Thankful Milk Jug Turkey - Thanksgiving Craft for Young Kids
- Allie
- Nov 7, 2018
- 2 min read
This cute and festive Thanksgiving Turkey is made using an empty gallon plastic jug. It doubles as a coloring activity and, if your kids are old enough, fine motor coordination work with scissors. This is a great time to talk to you kids about the meaning behind Thanksgiving and get them thinking about what they're thankful for. Download the free coloring pages to complete the turkey below!
I came up with this idea on a cold afternoon trying to entertain Julep while she skipped her nap. We had an empty milk jug in the recycling bin and little patience to go 'round. So, I did a quick Pinterest search for "milk jug turkey" and found some cute examples of this craft, using construction paper. We don't have reams of construction laying around (yet), so I drew out three little coloring pages for Julep, gave her super simple instructions, and let her have at it. The result is pretty darn cute, if you ask me. My favorite part is writing out what she's thankful for on each of the leaves.
You will need:
1 gallon plastic jug (clean)
3 sheets of yardstick (or more), printed with the downloadable turkey parts coloring pages
Crayons
Glue
• Print out the turkey parts coloring pages. Print as many of the "feathers" pages as you would like.
• Instruct the child to color in the feathers and beak parts using their choice of colors. They can stick to traditional turkey/fall colors or get creative with whatever they want.
• On a separate piece of paper, use an orange crayon to trace your child's hands. These will get colored in, as well, and will become the turkey's feet.
• On each of the five long feathers, write one thing your child is thankful for. Their answers can be heartwarming and sometimes hilarious! Make sure to write their answers toward the top of each feather so there's room for glue on the bottom, where you'll attach it to the jug.
• If you child is old enough to cut along the lines, have them cut out all the turkey parts. If not, you can do it for them.
• Attach the five long feathers to the handle side of the gallon jug using a little glue. Regular craft glue works for this, you'll just have to hold each piece in place for a few seconds. Hot glue would also work, if you want a quicker craft.
• Attach the eyes, beak, and feet to the front of the jug, as shown.
CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE TURKEY PARTS COLORING PAGES
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