Thankful tree

A bare tree, on paper or in a vase, that a family or a class fills with leaves. Each leaf holds one thing someone is thankful for. Bit by bit the tree fills up, and you can see how many good things there are. Many families make one in November for Thanksgiving, but it works in any month.

One thing a leaf: a person, a pet, a place, a food, a moment. Little ones can pick a picture leaf or draw. Older children can add a because: "I am thankful for my bike because Grandpa fixed it." Or write a question on each leaf: who helped you today, what made you smile, what keeps you warm.

Print the tree poster, or cut a trunk and branches from brown paper. Pin the three page banner above it. Give each child a giant leaf (or a few small ones) to write or draw on, and add the leaves through November. One leaf a day at morning meeting works well, and a name on each leaf helps families find theirs.

Yes. Use the picture leaves (family, a friend, a pet, home, food, a toy, outside, school, a warm drink, warm boots) or a blank leaf to draw on. Ask what they drew and write their words on the back. On a phone or tablet, the leaf a day tree has the same pictures.

Start on 1 November and add a leaf a day, and you'll have 26 leaves by Thanksgiving, Thursday 26 November 2026. A week before works too: everyone adds leaves, and the tree goes on the table. In Canada, Thanksgiving is in October. And a tree in spring, with green leaves, is just as nice.

Only in your browser, on that phone or tablet. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, and there's no account. If you clear the browser's data, the tree goes too, so print it (or save it as a PDF) when it's full.

We see them as family rituals and a way to talk, not a cure. Research with children ages 4 to 8 is thin, and a daily list on its own has not been shown to make young children happier. What researchers do find is that parents who talk about gratitude and show it tend to have more grateful children. So the talking matters more than the jar.