Make learning letters extra fun this Thanksgiving with our free printable Thanksgiving alphabet matching game! 🦃 This hands-on literacy activity helps preschoolers and kindergarteners practice matching uppercase and lowercase letters while building important early learning skills.
Thanksgiving Alphabet Matching Game
Looking for a fun Thanksgiving alphabet matching game for preschoolers and kindergarteners? This adorable turkey-themed printable is a simple, hands-on way to practice uppercase and lowercase letter recognition while having a little Thanksgiving fun!
With 52 colorful turkey cards, this free printable Thanksgiving alphabet matching game is perfect for literacy centers, morning tubs, small group activities, and independent learning at home or in the classroom.
Just print, cut, and play!
Free Printable Thanksgiving Alphabet Matching Game
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to add a few festive activities to your preschool or kindergarten literacy centers.
And if you’re looking for something that’s easy to prepare, educational, and fun, I think you’re going to love this turkey alphabet matching activity!
I created this printable with little learners in mind. Each card features an adorable brown turkey with bright orange feathers and a large letter displayed on its body.
The goal is simple: children match each uppercase letter to its corresponding lowercase letter.
For example, children find the turkey with the uppercase letter A and match it with the turkey displaying the lowercase letter a.
It’s a simple way to strengthen early literacy skills while keeping little hands busy.
Plus, because the activity uses individual cards, it’s easy to adapt for different ages and learning abilities.
Why You’ll Love This Thanksgiving Alphabet Activity
There are so many reasons to add this printable turkey alphabet game to your November lesson plans!
- 🦃 Festive Thanksgiving theme: Colorful turkeys make alphabet practice more exciting.
- 🔤 Uppercase and lowercase recognition: Children practice identifying and matching all 26 letters.
- ✂️ Fine motor practice: Picking up, sorting, and arranging cards helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor control.
- 🍂 Easy to prepare: Just print the cards, cut them apart, and you’re ready to play.
- 🏫 Perfect for classroom centers: Use the cards in literacy centers, morning tubs, small groups, or independent activities.
- ❤️ Reusable: Laminate the cards so you can use them year after year.
Best of all, this Thanksgiving alphabet memory game is a completely screen-free activity that encourages children to learn through hands-on play.
What’s Included in the Free Printable?
Our Thanksgiving alphabet matching game includes 52 printable turkey cards covering the entire alphabet.
You’ll receive:
- 26 uppercase alphabet cards (A–Z)
- 26 lowercase alphabet cards (a–z)
- Colorful turkey illustrations with bright orange feathers
- Easy-to-follow dotted line cutting guides
Each turkey features one clearly displayed letter, making it easy for young learners to identify and match uppercase and lowercase pairs.
The printable comes in PDF format and is designed to be printed on good quality 8.5 × 11-inch cardstock.
Supplies You’ll Need
You only need a few basic supplies to get this Thanksgiving literacy activity ready.
- Free printable Thanksgiving alphabet matching game – download the pdf file at the very bottom of this blog post
- White cardstock
- Color printer
- Paper cutter
- Laminator or self laminating sheets (optional)
- Small basket or zipper pouches (optional)
My tip: I recommend printing the Thanksgiving alphabet matching game on white cardstock and laminating them before cutting them apart. This makes them sturdier and helps them last longer, especially if you’re planning to use them in a busy preschool or kindergarten classroom.
How to Prepare Your Thanksgiving Alphabet Matching Game
Getting this activity ready couldn’t be easier!
Step 1: Download and Print
Start by downloading our free Thanksgiving alphabet matching game using the download box found at the bottom of this blog post.
Print the pages containing the turkey alphabet cards on good quality white cardstock.
For best results, print in color so the bright orange feathers really stand out.
Step 2: Laminate the Cards (Optional)
If you’re planning to use this Thanksgiving alphabet matching game in a classroom or want to reuse it each Thanksgiving, I highly recommend laminating the cards.
Laminate the printed sheets before cutting the individual cards apart.
This helps protect them from wear and tear and makes them easier for little hands to handle.
Step 3: Cut Apart the Turkey Cards
Using scissors or a paper cutter, carefully cut along the dotted lines to separate the individual turkey cards.
You should have 52 cards when you’re finished: 26 uppercase letters and 26 lowercase letters.
Step 4: Match Uppercase and Lowercase Letters
Now comes the fun part!
Place the uppercase turkey cards on a table or work surface.
Give children the lowercase turkey cards and encourage them to find the matching uppercase letters.
For example:
- A matches a
- B matches b
- C matches c
- D matches d
Continue until all the uppercase and lowercase turkeys have been matched.
And that’s it!
Your Thanksgiving alphabet matching game is ready to enjoy!
5 Fun Ways to Use This Turkey Alphabet Matching Game
One of my favorite things about printable matching games is how versatile they are.
Here are five simple ways to use these turkey cards with preschoolers and kindergarteners.
1. Thanksgiving Literacy Center
Set up a Thanksgiving-themed literacy center by placing the uppercase turkey cards on a table and keeping the lowercase cards in a small basket.
Children choose one lowercase turkey at a time and find its uppercase match.
This is a great independent activity for children who are already familiar with most of their letters.
2. Thanksgiving Morning Tubs
Add a handful of turkey alphabet cards to your November morning tubs.
I like using just 5–10 letter pairs at a time for younger learners so the activity doesn’t feel overwhelming.
You can gradually introduce additional letters as children become more confident.
