This leaf printing turkey craft combines nature, painting, and creativity, and is perfect for Thanksgiving! Kids will love using real leaves to make colorful feather prints in beautiful fall shades of red, yellow, and orange. This is a wonderful Thanksgiving art project for kids that’s full of texture and color.
Because this project uses real leaves, it’s also a great opportunity to have kids go outside and explore the different leaf varieties available!
If you are looking for more fall art projects take a look at my collection of creative fall painting ideas for kids! There are ideas for kids of all ages that use different types of art materials and techniques.
For this project, I created a free printable template to make this art project even easier for you. This template is available to my email subscribers. Fill out the form below to get the free template.
After signing up you will receive a welcome email with your download link.
We used this same turkey template to create our colorful watercolor turkey craft and gorgeous chalk pastel turkey craft!
Create your own leaf printing turkey craft
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Supplies
- Printed turkey template on white cardstock or regular printer paper
- Scissors
- Construction paper in brown, yellow, and red
- Glue stick
- Black marker
- Leaves (can use fake leaves if needed)
- Acrylic or tempera paint in fall colors (red, yellow, orange)
- Paint trays or paper plate
- Paper towels as needed
- Paintbrushes (if needed to paint on the leaves)
Instructions for your turkey craft
1. Print out your turkey template onto regular printer paper or cardstock. Cardstock might make it a bit easier for kids to use as a template. Cut everything out carefully.
2. Trace the turkey body onto brown paper and cut it out. Trace the beak onto yellow construction paper and the wattle onto red construction paper, and cut these out as well.
These pieces are quite small, so encourage kids to go slow and take their time cutting.
3. Glue the beak and wattle onto the body of the turkey. Use a black marker to draw on simple eyes. Set the turkey body aside to focus on the feathers.
4. Get your leaves ready and make sure they are nice and dry and do not have any dirt on them from outside. If they need it, kids can give them a quick dab or careful wipe with a paper towel.
Prepare your paint colors on a paper plate or paint tray. Make sure to space them far enough apart so the colors don’t run together.
Dip one side of a leaf into paint, press it onto the cardstock, and lift to reveal the print. Some kids might want to paint their leaves with a paintbrush instead of dipping the leaf into paint. Just ensure that they are putting enough paint on the leaf to get a good, clear print.
The placement of the leaf prints might be a bit tricky for younger kids, so it might be helpful to plan ahead where they are going to make their first print. Starting with the middle feather and then printing on either side is also a good strategy.
6. Repeat with different leaves and fall colors, stamping around the top half of the cardstock to form a fan shape of feathers. Students may need a few leaves for each color so the leaf prints stay nice and crisp.
Allow the painted leaves to fully dry.
This leaf printing turkey craft is such a fun way for kids to celebrate Thanksgiving while exploring the colors and textures of fall. The combination of painting and printing with leaves gives each turkey a unique look — no two will be the same!
Fill in the form below to get your free printable template!
After signing up you will receive a welcome email with your download link.
For another fall themed project that uses real leaves, take a look at this fall leaf silhouette painting!
More fall painting ideas kids will love
Mixed Media Leaf Printing Art Project
Fall Tree Painting with Bundled Q-Tips
Follow me on Pinterest for more creative project ideas!
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