Preschool Turkeys and Thanksgiving Theme

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Planning your Turkey and Thanksgiving Preschool Theme 

Club Members can download our Turkeys and Thanksgiving Activities and theme guide for free!
Not a member? Learn More Here

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Download our Free Turkeys and Thanksgiving Preschool Sample Lesson Plan

Featured Plan Activities

Below you’ll find activity ideas featured in our Turkeys and Thanksgiving sample plan.

Art & Creativity
Paint with Turkey Basters
This painting invitation can be a bit messy but oh so fun! Work on fine motor development while using turkey basters for painting.

Dramatic Play
Thanksgiving Dinner
 Add some pretend Thanksgiving Day Food items to your Dramatic Play Space. You can add a box of Thanksgiving Holiday Decor as well, include: Thanksgiving tablecloths, cloth napkins, place mats for making the table "Extra" special and Thanksgiving decorations. Allow the children to decorate their space for their Thanksgiving Meal.

Building & Small World Play
Turkey Farm Small World Play
Bring out the Farm sets, and let the kiddos practice their hand at running a turkey farm. You can transform your Farm Set into a Turkey farm by making  your own Turkey Blocks. Another option is purchasing some small vinyl Turkey finger puppets or Plastic Turkey's to add to your Construction space.

Language and Literacy
Alphabet Pumpkin Pie Puzzles
This interactive Thanksgiving preschool activity will have your little ones learning their ABCs while having fun! With adorable pumpkin pie puzzles, they'll improve their letter recognition and fine motor skills. Perfect for the holiday season!
Write a Thank-You Note
Write a thank you note to someone that did something for your family recently or do a random act of kindness in honor of the holiday.

Mathematics
Turkey Puzzle 1 through 10
This Turkey Puzzle is a perfect way to engage preschoolers in a fun and educational activity. With 10 pages of puzzles, they will improve their problem-solving skills while having a blast! Print it out now and let the learning begin.
Mashed Potato Measuring
Gather cotton ball "mashed potatoes". Working in pairs, have students pile their mashed potatoes into bowl. Use unifix cubes to measure how tall each pile is. Which has more? Which has less?

Science & Discovery
Parts of a Turkey Labeling Activity
This parts of a turkey labeling activity is a fun and educational way for preschoolers to learn about the different parts of a turkey. They will love coloring and labeling the different parts, helping them to develop their fine motor skills and their understanding of turkey anatomy. Perfect for Thanksgiving or any time of the year!

Physical Fine Motor
Turkey Buttoning
 This hands-on activity helps preschoolers enhance their fine motor skills through buttoning practice. With colorful buttons, children will improve hand-eye coordination, finger dexterity, and cognitive skills. This engaging activity allows young learners to proudly master the art of buttoning while having fun!

Physical Gross Motor
Turkey Hot Potato Game
Play a fun game of "Hot Potato" using a plush Turkey.

Other
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
Embark on an exciting adventure to find and appreciate the things that fill our hearts with gratitude and joy. This interactive activity fosters gratitude, promotes mindfulness, and cultivates a positive mindset. Let's explore and treasure the wonders around us together!

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Enhance your Art & Crafts Space

Brown will be a popular color in art this week!  Dye your play dough brown (a few different shades if possible). Add feathers, and google eyes to the Art Space. If you have little's you can pre-cut some construction paper "feathers". Scour the thrift stores for Turkey and other Thanksgiving cookie cutters. Add a variety of different shades of brown construction paper to the Art Space this week. Add Thanksgiving Inspired Cookie Cutters, Stamps, Seasonal Color Paint and Crayons to your Art Space this week. 

Disguise a Turkey Family Project

This is a fun activity to promote family engagement or to do together with the children. 
Read the book Turkey Trouble and then get creative and disguise a paper turkey!
You can find a free printable turkey and guide in the Storytime Activity: Turkey Disguise Craft here. 
This is also a fantastic family engagement project for preschools and daycares. 

Get this freebie!

Create a Place Mat

Community Member Sheena W. printed the placemats from the Turkey & Thanksgiving Pack for the children in her program to create their own custom placemat. 
After each child completed their placemat she laminated them for use during meals. 

Get this in our Turkeys & Thanksgiving Preschool Activity Pack

*Paint with Turkey Basters

This painting invitation can be a bit messy but oh so fun! Work on fine motor development while using turkey basters for painting.  Use this free B&W Turkey Printable for kids to use with the basters or set up with card stock or paper plates. 

