How do I prepare and use Roll and build a turkey game?

What the turkey game involves

Each player builds their own paper turkey on an outline board. The die decides when they can add the next part. Six die numbers cover nine physical pieces, because a 5 adds one feather at a time and a 6 adds both legs together. When both legs go on together, a turkey needs eight successful placements. If a player adds one leg through a wild placement and the other leg later, that turkey takes nine. Rolls a player can't use add extra turns, so eight rolls won't usually finish a bird.

What you get is written: the die table, piece counts, turn rules and a drawing version for skipping the cutting. The game cards (gobble break, crowd-check and award cards) have picker and print controls. There is no drawn cutting-template download. Prepare the shapes yourself or use a pattern you already have.

The printed rules and cards are ready to use, but the turkey shapes are not, so you'll need to draw them or use a pattern you have. General tips for preparing printable party games still apply, such as checking the print preview before printing the full set.

The game is intended for ages 3 to 10. How much help children need depends on their age and the adults or older helpers you have available. That is covered below.

What to add for each die roll

Copy this table onto a card or print it with the rules. Fold and tape the card so it stands where everyone can see it. Each separate table needs its own copy.

The order is fixed: body, head, beak, wattle, three feathers, legs. A player who has only a body needs a 2 next. A 4 doesn't let them skip the head and beak. Once the wattle is on, three successful rolls of 5 complete the tail, and then a 6 adds the legs.

Before playing, show one example. Roll a 1 and place the body, then explain why a 6 can't be used yet.

After the sample roll, tell players what to do rather than listing what not to do: roll, add the piece if it fits, then pass the die. Writing a short script helps you share party rules without sounding strict, including the words you'll use if someone needs a reminder.

How to prepare the turkey pieces

Make one sample turkey before preparing the whole set. Draw or trace the shapes, cut them out and check that the head, face and tail fit around the body. Each player also needs an outline board: a separate sheet where they arrange their pieces. Leave a space on it for their name.

Count every child who will actually build. Include the birthday child and any siblings or household children you've agreed can join. Don't count adults who are only staying in the room. If you're running the game for a class of 24 and the birthday child is in that class, they're already part of the 24, so don't add them again.

A guest-list planner helps you settle this number. Its rows are for invited guests, so the birthday child and household children usually aren't in them; add only those who aren't already counted. Then mark which children will build, and leave out adults who are only staying.

Four complete sets come to 36 pieces. If your own pattern fits four sets on one preparation sheet, two sheets make eight turkeys and six sheets make 24. Whether the shapes fit depends on your pattern and their size. Printing the count table doesn't produce cutting sheets. Cut any spares separately, because 72 pieces covers eight players exactly, with nothing left over.

The original preparation plan uses 65 lb card stock. If you print a separate pattern, check its scale and your printer settings before printing the full batch. As a starting estimate, allow about 40 minutes for preparation. Your drawing and cutting speed will change that.

How to play the turkey game

Decide who shares each die before you start. For eight children with four dice, make four pairs. Each pair shares a die and takes turns, but every child still builds their own turkey. With only one die, everyone sits in one turn circle instead.

Waiting time depends on how many children share each die, not on how many turkeys there are. A single turn circle means longer waits than pairs. If you're checking which party games work for your group size, shorter turns or more than one playing area keep children out of one long line.

• Give everyone a board and put the sorted pieces within reach. Use loose pieces for replays, or set out glue for a take-home round.
• Start with the youngest player in each group. They roll once, then pass the die to the left within their group. In a pair, take turns.
• If the roll matches the next part in order, add that part. Each usable 5 adds one feather; a usable 6 adds both legs.
• A roll the player can't use is a gobble pass. They can say gobble-gobble and try an optional gobble break card, then pass the die. The break doesn't give an extra roll.
• After three gobble passes in a row, the player adds one missing piece in build order without rolling, then passes the die. If they're waiting for legs, this adds just one leg. They'll need a later usable 6 or another wild placement for the second leg.
• Keep track of each player's passes separately. Only that player's own successful placement resets their count; other children's rolls don't affect it.
• Give finished players a job, and keep going until every turkey is complete.

How long it takes, and how to run it for bigger groups

Plan the game around how many dice you have and how much help the children need. More dice means shorter waits between turns.

Speed round: give each player their own die. Everyone rolls at the same time and follows the same build order. Prepare the pieces and show the rules first. Ask players to pause after each roll so they can check the table and place the right part. Keep each child's three-pass count separate, and use the same farmhand jobs for anyone who finishes early.

Classroom of 24, as an illustrative example: seat students at six tables of four. Prepare 24 × 9 = 216 pieces, 24 boards and six dice. Each table needs 36 pieces, one die and its own die-table card. Students take turns around their own table rather than passing a die across the room. Six preparation sheets are only enough if your pattern really fits four complete sets per sheet, so check that layout before printing. Prepare any extra pieces on top of the 216.

Before using this layout, check with the teacher when the game can run, which materials are allowed and how many helpers can come. Planning a classroom celebration with the school's rules in mind also covers questions such as how much to send for the whole class.

Which ages it suits and how much help to give

Match the amount of help to each child rather than to the group as a whole. A child who can't yet read the die table can still enjoy rolling and placing pieces with someone beside them.

Look at what each child can actually do, not just their age. When children of different ages play together, a buddy can read the die table while the younger child still rolls and places their own pieces. Ask families what would help their child join in.

Play with crayons instead of cut pieces

Give each player crayons and a hand-drawn guide showing where the body, head, beak, wattle, three feathers and two legs will go. If you want children to trace or color each part when its number comes up, use light outlines.

Keep the same die table and build order. A 1 lets the child draw or color the brown body. A 5 adds one feather, in red, then orange, then yellow. A 6 adds both orange legs. A wild placement after three passes adds one missing part, or one leg if legs are all they still need.

This version skips the cutting and the piece tray. You'll still need one board per player, crayons and enough dice for your turn groups.

If cutting time or supplies are still a problem, you could choose a different activity altogether. Budget party games that cost almost nothing use household materials. Set out the supplies for one game at a time so players know what to use.

How to print and use the game cards

Use the print controls if you want paper copies of the rules and cards. Keep the gobble break, crowd-check and award cards in separate piles.

The card picker draws from all three groups together, so it can give you an award card when you wanted a break card. When the type of card matters, read straight from the right group instead.

Checklist before you start

• Count the children who will build, including the birthday child and any siblings who are joining, and multiply by nine.
• Make one sample turkey, then prepare the pieces plus any spares.
• Draw one outline board per player, with a space for their name.
• Sort the bodies, heads, beaks, wattles, feathers and legs into separate piles or tray compartments.
• Set out the dice and decide who shares each one.
• Put a die-table card where every table can see it.
• Print the game cards if you want them, keeping the three groups separate.
• Decide whether pieces will stay loose or be glued, and set out supplies for that version.
• Have an adult ready to give early finishers a farmhand job.

Sources and further reading

• Roll and build a turkey game

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