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I love crafts that give kids something fun to make and give them a reason to stop and think for a minute.
This Thanksgiving Blessing Tree is one of those crafts.
It’s a simple way to create a tree out of paper and then add colorful leaves with things your family is thankful for written on them.
You can make it as a Thanksgiving decoration, use it as a family gratitude activity, or add to it throughout the month of November.
And the best part? It doesn’t have to be fancy.
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What You Need
- Brown construction paper or brown kraft paper
- Colored construction paper in fall colors
- Scissors
- Tape or glue
- Marker or pen
- Real fall leaves, optional
How to Make a Thanksgiving Blessing Tree
1. Make the tree trunk and branches
Cut a large tree trunk and several branches from brown construction paper.
You can make your tree as large or as small as you like. For a classroom or family activity, a large tree on a wall works especially well.
Tape the trunk and branches to the wall.
Don’t worry about making it perfect. The leaves will fill it in!
2. Make the leaves
Cut leaf shapes from construction paper in fall colors like yellow, orange, red, and brown.
You can make your own simple leaf shapes, or let the kids draw and cut them out themselves.
If you have real leaves available, you can also add a few of those to the tree for extra texture.
3. Write your blessings
Now comes the fun part.
Give everyone a handful of paper leaves and have them write something they’re thankful for on each one.
They can be simple things like:
- Family
- Friends
- Our home
- Food
- Health
- Pets
- School
- Love
- Kindness
- God
For younger children who aren’t writing yet, ask them what they’re thankful for and write it on the leaf for them.
4. Add the leaves to your tree
Attach the leaves to the branches with tape or glue.
As your family thinks of more things they’re thankful for, add more leaves to the tree.
Before long, you’ll have a colorful Thanksgiving tree filled with little reminders of the good things in your life.
Make It a Thanksgiving Tradition
I think this would be especially fun to do throughout the month of November instead of making the entire tree in one afternoon.
Keep a basket of blank leaves nearby and let everyone add a new blessing whenever they think of one.
By Thanksgiving, you’ll have a tree covered in leaves and a visual reminder of all the things your family has to be grateful for.
You could even take a picture of the finished tree each year and see how your family’s blessings change over time.
The great thing about this craft is that it doesn’t require a lot of supplies or complicated instructions.
Kids can help make the tree, cut out the leaves, decorate them, and decide what they’re thankful for.
And while you’re working on it, you might be surprised by some of the answers they come up with.
Sometimes the little things are the things they remember most.
More Fall and Thanksgiving Crafts
If you’re looking for more simple crafts to make this fall, check out my Fall Leaf Placemats made with real autumn leaves and clear contact paper.
You can also try some of my other Halloween crafts and easy homemade seasonal projects for kids.
A Thanksgiving Blessing Tree is such a simple project, but I love that it becomes more meaningful as the leaves are added.
And when Thanksgiving finally arrives, you’ll have something hanging on your wall that reminds everyone of just how much there is to be thankful for.
Follow my Fall Crafts board on Pinterest.