Get Crafty with Turkeys

Community Member Jessica Freel shared this photo of little turkeys her kiddos made. Love that they used recyclables! Find more turkey inspiration in this post
10+ Turkey Crafts & Activities!

Turkey Feather Pinecone Craft

Make a turkey with a few simple supplies. Using pinecones, feathers, and googly eyes. Your preschoolers can construct a fun little turkey just in time for Thanksgiving! View Member Instructions

Turkey Process Art

 Provide students with a brown circle for the body, googly eyes and a nose. Start by gluing all those items to a plain piece of paper and invite the children to use provided feathers to paint with different colors of paint!
Watch how they use the feathers instead of a paint brush and how much fun they have with the process. ​
View Member Instructions

Make a Handprint Turkey

Make a handprint turkey for a great keepsake, add paper feathers that each have a statement about what your family is thankful for. ​
View Member Instructions

Turkey Tracks Process Art ​

Bend a straw in half. Snip one end to resemble a turkey foot (with 3 toes). Bend the flaps back. Provide students with a flat tray of paint. Encourage them to dip their "foot" into the brown paint and stamp it onto the paper to make tracks.
​Find more details for making Turkey Tracks Process Art on our blog. ​

Try this!

​More Preschool Art & Creativity Ideas:

Preschool Pumpkin Pie Play Dough Recipe from Childhood Beckons
5 Fall Senses Fall Play Dough Learning Ideas from One Time Through
Cranberry Play Dough Recipe from Learn Play Imagine

Preschool Paper Bag Turkey Puppets featured on Crafty Morning

Dish Brush Turkey Art for Preschoolers-From Crafty Morning
​Preschool Paper Bag Turkey Craft from-Teach Them To Fly

Enhance your Dramatic Play Space

 Many families decorate for Thanksgiving. Provide your students with a box of used Thanksgiving Decorations. You can usually find low cost decor items at thrifts stores (or the Dollar Tree). Don't forget to ask your families for any they no longer need! View Member Instructions 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Get Ready for your Thanksgiving Feast!
​Add some pretend Thanksgiving Day Food items to your Dramatic Play Space. You can add a box of Thanksgiving Holiday Decor as well, include: Thanksgiving tablecloths, cloth napkins, place mats for making the table "Extra" special and Thanksgiving decorations. Allow the children to decorate their space for their Thanksgiving Meal. 
The PKPF  Turkey and Thanksgiving Activity Pack includes a printable Thanksgiving Dinner set for you to use in your activities. Print on paper and laminate or transfer to felt (see my tutorial here). 

Pie Stand

Don't forget the dessert! Use our Preschool Dramatic Play Pie Stand Set to easily create pumpkin pies for your space, or set up a Pie Stand!  

Pie Stand Dramatic Play set available here in our shop!

Setting the Table

Support children in learning how to set the table with this simple activity. 
Print the place setting mat from the Turkey & Thanksgiving pack; set out with dishes for children to practice setting the table. 

Get this pack in our shop!

Airport Dramatic Play

Many families travel around the holidays. Whether your preschoolers will be traveling, or hears about others traveling, capture their interest with a fun Airport Dramatic Play invitation. 
Add dress up clothes and luggage-as many children may be traveling during this time.  This is a great time to add extra photos of families as well.

Get this pack in our shop!

Turkey Dress-Up

Encourage your kids to make their own Turkey costumes, There are several fun links to "Turkey Headbands" on-line. Use brown paper bags to make vests, and add feathers for some flair. Add plush Turkeys to your space.

Adorable Turkey Costume shared by Lisa N.

Diner  Play

You can also shift your Thanksgiving themed dramatic play to a restaurant or diner because some families do this as their tradition. Add in Thanksgiving themed foods.

Get this pack in our shop!

Turkey Farm

Bring out the Farm sets, and let the kiddos practice their hand at running a turkey farm. You can transform your Farm Set into a Turkey farm by making  your own Turkey Blocks. Another option is purchasing some small vinyl Turkey finger puppets or Plastic Turkey's to add to your Construction space.

Family Travel

Many Children will be Traveling and celebrating Thanksgiving with their extended families. Be sure to add family dolls, Play Houses, Cars and Planes to your Construction Space this week. Consider purchasing Thanksgiving themed play sets to this space this week. Many companies such as Lego, and Fisher-Price offer them. View Member Instructions

Build a Thanksgiving Dinner

Use blocks to build a Thanksgiving dinner. Print out various photos of foods and utensils to tape onto the blocks to set up a dinner.
View Member Instructions

*Pumpkin Pie Alphabet Match

These tasty pie puzzles are a fun way to practice matching up lowercase to uppercase letters for preschoolers. Laminate these puzzles for repeat use or try as a cut and paste activity. 
​Find these in the PKPF Turkey & Thanksgiving Activity Pack.

