Thanksgiving is the perfect time for fun, hands-on activities that celebrate the season, and this Turkey Playdough and Dyed Pasta Invitation to Play is sure to be a hit with your kids. Combining the sensory fun of playdough with the creative potential of dyed pasta, this activity is a fantastic way to keep little hands busy while encouraging imaginative play. My kids loved making colorful feathers for their turkeys, and I loved how engaged and focused they were throughout the activity.
You’ll love this invitation to play because it’s easy to set up, versatile, and uses simple materials you likely already have (or can quickly make). The mix of textures, colors, and shapes makes it exciting for kids of all ages, and it’s perfect for practicing fine motor skills and creativity. Plus, it’s the kind of project where there’s no right or wrong way to play—kids can build, shape, and design their turkeys however they like, making each creation totally unique.
Why You’ll Love This Playdough Invitation to Play
This activity is a wonderful mix of sensory play and creativity. The dyed pasta adds a pop of color and fun, while the playdough gives kids a tactile experience that’s both calming and engaging. It’s also super adaptable—older kids can focus on intricate designs, while younger kids will enjoy simply exploring the materials. And because everything is reusable, this setup can be enjoyed again and again throughout the fall season.
Materials You’ll Need
- Playdough (homemade or store-bought)
- Penne pasta dyed red, orange, yellow, and brown
- Brown, red, and orange construction paper
- Glue
- Googly eyes
- Scissors
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Make the Brown Playdough
Use your favorite playdough recipe or try my easy fall-themed recipe (link here). Color the playdough brown to match the turkey’s body and feathers.
2. Dye the Pasta
Follow this simple dyed pasta recipe (link here) to color penne pasta in red, orange, yellow, and brown. To make light brown, just use less food coloring. Let the pasta dry completely before using.
3. Create the Turkey Body
Cut two oval shapes like a figure 8 from the brown construction paper to make the turkey’s body. Use googly eyes and cut shapes from red and orange construction paper to create a beak and snood.
4. Set Up the Invitation to Play
- Tape the paper turkey body to a smooth surface, like a table or tray, where your child can play with the materials.
- Shape the brown playdough into large feather-like mounds around the turkey’s body.
- Arrange the dyed pasta nearby, inviting kids to use the colorful pasta to decorate the playdough feathers.
How to Play
Kids can press the dyed pasta into the playdough feathers, creating their own colorful turkey designs. They might line up the pasta in patterns, sort by colors, or even build 3D feather shapes. Encourage them to get creative—there’s no wrong way to decorate! Younger kids will enjoy the sensory aspect of handling the playdough and pasta, while older kids can focus on more detailed designs. Once they’re finished, you can reuse the playdough and pasta for future creations.
This Turkey Playdough and Dyed Pasta Invitation to Play is a perfect fall activity that blends creativity and hands-on exploration. Your kids will love making their unique turkeys, and you’ll love the fun and festive atmosphere it brings to your home.
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.
