With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s the perfect time to pause and celebrate the many things we’re grateful for. These turkey pencils are an easy, kid-friendly Thanksgiving craft that sparks creativity and opens conversation about thankfulness.
How to Make Turkey Pencils
Materials needed:
- Pencils
- Pom poms in assorted colors
- Googly eyes
- Felt (various colors, including orange and red)
- Hot glue gun (use with adult supervision)
- Scissors
- Red ribbon (optional)
Before you begin, plug in and heat your hot glue gun. Hot glue can get hot quickly, so supervise children and handle the glue gun yourself when necessary. For younger crafters, consider doing the gluing steps while kids hold or decorate other pieces.
Start by creating the turkey’s body. A colorful pom pom makes a quick, soft base for the turkey. If you prefer, use a pom pom maker to create custom-sized bodies for a more hands-on approach.
Cut a small diamond shape from orange felt to make the beak. Fold the diamond in half to form a triangle and glue the bottom half to the pom pom, leaving the top half free so the beak can “open.” A tiny dab of glue inside the folded beak helps keep its shape.
Attach two googly eyes to the pom pom using hot glue or adhesive-backed eyes if you prefer. Kids love this step — it’s where the turkey really comes to life.
Next, make the feathers. Cut five feather shapes from different colors of felt. Don’t worry about perfection; feathers are essentially ovals that taper to a point. Using a variety of colors gives the turkey a festive, layered look.
Glue the feather pieces together at the base so they fan out and can move slightly. This also helps make a sturdy backing for the pom pom body.
To secure the pencil, sandwich it between the pom pom body and the feather cluster and glue in place. This method hides the eraser, but that’s a small trade-off for a stable, decorative pencil — and when jotting down what we’re thankful for, we don’t need erasers anyway.
Add optional details: tie a small red ribbon bow around the pencil for a festive touch or cut a tiny red wattle from felt and glue it beneath the beak.
Making turkey pencils is a simple, enjoyable activity to do with children. Beyond the fun of crafting, these little turkeys make a sweet reminder to practice gratitude. Use each pencil to write things you’re thankful for, leave notes at the dinner table, or hand them out as small, homemade gifts to family and friends.
These turkey pencils are a lovely way to bring a meaningful, creative activity into your holiday. They’re quick to make, customizable, and perfect for sparking conversations about gratitude with kids.