Hand Print Turkey Table Cloth

I am re-posting this from last year.  This is something that I do every year with my children and next year we will be adding another handprint to the table cloth :)

 I wanted to create a family tradition for Thanksgiving.   Being a preschool teacher, I love to make hand print turkeys with my students.   It is a classic!  Everyone has made a hand print turkey and they are easy for children of all ages to create.

So for my son's first Thanksgiving, I went out and bought the largest table cloth I could find.     We painted up his little hand and made a simple hand print turkey.   In 2007, my daughter was born on Thanksgiving day.    When we brought her home a few days later, I insisted that we do her hand print on the table cloth.

The table cloth is something that can grow with my children and hopefully grandchildren.   It is very simple to create.     

Materials: 
White cotton table cloth
Acrylic or fabric paint
paintbrush
permanent marker


Paint your child's palm and thumb brown.   This will make the head and body of the turkey.

Paint your child's figures in different colors to make the tail feathers.

Press onto the tablecloth and allow for drying time.

 Use the permanent marker to create a beak and legs.


I hope you have enjoyed this holiday craft idea.   I think that it is something that will make your Thanksgiving table just a little bit more special.