Are you looking for fun turkey toddler activities for your classroom? This post has you covered with lots of fun turkey-themed activities for toddlers!
Thanksgiving is a fun holiday and a special day to say “thank you” for all the good things we have in our lives. It’s a time when families and friends come together to share a delicious meal and enjoy each other’s company. These Thanksgiving activities will make celebrating fun for toddlers, preschoolers and kids of all ages!
Turkey Crafts
An easy turkey craft is the perfect Thanksgiving activity for toddlers! Crafts are a great way to help little ones develop fine motor skills and get excited for the upcoming holiday. Here are a few of my favorite turkey crafts for toddlers.
Handprint Turkey Craft
Handprints are such a sweet keepsake for parents from their cute little turkeys! Simply paint the big part of each child’s hand with brown paint and each finger a different color. After the paint is dry, use a marker to draw legs and an eye. Googly eyes can also be used. Older kids in your school or volunteers could even help with this project.
Water Bottle Turkey Craft
This water bottle turkey craft is a fun one for toddlers with little hands. Just print and color the turkey face and tape it around an empty and clean water bottle. Next, toddlers will tuck in colored feathers or even strips of colored construction paper.
The empty water bottle can also be filled with colored pom poms too! This is a great fine motor activity and the turkeys could also be used as a centerpiece for a Thanksgiving table!
How to Cook a Turkey Craft
Toddlers will love creating this simple turkey craft and pairing it with their own directions on how to cook a turkey! This is an adorable activity to display at a school Thanksgiving feast, seasonal bulletin board or send it home for parents to enjoy reading! You can even use a picture of toddlers as the turkey’s head!
You can read more in this post, How to Cook a Turkey Writing Template and Craft.
Turkey Coloring Page
This turkey coloring page can be used in many different ways. Toddlers can color it using crayons or markers or even decorate it with other craft supplies.
Tissue paper squares in different colors and colored feathers can all be used to create cute turkeys! You can check out more ideas for using coloring pages with toddlers in this post, Toddler Coloring Pages.
Turkey Treat Craft
This adorable turkey treat is easy to make and fun for kids of all ages. You can read more and print the printable in this post, Oatmeal Cream Pie Turkey Treat.
Turkey Games
Hot Potato Turkey Game
Hot Potato is a simple and fantastic fun game that can be changed for this holiday season! To play, you just need a turkey that students can pass. To play, toddlers will sit in a circle and pass around the turkey while music is played or the following rhyme is sung:
Hot potato, hot potato,
Who has the hot potato?
If you have the hot potato,
You…are…OUT!
Whoever is left holding the turkey is out. The game continues to be played until there is one winner left! Toddlers will have so much fun with this simple game!
Turkey Counting
These turkey counting cards are a fun game and perfect to pair with colored turkey feathers. These cards are included in the bundle, November Toddler Activities.
Turkey Letter Clip Cards
Clip cards are a simple activity for younger children because you just need clothespins!
These Thanksgiving Preschool Visual Discrimination Cards are perfect for literacy and math centers! Students will just simply clip the clothespin to the letter or number that matches. You can learn more about visual discrimination in this post, Why You Should Be Teaching Visual Discrimination.
Turkey Clothespin Clip
This adorable turkey was created with felt and hot glue. It was perfect for developing fine motor skills, learning color vocabulary, and even practicing patterns. It’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving ideas for two and three year olds.
Thanksgiving Pocket Chart
These pocket chart activities are perfect for your turkey unit! They are a great activity to complete together with students at circle time.
Turkey Songs and Rhymes
Songs and rhymes are fun for kids of all ages and especially toddlers. These simple turkey songs and rhymes can sung aloud together or in a
Turkey Songs
Five Little Turkeys
Five little turkeys standing at the door,
One waddled off, and then there were four.
Four little turkeys sitting near a tree,
One waddled off, and then there were three.
Three little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, and then there were two.
Two little turkeys in the morning sun,
One waddled off, and then there was one.
One little turkey, better run away,
For soon it will be Thanksgiving Day!
Turkey Pokey (to the tune of “The Hokey Pokey”)
You put your right wing in,
You put your right wing out,
You put your right wing in,
And you gobble all about.
