Sponge Painted Thanksgiving Turkey Hat Craft
The leaves are falling, and there’s a crisp chill in the air – it can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is just around the corner! And if you’re looking for a cute turkey hat craft for your preschoolers, this one is a must-do in your Thanksgiving preschool themes.
While making this craft, preschoolers will develop important skills like fine motor skills and color recognition as they decorate their turkey feathers.
There’s no better way to embrace the Thanksgiving spirit than by enjoying into some creative and fun Thanksgiving crafts like these turkey hats.
Imagine the joy on your child’s face as they proudly strut around with a whimsical turkey hat perched on their head.
This craft is not only delightful but also super easy to make with readily available materials. We’ll be using construction paper, a paper plate, and sponges to create a festive masterpiece that will have your little one gobbling up the excitement of Thanksgiving.
Your preschooler will get to practice fine motor skills, color recognition, and maybe even some scissor cutting, too!
There is nothing quite as coveted and special as a turkey hat craft for Thanksgiving! Your preschoolers are going to love making these!
Why Make Turkey Hats in Preschool
Making turkey hats in preschool is a multifaceted activity that promotes child development in several key areas.
- Enhances fine motor skills as the young learners clip, color, or glue different parts of the turkey hat.
- Stimulates creativity and artistic expression, allowing the children to use their imagination and individuality to design their unique turkey hats.
- Introduces them to the concept of Thanksgiving and its significance in a fun and engaging manner.
- Fosters social interaction and cooperation as the children often work together, share materials, and assist each other in the hat-making process.
Turkey Hats for Thanksgiving
Making a turkey hat craft in preschool is more than just fun; it’s also an educational activity. As they craft their turkey hats, children are developing crucial skills that will be useful in different areas of their life as they continue to grow.
Materials
- cheap paper plate
- washable paints
- sponge for each color paint
- scrap brown, orange, and red construction paper
- one sheet of another color construction paper
- googly eyes (wiggle eyes)
- hot glue gun (for adult use only)
The Set Up
There are just a few steps to prep this craft before inviting your preschoolers to join you. While this looks like a lot, I assure you, the prep time only takes about fifteen minutes.
- Cut the paper plate in half.
- You only need a half a plate for each turkey hat.
- Cut one full sheet of construction paper into 2 1/2 wide inch strips, going lengthwise down the paper.
- Cut out a brown circle for the turkey head.
- The circles should be about four inches in diameter.
- You need one for each child.
- Cut out orange diamond shapes.
- These will be folded in half to make a beak.
- Or just cut out a tall triangle for each hat.
- Cut out a red snood.
- Just freehand these. Alternatively, you can also use think red yarn.
How to Make a Turkey Hat Craft
My preschoolers love making hats, and these turkey hats are particularly fun because they can be used for pretend play once they are finished.
Make the Feathers for the Hat
The paper plate will become the feathers of the turkey hat.
Start by offering each preschoolers a half paper plate and some paints in various fall colors. Since we were using a new art tool, the sponge paint brushes, I wanted to create hat to show my preschoolers how to properly use them.
Show your preschoolers how the tip of the paintbrush looks different and how it can be used to stamp circles onto their paper plate.
I set out a sponge paint brush for each color of paint offered. We used one sponge per color to avoid mixing colors on the sponge.
My preschoolers worked and played and experimented with the new sponge paint brushes.
Some preschoolers worked carefully to create rows of colors. Others still used the sponges to swipe the paint onto the paper plate. Process is important when creating art, so I did not correct the students who chose to use their brushes that way.
If you do not have sponge paint brushes, I highly recommend them, but you can also use cut up sponges from the dollar store. Just be sure to cut them sponges down to about a square inch size.
Some preschoolers made layers and layers of paint, continually going back and adding more color. This will make the paper plate feel really flimsy, but it will hold together.
Challenge the preschoolers to “cover up all the white” on the paper plate, for the maximum Thanksgiving look.
The paper plates will be the turkey feathers, and while they are drying, you can make the remainder of the hat.
Make the Turkey Face
This part, while the most simple, is really fun.
Create a turkey face in advance so the preschoolers can see how it should look. Then, offer them the materials and have them make their own.
But don’t make any corrections unless your preschooler asks for help.
This means that the turkey eyes might not be level or the snood might be off to the side. In my opinion, that adds character to the hats.
Make the Paper Plate Turkey Hat
While the turkey faces and the paper plate feathers are drying (possibly overnight), it’s time to make the band and assemble the craft.
- Take two of the pre-cut strips of construction paper and tape them end to end, making one long band.
- Wrap the band around your child’s head and mark the length, then remove and cut to size.
- Gently hot glue (this task is for adults only) the half paper plate to the band of the hat. On the opposite side, add the turkey face.
- Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then wear and enjoy your little turkeys!
Watch the Video on This Page for Tips on Assembling
I’m always calling my kids turkeys when they are being silly, so a hat for the name is appropriate. And be prepared for your preschoolers to act the part, too!
Thanksgiving Hat Craft for Preschoolers
Why stop at one Thanksgiving hat, when you can make multiple! Try out some of these other clever turkey hat ideas for kids.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
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