I love the idea of creating an interactive Thankful Tree. This family craft is a great way to involve the whole family in crafting something meaningful together. It's perfect for sharing with visitors. Read more…
Make an Interactive Thankful Tree
A few years ago, I wanted to decorate a wall section at my main entrance. I painted over a piece of art I had created and made a chocolate brown entry wall to display whatever we wanted. With Thanksgiving approaching, I decided to build a Thankful Tree instead of putting up family photos or general decor.
Originally, the project idea was to make decor to take down after Thanksgiving. However, the family loved the thankful tree so much that I kept it up for over 2 years!
Recommended: DIY Thankful tree with your Cricut plus Leaf cut-out templates
We changed the leaves, added decor, flowers, and new notes over time. I shared this project as part of a 21 Days of Gratitude activity with Projects for Preschoolers.
I used newspaper to create the trunk and branches. First, I rolled one sheet of paper into a tube shape. Then I added more paper to create a longer tube and tied twine around it. Finally, I used tacks to attach the tree to the wall.
Some branches are attached to the main trunk and some to the wall. I let the twine hang naturally. I like the raw look of the newspaper and twine for this project; it seems more organic.
I cut out construction paper leaves and attached them to the wall to make the tree look alive.
I filled a basket with blank leaves and set out markers and tape. Anyone entering our home could write a note and attach the leaves to the Thankful tree.
Add trees and decor to your Thankful Tree
Over time, I decided to leave the Thankful tree up year-round, so we started adding new items. We added paper ornaments at Christmas and flowers in spring.
Our favorite pieces stayed up year-round. We kept adding more leaves and notes. I loved having this tree up for so long. It was neat to walk by and notice a forgotten note from last year.
Take down the tree or keep it up all year?
I took down our Thankful tree and haven't replaced it in years. With Thanksgiving approaching, I need to set up a new tree. What do you think?
Here's another tree we made a few years later. Find leaf printables and SVG files along with a complete Thankful tree tutorial and video to help you make your own.
Next time I make a cute tree, I’ll doodle one on the wall and include a new leaf set for the family to write.
I love that this tree tradition became a special part of our everyday life. It reminded us of our gratitude and inspired our goals whenever we walked by.
If you don't want to create leaves from scratch, you can use my printable leaf set as your Thankful Tree leaves. Enjoy!
Does your family have a routine, event, or activity to share gratitude?
