Easy Crafts for Kids: Thanksgiving Tree

Crafting a Thanksgiving tree is a simple project for little hands that offers a powerful opportunity to teach children about gratitude. This craft project can be completed at home, in school, and can easily be incorporated into church lesson plans.

Thanksgiving Tree Craft

Materials Needed:

Brown Construction Paper
Green, Red, Orange, and Yellow Construction Paper
1 Sheet of 28" x 22" Poster Board (white or lighted colored)
Glue Sticks (or tape)
Markers
Scissors

Instructions:

Using the brown construction paper, cut out the shape of a tree trunk. The tree trunk should be long enough to fill at least one-half of your poster board.

Using the brown construction paper, cut out five to six branches for the tree. You can make the branches simple tapered rectangles or you can be elaborate and make them more realistic looking with several small branches that jut out from the main limb.

Glue the tree trunk and branches onto the construction paper, to form the complete tree shape.

Using the green, red, orange, and yellow construction paper, cut out a minimum of twenty leaf shapes. Leaf shapes may be simple tapered ovals or more elaborate oak-like leaves.

Give each child or participant in the craft project and equal number of leaves to write on.

Have each child or participant in the craft project write or draw the things they are most thankful for on the leaves.

Using glue, attach each leaf to the tree (on the poster board.) The leaves should be attached with the written/drawing side up so that the "thankful" messages can be viewed.

Continue attaching leaves until your tree is full of "thanks!"

Hang tree in a prominent place and enjoy the sentiments of gratitude throughout the season.

Additional Ideas:

- Use foam board to complete the craft instead of construction paper.

- Use a smaller version of this craft and allow each child to create their own tree of thanks.

- To help toddlers make the leaf shapes, make cardboard stencils of leaf shapes for the children to trace the shapes of their leaves prior to cutting.

- Use the craft time to discuss all of the things you're thankful for. Have the children present their leaves to the class prior to attaching them to the tree.