Make the CUTEST Handprint and Footprint TURKEY CRAFT with your kids this Thanksgiving following our EASY directions that you can PRINT at home.
This post is sponsored by Huggies® because “Kids Outgrow Diapers, Not Messes™”. As always, all opinions are my own.
I love making handprint and footprint crafts with my kids because they always melt my heart, so to decorate for Thanksgiving we made two of the cutest turkeys I have ever seen! This craft is adorable to hang up in your house or for the kids to give to people in their life they are thankful for (like mom and dad and grandma and grandpa). With this craft, you need several handprints and a footprint so if you aren’t ready to clean up those adorable little hands and feet you could end up with a mess (and you don’t want that when the family is headed over for Thanksgiving dinner)–don’t worry because as long as you are prepared this craft is super easy to make and clean up (keep reading to find out how).
Little Dragon has been out of diapers for a while now (yay!) I just gave away our last pack, but our Huggies® Wipes are still used every day on my kid’s hands, feet, faces, and whatever else managed to get messy. I keep the adorable Clutch and Clean Packs in my purse, car, and in our craft supplies. My kid’s know exactly where to go and what to use when they make a mess and since the wipes have no harsh chemicals I don’t have to worry about what they are wiping. Whenever we do handprint and footprint crafts I spread out a plastic tablecloth and open up the wipes. Once the kids are done painting they grab a wipe and start cleaning up without having to travel to the sink–this is awesome because no footprints end up on the floor or handprints on the faucet!
Making a turkey out of a handprint is a classic and fun fall craft activity that is perfect for kids of all ages. With just a few simple materials, you can create an adorable handprint turkey craft that looks great displayed in your home and makes a memorable keepsake.
Overview of Handprint Turkey Craft
The basic concept of the handprint turkey craft is to use your handprint or your child’s handprint as the body and feathers of the turkey, Here’s an overview of how it works
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Paint or trace your handprint onto paper This will form the turkey’s body
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Use your fingers and thumb as the feathers. Paint or color each finger a different fall color.
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Add details like eyes, beak, feet, and wattle using craft supplies, markers, or paint.
It’s a simple idea that even very young kids can do but results in the cutest turkeys with lots of creative options!
Benefits of Making Handprint Turkeys
Some of the reasons this handprint turkey craft is such a great activity include:
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It allows kids to get creative and make it unique. There are endless options for feather colors, poses, accessories, etc.
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The handprint becomes a cherished keepsake of your child’s hand at their current age.
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It develops fine motor skills through cutting, drawing, gluing, and hand-painting.
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Kids can practice colors by painting each finger a different shade.
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No artistic skill required! Even very simple turkeys made by little hands turn out adorable.
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It’s an easy craft that’s budget-friendly using supplies you likely have at home.
How to Make Handprint Turkeys – Step-by-Step Instructions
Ready to make an adorable handprint turkey? Here are step-by-step instructions for three different options: painted handprint, traced handprint, and construction paper handprint turkeys.
Painted Handprint Turkey
Supplies Needed:
- Tempera paint or acrylic craft paint
- Paintbrushes
- White cardstock or construction paper
- Googly eyes, craft feathers (optional)
- Markers or crayons for details
Instructions:
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Paint your palm and thumb brown for the turkey’s body and head.
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Paint each finger a different color for the feathers – suggest red, orange, yellow, green.
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Press your hand firmly down on the paper to transfer the print.
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Let handprint dry fully before adding any details.
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Use markers/crayons to add eyes, feet, beak, and wattle. Add googly eyes or feathers for decor.
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Display your colorful turkey!
Traced Handprint Turkey
Supplies Needed:
- Construction paper in fall colors
- Scissors
- Glue or tape
- Markers for details
Instructions:
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Trace your hand on brown construction paper and cut out.
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Cut feather shapes from colored paper – around 5 per color.
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Arrange and glue or tape feathers onto the back of the handprint.
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Draw on eyes, beak, feet, and wattle with markers.
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Optional: add googly eyes and coordinating craft feathers.
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Hang up your handprint turkey masterpiece!
Construction Paper Handprint Turkey
Supplies Needed:
- Brown, red, orange, yellow construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers for details
Instructions:
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Trace both hands on brown construction paper. Cut out.
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Glue hands together at the thumbs to form the turkey’s body.
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Cut feather shapes from the colored construction paper.
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Glue feathers onto the back of turkey’s body.
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Draw or glue on eyes, beak, wattle, and feet.
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Show off your handprint turkey!
Turkey Handprint Craft Tips
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Glue the handprints onto a background paper with “I’m thankful for you” or a Thanksgiving poem.
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Laminate handprint turkeys to make them more durable and long-lasting.
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Frame your little one’s turkey after the holiday for a cuter alternative to school photo displays!
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Use washable paint and cover work surface to make cleanup easy.
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Cut feathers out of paper bags or magazines for a recycled craft.
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Store-bought craft feathers, wiggly eyes, pom poms make fun additions.
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Display handprint turkeys on mantels, walls, placecards, or as napkin rings.
Creative Variations for Unique Handprint Turkeys
The great thing about handprint crafts is how many creative variations there are. Here are some ways to make your turkey unique:
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Use glitter paint or puffy paint for colorful feathers.
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Stamp fingerprints along the edge for ruffled feathers.
