Turkeys

Turkey preschool lesson plans, including arts and crafts, games, math, science, group time activities, songs, and snack ideas.

Arts and Crafts

Turkey Headbands

Have the children cut paper strips to make a headband out of. They make glue, staple or tape the headband together. Provide the children with feathers, glitter, sequins or other materials for them to decorate the headband with. You can write “Turkey Suzy” on the headband.

Turkey Feather Painting

Provide each child with a feather, paint and paper. Ask the children paint a picture using the feather as a paintbrush.

Hand and Foot Turkey

Trace students footprints onto a piece of brown construction paper then have the child cut out their foot shape. This will be the body of the turkey. Trace several of the child’s handprints onto yellow red and orange construction paper. Have the child cut out their handprint shapes. These will be the feathers. Have the children glue their handprints behind the footprints so the fingers stick out over the foot shape like feathers. Add facial features with a pen or marker.

Thankful Turkeys

Students will dictate what they are thankful for. The teacher will write their responses on feather shapes construction paper. The teacher or child could cut out the feathers, depending on the ability level of the student. The child’s foot is traced onto brown paper and cut out to be used as the turkey’s body. The child will then glue the feathers onto a piece of paper or a paper bowl. The body is glued on top of the feathers. After the glue dries, the turkey’s facial features can be drawn with a pen or marker.

Hand Turkey

Paint the palm of your child’s hand brown, as well as their thumb. Then paint each of their fingers a different bright color such red or blue. Have the child press their hand onto a piece of white paper. For older children, let them draw on feet and characteristics such as eyes and nose. The thumb represents the turkey’s neck and the palm the body.

Paper Plate Turkey

Have the children paint one large and two small paper plates brown. The large paper plate with be the turkey’s body, one small plate will be the head and the other small plate will make the wings. Cut one small paper plate in half and glue it to the sides of the large plate. The whole small plate will be glued to the top of the large plate. Have the children trace their hand prints onto different colors of construction paper and cut them out. These can be glued to the back of the large paper plate for the feathers. Add construction paper eyes, beak, waddle and feet.

Turkey/Feather Rubbings

Cut turkey or feather shapes from paper doilies or sandpaper. Tape these shapes to the table. Have the children place a piece of thin white paper over the shapes and rub a crayon over the shape.

Cookie Cutter Painting

Put a small amount of tempera paint in a large shallow container. (A pie tin works well) Show your child how to dip the turkey shaped cookie cutter in the paint and press onto a piece of paper to create a print.

Sticker Art

For a very simple art project, supply the children with a piece of paper and stickers. For younger children this provides an excellent fine motor activity.

Plastic Spoon Turkey

Have the children cut out several feather shapes from construction paper. Glue the feathers to the easting surface of a plastic spoon. On the reverse side, add googly eyes and a paper beak. For the waddle, cut the end off of a red balloon and glue it to the handle of the spoon and finally glue a bow tie cut from construction paper over the balloon.

Pine Cone Turkeys

Children will push playdough or clay into the spaces between the pine cones leaves. The children can then stick different colored feathers into the play dough. An adult can use a hot glue gun to add the wiggly eyes and the pipe cleaner beak.

Thankful Turkey Headbands

Have the children dictate three things they are thankful for and write those three things on pre-cut construction paper feathers. Have the children cut brown paper strips to make a headband out of. They may glue, staple or tape the headband together. Have the children add a little bit of glue to the bottom back of each feather and glue onto the headband. Finally, the turkey face can be added.

Math, Science, and Games

Turkey Feather Game

Find a picture of a turkey that you like. Make six copies of it. Cut out the bodies of the turkeys (so you just have to add the feathers to make the turkey complete). Write the number “one” on the first turkey, two on another; repeat with the numbers three through six. Provide the children with twenty-one feather shapes, cut from construction paper or store bought craft feathers. Ask the children to place the appropriate number of feathers on each turkey. One feather on the turkey with the number one it… and so on.

