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Coffee Filter Turkeys Thanksgiving Craft for Kids

If you need easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids, then you’ll love these coffee filter turkeys! They are the perfect Thanksgiving craft for kids of all ages to make using simple arts and crafts supplies.

We’ll show you how to tie dye the coffee filters and put these adorable turkeys together. You will love how easy they are to create. Plus, they make the cutest decorations!

Grab the printable directions at the bottom of this post to use at home or in your classroom.

Three completed coffee filter turkey craft projects. Woman's hand holding one turkey. Two turkeys standing on white wood background.

November is a popular time for kids to work on turkey crafts and activities. It’s fun to try different materials and see how their creations turn out.

Preschool children will love making the coffee filter feathers and find their eyes to be silly. They are a great addition to a turkey themed art center!

What Age Can Make Coffee Filter Turkeys?

Kids of all ages will have fun creating turkeys made out of coffee filters and clothespins. Coffee filter crafts for kids are perfect for preschool and kindergarten children because they are fairly easy to create and don’t take a long time (aside from drying).

Preschoolers and kindergartners can work on fine motor skills by coloring the filters, cutting out the beak and wattle, and painting the clothespins for the turkey’s body.

The tie dye design for the turkey feathers is created using coffee filters, washable markers, and water. Kids will love watching the process! The colors spread and blend, creating a unique look.

Even toddlers can help with coloring and tie dyeing the coffee filter paper.

Three finished turkeys made out of coffee filters and clothes pins standing on white wood background.

If you want to speed up the time it takes to complete these, you can paint the clothespins ahead of time.

For example, if you have limited art center time, you could spread it out over multiple days. The first day could be painting the clothespins and the next day work on coloring the coffee filters.

How Can I Use These?

These turkeys look fantastic when finished and your child will be so proud of their work! Here are a few ways to delight them by putting their turkey out as a fall decoration.

  • Add a magnet to the back and stick them on your fridge.
  • Use twine to string together a few for a turkey banner.
  • Attach a loop of twine to hang them up.
  • Write people’s names on the back of the feathers for super adorable place cards.

Get 15 easy coffee filter craft tutorials conveniently all in one place for you with our Cute Coffee Filter Crafts digital craft book! Access it on your phone, tablet, or computer any time.

Coffee Filter Turkey Craft Supplies

If you don’t have these materials on hand, you can find them on Amazon, at the Dollar Store, or wherever you prefer to shop for crafting supplies.

Coffee filters, clothespins, googly eyes, markers, and other craft supplies on white wood background.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, we earn a commission on qualifying purchases.

Recommended Tools:

How to Make Coffee Filter Turkeys

Start by flattening out round coffee filters. Draw on them with several colors of washable markers in a variety of patterns.

Coloring coffee filter with markers for thanksgiving turkey craft for kids

Using colors next to each other on the color wheel helps them blend harmoniously. For example, brown, red, orange, and yellow.

Lay the colored coffee filter on a craft mat or zipper bag and spray with water. Have fun watching the magic of the colors move and blend! Set aside to dry.

Four clothespin clipped on cardboard painted brown.

Use a scrap of cardboard to clip the clothespins onto for easier painting. Paint all sides of the clothespin with brown craft paint and a paintbrush.  Set aside to dry.

Glue on the wiggly googly eyes. You can use a low temp hot glue gun or a tacky craft glue.

Close up of four clothespins decorated to look like turkeys.

Now it’s time to decorate the turkey’s face! Cut out a triangle beak from yellow craft foam and a squiggly wattle from the red craft foam with scissors. 

Glue the beak and gobbler (otherwise known as a wattle) under the eyes.

Attaching tie dyed coffee filter to clothespin to make turkeys.

Fold the dry coffee filters in half and crinkle slightly to fluff them. Insert coffee filter into top clip of clothespin to be the turkey’s feathers.

You can insert the dyed coffee filter as is or cut a scalloped edge to give the feathers more definition. I hope you enjoy making a flock of coffee filter turkeys!

More Turkey Crafts for Kids

If your tiny artists are still hungry for more crafty adventures, we’ve got you covered with some additional turkey-themed crafts.

Imagine the sunlight streaming through the turkey suncatcher craft they’ll make using our printable craft template and vibrant pieces of tissue paper – it’s truly magical!

Preschoolers will absolutely enjoy this cute turkey hand craft, where they’ll use their own hands to create the colorful feathers of the turkey.

Last but not least, our easy printable turkey craft is an adorable color, cut, and paste activity for kids, offering them a fun-filled creative Thanksgiving experience!