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Add stripes, polka dots, patterns to the feathers.
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Use colored marker instead of paint.
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Attach jingle bells, fabric scraps, or pompoms with glue dots.
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Add accessories like scarves, bow ties, hats, or glasses.
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Make turkeys holding flowers, food, or letters using extra handprints.
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For younger kids, add stickers, sequins, beads, or pom poms.
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Make a turkey family with different sized handprints.
Let kids’ creativity shine through in their handprint turkey designs! Crafting is more about the experience than the outcome.
Displaying Your Adorable Handprint Turkeys
Once complete, be sure to proudly display your handprint turkeys to appreciate your hard work and creativity. Here are some great ways to show them off:
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Hang them on the refrigerator or on walls with magnets.
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Set them on mantels, countertops, or shelves.
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Attach them to windows and mirrors with decorative clothespins.
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Use them as place cards or napkin rings for Thanksgiving meals.
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Display them on easels on dining room tables.
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Line them up on bookshelves, side tables, or the stair banister.
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Hang them from ribbons, garlands, or wreaths.
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Give them as gifts to grandparents or parents.
However you decide to show off your handprint turkeys, they are sure to bring lots of smiles and holiday spirit! It’s a quick and easy project that results in keepsakes you’ll treasure for years.
Handprint and Footprint Turkey
If you like our Turkey Craft I would love for you to PIN IT! It helps you SAVE the idea and others discover it too, letting us bring you more AWESOME CONTENT like this.
- Red, yellow, orange, brown craft paint
- Paintbrushes
- Huggies® Wipes
- Red and orange craft paper
- Googly eyes
- Craft paper
- Scissors
- Glue
Printable directions are available at the end of this post for your convenience.
Coat the child’s hand with yellow paint and firmly press their hand on the paper. I find it easiest to put my hand on top of their hand so they don’t wiggle their little fingers. Repeat with orange and red paint having them place their palm around the same spot to make the turkeys feathers. We laid our handprints on top of each other, but you could always make 3 individual prints if that is easier. Set handprints aside to dry.
Coat the child’s foot with brown paint and toes with orange paint and press their foot firmly on the paper. Again, I like to put my hand on top of their feet so they don’t wiggle. Set footprint aside to dry.
Cut around the handprints and footprints. Cut a red waddle (teardrop shape) and a yellow beak (triangle shape) and have the child glue them and a googly eye to the heel side of their footprint to make the turkey face.
Have the child glue handprints to the back of their footprint. We glued our turkeys to a tan piece of paper and I was feeling so thankful for the two little turkeys in my life that I added a heart for love. If you don’t have two kids you could always make a turkey using each hand and foot or have each family member make one.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for supporting A Little Pinch of Perfect and our sponsors. You can grab your own craft supply wipes by visiting Huggies.com or find them at your local store (and not just in the baby aisle) and don’t forget to stay connected here: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Turkey Hand Ideas For Thanksgiving! ✋ | Arts and Crafts for Kids | Danny Go!
FAQ
How do you make a turkey out of paint?
- Cover your workspace and gather your materials.
- Cut the sponge into strips. …
- Pour small amounts of paint onto a paper plate. …
- Dip the sponge into the paint and dap onto the paper plate. …
- Set the paper plate aside to dry.
- While the paper plate is drying, cut out the face/body, beak, and wattle for the turkey.
How to make a fingerprint turkey?
Paint your childs hand brown on just the bottom half (include the thumb!) and paint the rest of the fingers a different color. Have them stamp their hand down on a piece of white paper. Once that dries, add a googly eye, beak, and legs.
How do you draw a Turkey with a pencil?
Trace an outline of your hand. Trace around your hand’s fingers and thumb. The thumb will be the face of your turkey, the hand will represent the body, and your fingers will represent its feathers. You can use any color of pencil you want for the outline, but make sure that the color stands out so people can see it.
How do you make a handprint Turkey?
If you’re younger and aren’t sure how to create one, the steps are simple. You can create your turkey by using construction paper or by using finger paint. If you follow the techniques and get creative, you can make a handprint and footprint turkey that you can be proud of. Trace your feet on a piece of construction paper.
Can a toddler make a Turkey handprint?
If you’re doing this turkey handprint craft with a toddler, preschooler, or early school aged child, then you will want to be the one to paint the colors on your child’s hand. Older kids can paint their hand themselves if you want them to.
Why are handprint turkeys so popular this year?
We are starting a tradition this year with handprint turkeys. Handprint crafts are awesome because you can do one every year and compare how big your kid’s hands have grown in a year’s time. The kids are always amazed when they see how little their hands used to be. That’s right kids, stop growing so fast (excuse my mom tears).
How do you make a Turkey with paper hands?
You can use liquid glue or a glue stick. Glue the paper hands onto the back of the body of the turkey. Arrange the hands behind the turkey to get a feeling for what it will look like once it’s done. Stack your traced out hands on an angle and glue them together so that the feathers look like they are spread out.
How do you make a Turkey with construction paper?
Use orange and red construction paper. You can either create an outline for these features and then cut them out, or you can just cut out a triangle and round teardrop free hand. Use orange construction paper to create the beak for your turkey. Use red construction paper for the wattle of the turkey. Draw two eyes or glue on googly eyes.