Ah, Autumn… and with Thanksgiving next week, it’s the perfect time to grow a tree! Seriously! Grow a special tree that is unique to your family alone and will help battle the “gimmes” that afflict kids with the approach of Christmas. It’s great time to help your family grow a Thankful Tree.

Thankful Trees come in all shapes and sizes; that’s part of what is so great about them. They are as different and distinct as the families who create them. How they grow isn’t what’s most important, only that they grow.

You can make one as a poster. You’ll need: markers, tape or glue, a large piece of white tagboard, construction paper (brown, orange, red & yellow) and a leaf template like this one. On the tagboard, either use a brown marker to draw a large tree trunk and branches or you can cut one out of brown construction paper and glue it on. Use the template to make leaves from the construction paper. If your kids are older, this can be their job. Make enough so that each of your family members can personalize several leaves. Then – here’s where the “thankful” part comes in – each family member writes the things that he/she is thankful for on the leaves. Nothing is too big or too small. Younger family members may need a little help. The leaves are glued or taped onto the tree branches. Viola! A Thankful Tree – special and individual to your family alone! And a great reminder of just how much we should be thankful. You can trace family members hands to use as the leaves of the tree to personalize the tree even further.

Some families use craft foam and a template to make a freestanding tree, decorated with “thankful” leaves” using glue/tape, or a hot glue gun, if a parent helps. This would make a wonderful centerpiece for a Thanksgiving table.

Still others, like my friend Mary over at Owlhaven, use actual tree branches that the kids collect and then put into a vase. The “thankful leaves” are attached using a hot glue gun (but could also be hung like ornaments.)  That’s the beginnings of their Thankful Tree in the photo at the top of this article.

If you’re having family or friends over for Thanksgiving dinner, make sure to have some extra leaves available so your guests can add a leaf or two.

Remind your family of all the amazing things you have to be thankful for this year with this fun craft project. Grow a Thankful Tree.

My thanks to Mary at Owlhaven for the use of her photo.