A thankful tree is a simple activity that you can do to involve the whole family. I've been wanting to do a thankful tree for a few years, but I didn't think my son was quite old enough to understand. This year we were able to talk about what we are thankful for and what it means to be thankful. Let me show you how to add this simple activity to your annual Holiday crafts!
Now I had planned on making our own version of a thankful tree... but I lucked out this year and found a premade one at Target, my home away from home.
This kit came with two pieces in a tree shape, that interlocked and created a 3D shape. It also had a ton of leaves in burgundy red, dark orange and bright orange colors.
I just used a regular pen, but you could easily use a marker, sparkle pen, chalk pen, or any other writing utensil to write on the leaves to create a thankful tree.
This kit was also less than $5 which was super cheap and time saving.
Assemble your tree and separate your leaves. Make sure you write on the leaves before you stick them onto the tree.
Ours were prepped with a double sided tape; we could peel the back off and easily attach it to the branches.
I let my toddler decide on the placement and allowed him to decorate the leaves how he wanted.
Aesthetically speaking, in hindsight, I would have planned out where the leaves went first before writing on them. Due to the prepositioned tape and his placement choices, some of our words are upside down.
But this was a minor detail... it doesn't really matter. If you're a perfectionist, decide where the leaves will go first so that you can write it right-side-up.
If you missed out on the tree kits at Target, or you can't find one at your local craft store... get creative and make your own!
Find a miniature Christmas tree that you can use for this activity and then remove the "thankful leaves" and replace with small ornaments .
Use a miniature Halloween tree and decorate it with some "thankful leaves."
You could also make your own flat tree on the wall. Draw the tree and cut it out of some brown construction paper, free-hand cut a tree, or find a picture online to print and cut out to use as your base. You could tape this to a wall, a door, a window or even a table to decorate and enjoy for the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. You could use stencils to trace and cut out leaves, buy premade leaf shapes (of paper) or find images online to print and cutout.
Here are some ideas for you to start with:
I hope you enjoy doing this activity with your family! I'd love to see what creative trees you come up with. There are literally so many possibilities to this craft,
it is extremely versatile and you can do as many leaves as you want! Your tree can be big or small, you can have so many different color leaves... the list goes on and on.
Make sure you save this blog for reference and share with a friend you think might enjoy this activity! As always, feel free to share your kiddos work. I'd love to see what you come up with!
Happy Thanksgiving!
What you'll need:
A paper tree shape, 3D model, or miniature tree (like a mini black decorative Halloween tree or a small Christmas tree)
Leaf shapes (as many or as few as you'd like; pick your own variety of colors)
Double sided tape or glue to secure leaves to tree (or string/yarn if using a miniature tree)
A pen or marker to write your words or phrases about what you are thankful for
Optional:
Stickers, glitter, pipe cleaners, or any other decorative touches you would like to add!
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