If you have your little one home more days than usual because of the holiday or you are just wanting to incorporate some extra fun for your toddler while you prep for Thanksgiving – I’ve got you covered! **This post may contain affiliate links. A small commission may be earned.**
Before you get started with any of these activities (or before you brush this off like you can’t draw or do these activities) remember, your toddler is going to have fun. Even if your turkey is wonky… because mine sure is… your toddler is going to have fun. Don’t let the fear of your “bad drawing” stop you from creating these easy activities your toddler will love!
Paint a Turkey
What you need:
– Cardboard
– Blue Painter’s Tape
– Glue
– Construction Paper (White, Black, Orange)
– Paint
- Get your cardboard and create a half circle with blue tape – this is the face of the turkey.
- Cut your eyeballs (2 white ovals and 2 small black circles) and your beak, and glue them on. Let this dry before you have your toddler paint.
- Create 6-10 lines of tape off your turkey’s face to the edge of the cardboard. Connect those lines with more blue tape (Check out the image of my taped bird above). These are your feathers.
- Have your toddler paint (or color) all the feathers of the turkey! Let them have fun here, it’ll look cute regardless.
- Let the paint fully dry.
- Carefully peel the blue tape off the cardboard. Some pieces stick, so try to be extra careful here.
- Display your cute little turkey!
Color Sort Turkey
What you need:
– Cardstock or Butcher Paper
– Construction Paper
– Colored Stickers
– Markers
- Draw your turkey’s body on the cardstock or butcher paper.
- Cut out 4-5 colored feathers from construction paper (make sure the colors match the stickers you have)
- Give your toddler a sheet of stickers and have them color match the stickers to the feathers.
*Make peeling the stickers easier for your toddler by peeling the back sheet of paper off first!
We actually didn’t have this one go to plan, but it still kept my toddler occupied! Instead of cutting out construction paper I just drew the turkey and she filled it in with the little stickers. It’s okay if things don’t go to plan, she still work on some fine motor skills with those stickers and had a great time.
Thanksgiving Shape Sort
What you need:
– Construction Paper
– Butcher Paper
– Scissors (we cut our shapes with our Cricut)
– Marker
– Painters Tape
- Start by putting a good size of butcher paper on your wall, kitchen table, or island. Draw your Thanksgiving shapes on the butcher paper. We did Turkeys, Pumpkins, Pie, and Leaves!
- Cut several of those same shapes out with construction paper. I like to make them different sizes and then after she’s done collecting and sorting her shapes we talk about big and small. This time we used my Cricut Joy Xtra to cut the shapes and it was a total game changer!
- Using the painters tape, tape all your shapes around your house to “hide” them (I usually just tape them on the walls, appliances, and furniture).
- Let your toddler run and find them. My toddler typically finds one or two and brings them back to her butcher paper to sort, but there is no right or wrong way for your toddler to do this part.
- After you toddler finds and sorts all the shapes – you can continue the fun by sorting into big and small or into colors.
Usually my toddler wants me to hide the shapes at least one more time… and I’m happy to! I really love using this activity on days where I feel like we couldn’t get outside, but I still want her to move her body. It’s not much, but it really does keep her occupied.
Thanksgiving Hide and Seek
What you need:
– Construction Paper
– Butcher Paper (we use our easel!)
– Scissors and Tape
– Marker (If you don’t want to draw your thanksgiving item you can print two copies of these Thanksgiving shapes instead)
- On the butcher paper draw your 6-8 Thanksgiving shapes (we did Pumpkins, Leaves, Turkeys, Pie, Pilgram Hat, and a Heart)
- Draw those same shapes on construction paper (or sticky notes).
- If you’re using the print out I made – you can have your toddler color the shapes first to engage them for that much longer!
- Cut the construction paper out and “hide” them around the rooms you’re in. Usually I just take painters tape and hang them on various walls and appliances.
- Have your toddler go find them and match them to one on the butcher paper.
This is another activity that my toddler is always begging to do again and again. Like I said above, I love that this activity gets her little body moving when we’re stuck inside for long periods of time.
These activities will be perfect for anytime you’re trying to prep for Thanksgiving and you need to keep your little ones occupied. xx Ciara
