This November, you can incorporate many fun Thanksgiving preschool activities into your preschool theme. My preschool how to cook a turkey writing template is a great way to start. I can’t wait to share this and a few of my other favorite free Thanksgiving printables with you for added learning fun this month!
Today, I’m excited to share a fun “How to Cook a Turkey” activity printable with you. This simple craft incorporates coloring, writing, creativity, fine motor skills practice, and sequencing. Plus, it makes a really cute Thanksgiving keepsake.
Ready to get your own paper turkey craft and printable Thanksgiving worksheet? Grab your glue stick and keep reading to learn more about how you can use this fun craft in your classroom or homeschool lesson plans.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to engage preschoolers with fun learning activities centered around the holiday. A great way to get young children excited about Thanksgiving is through incorporating hands-on cooking projects into your lessons. Teaching preschoolers how to cook a toy turkey using cute printable crafts and worksheets makes for a memorable activity that develops academic and life skills.
In this article, we will walk through the steps for how to cook a turkey with preschoolers using free printables. We will look at why teaching young kids about cooking turkeys is beneficial, provide lesson plan ideas, highlight useful turkey-themed printables, and share tips to maximize the learning.
Why Teach Preschoolers How to Cook a Turkey?
Having preschool students make toy turkeys and pretend to cook them teaches valuable skills including
- Sequencing and following step-by-step directions
- Practicing fine motor control through cutting and assembling
- Building literacy skills by reading recipe steps
- Learning new vocabulary words related to cooking
- Gaining experience with teamwork and math concepts
- Getting excited about Thanksgiving traditions through hands-on activities
The interactive cooking project allows preschoolers to apply academic concepts in a fun, real-world way.
Lesson Plan Ideas for Cooking a Turkey
Here are some step-by-step ideas for teaching young students how to cook a turkey using printables
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Introduce the Activity: Explain that they will be learning to cook a turkey and discuss prior knowledge about Thanksgiving.
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Read a Turkey Recipe: Read a simple kid-friendly recipe out loud to model following instructions.
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Make Turkey Crafts: Provide materials for students to make paper turkey puppets or handprint turkeys.
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Demonstrate Cooking: Show students how to pretend to bake, baste, and check temperature of a toy turkey.
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Pretend Cooking Activity: Let preschoolers use their turkey crafts to act out cooking at a pretend stove.
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Sequencing Worksheets: Use printable pages to have kids order steps for cooking a turkey.
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Enjoy a Pretend Feast: End with a celebration enjoying their cooked toy turkeys.
Fun Turkey Printables for Preschool Lessons
Incorporate printable crafts, worksheets, and activities:
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Turkey Paper Bag Puppet – Let kids decorate turkey puppets to use in the cooking process.
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Handprint Turkey Craft – Make an adorable turkey by tracing hands for the feathers.
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Sequencing Worksheet – Cut and paste recipe steps in order.
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Cooking Matching Cards – Match picture cards to the right cooking steps.
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Five Little Turkeys Song – Sing along to reinforce math and counting skills.
Tips for Teaching Preschoolers How to Cook a Turkey
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Use pretend, safe cooking tools to avoid injury. Avoid knives, hot surfaces, etc.
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Implement basic safety rules like never touching hot items, staying away from dangerous appliances, and having adult supervision.
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Incorporate different learning domains like literacy, math, science, art, and social-emotional skills.
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Keep students focused by setting a timer for each step and taking wiggle breaks.
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Assign each child a role like ingredient helper, oven operator, cleanup leader, etc.
The Benefits of Cooking Turkey Projects
Cooking activities provide many benefits for preschoolers including:
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Teaching sequencing by following recipe steps
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Building math skills through measuring ingredients
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Improving literacy by reading instructions
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Practicing fine motor skills in cutting, pouring, and stirring
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Encouraging scientific thinking through observing changes
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Building self-confidence through completing recipes
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Having fun with play-based, hands-on learning
The interactive experience helps reinforce academic lessons related to math, literacy, science, and more. Children also gain real-world skills they will use in everyday life.
