It was truly just a matter of time until I created this sweet Thankful Turkey Craft for children! Many of you may already know our (germanic) Egg Carton Chickens – they always make me smile whenever I spot them, yet somehow we ONLY make them during Easter. Ha. Still, seasonal crafts are GOOD because they help add a little variety. And as it happens, it turns into a wonderful little Egg Carton Turkey Craft!
This has been on my to-do list for what feels like forever, but since we live in the UK, other activities (along with themes and ideas) always appear to come first.
SO at last.. here it is.. I’m introducing our Egg Carton Thankful Turkey Craft Treat Box – hahahaha yes, that’s quite a long name and it covers so many things:
- It is a recycled turkey project (hooray)
- It is a thankful turkey craft (the children can consider what they appreciate while creating it)
- It is a turkey craft (plain and simple)
- AND it can be used as a small turkey treat box..
- AND it can be used as a little turkey treat box table setting..
Phew.
I adore a multifunctional craft! If you’re looking for MORE Turkey Crafts I have lots more!!
How do you create a turkey from an egg carton?
There are three primary methods people enjoy using to make a turkey from an egg carton. Our Egg Carton Turkey is the most unusual option and hasn’t been created very often. It forms a small treat container, which makes it ideal as a table decoration for thanksgiving. It also lets you transform it into a thankful turkey activity by writing on the turkey’s feathers.
The remaining choices involve using the “cup” section of the egg carton and converting it into a turkey.. somewhat like these charming little turkey crafts from Loganberry Handmade!
To create your Egg Carton Turkey Craft you will need:
- An egg carton (a cardboard one is best)
- Coloured paper (or feathers* or tissue paper)
- Googly eyes** – or paper eyes
- Glue & Scissors
- Candy corn (optional)
*although I ADORE feathers, consider the environmental effects of any craft feathers you buy – are they manufactured from plastics? Are they natural? Do you truly need them…. might paper or tissue paper be a better choice?
** you might prefer to cut out paper eyes – they cost less (in fact, they’re almost free!) and are also more environmentally friendly. I once absolutely loved googly eyes, but I’ve begun questioning whether using them so often in children’s crafts is really a good idea!
Egg Carton Turkey Table Decoration Video Tutorial
You can view our short and simple video tutorial on autoplay, or use the step-by-step directions below!
How to Create an Egg Carton Turkey:
The turkey form comes from the corner section of your egg carton – the first pointed part becomes the turkey’s head and neck. Cutting this piece out can be a little difficult, so you may want to handle it for your child!
After cutting out the basic egg carton turkey shape, you can neaten the edges if desired.
OPTIONAL: if you’d like to turn this into a longer turkey art activity for children, you can paint the egg carton brown!
Make a small beak and wattle for your egg carton turkey. The beak should be triangular and cut from a folded piece of paper, allowing it to open slightly like a flap.
Attach these pieces and the googly eyes to your egg carton with glue.
Sketch a few basic leaf shapes.
You can cut them out one at a time (which makes excellent cutting practice for younger children), or
..stack your coloured paper and trim all the colours together. We made 5 paper turkey feathers in different colours.
Have your child write “Thankful” notes on the turkey’s paper feathers.
Secure the feathers with glue.
After they have dried completely, fill them with your Thanksgiving goodies! Alternatively, use these small thankful turkeys as table decorations or name place cards.
What crafts can you create with an egg carton?
If you liked today’s Egg Carton Turkey craft, you may be curious about what else you can make using an egg carton. There are plenty of fantastic recycled egg carton projects to try—explore our complete list here!
How do you make a paper plate turkey?
We adore Paper Plate crafts, and we have a wonderful paper plate turkey project for you here:
What other Thanksgiving crafts can I make for kids?
More delightful turkey crafts for children and preschoolers:
Our favourite budget-friendly and simple Thanksgiving crafts for preschoolers:
You can also find a somewhat longer version of the video tutorial on YouTube: