Tree of Gratitude by Katie Myers of Bonbon Break
With Thanksgiving coming up quickly, it is time to think about the holiday and what it means to your family. This post will give you a tutorial on how to make your own tree of gratitude full of all the things you and your family are grateful for in life. This is a fun project to do with the whole family and a project that grows throughout the entire month.
What you will need:
- Craft Paper
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Vase or Jar
- Branches
- Pens or Markers
- Bowl or Basket
To start, I found an old jar (you could use a big mason jar or vase.) You can decorate your jar or leave it just the way it is. Fill the bottom with marbles or stones to counterbalance the decorations. Next, you will need to fill it with branches. I went outside and cut a few, but you can put as many as you would like in your jar to make your tree. After you get the branches settled, you will need some leaves to hang from them. I chose some fall colors (red, orange, yellow, and green) of construction paper to cut my leaves from. You can either use an online template to cut your leaves or have fun making your own.
Tip: Let your little ones draw leaves for you to cut or, if they are old enough, they can cut out their own. Once all of your leaves are cut out, you will want to punch a hole in each of them.
Be sure to put your leaves in a basket or bowl of some sort and leave either a pen or marker out for family members to write what they are thankful for on the leaves. 
Now that your tree is ready to go, its time for your tree to grow.
The idea is that every night at dinner for the month of November, leading up to Thanksgiving, each family member will write something that are thankful for on a leaf and hang it on the tree. This can be a good dinner topic and something to talk to your children about and help them think up ideas that they can put on their leaves. Let your children write their idea or if they are too young you can write it for them.
Hang your leaves on your tree each night and when Thanksgiving comes around you can take them all down and share them at your meal.
Have fun listening to what everyone is grateful for and reflecting on what means the most to you and your family.
ABOUT KATIE: Katie spends her days with toddlers, as their preschool teacher. She loves to bake, cook, camp, and read, but she her greatest love is creating crafts and sharing them with kids. Katie and her newlywed husband are living happily ever after on a little island in the Pacific Northwest where she was born and raised. Keep your eyes open for her posts on Bonbon Break, where she is a regular contributor.
This post was written by Katie Myers exclusively for Bonbon Break Media, LLC
