Fun Activities for the A Turkey for Thanksgiving Book

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A Turkey for Thanksgiving written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Diane de Groat is a cute addition to your Thanksgiving reading list.

Mrs. Moose is almost ready for Thanksgiving dinner, but she really wishes she had a turkey. Her husband, Mr. Moose, promises to find a turkey for the Thanksgiving table. He heads out to find a turkey. While he is walking, he runs into a few neighbors who are all wondering if it is time for dinner.

Eventually, Mr. Moose finds a turkey and brings it home. The turkey is understandably nervous. After all, it is Thanksgiving. The turkey is incredibly relieved when he is treated with kindness as a guest for Thanksgiving. Mrs. Moose wanted a turkey friend, not a turkey meal.

Read A Turkey for Thanksgiving and then do these fun Thanksgiving activities.

Fun Activities for the A Turkey for Thanksgiving Book

a turkey for thanksgiving activities written above the book cover
Save these fun activities for A Turkey for Thanksgiving so you can easily find them again!

Listen to a Read Aloud Version

Listening to a read-aloud version of a book is a great option for a young child who can’t quite read the desired book independently yet. Kids can follow the text in the book as the narrator reads. I used this activity as a literacy center in my kindergarten class just about every week.

Need a quick homeschool activity? Add this to your lesson plan!

Make Crafts for Table Decoration

Mrs. Moose decorated her Thanksgiving table with paper pilgrims and paper turkeys. We can do that too! Crafts are a great way to develop fine motor skills. Paper plate turkeys are adorable but won’t stand up on the table. These crafts use toilet paper rolls and clothespins so they can stand up.

Pilgrim craft – This craft uses toilet paper rolls and a few other common craft supplies, like construction paper and googly eyes, to create paper pilgrims that are capable of standing upright on a table.

Turkey craft – Kids can make cute turkey crafts using paper coffee filters, washable markers in fall colors, and clothespins. The clothespin is the turkey body and the coffee filter is the turkey feathers.

I am so glad that I had my kids create seasonal crafts when they were younger. They are some of my favorite Thanksgiving decorations to pull out every November.

Related: 8 Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Writing Prompts

Writing prompts are a great way to check reading comprehension while also getting a little writing, grammar, and handwriting practice too.

Here are a few writing prompts for A Turkey for Thanksgiving:

  • Who would you like to invite for Thanksgiving dinner?
  • Animal friends helped Mr. Moose find a turkey for Thanksgiving. How can we work together to get ready for Thanksgiving?
  • Turkey did not want to go to dinner? Should Mr. Moose have insisted, or should Turkey have been able to choose whether or not to attend?
  • The animals ate acorns, alfalfa sprouts, willow bark, and wild parsley on Thanksgiving. What are you looking forward to eating on Thanksgiving?

Turkey Scavenger Hunt

Mr. Moose and his animal neighbors were hunting for a turkey for Thanksgiving. We can go on a hunt too!

These free printable Thanksgiving scavenger hunt cards are a fun activity after reading the book.

This looks like so much fun! If you want to make it feel like you are searching for a turkey, try adding a few fake turkey feathers to the cards.

Comprehension Questions

Comprehension questions for picture books do not need to be complicated. The goal is just to make sure the kids understood what happened in the story.

A few comprehension questions for A Turkey for Thanksgiving include:

  • Who was Mr. Moose looking for while on his walk?
  • What holiday were the animals preparing to celebrate?
  • In what order did Mr. Moose meet his friends?
  • Why didn’t Turkey want to go home with Mr. Moose?
  • Why did Mrs. Moose want a turkey for Thanksgiving?

Watch a Turkey Nest Livestream

Not many people are fortunate enough to see turkeys in the wild. Thankfully, we don’t need to! The internet lets us view animals in their natural habitats while we watch from the comfort of our nice warm homes.

Livestreams are a fun way to learn for the whole family.

Here are a few turkey livestream options. I think it is handy to have a few options available in case the turkeys are not very active near one camera.

Learn About the Turkey Life Cycle

Anything involving animals makes for an easy segue into life science by studying the life cycle. The month of November is a great time to learn all about turkeys.

I like this free printable turkey life cycle because it uses realistic illustrations. It can be used as a worksheet, a mini book, or both.

Make a Wreath of Dried Fruit

Mrs. Moose decorated her front door with a wreath made of dried fruit. We can do that too!

Many online directions for making a dried fruit wreath seem too complicated for little hands. They are beautiful, but our goal is for kids to have fun acting out part of the story. We don’t need a perfect wreath at the end.

This kid-friendly way of making a wreath seems like a great option. Kids can go on a nature walk to help gather pine branches and pinecones. Rosemary leftover from the garden would smell lovely too.

Then just dry a few fruits and add them to the wreath. Oranges, apples, and pears are traditionally used in dried fruit wreaths.

A Turkey for Thanksgiving Book Report

Book reports, especially for young children, do not need to be complicated. These free book report forms are similar to the ones I used years ago in my kindergarten classroom. It asks children to identify the main character, the setting, and the problem. They can answer with words or drawings.

My Book Review (2)Download

Chalk Pastel Turkey

Little artists will love this craft activity. Kids can create chalk pastel turkeys with directions from ChalkPastel.com.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

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Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.