Stay At Home Educator

intentional teaching for purposeful learning

  • About
    • Copyright / Disclosure / Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Preschool Lesson Plans
  • Literacy
  • STEAM
  • Development
  • Thematic Activities
  • Play Ideas
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account

This Suncatcher is the Perfect Turkey Craft for Preschoolers

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

June 29, 2022 by Sarah Punkoney, MAT

Who doesn’t love an adorable turkey craft to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday? This fun craft idea for preschoolers is sure to stay up on the window until it snows!

A turkey suncatcher is the perfect turkey craft for preschoolers to make for Thanksgiving

Turkeys are an icon of the American Thanksgiving holiday.

Many of us spend weeks fine-tuning the events and dishes leading up to the perfect Thanksgiving. Some of us even purchase that All-Clad roasting pan that has been on our wishlist since Easter, all so we can roast the perfect turkey.

You know the kind.

The turkey that is moist and juicy, full of herb-atious flavors and covered in a perfectly brown and perfectly crispy skin. That one.

Let me just say that this fun turkey craft is not that turkey. But it is so fun and it makes lovely kid-made decorations for Thanksgiving. I have four hanging on the sliding glass door in the kitchen. I love the way the sun shines through them in the early afternoon, making the turkey feathers glow with vivid colors. It’s definitely a favorite Thanksgiving activity in our house!

Thanksgiving Craft for Preschoolers

You don’t have to be a preschooler to enjoy this these colorful turkeys. Kids will love this Thanksgiving turkey craft because it uses sticky contact paper!

With a little prep by an adult, even young toddlers can enjoy this craft, as well as much older children. Even my eight year old enjoyed creating this super simple turkey sun catcher!

Materials

  • brown construction paper
  • red and orange scraps of construction paper
  • tissue paper
  • googly eyes
  • scissors
  • glue
  • clear Contact paper

How to Assemble the Turkey Craft

1. Cut your construction paper two inches by five and a half inches.  Make five of these.

2. Fold the slips of paper in half and cut an elongated “c” shape on the fold. When it opens the paper looks like an oval with the center cut out of it. These will be the feathers.

3. Make the turkey body as seen in the picture below.

turkey craft for preschoolers

4. Place the turkey body face side down onto a sheet of Contact paper (the Contact paper should be sticky side up).  Then, arrange the five ovals over the body to make the tail feathers. Like this:

turkey craft for preschoolers

Now, you might want to consider adding a second body circle to the back of the turkey to cover up what you see in the above photo. This will also make it so that the sun cannot shine through the construction paper. If you look closely at the top photo in this post, you’ll see what I mean.

5. Cut small pieces of various colored tissue paper.  The pieces pictured are less than a square inch.

6. Place the tissue paper on the tail feathers so they stick to the contact paper.  Cover all the sticky contact paper on the inside of each feather.

turkey craft for preschoolers

Special note: It is okay if your child gets the contact paper on the outside of the feathers since the turkey can be cut out once finished.  When complete, you can cover the backside of the turkey with another sheet of Contact paper, thus laminating it, or you can stick the contact paper directly onto the window.

7.  Cut the turkey out of the contact paper, if desired.  Add googly eyes to the face.  Hang in window.

A Quick Word About Kids Crafts and Preschool

I am typically a huge advocate for process-based art in preschool. I’ve mentioned time and time again the benefits of allowing children to flow through their art, processing each step, and allowing that processing to be the objective.

This preschool craft for Thanksgiving is what I would consider a mix of crafts and process art. Yes, there is a specific look, or outcome, that makes this a craft. However if your preschooler would rather crumple up the tissue paper and place it willy-nilly all over the contact paper, then that is okay too.

I know that parents love receiving crafts because they make such sweet gifts and keepsakes. However, when offering a parent a “craft” that does not “look the way it should,” I challenge you to share with your preschool parent what the child learned as he explored the crafting materials.

This paper turkey craft might not be the perfectly browned one you’re hoping to eat on Thanksgiving. But it will definitely be a hit, regardless.

More Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts for Preschoolers

Do you have a favorite turkey craft for kids to make near Thanksgiving? Try out these easy turkey puppets or paper bag turkeys. But my favorite as these paper plate turkeys. They make the cutest centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table for Thanksgiving dinner!

Paper Plate Turkey Craft with Scissor Skills
Sprinkled Thanksgiving Turkey Puppet Craft
Colorful Turkey Art Activity that Focuses on the Process
Sarah Punkoney, MAT

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.

stayathomeeducator.com/

Filed Under: Crafts, Play, Thanksgiving, Thematic Activities

« The Incredible Benefits of Dramatic Play
Easy Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar »

Trackbacks

  1. 10 Creative Turkey Crafts for Kids - Adventures in Wunderland says:
    November 3, 2014 at 7:51 am

    […] To add more festive creations throughout the house a Paper Plate Turkey Wreath is a great door decoration.  You can Add some color to your windows with these Turkey Sun Catchers. […]

  2. Sprinkled Thanksgiving Turkey Puppet Craft - Stay At Home Educator says:
    November 26, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    […] Thanksgiving Turkey Suncatchers […]

  3. 10 Ways to Play This Weekend: Week 52 - Creative Family Fun says:
    April 1, 2017 at 9:02 am

    […] Make pretty turkey sun catchers with Stay at Home Educator […]

  4. Turkey crafts for preschoolers - Easy Turkey Crafts for Kids! says:
    October 27, 2017 at 9:25 pm

    […] Turkey Suncatchers from Stay at Home Educator – This one is a bit harder to make…  but if you did some up-front work, they are cute! […]

  5. 20 Awesome Montessori Thanksgiving Activities for Kids says:
    September 10, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    […] Turkey Suncatcher  but this one, from Stay at Home Educator, has a twist. I love the shapes of the turkey and the […]

  6. Turkey Crafts for Kids - Natural Beach Living says:
    November 5, 2019 at 1:56 pm

    […] Thanksgiving Turkey Suncatchers from stayathomeeducator.com […]

  7. 20 Engaging Thanksgiving Toddler Activities says:
    November 11, 2019 at 5:18 am

    […] a little prep by an adult, even young toddlers can enjoy this turkey suncatcher craft. Stay at Home […]

  8. November Bucket List - 52 Great Ways to Enjoy This Month - Saturday Means Pancakes says:
    October 31, 2022 at 9:27 pm

    […] a turkey suncatcher or some Thanksgiving-themed window […]

Search This Site

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter


PRINTABLE SHOP
PLANNING
LITERACY
MATH
DEVELOPMENT
THEMES
PLAY
Visit Sarah @ Stay At Home Educator's profile on Pinterest.
Stay At Home Educator

© Copyright 2015 Foodie Pro Theme · Genesis Framework · Customizations by Kara Carrero ·

Wordpress