Free Printable How to Cook a Turkey Template
To try out a cooking a turkey project in your own classroom, download this free “How to Cook a Turkey” printable template available online. The sequencing worksheet guides students to glue or draw recipe steps in order. Kids can also write or dictate the instructions for a fun literacy activity.
Pair it with making an adorable turkey craft. Having students read the steps, sequence the recipe, and create their own toy turkey encourages retention of the lesson. Display the finished printable pages and turkeys to get families excited for Thanksgiving!
Cooking up toy turkeys using free sequencing pages, worksheets, matching cards, and crafts turns an important real-life skill into a hands-on lesson for preschoolers. The kids have fun following recipes, while gaining experience with sequencing, literacy, math, and fine motor skills. Use these tips and printables to teach your young students how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey!
How to Cook a Turkey Printable Thanksgiving Worksheet
I just love this printable Thanksgiving worksheet all about how to cook a turkey. Reading all the cute stories preschoolers invent about how to cook a turkey is adorable and entertaining!
Want to hear what your preschoolers have to say?
Grab this writing prompt all about how to cook a turkey and discover the steps your preschoolers think are most important.
Let’s see if they know how to cook a turkey in the correct order. They might surprise you or make you laugh!
Then, create an adorable Thanksgiving turkey craft to go along with your preschool writing. Don’t forget to share these cute Thanksgiving preschool activities with grandparents and friends for the very best holiday memories.
More Thanksgiving Preschool Activities
There are so many fun ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in your preschool classroom! If you’re looking for more fun Thanksgiving preschool activities to share with your early learners, don’t miss all the goodies in my shop.
Check out my Preschool Thanksgiving Activities for all kinds of printables, hands-on fun, and lesson plans you can use in your homeschool or preschool classroom during the month of November.
Color by number worksheets are a simple way to bring some Fall festivity to your classroom this holiday season.
This Turkey coloring page focus on skills such as letter recognition, numbers, and subitizing. They’re a great no-prep way to get some added learning in right before the Thanksgiving break.
Kids cook a Turkey? | We show you how to roast a turkey in the oven.
Can preschoolers Cook a toy Turkey?
Cooking a toy turkey in class allows preschoolers to: Cooking also encourages teamwork, math skills, and science exploration. With the help of some great printables, you can easily turn cooking a turkey into a rich learning experience. Here are some step-by-step ideas for teaching preschoolers how to cook a toy turkey using fun printables:
Is cooking a Turkey a good learning experience for preschoolers?
Cooking a turkey is a Thanksgiving tradition, but it can also be a great learning experience for preschoolers. Teaching young children about cooking and following recipes in a hands-on way allows them to practice important skills like sequencing fine motor control and reading comprehension.
How do you teach kids to cook a Turkey?
Let kids color and decorate a paper bag turkey puppet. Then they can use their puppet to act out cooking their turkey! Tracing their hands makes an adorable hand print turkey craft. Students can draw on eyes, beak, and feathers. This cut and paste sequencing page lets kids order steps for cooking a turkey.
What is a good Turkey craft for preschool?
Another favorite turkey craft for preschool is Pinecone Turkeys! I live in an area where pinecones are plentiful, so pinecone turkeys are a great craft for this time of year. The one pictured above is from a few years ago when I used pipe cleaners for the waddles, but now I just use paper. Here is a list of supplies needed:
What can you do with a printable Turkey?
You can use this printable turkey craft to create a keepsake for family members, use them to decorate the children’s table at your Thanksgiving dinner, or make an adorable bulletin board for your classroom. You’ll get all the printable parts for these cute turkeys for free.
How do you cook a stuffed turkey?
Put Turkey in Pan – Pretend to place stuffed turkey in roasting pan. Explain why a pan is needed. Rub Oil on the Turkey – Act out rubbing oil all over the turkey to help brown it. Roast the Turkey – Pretend to put turkey in the oven. Explain roasting at high heat. Baste the Turkey – Show using a baster to coat the turkey in juices while cooking.