Hold the phone. Turkey Tape Resist Art.

Turkey Tape Resist Art might just be the most gorgeous activity I’ve ever shared on Busy Toddler. This activity – holy moly. It did not disappoint.

The “sister” to this activity is Spider Web Tape Resist Art, which quickly became the most liked photo I’ve ever shared on Instagram.

RELATED: Looking for more Thanksgiving activities? I have a GREAT list!

Something about tape resist art… it just WORKS.

The colors. The large scale. The final product. Everything about this activity is absolute perfection.

It does take a few minutes to set up (I spent about 5 minutes taping each one of these) but it was more than worth it – and really, I was just watching football on a Sunday anyways so I had the time.

Here’s the how to on Turkey Tape Resist Art:

Start with a rectangle of cardboard.

In the middle front, make a semi-circle out of tape (I used painter’s tape for this activity – I find it pulls up the best at the end).

• From there, I made 5 diagonal lines to section out the feathers.
• Down the middle of each section, I added another diagonal line.
• Last, I used smaller diagonal lines to connect to the large lines, making feather shapes.

It sounds complicated and to be honest, it is harder to explain than it is to do. Look at my photo for example – it’ll help!

Trust me. If I can do this, you can.

Then, I added a little construction turkey face. I told my kids to not paint the turkey face. If your kids aren’t quite skilled enough in their motor development, add the face last.

And now it’s time for paint FAQs

Ok people – Let’s talk about the painting part of this activity (because painting with kids often gets a really bad rap).

This is washable tempera paint from Lakeshore Learning. I like a washable tempera best because it’s vibrant, washable, and dries faster than other washable paints.

I didn’t! Instead, I made sure to take a tip from Art Bar Blog and I only gave them colors that could mix. We had red, yellow, orange, and white. This way, they could make a variety of shades and hues, enjoy so much learning, and not end up with muddy/gray turkeys.

Because my daughter is 5, I also gave her a little brown to darken her paint.

Nope! I did because that helps me take better photos to show you (wink). You can do this anywhere that feels right to you!

Nope again! They know not to. This is a well established boundary and rule at our house. I use activities like this to teach my kids about rules and boundaries, and self-control. They know when and where they can paint.

Starting around 20 months old, I began letting the kids do coloring activities on the walls. Because they were given direct instructions on the rules and boundaries of an activity like this – and given the chance to do them – I’ve never had a single kid draw or paint on my walls (except for during an activity).

It’s kind of like water: in a bath tub, kids know they can dump and splash. But they know they can’t do that at dinner. Kids are really smart at transferring information.

My secret weapon is always a wet wash cloth. I set it with the kids and they can monitor their own drips. This starts best around 18 months old.

If you have a young taby or toddler – make this adjustment:

Just make the activity smaller. Make it a little more manageable for their attention spans. This activity is multi age and can work with any child who is able to use paint (you as the caregiver can decide that).

The last step: peel off the tape (and I learned a trick!)

In the past, peeling up the tape from my tape resist art project has been a little challenging. Sometimes, the tape peels up the cardboard or the paint!

Rude!

This time, I let the paint fully dry: a full 24 hours just to be safe.

Guess what? The tape came up just fine and the final product was spectacular.

I sure hope you try this activity!

What a super fun Thanksgiving activity – and absolutely one of the prettiest I’ve ever done. And now I have my Thanksgiving decor done for me!