Popsicle Stick Turkey - Fireflies and Mud Pies

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This Popsicle Stick Turkey is an easy Thanksgiving craft that helps kids reflect on thankfulness while creating something special. Using craft sticks, paint, and colorful paper, kids can design a cheerful stick turkey to share what they’re thankful for. It’s a wonderful way to decorate your classroom, home, or Thanksgiving table while celebrating what makes the holiday meaningful.

Looking for more ideas? You may enjoy our Paper Turkey Craft!

Popsicle Stick Turkey DIY

When my kids were little, this turkey craft was one of our Thanksgiving favorites. We’d spread out popsicle sticks, paint, and glue, then turn on some music while we worked. Each turkey looked different with bright feathers, funny faces, and patterned paper inside the triangle body. I still remember how proud they were to write what they were thankful for on the feathers. It’s a simple Thanksgiving craft, but it brings back such sweet memories from those early years.

Why You’ll Love This Craft

This turkey craft is colorful, simple, and meaningful—ideal for a quick Thanksgiving activity at home or in the classroom.

Simple setup – You only need basic craft supplies like popsicle sticks, paint, paper, and glue.
Easy for all ages – The materials are easy to work with, and each child can make their turkey as simple or detailed as they like.
Fine motor skills – Encourages careful painting, gluing, and arranging of the feathers and body pieces.
Low prep, low mess – No templates or special materials are required, making it a stress-free Thanksgiving craft.
Personalized gratitude – Kids can write what they’re thankful for on the feathers, adding a meaningful touch to each turkey.

Craft stick turkey with white floral background.

Craft Supplies Needed for Turkey Craft

Gather these craft supplies before getting started. You’ll love how simple and budget-friendly this popsicle stick turkey craft is!

How to Make a Popsicle Stick Turkey

Follow these easy steps to make your popsicle stick turkey.

STEP 1: Build the turkey body. Arrange three wide popsicle sticks into a triangle and hot glue the corners together.

STEP 2: Paint the feathers. Using fall colors like red, orange, yellow, brown, and gold, paint five wide popsicle sticks. You can match the colors to your patterned scrapbook paper for a coordinated look. Set the sticks aside to dry completely before attaching them to the turkey.

STEP 3: Paint the turkey body and wings. Paint the triangle turkey body and two mini popsicle sticks (the wings) brown. Let everything dry completely before moving on to adding the face and feathers.

Popsicle stick turkey base painted brown.

STEP 4: Add the scrapbook paper. Cut a piece of patterned scrapbook paper to fit inside the triangle turkey body. Use craft glue to attach it, creating a colorful background that coordinates with the painted feathers.

Popsicle stick turkey base with green paper.

STEP 5: Add the face details. Cut out a small orange beak and a red gobbler freehand with scissors. Then attach the wiggly eyes, beak, and gobbler to the turkey using glue. This brings your turkey to life with a fun and friendly face!

STEP 6: Attach the wings and feathers. Use tacky craft glue to attach the two mini popsicle stick wings to the sides of the turkey body, then attach the five painted feather popsicle sticks to the back. Arrange the feathers in a fan shape so they peek out evenly behind the turkey.

STEP 7: Add gratitude. Use a paint marker to write what each child is thankful for on the feathers. This makes the turkey craft personal and meaningful.

Ideas for Kids Who Need Help Writing on the Feathers

If some children need a little inspiration, try these ideas:

Family members
Favorite foods or treats
Friends and classmates
Favorite activities or hobbies
Special places
Fun experiences from the past year
Favorite books or movies
Pets or animals they love
Things in nature they enjoy
School subjects or teachers they like

Take It Further

Looking for more Thanksgiving craft ideas? Try these simple ways to extend the activity and make it even more educational:

Pair with books – Read fun Thanksgiving stories like I Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Book for Kids by Sheri Wall or Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes while making the craft.
Create a gratitude wall – Display all the turkeys together on a bulletin board or wall to celebrate what everyone is thankful for.
Add writing – Have kids write a short sentence about what they’re thankful for.
Incorporate math – Count, sort, or pattern the feathers by color to add a simple math connection.
Make it stand – Stand the turkey upright on a table or shelf using a mini easel.
Turn it into a puppet – Glue on a handle to make a fun Thanksgiving puppet.
Make it magnetic – Attach a magnet to the back to display on a fridge or metal surface.
Gift it – Give the turkey to a family member, neighbor, or friend as a festive homemade gift.
Create craft kits – Put together the materials for this craft as a kit to give away for Thanksgiving.

More Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Looking for even more fun Thanksgiving crafts to keep kids busy and creative?

Thanksgiving Suncatchers – Use colorful tissue paper and contact paper to create bright, festive window decorations for Thanksgiving.
Gratitude Tree Craft – Make a small tree with branches and add leaves where kids can write what they’re thankful for.
Gratitude Stones – Paint small stones with words or images that represent things kids are grateful for.
Disguise a Turkey – Transform a paper turkey into a funny or creative character using markers, paper, and craft supplies.
Santa Turkey Disguise – Combine holiday fun with Thanksgiving by dressing a turkey like Santa Claus.
Design Your Own Turkey Craft – Let kids create their own unique turkey using popsicle sticks, paper, paint, and any craft supplies they like.
Cupcake Turkey Disguise – Disguise a turkey as a cupcake with this fun craft.

Save This Craft

Save this craft on Pinterest using the image below!

Finished popsicle stick turkey craft with thankful words.