Craft Video Demonstration
We recommend you watch the video below before jumping into the written instructions. It will give you a quick overview of the project in just a couple of minutes.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece Craft
This centerpiece turkey craft is an eye-catching addition to your table for your Thanksgiving celebrations that is easy enough for the kids to make!
With an array of colorful handprint feathers and iconic turkey shape attached to paper bag basket, it will bring a fun and festive vibe to your decorations.
Materials
Instructions
Stage 1: Cut the Features of Turkey Centerpiece
- Step 1 - Draw the head, neck, and wing shapes of the turkey on some yellow paper and cut out.
- Step 2 - Using the marker, draw two small dark circles on white paper and cut bigger circles to make the eyes.
- Step 3 - Cut a narrow heart shape to make the snood of the turkey that dangles under the beak.
- Step 4 - Cut a small triangle shape from pink-colored paper to serve the beak of the turkey.
- Step 5 - Select the assortment of feather colors you want for your turkey craft and place in a small paper stack. Trace around a handprint on the top layer.
- Step 6 - Cut around the handprint, including all of the layers of colored paper below. This creates a colorful display of feathers ready to be attached to the back of your turkey centerpiece.
- Step 7 - Draw a small Pilgrim's hat on black paper, and then cut. Feel free to add a red accent to the hat also.
Stage 2: Fold the Paper Bag
- Step 8 - Fold the paper bag to create a basket-like shape of your desired depth.
Stage 3: Assemble the Turkey Features on your Paper Bag Basket
- Step 9 - Glue the facial features of the turkey onto the body, and hat on top of the head.
- Step 10 - Attach the assembled turkey to one side of your paper bag basket,
- Step 11 - You will now arrange your tail feathers. Spread them out and glue together at the base of the palm of the cutout.
- Step 12 - Attach your feathers at the opposite end to the face of your turkey.
- Step 13 - Finish preparing your Thanksgiving Turkey dinner because the centerpiece is ready and waiting! Add in some dessert chocolates for a nice finishing touch.
Why Make This Centerpiece Turkey Craft
Because it is mostly cutting a gluing, kids as young as toddlers and preschoolers will have a lot of fun seeing this craft come together.
They may need some help with the hand tracing and arranging the elements into place but a lot of this they can do independently.
We are big fans of anything that involved handprints as they are a nice reminder of how big those hands once were. Plus you also have a basket at the end that can be used beyond Thanksgiving for storing craft materials such as crayons and pencils.
For More Thanksgiving Crafts
Check out our full list of Thanksgiving craft ideas for kids here.
This includes some of our popular paper crafts such as:
Final Word
Having your kids help create the centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner is a great way to get them excited about the holiday.
I am sure you will have some proud little chatterboxes once the family sits down to eat. And if you do use it to store some after-dinner candy you may find that they will not take their eyes off it!
