How To Make Paper Thanksgiving Turkeys

November 15, 2021

Thanksgiving is a time for showing gratitude and appreciation for our family, friends, and loved ones. In addition to the delicious food and time spent together, another fun way to celebrate the season of giving is to make simple table decorations that you can create with your little ones.

Though there are plenty of different ways to make a paper turkey to show off for your dinner guests, the easiest way if you are doing this craft with young relatives or your own children is to use the handprint method.

The Handprint Method

We all remember the days of making paper turkeys with our hand outlines in elementary school, but we’re here to help you jog your memory of the process just in case it’s a little fuzzy.

Start by allowing your child to place their hand – fingers apart – on a piece of colorful construction paper and outline their hand with a pencil. From there, they can cut out the shape with craft scissors and color it in with colored pencils, crayons, or markers using the thumb as the head of the turkey and the fingers as its head.

However, if your child is ready for something a bit more advanced, try this alternative method:

  1. Create multiple hand outlines on pieces of paper that vary in colors and cut them out.
  2. Draw a turkey body on another piece of paper (think either a circle or the shape of a butternut squash) and cut it out as well.
  3. Flip over the turkey body and begin gluing the different colored handprints to the back with the fingers splayed out to look like feathers.
  4. Once the gluing is done, flip the turkey back over and add eyes and a beak to the face.
  5. If you want to add an extra step, have your child write what they are thankful for on the backside of the turkey using each of the turkey’s feather fingers.

Use Your Imagination To Make Your Paper Turkeys

The best part about making paper turkeys is that they’re a super easy and fun way to celebrate the season and make your table look festive. They’re also an incredibly versatile craft because you can use almost anything to make the turkey body if you want a different look or you’re running low construction paper from Jerry’s Artarama!

You can use a brown paper bag, a paper plate, a toilet paper tube that can stand up, or even add real feathers to make your craft look even better.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to creating and decorating your paper turkey, and Jerry’s Artarama has all of the materials you need to make yours stand out. Find your local Jerry’s today for crafts, materials, and resources that will make your holiday season the most creative time of year.

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