You know how some activities just become instant classics after you try them? Yeah… this is definitely one of them!
The idea is simple: the turkey doesn’t want to end up on the Thanksgiving dinner table, so it needs a disguise! Kids get to use their creativity to come up with a way to help their turkey escape.
I’ve done this activity with students in the classroom and with my own daughters at home, and it’s always a hit. They can decorate their turkey, get creative with their disguise, and even write about who their turkey is pretending to be and how it plans to escape.
If you want to make this activity even easier, I just recently updated my Disguise-a-Turkey Thanksgiving Writing Activity with a turkey template, writing pages, and a letter home. It’s a fun way to turn this simple craft into a creative writing activity, whether you’re using it at home or in the classroom.
In this post, I’ll show you how to complete a disguise-a-turkey activity with your kids and share some ideas to help them get creative.
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Disguise-a-Turkey Craft Materials
Good news: you don't need a lot of supplies at all to complete this Thanksgiving craft.
Here's what you'll need:
Printable turkey template
Paint and paintbrushes (optional)
Scissors
Glue
Construction paper or other craft materials (optional)
Disguise-a-turkey writing activity
You can keep the activity simple with coloring supplies, or let kids use additional materials to create a more elaborate disguise. Really, you can get as crazy as you want!
How to Do the Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge
For this activity, I used my Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge printables and some basic art supplies. You can complete the craft on its own, or use the writing pages to turn it into a Thanksgiving writing activity, too!
1. Print the turkey template and challenge pages
Start by printing a turkey template for each child. My Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge includes a printable challenge page, a list of disguise ideas, and writing activities. I also included an editable letter to families, so teachers can send the activity home as a Thanksgiving project.
2. Let kids create their turkey's disguise
Once you have your templates ready, it's time to decorate!
Give kids crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, or whatever craft supplies you have on hand. They can draw their disguise right on the turkey or use construction paper and other materials to add details.
My girls used paint and markers for their turkeys. I love seeing how differently kids approach this activity, even when they're starting with the same template!
3. Need disguise ideas? Use the brainstorming page!
If your kids aren't sure what to turn their turkey into, my Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge includes a list of 50+ disguise ideas to help them get started.
They might choose a superhero, a pirate, a pumpkin, or something totally different. You can look through the ideas together, or let kids pick one on their own.
Of course, they don't have to use one of the ideas on the list. It's just there to help get the creative ideas flowing!
4. Add the writing activity
After the turkeys are decorated, you can add a writing activity!
For younger kids, the "I am not a turkey! I am a..." page is a simple way to have them identify their disguise and write a little about it.
If you're doing this with older students, you can use the creative writing activity from my Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge.
In The Great Turkey Escape, students write a story about their turkey trying to avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner. They'll come up with a name for their turkey, describe its disguise, tell where it goes, and explain how it gets out of trouble.
The writing checklist helps students check their work before they're finished.
5. Send it home or display the finished turkeys
This activity works well as a classroom project, but you can also send it home for families to complete together.
My resource includes an editable letter to families, so you can customize it for your class and send home the turkey template and challenge pages.
When students bring their turkeys back, you can display them together on a Thanksgiving bulletin board. It's always fun to see all the different disguises!
Disguise-a-Turkey Ideas for Kids
Need a little help getting those creative juices flowing? I always love seeing what kids come up with for this activity! There are so many ways to disguise a turkey, and sometimes the ideas they come up with are even better than anything I would have thought of.
If your kids need a little inspiration, here are a few ideas to get them started:
Superhero turkey: Give your turkey a cape, mask, and maybe even a superhero name!
Pirate turkey: Add an eye patch, a pirate hat, and a treasure map. Maybe this turkey is searching for buried treasure instead of ending up on the dinner table!
Princess turkey: A crown, a fancy dress, and some sparkly decorations are all you need.
Football player turkey: Turn your turkey into a football player with a jersey, helmet, and football.
Pumpkin turkey: This one is perfect for Thanksgiving! Use orange paper or paint to turn your turkey into a pumpkin.
Animal turkey: What if your turkey pretended to be a cat, dog, or even a dinosaur? Add ears, spots, stripes, or whatever else your little artist comes up with.
And those are just a few ideas! Your turkey could be a doctor, a firefighter, a robot, a chef, or pretty much anything your child can imagine (like my 3.5 year old, whose turkey became a carrot!).
I also included a list of 50+ disguise ideas in my Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge printable. It's helpful if your kids are having trouble deciding what to make, but they definitely don't have to stick to the list. Some of the best ideas come from letting them think outside the box!
Want to Make This Activity Even Easier?
If you want to try this activity with your kids or students, I put together a Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge printable to help you get started!
I originally created this activity for the classroom, but it's also a fun one to do at home. The printable includes a turkey template, a challenge page, writing activities, and a letter you can send home to families. I also included a list of 50+ disguise ideas for kids who need a little help deciding what their turkey should be.
There are writing pages for different grade levels and abilities, too. Younger kids can draw and write about their disguise, while older students can use the Great Turkey Escape writing prompt to come up with a story about how their turkey plans to get away.
It's such a fun way to take a simple Thanksgiving craft and add a little writing practice!
Grab the Disguise-a-Turkey Challenge on Teachers Pay Teachers here!
More Ways to Use the Disguise-a-Turkey Activity
Make It a Family Thanksgiving Project
This would be such a fun activity to send home before Thanksgiving! Kids can work on their turkey with their families, and then you can display all the finished turkeys together when they come back to school.
And if you're doing this at home, it's a fun little project to work on together before Thanksgiving, too!
Pair It With a Thanksgiving Read-Aloud
If you're looking for a book to go along with this activity, Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano is a fun choice!
The turkey in the story comes up with all kinds of disguises to avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner. After reading, kids can come up with their own disguise and imagine how their turkey might try to escape.
Whether you do this activity with your students, send it home as a Thanksgiving family project, or work on it with your own kids, I hope it gives you a fun way to get creative together this fall. And don't forget to share your finished turkeys! I'd love to see what they come up with!
