Creating A Thankful Tree
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I thought I would share a little activity we did last year which I intend to keep as a new family tradition: A Thankful Tree.
This is a great Thanksgiving Day project for two of reasons:
- Everyone can participate! Old, young, or somewhere in between, anyone who can trace their hand (or have someone trace it for them) can make a leaf for the Thankful Tree. And it doesn’t matter how many, or how few, people you have over, you can still make a beautiful and meaningful tree. Guests can make as many leaves as they want!
- It reinforces the true purpose of the holiday. This little project was a chance for everyone in the family to take a break from the hustle and bustle to reflect on all they have to be grateful for in their life. Putting at least one of those things in writing is a good way to be more mindful this holiday season of what really matters.
Here’s what you’ll need to create this project:
- brown paper
- multi-colored construction paper
- markers
- tape
It’s easy and inexpensive but engaging! It doesn’t take a lot of planning, it doesn’t need a lot of space, and if you didn’t want to make a tree trunk, you could use string to hang the leaves somewhere near your dining area for everyone to enjoy during dinner.
We set up a small table with the supplies and let people create their leaves throughout the day whenever they felt like it. We didn’t make the entire family sit down at once, which is why this project works well during such busy day. Some people knew immediately what they wanted to write; others took a while to think about what they wanted to say on their leaf. Some were serious, some were silly, and all of them were wonderful to read as the tree grew through the day.
I found the turkeys as a free printable online and had the younger kids cut and glue those together to keep more of their time occupied while they waited for food. If you have lots of little ones, you could opt for white paper and have them color in their leaves before writing what they’re thankful for on them.
The holidays are often a chaotic time, and it can be easy for the important things to get lost in the noise. I hope this idea inspires you to incorporate an activity in to your own traditions on Thanksgiving as a way to start the holidays off right and keep the season in focus for ourselves and our families.
What are some new family traditions you will incorporate this year? Share with us!