Our Thanksgiving and Turkeys learning pack is available in our shop!

​Free Turkey Name Activity

Invite your preschooler to practice identifying the letters in their name and building their name. 
Get your free Editable Turkey Name Activity and Worksheets. in my shop

get this freebie in my shop

How to Catch a Turkey

Give the child a blank piece of paper with the written prompt asking them how they would catch a turkey with writing dictation, record their answer and have them illustrate their answer.

More Language & Literacy Ideas:

​ Thanksgiving writing tray from Still Playing School

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
How to Catch a Turkey by Alice Wallace
The Little Kids Table by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

Read: The Very Stuffed Turkey

The book The Very Stuffed Turkey by Katharine Kenah is a fun story about a turkey that is invited to too many Thanksgiving Dinners! What's a turkey to do? Find out his solution with this book then follow up with a fun activity like this Thanksgiving Dinner Patterning Invitation included in the PKPF Turkey & Thanksgiving Pack

Thanksgiving Dinner Patterning

Use our Thanksgiving Dinner Patterning Activity to practice extending a pattern!

Click here to buy this activity!

Thanksgiving Dinner Number Sorting

This activity is a fun way to explore the different ways numbers can be represented. 
Sort numbers 1-10 on each dinner plate, numbers in this activity are represented on Thanksgiving Food in the form of: tallies, dice, fingers, numeral, number word,  dominoes and a ten frame.
Thanksgiving Dinner Number Sorting Activity

Click here to Buy this activity!

Whipped Topping Roll and Count

Some children have not yet discovered how delicious pumpkin pie is, however I have never met a child that didn't love whipped topping! Roll the playing cube, count up the whipped topping then add the same number to the pie. You can use the included printable counters or add fun pom poms. This is a fun activity to engage in with children or set up for individual or two children to play. ​Find this activity in the PKPF Turkey and Thanksgiving Pack

Click here to buy this activity!

Color Turkey Matching Puzzle

Practice color matching and color words with these cute little turkeys!
Included in the PKPF Turkeys and Thanksgiving Pack

Click here to buy this pack in our shop

Turkey Hand Math

Start this turkey hand math by tracing your students hands and labeling them with numbers 1-10. Give them popsicle stick "finger" counters to work on one to one correspondence. ​View Member Instructions

Mashed Potato Measuring

Gather cotton ball "mashed potatoes". Working in pairs, have students pile their mashed potatoes into bowl. Use unifix cubes to measure how tall each pile is. Which has more? Which has less?
View Member Instructions

Turkey in the Straw Sensory Bin Math Fun

Add numbers 0-10 in permanent marker to small plastic/paper turkey figures. Add the turkeys to a sensory bin filled with yellow crinkle paper, shredded paper, or straw. Give each student a corresponding numeral card, and have them go on a hunt to find the matching turkey in the "straw."
 View Member Instructions

Fill a Horn a Plenty

Roll a die and add the corresponding amount of produce to the cornucopia. View Member Instructions

Thanksgiving Inspired Sensory Bin

This adorable Thanksgiving Inspired Sensory Bin was Created by Erica Payne of Erica's Educare Learning Center. She used a Potato Flake Base, and added Corn Meal, Brown Rice, and Stuffing in the Buckets.

*Parts of a Turkey Identification

Here are two interactive ways to learn about the parts of a turkey. Use the 3-part cards to identify some parts of a turkey, then label the parts on the labeling mat. Both of these activities can be found inside my Turkey and Thanksgiving activity pack!
These activities would be great to engage in after exploring the Zoom in on Turkeys book by Leo Statts. This book has wonderful close-up photographs that children can examine. 

Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

With various dried items such as corn, and different beans or try dying rice brown, orange, and yellow to make a fun Thanksgiving sensory bin.
View Member Instructions

Thanksgiving Sink or Float

Sink or float with a variety of thanksgiving items: feathers, cranberries, gourds, and acorns. 

Thanksgiving and 5 Senses

Thanksgiving is a time for rich sensory exploration. The taste of cranberries, the feel of gourds, the sound of turkeys, the smell of delicious desserts and endless sights to see. View Member Instructions

More Science & Discovery Ideas:

This is an adorable Turkey Sensory Bin from-I Heart Crafty Things
​Science and Math are all rolled into this fabulous Turkey Balloon Rocket from-
Growing a Jeweled Rose
​Pumpkin pie scented shaving cream from Mess for Less
​Create some Homemade Butter for Science this week. Be sure to check out this great tutorial from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Turkey Play Dough

This adorable Turkey play dough invitation was created by Community Member as member Erica Payne of Erica's Educare Learning Center.

