Handprint turkey shirts are an easy and cute craft idea for the kid’s table at Thanksgiving. You just need simple white t-shirts and some fabric markers.
Hey there! Thanksgiving Day can be super busy as you’re preparing a giant feast for the whole family. Keep the little ones busy too by having them make Handprint Turkey Shirts. It’s an easy and cute craft idea for the kid’s table at Thanksgiving using plain white t-shirts and fabric markers.
I know it’s not even Halloween yet, but I’m already thinking ahead to Thanksgiving. You see, my younger brother puts together an A-MAZING spread of food every year and I’m already drooling and watching what I eat now in anticipation of this big event (Read: Step away from the Halloween candy bowl, Carrie!!). My brother and his partner are a dynamic duo when it comes to hosting this extravagant meal. They think of everything – even the butter is shaped like a turkey!
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How to Make Handprint Turkey Shirts for Thanksgiving
It’s incredibly easy to make kids’ handprint turkey shirts for Thanksgiving. You just need light colored short or long-sleeved shirts, fabric markers and a little creativity. And, while the kids are coloring them, you may want to whip up a batch of these adorable Thanksgiving turkey cookies.
When we arrived for Thanksgiving, our hosts had already traced their hands and drew the outline of the turkey’s face and talons with a black marker. If you were hosting Thanksgiving for older kids, you could let them do this step themselves.
2. Line the shirts with cardboard.
It’s important to stuff a piece of cardboard inside the white shirt to prevent the markers from bleeding through to the backside of the shirt. It would probably be a good idea to do this before you trace your hand in the previous step too.
3. Have the kids color the handprint turkey shirts.
This is the fun part. Give the kids the fabric markers and let them get creative. We actually took the shirts home with us, colored them in our craft room and then the boys surprised my brother and his partner by wearing them the next year for Thanksgiving.
My older son was five at the time and took a more pragmatic and systematic approach to his coloring, making sure to color within the lines. He stuck with traditional colors making his turkey brown, the beak yellow-ish orange and of course, the turkey wattle needed to be red.
Our younger son was not quite three when we did this project so his approach to coloring the handprint turkey shirts was more haphazard and free-form.
He checked and double checked to make sure he used all the fabric marker colors though he seemed to favor the black. His small thin marker strokes would delight any modern impressionist painter. I know he was certainly proud of his handprint turkey shirt and couldn’t wait to show it off when he was finished.
4. Let the handprint turkey shirts dry.
Once the handprint turkey shirts are dry, you can wash and wear them to celebrate Thanksgiving. The fabric markers should resist fading through multiple machine washings.
While you’re here, be sure to check out other Thanksgiving ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®
Carrie is the chief writer, crafter and cook here at Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. She's an optimist by nature and enjoys sharing recipes, trying new craft ideas, planning for parties and events as well as organizing and decorating. She and her husband, Kent live in Michigan. She also loves to hide away in a castle under the stairs reading to her two young boys and help guests plan vacations at Sunshine Villa at Glenbrook Resort, their short term vacation rental home in Orlando near Walt Disney World.
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Such a fun idea! #sharethewealth
Thanks, Lisa!
This is a really cute & easy idea, thanks for sharing!
Thanks HJ! Glad you liked it.
how super cute love the idea I have 3 grand babies this is a great idea that they can all make
Thanks Angie! Hope you and your grand babies enjoy making these shirts together.
What a fun idea!! So cute. Thank you for linking with us at #HomeMattersParty . We would love to see you again next week.