Help a Turkey Make a Great Escape
Thanksgiving is coming, and one very nervous turkey needs your child’s help.
The challenge is simple:
Can you disguise this turkey so well that no one recognizes it?
The Turkey Disguise Project has been a favorite classroom and family activity for years. But instead of starting with pictures of finished turkeys to copy, this version starts with something much more interesting:
Your child’s own idea.
What could the turkey pretend to be? What would make the disguise convincing? What materials could they use? And what happens if their first idea doesn’t quite work?
That’s where the fun begins.
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What Is the Turkey Disguise Project?
The Turkey Disguise Project is a creative challenge for kids approximately ages 7–10.
Kids start with a simple turkey template and one problem to solve:
Thanksgiving is coming. How can you help this turkey avoid becoming dinner?
Their job is to invent a disguise that will help the turkey blend in somewhere else.
Maybe their turkey has a brilliant plan to become something completely unexpected. Maybe the first disguise doesn’t work. Maybe they change their mind halfway through.
There isn’t one right solution.
And that’s the point.
Before You Show Them Any Turkey Disguise Ideas…
Don’t.
Really.
If you’ve landed here after searching for Turkey Disguise Project ideas, it can be tempting to pull up dozens of finished examples and ask your child which one they want to make.
Try giving them the blank turkey first.
Ask:
What could your turkey pretend to be?
Then let them think.
Kids don’t need to come up with the most elaborate, Pinterest-worthy disguise. They need the opportunity to come up with their disguise.
You can always look at examples later if they’re truly stuck.
Make It Kid-Led
The best part of this project isn’t ending up with the cutest turkey.
It’s watching your child solve the problem.
Before reaching for the craft supplies, ask them a few questions:
- What is your turkey going to pretend to be?
- What parts of the turkey will you need to hide?
- What would make someone believe the disguise?
- What materials could you use?
Then let your child take it from there.
They can sketch an idea, change their mind, experiment with materials, discover something doesn’t work and try something different.
All of that is part of the project.
Raid the House for Supplies
You don’t need to buy a special turkey-disguise craft kit.
Once your child has an idea, let them look around for materials that might help bring it to life.
Try the recycling bin, junk drawer, art supplies or whatever you already have around the house.
They might discover:
- paper
- cardboard
- foil
- yarn
- fabric scraps
- cotton balls
- old magazines
- packaging
- ribbon
- leaves or other natural materials
- crayons, markers or paint
If you need to restock here are some of our favorite supplies (affiliate links below):
- Material craft kit
- Colored Craft Tape
- Washi Tape
- Paint Sticks
- Washable Paint Set
- Markers
- Construction Paper
- School Glue
- Scissors
The question isn’t:
What supplies do we need to make this turkey?
Try:
What could you use to make your idea work?
That small change puts the problem-solving back in your child’s hands.
Grown-Ups: Your Job Is Not to Make the Turkey
This can be surprisingly difficult.
Your child may cut something crooked.
Their idea may not look the way you imagined it.
They may choose materials you wouldn’t have chosen.
They may even make a turkey that looks suspiciously like…a turkey.
Let them.
Your job is to help find materials, ask questions, provide encouragement and handle anything your child can’t safely do independently.
When they get stuck, try not to give them the solution.
Ask:
- What could you try?
- Is there something else you could use?
- What isn’t working yet?
- What could you change?
Let your child be the designer.
Put the Disguise to the Test
Once the turkey is finished, don’t stop there.
Try a simple Disguise Test.
Show the finished turkey to someone who hasn’t seen the plan and ask:
What do you think this turkey is pretending to be?
Did they figure it out?
If they did, the disguise may have worked.
If they didn’t, that’s not failure. That’s information.
Ask your child:
What could you change to make the disguise more convincing?
Maybe they decide it’s perfect exactly as it is.
Maybe they immediately see something they want to add.
Either way, the decision stays with them.
That’s creative and critical thinking happening naturally: imagine, create, test, notice and revise.
Get the Free Kid-Led Turkey Disguise Kit
I’ve updated our original Turkey Disguise Project to make it easier to hand the challenge over to your child.
The free Kid-Led Turkey Disguise Kit includes:
- The Turkey Disguise Template
A blank turkey ready for your child’s idea. - My Turkey Disguise Plan
A simple planning page that helps kids think through their idea without telling them what to make. - The Disguise Test
A fun way for kids to test their finished disguise and decide whether they’d like to change anything. - The Grown-Up Guide
Simple prompts to help you support the project without accidentally taking it over.
Need Some Turkey Disguise Inspiration?
If your child has already had a chance to come up with their own idea and wants to see what other kids have created, we’ve collected plenty of inspiration over the years.
You can explore:
15 Outrageous and Clever Ways to Disguise a Turkey
Jackson Pollock Turkey Disguise
For more inspiration on how to disguise your turkey check out, our popular Pinterest Board dedicated to the Turkey Disguise Project.
One suggestion: let your child create or brainstorm their own disguise before looking through the examples. The goal isn’t to recreate someone else’s turkey. It’s to see just how many different solutions there can be to the same challenge.
Extend the Thinking: Add a Story
Want to keep going?
Once the disguise is complete, ask your child:
- Where is your turkey going now?
- Why did the turkey choose this disguise?
- How will the disguise help?
- What happens if someone recognizes the turkey?
- Kids can tell the story aloud, write it down, draw it as a comic or simply make it up as they go.
There’s no required final product.
It’s just another opportunity to see where their idea takes them.
The Best Turkey Disguise Is the One They Thought of
Your child’s turkey doesn’t need to look like the examples online.
It doesn’t need perfect cutting, coordinated craft supplies or a disguise worthy of a Pinterest board.
It needs an idea that belongs to them.
Give them the turkey.
Give them the problem.
Ask a few good questions.
And then see what they come up with.
Share Your Creations
We love seeing your innovative ideas come to life! Take photos of your completed projects and share them with us on social media using the hashtag #CreativeTurkeyDisguise for a chance to be featured on our website.
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