Feather Sorting

Cut out several different feather shapes from construction paper or provide the children with store bought craft feathers (can be used the above activity as well). Ask the children to sort the feathers according to color. Ask the children “How many red feathers do you have?” etc.

Do the Turkey Pokey

Sing the Hokey Pokey like normal, but then the last line goes as follows: “You do the Turkey Pokey and you gobble all around, that’s what it’s all about.” You can also say wing instead of arm and add a verse about the tail.

Pin the Feather on the Turkey

Played just like pin the tail on the donkey. Provide the children with a huge turkey shape, and feathers. You may want to use tape instead of pins to attach the feathers on the turkey. Blindfold one child and have them tape the feather on the turkey.

Feather or Turkey Hop

Cut out large feather or turkey shapes from colored paper. Laminate them and cut them out. Place them on the floor and ask the children to hop from one feather or turkey to another. These may also be used at seat markers for group time.

Turkey Feather Games

Cut out feather shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one feather. Ask the children to find one person with the same color feather.

Cut out feather shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the feather in half using a puzzle-type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a feather, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the feather pieces are distributed.

Cut out feather shapes from one color of paper. Cut the feather in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a feather, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the feather pieces are distributed.

Cut the feather shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of feathers with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children; label the feathers with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one feather and have them find the child with their match.

Cut the feather shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two feather. Give each child one feather and have them find the child with their match.

Cut the feather shapes from one color of paper. Cut the feather in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a feather. Give each child one feather half and have them find the child with their match.

Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the feather to the file folder and laminate its match.

Turkey Foot Hop

Cut out many turkey footprint shapes from construction paper and affix them to the ground with contact paper. Have the children hop from one shape to the next. You could also play the song “bunny hop” and have the children gobble and hop from shape to shape.

Musical Turkey Feet

Cut out many turkey footprint shapes from construction paper and affix them to the ground in a circle with contact paper. It is better to have more shapes than children. Play music and have the children walk around the circle. When the music stops they find a turkey footprint to stand on.

Duck, Duck, Turkey

Play Duck, Duck, Goose, but say turkey instead of goose.

Songs

Ten Fat Turkeys

1 fat, 2 fat 3 fat turkeys,
4 fat, 5 fat, 6 fat turkeys
7 fat, 8 fat 9 fat turkeys
10 fat turkeys ready for Thanksgiving

I’m a Little Turkey

Sung to “I’m a Little Teapot”
I’m a little turkey short and fat
I have many feathers spread out like that (hold hands with firngers spread)
When Thanksgiving feast comes my way
I will hid and run away.

Five Little Turkeys

Five little turkeys on Thanksgiving Day
One got scared and ran away.
Four little turkeys playing hide and seek,
One turkey hid and fell asleep
Three little turkeys sit near the gate
One went home, it was late.
Two little turkeys wonder what to do
One got bored and went home too.
One little turkey thought “Isn’t this great”
He’s the one that’s on my plate.

Five Fat Turkeys

Five fat turkeys sitting on a fence. (One hand up)
The first one said, ‘I’m so immense.’ (Point to thumb)
The second one said, ‘I can gobble at you.’ (Pointer finger)
The third one said, ‘I can gobble, too.’ (Middle finger)
The fourth one said, ‘I can spread my tail.’ (Ring finger)
The fifth one said, ‘Don’t catch it on a nail.’ (Little finger)
A farmer came along and stopped to say (Pointer finger of other hand.)
Turkeys look best on Thanksgiving Day.

Snacks

Candy Turkey

Microwave one Oreo cookie for 20 seconds to soften the icing. Place seven candy corn pieces, white side first into the edge of the Oreo cookie to represent the feathers. Place a dab of frosting on the top and side of a mini peanut butter cup. Stick the top to the Oreo with the candy corn and the side to another Oreo for the base. Apply a dab of frosting to a Whopper and place on the peanut butter cup. I used a tube of orange icing for the eyes and feet. The nose was made with the tip of a candy corn dipped in icing.