Fine Motor Buttoning

Community Members Erica Payne of Erica's Educare Learning Center and  Tammy B. contributed these photos of handcrafted fine motor button activities!

Thanksgiving Fine Motor Fun

The activities from the PKPF Thanksgiving Fine Motor Fun activity pack are easy to set up and great for keeping little hands busy. 

Get this pack in our shop!

Hot Potato Turkey

Play a fun game of "Hot Potato" using a plush Turkey

Turkey Feather Hunt

Gather feathers and choose a space to hide them either in the classroom, around your school or even outdoors. Invite the children to find the feathers. 
View Member Instructions

Turkey Bowling

Add some faces and feathers to the bowling bins and turn it into a turkey bowl, invite the students to take turns playing. View Member Instructions

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More Physical Development Ideas:

Incorporate a Fine Motor activity into your Turkey week with this Turkey Fine Motor Activity From-Fantastic Fun and Learning

*Stuff the Turkey Game from Kid Friendly Things to Do

Thanksgiving Traditions

Our Thanksgiving Traditions Set is a great tool for engaging in conversation about what happens during Thanksgiving. 
Use the included photo conversation cards to prompt discussions about what children remember about last Thanksgiving, this is a good opportunity to work on recalling information from previous events. If children don't recall try using some of the sequencing pieces from the set or the word bank to support their thinking. After engaging in this activity encourage children to predict what they will do this year for Thanksgiving. 

Purchase this resource in our store!

Discussion: What Are You Thankful For?

Start by having a discussion on what the word thankful means and why we are thankful. You can then use this as a writing prompt, using writing dictation to record their answers and have them illustrate their answer.
View Member Instructions

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt

Go on a scavenger hunt to look for things you are grateful and thankful for! View Member Instructions

Turkey Theme Sign-in Activity

​Welcome your students to class with this engaging name recognition activity. 
Includes a variety of themes and available in the shop!

Get this pack in our shop!

Team Building: Leadership & Self-Esteem

Get your group working on Leadership & Self-Esteem with this Turkey Preschool activity from our Fall Team Building Activities pack. This pack has a variety of ideas for supporting preschoolers in developing team building skills. 

Purchase this resource in our shop!

Class Recipe Book

Pre-K Printables Club Members: Log and and click here to download this members exclusive and create a class recipe book, duplicate each child's recipe to create a whole book for the kids to bring home. 

Not a member? Learn more here

Turkey Snack

Create your own Turkey snack using delicious ingredients like cheese spray, pretzels, and cranberries. This activity promotes fine motor skills, and following directions. Gobble up this delicious treat and have a blast!
View Member Instructions

Check out this fun snack that Community Member Erica P shared! 

Thanksgiving Tree

This fabulous Thanksgiving Tree belongs to Cathy Meekins of Happy Hands Early Learning Academy. You can see how the kids have added to the tree throughout the week. Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity talk about what we are thankful for. Create a group "Thanksgiving Tree". Have the children tell you who and what they are Thankful for and write their ideas on leaves to add to the tree. At the end of the week send these leaves home. They will become special memories as the children get older.

More Group & Circle Time Ideas

I'm a huge fan of group art. Check out this Sticky Paper Turkey from Teach Preschool

Visit a Turkey Farm

Find a local place to take a closer look at turkeys! Take along some reference books or the parts of a turkey page to encourage connections in learning.
View Member Instructions

Write a Thank-You Note

Write a thank you note to someone that did something for your family recently or do a random act of kindness in honor of the holiday. View Member Instructions

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Turkey & Thanksgiving Preschool Activity Pack

$7.00

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Pie Stand Dramatic Play Set

$5.00

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Thanksgiving Reminder We Are Closed Sign

$0.00

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Free Turkey Editable Name Craft and Worksheets

$0.00

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Preschool Thanksgiving Social Studies and Language Activities

$3.00

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Fall Rhymes and Fingerplays

$4.00

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Attendance Daily Sign In Activities

$7.00

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Fall Sensory Bin Scavenger Hunt Preschool Activities

$4.00

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Fall Calendar Display and Calendar Games

$4.00

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Free Turkey Trouble Preschool Companion Set

$0.00

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Free Forest Bright, Forest Night Pre-K Book Companion

$0.00

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Nocturnal Animals Day and Night Preschool Activities

$7.00

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