Books About Turkeys for Kids

The world of literature has a wealth of enchanting tales featuring our feathered friend, the turkey.

These stories not only entertain kids but also impart valuable lessons and spark their curiosity about this fascinating bird and its role in Thanksgiving tradition.

Here’s a curated list of delightful books about turkeys that are fun to read along with making these turkey crafts for kids!

Turkey Goes to School (Turkey Trouble)Turkey Goes to School (Turkey Trouble)Turkey Goes to School (Turkey Trouble)Taylor the Tooting Turkey: A Story About a Turkey Who Toots (Farts) (Farting Adventures)Taylor the Tooting Turkey: A Story About a Turkey Who Toots (Farts) (Farting Adventures)Taylor the Tooting Turkey: A Story About a Turkey Who Toots (Farts) (Farting Adventures)Turkey TroubleTurkey TroubleTurkey TroubleHow to Catch a TurkeyHow to Catch a TurkeyHow to Catch a Turkey

 

More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

If your little ones enjoyed creating the coffee filter turkey craft, we have more fun and engaging Thanksgiving activities lined up for them! These will not only keep their creativity ignited but also educate them about the spirit and traditions of Thanksgiving.

To wrap things up, the coffee filter turkey craft is a wonderful way to engage your little ones this Thanksgiving. It’s not just an art project, but a creative journey that allows them to explore colors, textures, and shapes while learning about turkeys and Thanksgiving.

Finished coffee filter Thanksgiving turkeys craft project

Coffee Filter Turkey Craft

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $10 or less

Make these coffee filter turkeys for a cute and easy Thanksgiving craft project for kids. They make adorable fall decorations!

Materials

  • Wooden Spring Clothespins
  • Round White Coffee Filters
  • Assorted Googly Eyes
  • Washable Markers in Brown, Red, Orange, and Yellow
  • Glue Gun or Tacky Craft Glue
  • Brown Acrylic Craft Paint
  • Red and Yellow Craft Foam

Tools

  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Scrap of Cardboard
  • Non-Stick Craft Mat or Large Plastic Zip Top Bag
  • Water Spray Bottle

Instructions

    1. Flatten out round coffee filters.
    2. Color filters with red, yellow, and orange washable markers.
    3. Place colored coffee filter on a craft mat or zipper bag and spray with water. Set aside to dry.
    4. Paint the entire clothespin with brown paint. Set aside to dry.
    5. Glue on two eyes using a low temp hot glue gun or tacky craft glue.
    6. Cut out a triangle beak from yellow craft foam.
    7. Cut out a wattle from red craft foam.
    8. Glue the beak and wattle (aka gobbler) below the eyes.
    9. Fold dry coffee filters in half and crinkle slightly to fluff them.
    10. Insert filter into top clip of clothespin to be the turkey’s feathers.

Notes

Easily make just one or several turkeys at a time. Drying times may vary and impact total time from start to finish of this project.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Collage of in process and completed coffee filter turkey craft photos.

Lpmousse

Saturday 16th of December 2023

These are so adorable. I made them with my kids during COVID. My sister and BIL couldn't make it to Thanksgiving that year, so I neglected to make the turkeys for them. I just got around to making the turkeys for them with my kids. They are great! Thanks for the idea.

Darcy Zalewski

Sunday 17th of December 2023

I'm so glad you and your kids enjoyed making our coffee filter turkey craft! I hope your sister and brother-in-law enjoyed them too!

sandi

Tuesday 26th of September 2023

Too cute! Definitely on our list for making this year for Thanksgiving! Thanks, Sandi

Darcy Zalewski

Tuesday 26th of September 2023

Thanks, Sandi. I hope you have fun making them! I'd love to see them when you are done.

Sherry Rowe

Friday 5th of November 2021

We made these in our preschool clas the kids had a great time making them.

Darcy Zalewski

Wednesday 10th of November 2021

I'm so glad the kids had fun making these turkeys!

Thomas

Thursday 19th of November 2020

What was the scrap of cardboard for?

Darcy Zalewski

Thursday 19th of November 2020

Hi Thomas, the cardboard isn't required, but it can help when painting the clothespins by clipping them to it. That way it is easier to turn them without touching the wet paint.

Sharon R Fasnacht

Sunday 15th of November 2020

How did you get the clothespin to stand up? Mine keep falling over.

Darcy Zalewski

Monday 16th of November 2020

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear your clothespins are falling over, Sharon. Some of mine do fall over easily, but most of them stand up on the open end on their own. It might depend on the clothespins themselves? Some may stand better depending on how the end is shaped.

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