It wasn’t until he had to use the restroom that I realized my mistake.

He couldn’t undo the fastener.

Mom fail.

You see, my son just doesn’t have those fine motor skills yet.

Fine motor skills are something lots of kids need help with.  This week we did a simple Thanksgiving craft to help strengthen those fine motor skills.

This preschool Turkey craft is perfect for working on fine motor skills.

Turkey Craft

Materials Needed:

• Paper Plate
• Craft Glue
• Paintbrush
• Pen or Pencil
• Variety of Dried Beans, Pasta, or Colored Rice

A variety of dried beans, split peas, pasta, and even rice (we used rainbow rice) will give your child plenty of choices and colors to craft with.    A paper plate makes a nice palette to display all the dried beans, etc.

Keep in mind that spills can happen.   You will want to wait to sweep the floor until after craft time.

If you really want to keep the mess down, have children sit on a plastic tablecloth on the floor for this Thanksgiving craft.  You can easily pick up the cloth afterwards and shake the mess into the trash.

Use a pen or pencil to trace each child’s hand on the center of a paper plate.  Paper plates are stronger than regular paper, which tends to be too flimsy for the weight of all the dried beans once the craft dries.

Use paintbrushes to apply craft glue inside the hand print.  You will need a thick layer to keep beans in place.

Have your child choose from the dried beans and pasta to decorate their hand print turkey.

Picking up each bean and placing it onto the hand print is great for building those fine motor skills.    Those fine motor skills are important when it comes to hand writing, buttoning clothes, and turning pages in a book.

Once your child is finished decorating their turkey, they can add a googly eye and use markers to add a beak, waddle, and legs.

Be sure to let it dry completely before hanging it up to display.

I have been trying to incorporate more fine motor skills activities, like this preschool turkey craft, into our day.  After all, I won’t always be there to help unfasten those stubborn buttons on a pair of blue jeans.

Other posts you might like:

• Paper Cup Turkey
• Thanksgiving Sensory Play Small World 
• Wigwam Craft for Kids 

Updated post.  Originally published November 17, 2015.  

The post A Turkey Craft That Improves Fine Motor Skills first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.