I came up with this craft as Art Mom this past week and discovered a bunch of kids also wanted to know how. It does make a rocking last minute Thanksgiving craft – and you don’t necessarily need origami paper as I’m about to show you! So here’s a step by step guide to Origami Turkeys for kids!
You will need squares of paper. I recommend cutting the paper into 6 or 7 inch squares. I used 6 inches.
Have kiddos color one paper all brown. The other paper they can color however & whatever they want, as this will be the turkey feathers. I used fall colors.
Start with the white paper facing up, like a diamond and fold in half.
Don’t unfold after this step!
Got it?
Oh, good. Moving on…
Totally the easiest step.
Kids start to guess what’s going to happen next about now.
Then they laugh because they usually guess right!
But then their laughs turn to surprise when we add the waddle!
We’re prepping the turkey so he (or she) will be able to stand up.
They might ask if they’re doing it right about here. It is the trickiest step.
Reassure the turkey that we’re almost done.
Kid scissors work just as well… AND the kids in my art class just gave it a small rip without scissors. Up to you!
Some kids respond better when you say to fold it up like a fan!
Yeah, it is pretty cool. A moment to play with it… Okay, enough! Moving on….
If they’ve colored both sides of the paper for the feathers, then it doesn’t matter how you insert it. Otherwise the colorful side should face the turkey’s head.
Hopefully you have some clear tape on hand…
I suggest adults do this step unless the child is extremely gifted with fine motor skills.
They have a blast at this stage…
Sam had the stroke of genius regarding the eyes.
As you can see, we had origami paper on hand too. But it’s cuter with homemade origami paper in my opinion!
Oh, and the pumpkin in the background… just orange cloth wrapped around a roll of CLEAN toilet paper, with a stick shoved in the middle to hold it. Add a strip of green cloth and some rafia and you have an awesome table ready for Thanksgiving!
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[...] Family Moments shows you how to make Origami Turkeys. You could use these for table decorations, name cards, or just for a fun craft to do with your [...]
Love it! I was looking for something “different” to do with my students and this is perfect.
I hope it works well for you! I used a projector so the 28 students could see my hands up close. We had fun with it!
So cute! We just made some and we like how they turned out
) Thanks for the DIY project!
Awesome! So glad!
Too fun!! Gonna try these!
Thanks for sharing. These look so cute! Can’t wait to try them with my 6-year-old tomorrow!
These are so cute! I added them to my Thanksgiving pinterest board =)
I sometimes think that regular paper is easier than origami paper for kids – it’s less likely to get torn accidentally!
You know, I wasn’t really paying attention to that, but I think you’re right. I think coloring it also gives it a little added strength.
Heather, these are so cute!! And I’ve seen you twice on Money Saving Mom in the last week. That is awesome!
Thanks, Kristen! You should make sure to share your acorn donut holes with her!
Thanks! We made these tonight!! The kids loved it and Momma got some cool points!
Such an adorable craft! I plan on using this to help intertain some little ones later after the family dinner!!
I also thought about including the adults and have everyone use one word to say what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Great idea!