How To Turn Your Students Into Adorable Singing Turkeys For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and you know what that means– it’s TURKEY TIME! This year turn your students into adorable singing turkeys for Thanksgiving by using simple brown paper bags and finding your favorite turkey song. You’ll have a blast parading your little turkeys around the school while they sing their hearts out!

Read on for step-by-step instructions to make these adorable costumes and prepare for your turkey parade:

How To Prepare Your Singing Turkeys

First up, you need to create turkey costumes!

What You Need:

You’ll likely be able to find many of these supplies in your room. Make a quick Amazon order for the rest so you’ll be ready for lots of feathery fun with your little turkeys!

• One standard-sized brown paper grocery bag per student
• Construction paper or card stock:
  • Brown
  • Orange
  • Red
  • Yellow
  • White
• Black crayons or markers
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Glue sticks
• Ruler

How to Assemble of the Paper Bag Vest for Your Singing Turkeys:

*This part needs to be done by an adult!

1. Open the paper bag and turn it upside down.
2. Cut out the triangles from the sides at the bottom of the paper bag. (These are going to be the arm holes of the vest.)
3. Cut a hole in the bottom/center of the paper bag large enough for a child’s head to fit through. (about 7” wide)
4. Secure any loose flaps that have now been created on the bottom of the bag by stapling them together.

How to Assemble the Turkey Face and Feather Headband:

You’ll need the following pieces: 

• 2 white circles for eyes
• 1 orange triangle for beak
• 1 red hanging gobbler (snood)
• 1 red feather
• 2 brown feathers
• 1 orange feather
• 2 yellow feathers
• 3 strips of brown paper to use as a headband

. You have three choices here:

1. Cut out the patterns found in this Turkey Costume FREEBIE and then trace them onto the correct colored paper for each child to cut out the needed pieces themselves OR 
2. Cut out the patterns and allow the children to do both the tracing and the cutting of the pieces OR
3. Print the patterns onto the correct colored cardstock and cut them out

After the pieces are ready, it’s time to assemble the face and headband:

*IF YOUR BAGS HAVE WRITING ON THEM, MAKE THAT SIDE BE THE BACK OF THE VEST!

1. Model how to use the black crayon to turn the two circles into eyeballs.

2. Using a glue stick, model how to glue the eyeballs onto the front of their paper bag vests. 

3. Model how to glue the red gobbler and beak onto the front of their paper bag vests. Have students set their vests off to the side.
4. Model how to use the black crayon to add details to their turkey feathers.  Draw a black line down the middle of each feather. Then make 4 or 5 large “v’s” going down each line.

5. Model how to glue the feathers onto one of the strips of brown paper.
6. Once the feathers are glued on, staple one end of the feathered strip to one end of one of the remaining brown strips. Then, staple those to the end of the last remaining brown strip.
7. Place the feathered strip at the back of the child’s head and wrap the free end of the blank strip around their forehead. Bring the two strips together again in the back, and using a finger, mark the best place to apply the second set of staples, so that the headband will fit the child securely. (Remove the headband from the child’s head and add the final staples).

8. Cut off the excess end of the strip.
9. Help your students put the paper bags on over their heads, so that they rest on their shoulders.
10. Have them put the headbands on with the feathers in the back.

Voila! The cutest little turkey costumes are complete!

Finally, Practice Singing!

Now that the paper bag turkey costumes are ready to go, it’s time to learn a turkey song so your singing turkeys can make their special debut! You can find a copy of “I Am Mr. Turkey” song in this Turkey Costume & Song Freebie which you can grab by signing up above.

Practice, practice, practice then it’s time to take your show on the road! Take your little singing turkeys on a parade through the school while they sing their favorite turkey tune. 

Don’t forget to grab the patterns and song to easily create your own paper bag turkey costumes and get your turkeys on the road (for FREE)! 

More Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving is so much more than just a singing turkey parade! Check out these other favorite activities for Thanksgiving and fall:

Thanksgiving Activity Pack

Use this Thanksgiving Craft & Activities bundle all throughout the month of November. It includes a turkey craft and writing activity, a turkey math game, and a fun rhyming words game to play with your class. 

This fun variety of activities will keep your students engaged and involved in critical thinking all month long!

Leaf Collage

Celebrate the changing of the seasons with your students or your little ones at home by creating colorful leaf collages using fallen leaves, grass clippings, and handprints.

Your students will practice fine motor skills and following directions while they’re encouraged to express themselves artistically. The end result is a precious keepsake to send home– and a win for the positive home connection you’re aiming for with caregivers!

Fall Leaves Scavenger Hunt

This Fall Leaves Scavenger Hunt is the perfect way to get your students exploring and learning about the changes of the season. 

Your students will be practicing gross motor skills, fine motor skills, listening and following directions, and critical thinking during this activity. 

Embrace your inner turkey love, and have fun with your favorite singing turkeys this year! 

Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here. Don’t forget to pin this post to refer to it later!

Other posts you may enjoy:

10 Favorite Fall Read Alouds for Your Elementary Classroom

Flashlight Fridays…Not Just for Fun and Games!

Surprisingly Easy Secrets for Prepping the Perfect Field Trip

Diane Romo

Thank you for being here! I love sharing ideas with other teachers! If you are looking to enhance your teaching and build a positive classroom community, you have come to the right place!

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