November is a wonderful time of year to come together and create memorable Thanksgiving crafts for kids. Whether at home or at school, this turkey coffee filter craft is a creative way to celebrate the fall season.
With this engaging activity, children of all ages can easily transform coffee filters into bright, colorful turkeys. By coloring, cutting, painting, and gluing, not only do children get to explore their artistic skills, but also build their fine motor skills. It’s a perfect craft idea especially for preschool and kindergarten kids.
Easy Coffee Filter Turkey Craft
At our craft corner, we absolutely adore creating coffee filter crafts for kids, and our original coffee filter turkeys have been a soaring hit for Thanksgiving celebrations. This delightful turkey, made with coffee filters and clothespins, has brought countless smiles, and we’re overjoyed with its popularity among our young crafters.
In the spirit of innovation, we have brainstormed a brand new idea for creating an adorable coffee filter turkey.
We believe that presenting different methods of crafting the same turkey can inspire kids to play around with the materials they have on hand, fostering creativity, and encouraging them to create something truly unique and new.
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24 Pcs Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids Make Your Own Turkey Craft KitFun Express Beaded Thanksgiving Turkey CK-12 – Craft Kits – 12 Pieces4E’s Novelty Pinecone Turkey Craft Kit (12 Pack)Standing Foam Turkey Craft Kit – 12 – Crafts for Kids and Fun Home Activities
Benefits of Making Turkey Coffee Filter Crafts
Crafting turkeys from coffee filters provides children with an enriching experience that extends beyond just fun.
As kids blend different colors on the filters, they not only learn about color combinations but they also develop their fine motor skills, as this activity involves intricate movements like coloring, painting, cutting, gluing, and assembling.
Each step of the process from transforming a plain coffee filter into a vibrant turkey feather, to attaching a small wooden spoon for the turkey’s body, requires dexterity and precision.
Furthermore, the open-ended nature of this craft encourages creativity, allowing each child to personalize their turkey in their own unique fashion.
More Turkey Crafts for Kids
With autumn in full swing, kids look forward to the fun of making turkeys! These adorable, hands-on projects are a hit, letting them embrace the colors, textures, and themes of the season.
Whether they’re creating at home or in school, these easy turkey crafts for kids unleash their artistic spirit and bring a sense of achievement.
As Thanksgiving approaches, the popularity of these crafts soars, making them a perfect way to kick off the holiday festivities. Ready to discover a bunch of captivating turkey craft ideas that’ll spark your little ones’ interest and imagination?
Shop some of my favorite craft supplies on Amazon!
Turkey Coffee Filter Craft Supplies
With just a few simple materials, children can create their own unique turkeys to decorate the house.
Coffee Filters: Round white coffee filters work best for this project. By stacking 2-3 filters, you can color them all at once!
Small Spoon: I found these mini wooden spoons on Amazon that are perfect for ice cream cups. I think they make a great turkey body for this craft. If you can’t get these, try substituting them with a plastic spoon or a jumbo craft stick.
Washable Markers: Use an assortment of vibrant colors like red, yellow, orange, and brown. Ensure you use washable markers for proper spreading and blending of colors.
Craft Paint: Brown paint is essential for the small wooden spoon (or popsicle stick).
Construction Paper: You’ll need orange and red construction paper for the turkey’s face. You could also use craft foam or felt.
Googly Eyes: Adding wiggly eyes brings an extra touch of charm. If you don’t have any on hand, you can also paint or draw the eyes.
Glue: Assembling your turkeys will require glue. You can use liquid school glue, tacky craft glue, or a low-temperature glue gun.
Water Spray Bottle: A hand squeeze spray bottle, typically used for misting plants or spraying water on hair, is suitable. Small fingertip spray bottles also work well.
Craft Mat: It’s essential to protect your work space when blending the coffee filters because the colors will bleed through. I like using these craft mats because as they can be easily wiped clean once you’re done.
Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint Set, 16 Piece (2-Ounce), Best Colors Count
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How to Make Coffee Filter Turkeys
Start by flattening your coffee filters. Stack 2-3 filters together to color them simultaneously. Kids will be thrilled to see how the marker ink spreads from the top filter to the ones beneath, thanks to the water!
Take a few different washable markers and color the top filter. We used yellow, orange, red, and brown.
Spritz the coffee filters with water. Make sure to lightly cover the top without soaking it. Observe as the water and colors intermingle and blend through the filter paper.
While the coffee filters are drying, paint a small wooden spoon brown. Paint both sides of the spoon and allow it to dry before moving on to the next step.
Next, cut out a beak and snood. I folded orange paper in half and cut out a triangle that opens up to form a beak. You can use construction paper, colored cardstock, craft foam, or craft felt. Another option is to use a piece of red yarn for the snood.
Glue the beak and snood to the back of the spoon head. Then attach the eyes above the beak.
