There are so many reasons why Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.
I love that it signals the beginning of the holiday season. I love Thanksgiving food. I love that it brings family together. Besides that, I also love Thanksgiving because it is the one day set aside to remember everything that we’re thankful for.
Though this year has been a difficult year for many of us, I feel like this year has also put many things into perspective for me. I am learning to appreciate the smaller things, and trying to be present and enjoy the now with my boys.
What is a Thankful Tree?
As we head into Thanksgiving week, I wanted to have something tangible to remind our family to be thankful.
Obviously, you can choose how to use this Thankful Tree. We placed our at the end of our dining table. Every evening toward the end of dinner, we will go around and share something we’re thankful for.
My husband or I will write it down (or E will draw) on one of the leaves and then we can hang it on our Thankful Tree. I love that it’ll be a visible reminder that we are blessed and have so many things to be thankful.
How to Make a Thankful Tree
I love that we were able to use some things from nature and also up-cycle materials to make our thankful tree.
Materials Needed:
- Clear jar (we up-cycled a pasta sauce jar) or Vase
- Rocks or Marbles
- Branch from a tree outside
- White Paint
- Construction paper
- Twine (optional)
- Yarn or String (optional)
Step 1
Go for a walk and collect some branches/sticks that would fit in the jar. If there are rocks nearby, collect some rocks to place in the jar.
Step 2:
Paint the branches. You could paint the whole branch or just the ends. (We painted 3 branches and left the other 2 unpainted.
Step 3 (optional):
Wrap twine around the top portion of the jar for added decoration.
Step 4:
Place rocks/marbles in the jar to create a layer at the bottom.
Step 5:
After the paint dries, place the branches in the jar.
Step 6:
Cut construction paper into leaves. (I drew leaf shapes as a guideline.)
Step 7:
Write or draw things that you are thankful for and add to the tree using string or twine. (You can staple or tape the string onto the leaves and hang them on the branches.)
And You’re Done!
I think this tree is super simple and easy to make, but so beautiful. And I love the intention and meaning behind it.
More Thanksgiving Activities
If you liked this activity, you can check out some other fun Thanksgiving activities here. And I have a whole list of Thanksgiving books for preschoolers here.
I post our daily activities on Instagram @discoveringmommyhood. If you try any of my activities, I would love for you to tag me!
