The Thanksgiving Tree

This year for Thanksgiving we are trying a new tradition; the Thanksgiving tree.  It is a simple idea: you gather some sticks and branches from the yard, place them in a jar or vase to construct a tree, cut out paper leaves, and have your family write one thing they are thankful for on each leaf.  You could start on November 1st and have each person do one leaf a day until Thanksgiving.  Or if you are just getting started now, do two or three leaves per day.  You could even wait until Thanksgiving Day when you are gathered with family and friends and fill out several leaves at once, all decorating the tree that day.  This is a very flexible craft.  It is also a good way to have a tangible reminder of the many blessings God has provided for us!

For our leaves, I had my kids gather some real leaves from around our neighborhood.  I placed them on my scanner and printed out copies onto card stock.  I then cut out each leaf and used a hole punch to make a single hole to hang them on the tree.  You can download the sheet of leaves here. Four our "tree" I gathered some branches and sticks from our yard and placed them in a glass jar, and dumped some white rocks in to hold the branches up.  Another cute idea would be to use acorns as vase filler.

We talked about how God has blessed us and how we should be thankful to Him.  This would be a good opportunity to memorize a Bible verse about thankfulness (1 Thessalonians 5:18 is a good one for preschoolers and toddlers).  I told them we are writing one thing we are thankful for on each leaf and then they get to hang it on the tree (their favorite part!).  By Thanksgiving Day the tree will be filled with leaves.  My kids really enjoyed this activity.  My two year old just scribbled on his leaves and then I wrote down what he was thankful for (his stuffed doggy).  My four year old was thankful for friends and toys (of course!) the first day.  Happy Thanksgiving and happy crafting!