Once the coffee filters are dry, separate them to use one for each turkey you are making. Alternatively, you can use multiple filters for a single turkey to create extra fluffy feathers!
Slightly fold the coffee filter off-center, so one side’s edge is slightly lower than the other.
Make small cuts along the outer edges of the coffee filter (not along the fold) to give the feathers a fringed appearance. Experiment with different cut lengths along the feathers and gently ruffle the fringe.
Apply a small amount of glue inside the filter to keep it folded. Then, apply glue along the spoon handle and press it onto the center of the coffee filter.
Allow it to dry completely before displaying.
More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
Kickstart your holiday celebrations with an array of Thanksgiving-themed activity ideas that can be used along with this coffee filter turkey craft as part of a Thanksgiving themed unit.
Our printable Thanksgiving scavenger hunt is a surefire hit, enhancing observational skills as children eagerly hunt for items and enthusiastically check them off their lists.
For fostering literacy skills, try our Thanksgiving word list worksheets. These engaging resources not only help in practicing handwriting but also serve as an exciting method to bolster vocabulary around this festive theme.
Lastly, don’t miss out on our “I Spy Thanksgiving” printables. They’re a fantastic way to bolster observational skills and incorporate counting exercises, all while having a ton of fun!
All of these activities are designed to provide educational enrichment with a seasonal twist to make learning an enjoyable experience!
Turkey Books for Kids
Turkey-themed books for kids offer a delightful way to learn about the significance of Thanksgiving and the fun traditions this holiday brings.
Titles such as “A Turkey for Thanksgiving” by Eve Bunting, “Run, Turkey, Run!” by Diane Mayr, and “How to Catch a Turkey” by Adam Wallace, are just a few that are sure to captivate your little ones’ imaginations and instigate curiosity.
Pairing these story readings with our coffee filter turkey craft extends the learning and fun! As kids engage with the stories, they can bring their understanding and imagination to life by creating their turkey crafts.
A Turkey for ThanksgivingHow to Catch a TurkeyA Plump and Perky TurkeyTurkey Trouble
Fun Fall Crafts for Kids
As autumn arrives, it’s a perfect time for kids to explore arts and crafts at home and school. November art centers can showcase engaging seasonal crafts inspired by fall foliage, harvest festivals, and Thanksgiving.
These hands-on activities encourage creativity, while teaching children about this lovely season. From painting to cutting and pasting, there’s something enjoyable and educational for every child.
- Parts of a Pumpkin Craft
- Handprint Acorn Craft
- Acorn Tissue Paper Craft
- Toilet Paper Roll Turkey Craft
- Fall Popsicle Stick Crafts
Spark your creativity and let the festive colors of fall shine in your crafts! Making a turkey coffee filter craft not only provides children with a fun, hands-on activity, but it also nurtures their imagination and motor skills.
Turkey Coffee Filter Craft
Get creative this Thanksgiving with a fun and easy craft for kids of all ages! Our Turkey Coffee Filter Craft is a great activity for preschoolers and kindergartners, helping develop their fine motor skills.
Materials
- 1 White Round Coffee Filter
- 1 Small Wooden Spoon
- Washable Markers in Assorted Colors
- Brown Craft Paint
- Orange and Red Construction Paper
- 2 Googly Eyes
- Glue
Tools
- Scissors
- Water Spray Bottle
- Craft Mat
Instructions
- Start by flattening your coffee filters. Keep 2-3 filters stacked on top of each other to color them all at once. Kids will love how the water spreads the marker ink from the top coffee filter to the ones underneath!
- Use a few different washable markers and color in the top filter. We used yellow, orange, red, and brown.
- Mist the coffee filters with water. You'll want to spray enough so the top is lightly covered, but not soaking wet. Watch as the water and colors move and blend through the filter paper.
- While the coffee filters are drying, paint the small wood spoon brown. Paint both sides of the spoon and allow to dry before the next step.
- Then cut out a beak and snood. I folded orange paper in half and cut out a triangle that opens up for a beak. You can use construction paper, colored cardstock, craft foam, or craft felt. Another idea is to use a piece of red yarn for the snood.
- Glue the beak and snood to the back of the spoon head. Then attach the eyes above the beak.
- Once the coffee filters are dry, separate them to use one for each turkey you are making. (Or use multiple for one turkey to make the feathers extra floofy!)
- Fold the coffee filter slightly off from in half so the edge of one side is a little below the other.
- Make small cuts along the outer edges of the coffee filter (not along the fold) to give the feathers a fringe look. Experiment with different cut lengths along the feathers and ruffle the fringe a bit.
- Apply a small amount of glue on the inside of the filter to keep it folded. Then apply glue along the spoon handle and press it onto the center of coffee filter.
- Let it dry completely before displaying as a decoration.
Notes
Drying time will vary.
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Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.