Thanksgiving crafts don’t get much more fun than a Thanksgiving playdough tray! This is the perfect blend of sensory play and creativity, as kids get to design their own turkeys using colorful materials, all while working with their hands. Whether you’re making a batch of homemade, fall-scented playdough or using store-bought, this tray invites kids to build their own little turkeys, complete with feathers, googly eyes, and even little beaded legs.
One of the best parts about this turkey playdough tray is how adaptable it is. Kids can choose their favorite colors, arrange the feathers, and add silly details to make each turkey unique. This activity is simple to set up, fun to explore, and a great way to bring a festive Thanksgiving vibe to playtime. Plus, it’s a wonderful opportunity for fine motor skill practice and creativity.
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Playdough Tray
This turkey playdough tray is all about open-ended play. Kids love it because they can design their own turkey characters however they like, and you’ll love it because it keeps them happily engaged, building fine motor skills and imagination. It’s a fun, low-stress way to celebrate Thanksgiving that doubles as a keepsake-worthy activity for the season.
Materials
- Appetizer tray
- Playdough (for fall-scented recipes check out this post)
- Feathers
- Pony beads
- Orange, brown, red, and tan pipe cleaners
- Scissors
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Instructions for Creating the Turkey Playdough Tray
- Make the Turkey Heads:
- Start by cutting tan and brown pipe cleaners in half. Take one end of each half and roll it tightly to form a small, flat circle for the turkey’s head, leaving about 2 inches for the neck.
- Cut a 2-inch piece of orange pipe cleaner, thread it through the circle, and twist to create the beak.
- Wrap a short piece of red pipe cleaner around the orange one to form the snood.
- Glue small googly eyes on each side of the turkey’s head. Repeat this to make 4-5 turkey heads.
- Create the Turkey Feet
- Cut an orange pipe cleaner in half, then cut each half down to about 1/3 of its original length.
- Twist this smaller piece around the end of the longer piece to form feet for the turkey.
- Assemble the Turkey Playdough Tray:
- Arrange the feathers, pony beads, turkey heads, and feet on an appetizer tray or place them in small bowls for easy access.
- Add your playdough to the center.
- Play and Create!
- Invite your child to make their turkey by forming a playdough ball, inserting the legs with beads, placing the head on top, and decorating with feathers in the back.
This activity is a wonderful mix of crafting and sensory play, bringing Thanksgiving to life for kids in a way they won’t forget!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
