The cooler temperatures of fall makes it the perfect time for crafting with your children.   When it comes to Thanksgiving Crafts for the Kids, colorful turkeys are always popular.

This cute turkey candy jar craft is sure to be a hit with your child this fall.

Plus, it is a great way to use up some of that Halloween candy.

We have enjoyed several turkey crafts over the years.  This one is my son’s very favorite.

Turkey Candy Jar Craft

Materials Needed:

• • Small Jar with Lid
  • Construction Paper
  • Scissors
  • Wiggly Eyes
  • Hot Glue
  • Small, Colorful Candies

For this simple craft you will need a clean, empty glass jar.  A baby food jar or small jelly jar is perfect.

Start by having your child cut out the turkey’s feathers.    To make the feathers extra  fancy, we used scrapbook scissors.   For younger children you can draw the feathers for them to cut out, or give them a sample feather shape to cut around.

Your child can can pick any colors they’d like to use.  They will need 5-6 feathers.

Once the feathers are cut out, open the jar and add your candies.  (This was my son’s favorite part.)

We found that M&M’s were perfect because of their fall colors, but you could use any small candies your child likes.

After you put the candies in the jar, screw the lid back on the jar.

Then use the hot glue gun to add the feathers to one side of the jar.

Next, glue the wiggly eyes onto the front of the container.

To make a beak, have your child cut out a small yellow diamond shape and fold it in half.  They can also make a red wattle for their turkey.

Glue these on to complete the turkey’s face.

This cute turkey candy jar craft is sure to make your child smile.  This little turkey craft would also make a nice homemade gift for a grandparent or teacher this fall.

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• Paper Cup Turkey 
• Mayflower Craft
• How to Make a Paper Wigwam 

The post Kids Turkey Candy Jar Craft first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

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.

While pilgrims and turkey crafts are fun for kids to make, you can actually use those crafts to help kids think about all they have to be thankful for.  

This adorable thankful Turkey Paper Bag Puppet is one of our favorite November crafts for kids preschool-first grade.  Over the years it has become one of our most popular Thanksgiving crafts.

This Thankful turkey craft is a fun Thanksgiving craft for preschoolers, but works well for kindergarten and first graders, too.

If you are looking for more ways to teach young kids about gratitude, check out this simple idea for  Teaching Kids to Give Back.

Paper Bag Turkey Craft

Affiliate links have been provided below; see my full disclosure here. 

Materials Needed:

• Brown Paper Lunch Bag
• Construction Paper
• Self-Sticking Googly Eyes
• Glue Stick and Scissors
• Crayons or Markers

My son did this craft in his first grade religious education class.  To help things go a little faster, the teacher used a marker to write a shortened version of  Ephesians 5:20 — “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything” on the front of each paper bag ahead of time.

If you are doing this Thanksgiving craft with kids in a public school, or you would rather just not have a Bible reference on it, you could simply write, “I am thankful for…” on the front of the turkey.   (And, of course, kids can write it on the bag themselves, too.)

You could also try one of these simple verses:

Once the feathers have all been added, cut 2 yellow triangles to glue on as a beak. 

Glue a pair of large googly eyes onto the turkey to complete the craft.  (Don’t you just love googly eyes?)

Other Turkey Crafts:

• Fine Motor Skills Turkey
• Paper Plate Collage Turkey
• Hand and Footprint Turkey 

The post Thankful Turkey Paper Bag Puppet first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.