Thankfulness Tree

This beautiful thankfulness tree is a great way to focus on gratitude this season. Whether your kids are 4 or 18, teaching kids to focus on the blessings in life is transformative.

Want more thankfulness activities? Find all of my lessons on thankfulness here.

Thankfulness Tree

Welcome to my character-building series, where, if followed, you could be teaching important virtues to your children every single day of the year. I know that sounds daunting, but my hope is to make it easier for you.

There are 52 traits to work on, one for every week of the year. This week is a focus on thankfulness. Read more about the series here.

As a former teacher, it’s natural to write these in a lesson plan format. I want my character-building lessons to be accessible to parents, grandparents, teachers, Sunday School teachers, and really anyone who is working with our future generation.

Lesson on Thankfulness

Subject

Thankfulness

Objective

Kids will see all the blessings in their life as they focus on gratitude.

Thankfulness Verse

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

The scripture above is the memory verse for our character-building week about thankfulness. Work daily on this verse so kids can commit it to memory, thus writing the Word of the Lord on their hearts.

Materials Needed for this Thankfulness Activity

Note: The following contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience. Anything you purchase through these links goes to support the free resources I provide here at Meaningful Mama. Thanks for your support.

• Decorative Sticks (the ones pictured were from a Japanese maple in our yard)
• Fall Colored Paper
• Twine
• Vase
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Hole Punch
• Bowl (Why not make this beautiful homemade leaf bowl with your kids?)

How to Make a Thankfulness Tree

This thankfulness tree is a family activity to do with your kids. It’s great for family devotionals, but it’s also great for a classroom setting.

I encourage you to let your kids be involved in every feasible step of the process. That will vary depending on age and ability. Some kids will be able to hole punch. Maybe you are holding the twine tight while a child cuts. You know your kids and their capabilities. Prep ahead any parts you think would be helpful.

1. Collect decorative sticks from your yard or buy them at a store or on Amazon (see link in materials list).
2. Make a simple leaf template out of heavy stock paper for your kids to trace.
3. Trace leaves onto different colored cardstock paper.
4. Cut out the leaves. Paper can be stacked to get more leaf cuts at once.
5. Punch holes in one end of the leaf.
6. Cut twine to length, feed it through the punched hole, and tie it at the ends.
7. Now you have all your leaves ready to be filled with blessings. Kids can, throughout the week, add to the tree. Maybe you want to do it at dinner each night throughout the season. Leaves can be stored in a bowl beside the tree. It’s a beautiful project to set out on Thanksgiving day so that the entire extended family can participate.

Note: This craft was originally done in 2013. It was updated with better formatting and readability for your convenience.

Want More Lessons on Thankfulness?

DIY Thankfulness Wreath

Thankfulness Verse Search with Free Printable

Thankfulness Turkey Kleenex Box Craft