Little Turkey Thank You Card

Preschool Art Lesson Plan (45 minutes): Little Turkey Thank You Card

Age Group: Preschool (3-5 years)

Theme: Thanksgiving and Gratitude

Duration: 45 minutes

Objective:

Children will create a Thanksgiving-themed "Thank You" card featuring a colorful turkey using fall colors, handprints, and creative decorations.

Materials:

• Fall-colored cardstock (red, orange, yellow, brown, etc.)

• White paper

• Washable paints (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, brown)

• Paint trays

• Googly eyes

• Small paper cutouts (triangles in yellow/orange for the beak; red strips for the snood)

• Scissors

• Glue

• Wet wipes (for cleaning hands after the handprint activity)

Lesson Plan:

Introduction (5 minutes):

1. Ask: "Does anyone know what special holiday is coming at the end of November?"

   • Guide children to answer "Thanksgiving."

2. Explain:

   • Thanksgiving is a time to feel thankful for what we have, including our families, friends, and ourselves.

   • Say: "Let’s think about who you’d like to thank this year. Is it your mom, dad, a friend, or maybe even yourself?"

3. Introduce Activity:

   • "Today, we’ll make a ‘Thank You’ card with a cute turkey to share your gratitude with someone special."

Discussion (5 minutes):

1. Ask: "What are some of the most important things we see on Thanksgiving?"

   • Gather answers like turkey, pumpkins, leaves, etc.

2. Introduce Turkey Anatomy:

   • Eyes: "Turkeys use their eyes to see everything around them."

   • Beak: "The beak helps turkeys peck at food and communicate."

   • Snood: "The snood is the fleshy part above the beak, which changes size depending on the turkey’s mood."

   • Wattle: "The wattle is below the beak and only adult turkeys have it. It also changes size depending on how they feel."

3. Set Expectations:

   • "Today, we’ll make a little turkey for our card. Since it’s a little turkey, we’ll only add the snood!"

Activity (30 minutes):

Step 1: Cut Out Beak and Snood (5 minutes)

• Help children cut a yellow or orange triangle for the turkey’s beak and a small red strip for the snood.

Step 2: Paint Handprint (5 minutes)

• Let children pick fall colors and paint their fingers to represent feathers. Paint the palm brown for the turkey’s body.

Step 3: Make the Handprint (5 minutes)

• Help children press their painted hands onto white paper to create a colorful handprint turkey.

• Clean hands with wet wipes.

Step 4: Assemble Card (10 minutes)

• Once dry, help children cut out the handprint, leaving a small border.

• Glue the handprint onto a piece of fall-colored cardstock to form the card base.

Step 5: Decorate Turkey (5 minutes)

• Add googly eyes to the palm area.

• Glue on the yellow/orange triangle for the beak and the red strip for the snood.

Step 6: Add a Thank-You Message (5 minutes)

• Help children write or dictate a short message, such as:

  • "Thank you, Mom, for making yummy food!"

  • "Thank you, Dad, for playing with me!"

Wrap-Up (5 minutes):

• Encourage children to share their cards with the class or talk about who they plan to give them to.

• Celebrate their creativity and emphasize the importance of showing gratitude.

Learning Goals:

1. Develop fine motor skills through painting, cutting, and gluing.

2. Foster creativity and self-expression.

3. Encourage gratitude and an understanding of Thanksgiving traditions.

Extension Ideas:

• Thankful Tree: Create a class tree with leaves where children write or draw things they are thankful for.

• Thanksgiving Song: Teach a simple song about turkeys or being thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving in advance! 🦃