If you are looking for a great seasonal craft to do with your kids, I think you are going to love this gobbling turkey Thanksgiving craft. This turkey made from a cup will really gobble, gobble, gobble to your child’s delight. If you are looking for other turkey crafts, I encourage you to check out the following posts: footprint turkey, toilet paper roll turkey, Kleenex box turkey, handprint turkey, and you might want to consider making some turkey snacks.
Gobbling Turkey Thanksgiving Craft
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This idea came from my daughter’s first-grade teacher. Abby came home with this gobbling turkey last year. I think she may have adapted it from this clucking chicken craft I found. I thought it was really clever to turn this project into a Thanksgiving turkey.
Materials Needed to Make a Gobbling Turkey Thanksgiving Craft
- plastic cup
- brown or gold tissue paper
- Mod Podge
- sponge brush or paint brush
- string
- sponge
- scissors
- feathers
- google eyes
- red and orange paper
- Exacto knife or knife
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This first part I prepped for the kids:
- Using a knife or Exacto knife, cut two small holes into the base of the cup.
- Cut the string so it is 2-3 times the height of the cup.
- Thread the string through the two holes and tie a knot in the center of the cup.
- Cut a sponge into a small rectangle and tie it to the other end of the string.
- Have kids tear up tissue paper into small pieces. We had gold tissue paper, so that is what we used. We let some of the gold be revealed and then turned pieces over to get more of a brown shade.
- Add Mod Podge or white glue to the cup, doing small sections at a time.
- Let kids stick the torn tissue paper on top of the glue.
- Continue the process of gluing and sticking until the entire cup is covered.
- Once covered, seal it all in with a layer of Mod Podge or glue. I helped with this part to make the tissue paper lay flat.
- Use white glue to added google eyes, a cut triangle nose and a cut out gobble.
- Use white glue to add tail feathers to your turkey.
- Let turkey dry completely before use.
To make your turkey make a gobbling sound, wet the sponge and squeeze it around the top of the string. Pull down with small jerks. Your turkey will make a fun gobbling sound as the sponge moves along the string. I made a short YouTube video, and if you wait until the end you’ll see how it works and sounds.
Have fun with this craft. Maybe the older kids could help the younger kids make this craft while you are helping to prepare all the food on Thanksgiving day.
