Bubble Turkey Craft: An Easy Thanksgiving Craft for Kids
If your kids loved our bubbling cauldron craft at Halloween, this bubble turkey craft is the Thanksgiving version, and it might be even cuter. We used the same trick: a little dish soap mixed into the paint, and a toilet paper roll for stamping. Every stamp blows a tiny bubble that pops and leaves a bright, bubbly ring. Line those rings up around a paper turkey and you have the happiest feathers!
It takes about ten minutes to set up, uses things you probably already have, and it kept our little ones busy long enough for us to actually finish a conversation. Perfect for the week of Thanksgiving when everyone needs something to do.
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What You’ll Need
- White cardstock for the background
- Brown and orange construction paper for the turkey body and beak
- Crayola washable paint in red, orange and yellow
- Dawn dish soap
- Paper plates for the paint
- Empty toilet paper rolls, one per color if you can
- Googly eyes
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- Our free printable turkey body template (below)
Free Printable Turkey Body Template
To make this one extra easy, we made a turkey you can print at home. There are two versions: a full color turkey with the face already done that is ready to cut out, and a black and white outline you can print on brown paper or let the kids color in.
How to Make a Bubble Turkey Craft
- Cut out the turkey body. Print the template and cut out the color turkey, or print the outline and trace it onto brown construction paper. It is a simple shape, so older kids can do the cutting.
- Glue it down. Glue the body to the bottom middle of a sheet of white cardstock, leaving plenty of room above and on the sides for feathers.
- Give your turkey a face. If you printed the color turkey, the face is already done. If you used the outline, add two googly eyes, a little orange triangle beak and a tiny red wattle.
- Mix the bubble paint. Squirt red, orange and yellow paint onto a paper plate. Add a small squirt of dish soap to each color and stir it in.
- Stamp the feathers. Dip the end of a toilet paper roll into the paint, then press it onto the paper next to the turkey. When you lift it, a bubble stretches across the roll and pops, leaving a bubbly ring. Gently squeeze the roll into an oval if you want feather shapes.
- Keep going! Stamp all the way around the turkey, overlapping the colors as you go. Let it dry flat.
Why We Love This Craft
It is part art project, part science experiment. The kids could not get over the bubbles, and every turkey turns out different. It is also very forgiving. There is no wrong way to stamp a feather, so toddlers and big kids can work side by side and everyone ends up with something they are proud of. These make sweet Thanksgiving table decorations or a fun thing to send to grandparents.
Tips for the Best Bubble Feathers
- If the bubbles stop forming, stir the paint again or add a drop more soap.
- Use a separate toilet paper roll for each color to keep the colors bright.
- Glue the turkey body down before you paint so the feathers fan out around it.
- Washable paint and dish soap clean up easily, but cover your table anyway.
We hope your family loves this bubble turkey craft as much as ours did. If you are looking for more easy projects, try our leaf print painting or the coffee filter leaf garland next.
What colors would your kids pick for their turkey feathers? Tell us in the comments!