3. Turkey Alphabet Memory Game
Turn the cards into a Thanksgiving memory game!
Choose 6–10 matching letter pairs and place the cards face down in rows.
Children take turns flipping over two cards, trying to find an uppercase and lowercase match.
If the letters match, they keep the pair.
If they don’t match, they turn the cards back over and try again.
This variation is a fun way to practice letter recognition, concentration, and memory skills.
4. Thanksgiving Letter Hunt
Hide a selection of lowercase turkey cards around your classroom or learning space.
Give children the corresponding uppercase cards and challenge them to find their matching lowercase turkeys.
This adds a little movement to your alphabet practice and is especially fun for active learners.
5. Alphabetical Order Challenge
For children who are ready for an extra challenge, encourage them to arrange the uppercase turkey cards in alphabetical order from A to Z.
Once they’re finished, have them place the matching lowercase letters underneath.
This is a great way to reinforce alphabetical order and uppercase/lowercase recognition at the same time.
What Skills Does This Thanksgiving Alphabet Matching Game Teach?
Although this activity looks like a simple matching game, it provides opportunities to practice several important early learning skills.
Letter recognition: Children learn to identify uppercase and lowercase letters.
Letter matching: Matching A to a, B to b, and so on helps children understand that uppercase and lowercase letters represent the same letter.
Visual discrimination: Children practice noticing similarities and differences between letter shapes.
Fine motor skills: Picking up, sorting, and placing the turkey cards encourages hand-eye coordination and fine motor development.
Concentration and problem-solving: Children must look carefully at each letter and decide which cards belong together.
Alphabetical order: Older preschoolers and kindergarteners can use the cards to practice putting letters in sequence.
These skills help build a strong foundation for early reading and writing.
Tips for Younger Preschoolers
If you’re using this Thanksgiving alphabet matching game with younger preschoolers or children who are just beginning to recognize letters, I recommend starting small.
Instead of introducing all 52 cards at once, choose just a few familiar letter pairs.
I like starting with the letters in a child’s name because they’re often the letters children recognize first.
Once those letters become familiar, gradually introduce additional pairs.
You can also place a few uppercase cards in a row and ask children to find the corresponding lowercase turkey.
The goal is to make learning feel fun and manageable, not overwhelming!
Pair This Activity With a Thanksgiving Read-Aloud
I love pairing hands-on activities with children’s books, especially during the holidays.
For this turkey alphabet matching game, a fun choice is How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton.
This silly Thanksgiving story follows a turkey trying to escape before a school Thanksgiving play.
After reading the story, invite children to practice their letters with our turkey alphabet matching cards and then make a variety of other Thanksgiving crafts.
It’s an easy way to combine storytime with hands-on literacy practice.
You can even encourage children to identify the beginning letter sounds in words from the story, such as turkey, school, and play.
More Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities for Kids
Looking for more ways to keep little hands busy this Thanksgiving?
Here are a few more of my favorite Thanksgiving crafts and activities for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Fork Painted Turkey Craft
Children use a fork and colorful tempera paint to create a beautiful turkey feathers before assembling their own adorable fork painted Thanksgiving turkey.
Torn Paper Turkey Craft
This colorful torn paper turkey craft uses pieces of construction paper to create rainbow-inspired feathers. It’s a great fine motor activity for preschoolers.
Paint Splat Turkey Craft
Kids will love using colorful paint splats to create the feathers on these cheerful paint splat Thanksgiving turkeys.
Fall Leaf Turkey Craft
Combine colorful fall leaves with a simple turkey template to make a festive fall leaf Thanksgiving craft.
Fingerprint Pumpkin Pie Craft
This adorable Thanksgiving craft uses little fingerprints to create a fingerprint pumpkin pie. It’s a fun keepsake activity for preschoolers.
Pumpkin Pie Name Craft
Practice name recognition and spelling with this sweet pumpkin pie-themed name craft.
Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities for Kids
Looking for even more ideas? Browse our collection of easy Thanksgiving crafts, printable activities, and hands-on learning ideas for kids.
Download Your Free Thanksgiving Alphabet Matching Game
Ready to give this Thanksgiving alphabet matching game a try?
Download our free printable turkey alphabet cards and add a little Thanksgiving fun to your preschool or kindergarten literacy activities.
With 52 colorful turkey cards, children can practice matching uppercase and lowercase letters while building important early literacy skills.
Getting your hands on our Thanksgiving alphabet matching game is easy. Fill out the form at the bottom of this post and click the “Send Me the Printable” button.
After signing up, check your email to confirm your subscription. You will then be redirected to the printable PDF containing the template.
Already subscribed? No problem! Enter your information in the form again and you’ll be taken directly to the download.
Tip: Be sure to check your spam or promotions folder if you don’t see the email right away.
Still having trouble downloading our Thanksgiving alphabet matching game? Check out this step-by-step download guide with images!
Please note: This printable is for personal and classroom use only. Redistribution, resale, or uploading the files to other websites or shared platforms is not permitted.
Final Thoughts
I hope your little learners have as much fun with this Thanksgiving alphabet matching game as I had creating it!
It’s a simple, low-prep activity that works beautifully in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, homeschool lessons, and Thanksgiving morning tubs.
Whether you use it as a matching game, memory activity, or literacy center, these adorable turkey cards make alphabet practice a little more festive.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy learning! 🦃
P.S. Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram to see all our latest crafts, free printables, and fun screen-free activities for kids! There’s always something new to inspire your next afternoon of crafting and learning. ❤️