You do the Turkey Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!
You can repeat this turkey song with other turkey body parts like the left wing, drumsticks, tail feathers, and head)
Five Fat Turkeys
Five fat turkeys are we,
We spent all night in a tree.
When the cook came around,
We couldn’t be found,
And that’s why we’re here, you see!
Gobble, gobble!
Four fat turkeys are we,
We spent all night in a tree.
When the cook came around,
We couldn’t be found,
And that’s why we’re here, you see!
Gobble, gobble!
(Continue with three, two, and one fat turkey, singing each verse the same way and counting down until you reach “one fat turkey.”)
Turkey Rhyme
This simple turkey rhyme can be used for many different activities. Simply say the rhyme and say any color word in the blank. Then toddlers will find an object that is that color to place on the turkey’s belly. You can also use colored turkey feathers too.
As toddlers are ready, this activity can also be used with
Thanksgiving Books
Reading seasonal books is a fun way to tie literacy into fun turkey activities for toddlers! Toddlers will have a great time reading these books and learning about turkeys and the traditions of this holiday.
You can check out all of my favorite Thanksgiving books for toddlers in this blog post, The Best Thanksgiving Books for Toddlers.
Thanksgiving Sensory Play
Sensory play is always a fun learning activity for toddlers, especially at Thanksgiving. Here are a few fun sensory activities for young children.
Thanksgiving Food Sensory Bin
Thanksgiving is a great time for toddlers to learn about new foods. This is an easy activity that uses materials you already have in your classroom. Simply fill a sensory bin with a filler such as pasta noodles or even some dried beans.
Then, add some plastic food items that little ones might see at their own Thanksgiving dinner. You can even add simple cooking supplies like measuring cups or eating utensils too!
This Thanksgiving play mat is great way to encourage dramatic play too!
Just getting started with sensory bins? Check out this post, Getting Started with Sensory Bins to learn more!
Turkey Sensory Bin
Toddlers can create their own turkey with a turkey-themed sensory bin. Simply add simple craft supplies that younger kids can use to create a turkey. Here are a few items you might consider including in your turkey sensory bin:
- Colored pom pom balls
- Colorful feathers
- Googly eyes
- Foam turkey craft supplies
Pumpkin Pie Play-Dough
Make homemade pumpkin pie playdough with a warm, comforting scent. Just add cinnamon or pumpkin spice to your playdough recipe to engage your child’s sense of smell. Let them knead, shape, and mold the playdough into turkeys, leaves, or even pumpkin pie shapes.
Pumpkin pie playdough perfectly pairs with these pumpkin pie playdough mats too!
Cooking Sensory Play
Involving children in the kitchen during Thanksgiving preparations can be a delightful sensory experience. Let them touch, smell, and taste various ingredients (with supervision) as you cook together. Explain the different textures and flavors they encounter.
Sensory play not only provides children with enjoyable experiences but also supports their cognitive, emotional, and physical development. It encourages creativity, problem-solving skills, and the development of fine motor skills. Plus, it’s a wonderful opportunity to bond and create lasting memories together as a family during the holiday season.
More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids:
10 Thanksgiving Preschool Activities
Thanksgiving Count and Write the Room Activity
Thankful Alphabet Writing Activity
Best Thanksgiving Books for Toddlers
Turkey Toddler Activities
Whether you’re crafting colorful turkeys, playing imaginative turkey games, singing catchy turkey songs, delving into turkey-themed storybooks, or immersing in sensory turkey play, these activities encourage creativity, motor skills, and social interaction in the most enjoyable way possible.
So, gather your little turkeys, spread your creative wings, and let the Thanksgiving fun take flight! Embrace the joy of spending quality time with your toddlers and nurture their growing minds and hearts. Whether you’re making turkey crafts, playing games, or simply enjoying togetherness, these activities will help make this Thanksgiving a cherished and educational experience for your little ones.
We invite you to try out these great activities, adapt them to your family’s unique traditions, and make this Thanksgiving a season of love, and gratitude, with lots of fun turkey toddler activities. We wish you and your family a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, laughter, and joy. Happy Thanksgiving!