Thankful Tree Craft – Thanksgiving Craftivity for November

The Thankful Tree Craft is a great Thanksgiving Craftivity to use during the month of November to help instill a thankful spirit.  It is easy to assemble for many elementary students and is a great keepsake for parents and families. 

Each individual student can create a Thankful Tree family keepsake. Daily throughout the month of November, have students write one to two things they are thankful for. Add one idea per leaf and glue it to the tree. Send home the trees before the Thanksgiving holiday for families to enjoy at home.

What is included in the Thankful Tree Craft Resource?

Included in the Thankful Tree Craft is a teacher notes page that explains the idea as well as a Thankful Ideas page which includes many suggestions to help you and your students think of thankful ideas.  There is also a suggestion for an anchor chart (pictured below).

Also included is a graphic organizer that students can use with the anchor chart to record their individual ideas.

The Thankful Tree comes in two formats with two cutting options. One format has a blank trunk, as seen in these photographs. The other format has the words “Thankful Tree” on the tree trunk.

One cutting option for older students asks students to cut around the branches. A less intricate cutting outline is also available for younger students.

There are also a variety of leaves, some just to glue on, some to fold over, and some to use in an anchor chart.

You will need construction paper to assemble the tree.  I suggest using blue construction paper to make the tree pop or to give the idea of a sky. Have students color the area between the cut lines and the tree to match the construction paper and it essentially disappears.

How I use the Thankful Tree with Students

Before writing on the leaves, I brainstormed a list of ideas with students of things they are thankful for.  We create an anchor chart and add to it throughout the month.

Here is an example of an anchor chart that includes some sentence starters. The leaves are cut out of construction paper. You can also print them on colored paper using a template included in the file.

Create a Larger Classroom Tree

You can also create a tree cut out to display on a large bulletin board and cut out construction paper leaves, making a larger display for your classroom.

Either way, students write on a few leaves each day and we add it to our class tree.  Students individually add to their own tree each day as well.

How to Purchase the Thanksgiving Tree Craftivity

You can easily create the anchor chart and tree display in your classroom. The Thankful Tree Thanksgiving Craftitivty resource makes it easy for students to create a take-home craft for the Thanksgiving Holiday that focuses on being thankful.

You can purchase on Teachers Pay Teachers.

If you’re interested in more crafts, check out the Christmas Craftivity and New Year Craftivity.