Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with family, feasting on delicious food, and expressing gratitude. It’s also a holiday full of fun traditions and festive decorations One easy craft that brings cheer to any Thanksgiving celebration is a homemade turkey balloon With just a few simple supplies, you can create cute turkey balloons for table centerpieces, homemade decor, or fun kids’ activities. Read on to learn several creative ways to make fun and festive turkey balloons for Thanksgiving.
Supplies Needed
Here are the basic supplies you’ll need
- Balloons – Round or pear-shaped work best
- Permanent markers
- Construction paper or cardstock
- Glue (stick or liquid)
- Scissors
- Googly eyes
- Pom poms, feathers, or other embellishments (optional)
- Glitter (optional)
- Glue gun (optional)
That’s it! These simple items are all you need to transform ordinary balloons into adorable turkey balloons.
How to Make a Basic Turkey Balloon
Making a simple turkey balloon is easy:
- Blow up a round balloon to desired size and tie off end.
- Use a permanent marker to draw a turkey face on the balloon. Draw eyes, a nose, and mouth.
- Cut out a small red diamond from construction paper for the snood (the flap of skin on a turkey’s beak). Glue to balloon.
- Cut out an orange triangle from paper for the beak and glue under snood.
- Draw or glue on any other desired details like wattles, feet, etc.
And you’re done! With just a balloon and a few hand-drawn details, you have an instant turkey balloon for kids to play with and enjoy.
Make a Glittery Turkey Balloon
For a shimmery, glam turkey, add some sparkling glitter:
- Follow the basic turkey steps above.
- Before adding the eyes, beak, and details, apply a layer of glue to the balloon and sprinkle glitter generously over the glue.
- Shake off excess glitter and let dry completely.
- Then glue on the face, beak, and other accents.
The glittery coating transforms an ordinary balloon into a festive glittering turkey!
Create Feathered Turkey Balloons
You can make your balloon turkey more realistic by adding handmade feathers:
- Cut feather shapes out of construction paper or cardstock in fall colors. Long, skinny rectangles work well. Make 10-20 feathers.
- Apply glue in a row along the bottom or back of the inflated balloon. Attach the paper feathers, holding them upright while drying.
- Follow the rest of the basic turkey steps above to finish.
The handmade feathers give your balloon turkey a colorful, textured plumage just like a real bird!
Use Ready-Made Feathers or Pom Poms
For quicker feathering, use ready-made craft supplies:
- Feather boas – snip off feathers and glue to the balloon
- Craft feathers – glue on individually
- Pom poms – glue rows of different sized pom poms around the bottom
This shortcuts the feather-making step while still giving your turkey texture.
Make a Turkey Balloon Centerpiece
Display your turkey balloons in a fun centerpiece:
- Blow up 2-3 turkey balloons and cluster them together in the middle of the table.
- Surround with fall leaves, mini pumpkins, pinecones, and other autumn decor.
- Nestle balloons in the arrangement.
The balloons add height and whimsy to the seasonal display!
Creative Ways to Use Turkey Balloons
There are endless ways to play and craft with your turkey balloons:
- Play hot potato or balloon volleyball
- Have races blowing turkeys around
- Use as kids’ Thanksgiving crafts
- Make place cards by adding names
- Give as favors or in goody bags
- Attach to sticks as puppets
- Cluster as table centerpieces
- Add to mantle or wall displays
- Save and reuse year after year
Kids especially will love coming up with creative new games and uses for these playful turkey balloons!
Turkey Balloon Tips
- For durability, seal with clear glue after decorating
- Add wings cut from paper or real feathers
- Layer rows of pom poms for funky feathers
- Draw stripes, dots, patterns for personality
- Attach to straws or sticks to make puppets
- Group multiples for table decorations
- Make helium balloon turkeys for floating fun
With a few simple supplies and creativity, you can make turkey balloons that provide hours of entertainment and joy. They’re the perfect handmade craft to get kids excited for Thanksgiving! Simply blow up some balloons and let your imagination soar as you turn them into a flock of festive holiday turkeys.
Step 2: Tape string to balloon
Tape a piece of baker’s twine or string to the middle of the balloon with two pieces of scotch tape. This will become the underside of the turkey.
How to Make Turkey Balloons
Inflate your balloon with helium – you can inflate it at home with a personal tank or have your local party store inflate them. Expect the balloons to stay afloat for 4-6 hours. Have the party store add HiFloat to the balloons if you want them to last longer than that.
Thanksgiving Balloon Turkey Craft | Easy DIY Fall Crafts
How do you make a Turkey balloon?
Draw or add wings to make the turkey balloon airborne. Use paper or real turkey feathers. Layer rows of different sized pom poms down the balloon for a colorful, funky look. Attach balloon turkey to a stick or straw to make a puppet. Draw bold stripes, polka dots, or patterns with markers for personality.
Can you make a Thanksgiving turkey with balloons?
Kids will have a blast coming up with creative ways to play and decorate with their balloon turkeys. With just a balloon and a few craft supplies, you can make an easy Thanksgiving craft that provides hours of entertainment. So grab some balloons and turn them into a flock of festive Thanksgiving turkeys!
How do you make a monkey with a balloon?
Twist two inches of the remaining inflated balloon twice. When you lock these two, they form the front legs of the monkey. Twist two inches of the remaining inflated balloon thrice. The first twist is the torso/body, and the remaining two when locked together form the hind legs. The remaining portion of the balloon is the tail of the monkey.