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US Letter, 8.5 x 11 inches. Print at 100% for craft pieces; use Fit to page if your printer clips the margins. An adult should help with scissors and fitting wearable crafts.
The hanging red shape on a turkey craft is often the detail that makes the face recognizable. This printable wattle template gives children a simple piece to color, cut, and attach near the beak. Use it when building a paper turkey from separate parts, especially if several students need the same starting shape.
What to make
A craft model simplifies a real bird, so the placement can stay flexible. Let children look at their assembled face and decide which position reads clearly. The wattle should remain visible after the beak is attached. It can be red, patterned, or a deliberately imaginative color when the goal is a creative character rather than a realistic animal model.
How to use this printable
- Print the template and compare the wattle size with the turkey head before coloring or cutting the final piece.
- Color the shape while it is still part of the full sheet, using a crayon or pencil that keeps the outside line visible.
- Cut around the border and place it beside or below the beak, checking that it does not cover both eyes.
- Glue the wattle in place, then label the part on a separate card if you are making a vocabulary display.
Make the activity your own
For a parts-of-a-turkey lesson, put the wattle, beak, eyes, and feet on a tray and ask children to name each piece before assembly. For a quick fine-motor task, cut the shape from a folded strip of red paper by using the printed piece as a tracing guide. Keep tiny offcuts away from children who may put them in their mouths, and offer a larger version when handling small pieces is frustrating.
Questions before you begin
Is the wattle the same as the beak?
No. On a paper model, the beak is the pointed mouth shape. The wattle is the separate hanging piece near it.
Can I change the shape?
Yes. The template is a craft starting point. Shorten, lengthen, or curve it to suit the size and style of your turkey.