It’s not always easy teaching our kids how to be grateful. This Gratitude Tree Activity is a simple way to help them focus on what they are thankful for this year. It’s a great craft for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Once complete, you can display the Gratitude Tree as a table centerpiece for all to enjoy.
Anytime is a good time to be thankful. With Thanksgiving coming up soon, it is a natural time to reflect on our many blessings. Raising grateful children is harder and harder in today’s world. There are so many advertisements directed at our children telling them all the things they need to have that they don’t already own. If we aren’t careful, we can focus on the things we don’t have rather than be grateful for all that we do have.
Special projects such as this Gratitude Tree Activity can give our kids a time to pause, think about all that they have that they normally take for granted, and give thanks.
Gratitude Tree Tutorial
Supplies Needed:
- tree branches (the kids loved collecting these!)
- small rocks
- 1 large wide mouth mason jar
- green card stock
- pencil
- single hole punch
- twine
- scissors
The project features green leaves. If you want it to be more fall themed, consider using brown, red, yellow, and orange instead.
Directions:
1. Pour the rocks into the large mouth mason jar and insert the branches into the jar.
2. Use the scissors to cut the green card stock into leaf shapes.
3. Use the single hole punch to punch a hole in each leaf.
4. Allow the kids to write what they are grateful for on each leaf.
5. Loop a piece of twine through each hole and tie.
6. Hang each leaf on your Gratitude Tree.
This makes a lovely centerpiece or thanksgiving decoration. It would be a great tradition to do each year as well! Save the leaves from years past and you could even create a memory box for them. Show your children what they were thankful for over the years!
More Fall and Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids:
15 Fall Leaf Crafts to do with Children
DIY Faux Flower Turkey Craft for Kids
deanna says
Thank you for this great idea! I have linked this to my post at https://sliceofschoolinglife.com/teaching-gratitude/
Thank you for having such a great post!
Anna of stuffedveggies says
Thanks for a great idea! I showed it to my daughter, and she’s been very enthusiastically making one of your Gratitude Trees : )
In honor of fall, she made her leaves red, orange and yellow, and she’s been adding a few leaves each day. She has one gratitude category per branch – “People” “Food” and “Stuff to do”