10 Turkey-tivities for Toddlers

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Have fun with a turkey craft and lots of learning this Thanksgiving! I often like to incorporate a craft that Caleb and I can create together and then use that craft to enjoy learning in lots of ways. I hope you have fun with these Turkey Ideas!

1. CREATE A TURKEY CRAFT – Enjoy some craft time with your child. You don’t have to create the same turkey as we did. There are many on the internet to choose from. There’s a link below to one site with directions. I would suggest using different colors of feathers so some of the activities below can be done correctly. It’s also best if you laminate any paper parts before putting the turkey together for durability through the activities.

Sample Turkey craft activity: http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/thanksgiving/paper-plate-turkey.asp
 

2. SORTING TURKEY FEATHERS (COLORS) – Make sure one feather on the turkey craft matches the feathers provided, ,so if you have red, yellow, green, blue, orange, and pink feathers, then those should be the same colors on your turkey craft. Provide your child with a small bag of feathers  and let him/her sort them to the matching color on the turkey.

3. SORTING SHAPES TURKEY – Provide your child with a bag of shapes. Your child can sort one shape onto each feather. All the circles will go on one feather. All the squares will go on another feather, etc…

4. TURKEY SOCCER GOAL – Using the paper plate turkey craft above would actually work better than the one we did. I just did a paper turkey and then laminated it. The turkey was a little flimsy for this activity, but we got it to work. Using masking tape**, tape 2 kabob sticks to the bottom of the turkey coming out like legs should-width apart. Make sure the pointy end of the stick is facing down. Stick the pointy ends into the ground but leave enough room where a small ball can roll between the kabob sticks. Stand your child a few feet away and have him or her gently kick the ball through the sticks .

5.  TURKEY CROQUET– This uses the same set-up as above, but instead of having your child kick the ball, have him or her try to hit the ball with a small bat, kid’s golf club, or even just a stick aiming between the sticks.

6.  TURKEY BASKETBALL – Attach your turkey to the inside of a basket/bucket. Provide your child with a small ball and have him or her gently toss the ball into the basket/bucket.

7.  TURKEY POSITIONS – This is a fun activity that works on your child vocabulary.  First, “hide” the turkey in plain site. Have your child look for the turkey. When he or she finds the turkey use your vocabulary to tell where the turkey was, “The turkey was on the table or the turkey was above the chair.” If your child’s vocabulary is already strong, continue to develop it by asking him or her to develop sentences to tell where the turkey was hidden.

8.  TURKEY COUNTING (ONE TO ONE) – Have your child place one block on each feather as he or she counts them. You can have him or her match up number flashcards with each block as well if he or she is at that skill level.

9.  FEEDING TURKEY CORN – This is great for building fine-motor skills. Cut a slit on the turkey’s beak just big enough for a single  corn kernel to fit. You can also attach a plastic baggie to the  back with masking tape to catch the kernels.

10.  WINDY TURKEY – Attach crepe paper to the end of the turkey’s feathers and a craft stick to the bottom of the turkey using masking tape. On a windy day, go outside and have your child hold the turkey up or wavy it around to see the paper fly!

** I encouraged the use of masking tape since we are using the same craft for different activities. This will allow you to put on and take off items as needed. 

Do you have any other fun Turkey activities you would like to share? Feel free to post them in the comments! I'd love to get some ideas for next year!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

God Bless your Learning Experiences!