DIY Handprint Turkey Shirts for Kids
These handprint turkey shirts are a white T-shirt, some paint and your kid’s hand. Paint the palm brown, each finger a different color, press it on the shirt, and you have a turkey. Add a beak and feet with a Sharpie and it is done.
It is a messy 20 minutes and a shirt they will want to wear every day until Thanksgiving. Looking for more? Here are my turkey crafts and activities for kids.
Below: what you need, the paint question, tips for keeping the mess under control, and a few ways to change it up. The full steps are in the card at the bottom.
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What You Need
- A white or light T-shirt: 100 percent cotton takes paint best. Light colors make the turkey show up.
- Paint: red, orange, yellow and brown. More on fabric paint vs acrylic below.
- A paper plate: for a palette. A regular plate with a paper towel on it works in a pinch, just not well.
- Paint brushes: painting the hand gives a cleaner print than dipping it.
- Black and orange Sharpies: for the beak, feet and any extra feathers.
- Googly eyes and a hot glue gun: optional, and the glue gun is an adult job.
- Cardboard or newspaper: slide it inside the shirt so paint does not bleed through to the back.
Fabric Paint or Acrylic Paint?
We used regular acrylic paint the first time and it held up fine for a season of wearing. If you want the shirt to survive a lot of washes, use fabric paint or mix your acrylic with a fabric medium. Either way, check that it says non-toxic, since it is going on little hands.
How to Make a Handprint Turkey Shirt
- Wash and dry the shirt first so the paint sticks.
- Lay it flat and put cardboard inside.
- Paint the palm and thumb brown and each finger a different color.
- Have your child press their hand flat on the shirt and hold still. Lift straight up.
- Let it dry, then draw the beak and feet with Sharpie and glue on an eye if you want one.
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Want two turkeys? Do one hand at a time and let the first one dry so it does not smear.
Tips for Less Mess
- Practice one print on paper first. Kids figure out how hard to press before it counts.
- Keep wipes or a sink close. You will need them the second the hand comes up.
- Paint one hand only. One painted hand is a craft. Two is a crime scene.
- Let it dry flat for at least 24 hours before anyone wears or washes it.
- Wash it inside out on cold and hang it to dry.
Ways to Change It Up
- Sibling shirts: stack each kid’s handprint on one shirt for a parent, biggest to smallest.
- Footprint turkey: for babies and toddlers who will not keep a hand flat, a painted foot works the same way.
- Tote bag or tea towel: same steps, and it makes a good gift for a grandparent.
- Thankful feathers: once it dries, write one thing they are thankful for on each finger with a fabric marker.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
A few things people ask before they let a kid near a white shirt with paint.
More Turkey Crafts and Activities for Kids
- Easy Turkey Craft with Feathers
- Turkey Books for Kids
- Fall Handprint Art Worksheets
- Pilgrim Crafts and Activities for Kids
- Turkey Handprint Craft for Kids
DIY Thanksgiving Turkey T-Shirt
Equipment
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue optional
Materials
- Fabric paint non toxic
- Paper plate
- White T-shirt
- Googly eyes optional
- Sharpie black and orange
Instructions
- We started with white shirts we already owned, but many people recommend washing your shirt first. Lay the shirt out as flat as you can on the table, with some kind of newspaper or cardboard in between the front and the back (I always forget this part!).
- Pour some paints (red, orange, yellow, brown) onto a paper plate. I used acrylic paint, but I should mention that I don't know anything about paint! It seemed to work fine for us last year, so we'll stick with it. Of course, I ran out of paper plates, so I had to use a paper towel on a regular plate. Not the most effective method!!
- Using the brush, paint your child's palm brown and each finger a different color.
- Have them press firmly onto the t-shirt. You can do one or two turkeys.
- Once the paint is dry, hot glue a googly eye onto his head.
- You can also draw little embellishments like feet, beak (with the orange Sharpie), or extra hair/feathers.
- If you do add embellishments, let it all dry before wearing.
