Finger paints are a great way to introduce art to the young child. This preschool lesson plan outlines the steps to create a finger print paint Thanksgiving turkey in the early childhood classroom. Using simple materials and a bit of imagination, this art project can help young learners to create a holiday masterpiece.
Thanksgiving Turkey Print Art Lesson Objectives
- Explore art materials and process.
- Develop fine motor skills.
- Investigate animal facts.
- Connect pictorial representations to a holiday theme.
- Build color recognition skills.
- Explore shape, texture, and pattern.
- Develop pro-social behaviors such as sharing and taking turns.
Age/ Grade Level
This art lesson can be used with children ages three and up. Adapt the plan to fit specific classroom needs or a variety of ages.
Materials Needed to Create Thanksgiving Turkey Art
- Washable finger paint or tempera paint
- Construction paper
Steps to Create Holiday Hand Print Paint Art
Pre-activity
Before beginning this art activity try reading a selection of Thanksgiving themed books to the class. Make sure that the books contain vivid illustrations of turkey characters. Ask the children to identify different parts or features of the turkey such as the eyes or the beak.
Additional pre-activity steps include preparing the materials and the work space. Set out a variety of paint colors (in puddles) on palettes, trays, or other washable surface. Make sure that that the paint is placed in an area where the children can easily share. Using shared paint palettes or trays can add in a lesson on social skills.
Process Steps
- Invite the children to dip one hand into a puddle of paint palm down. If the children are having a difficult time covering the entire hand large paint brushes may be used to paint the hand.
- After each child has dipped his or her hand in the paint, ask them to firmly place the painted hand down onto the construction paper with fingers spread. The fingers will be the turkey’s feathers and the palm will be the body/head area.
- Ask the children to use their fingers (dipped in the paint) to create and define the turkeys face and facial features.
- Additional feathers in other colors can be added by repeating the steps.
Preschool Art Lesson Wrap Up
This art lesson is meant to be a paint process exploration. The hand print turkeys may not result in realistic looking birds. In fact, these colorful creations may end up appearing more like blobs, lines, and squiggles. Do not force the children to make specific shapes or pictures with the paint. As long as the general idea is understood, the lesson has been a success.
After the artwork has dried, initiate a discussion with the class about the process. Ask questions about how the art was made, what colors were used, and how the paint felt.
Enrichment Activities for the Thanksgiving Turkey Lesson
This art lesson plan can be used alone or combined with other classroom activities. Additionally, it can be integrated into a broad curriculum area or theme.
Examples include:
- Science: Explore the science behind paint. Examine color and texture.
- Animals/Birds: Create a nature based lesson by using this art activity with an animal themed unit.
- Holiday Decorations: Turn these thanksgiving themed masterpieces into bright decorations for a holiday party.
- Self-concept: Combine this printing activity with a lesson on body parts (such as hands).
- Colors: Build color recognition skills while allowing the children to create their own shades and hues. Start with only a few colors of paint such as the primaries and whites, and ask the children to mix them up.
The Thanksgiving turkey hand print paint activity will promote artistic imagination and creativity in the preschool classroom. This processes based lesson will help young children to explore paint as a medium, while making holiday themed art. Use the finished turkey print art as part of a thematic lesson or as a fun decoration for a Thanksgiving party.
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