For the past 15+ years, each Thanksgiving my family gets together. We eat delicious food, share memories from the year and our childhood and express our gratitude for what we have been giving.
It is one of my favorite times of year. But one of the traditions I just ADORE is our Thanksgiving Thankful Chart and handprint turkey craft.
Each year we grab a poster board or large sheet of butcher paper and decorate it. Typically we make a handprint turkey craft with a bit of construction paper and the little ones traced hands. {Which is fun year after year and we love to see how their little hands grew each year.}
At the top of the post board we write, "I am thankful for......" and hang our thankful chart up on the wall. We keep a set of washable markers (essential when you have little ones that like to write on walls) next to the chart.
Than during the entire month of November we share all that we are thankful for on our chart.
At the beginning of the month, it is easy to fill in the chart. We put down each other, our home, clothes, food, etc. But as we get closer to Thanksgiving, it gets harder and we have to try harder to recognize and find things we are grateful for.
Yes, someone usually writes something silly, but overall it is a great way for each family member to really start to recognize and be grateful for what they have and what they are thankful for.
How to Make a Thankful Chart and Handprint Turkey Craft
I seriously LOVE our thankful chart at the end of the month. It is such a great activity to do with the entire family.
It starts out the holiday season on the right foot, with gratitude, thanksgiving and a bit of humbling for all of us. We have so much to be thankful for, even during those harder years.
I hope your family will join our thankful chart tradition. I know you will love it just as much as we do. And you'll start to recognize that the most important things in life aren't really things, but people and loving them fiercely.
Don't forget to save the sweet turkey handprint craft from year to year. You can see how those little hands change over time.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
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Enjoyed this family tradition? Check out some of these other fun traditions.
Thankful Tree from Sunshine and Munchkins
DIY Thanksgiving Table Runner from That's What Che Said
Thankful Jar from The Scrap Shoppe Blog
Gratitude Calendar from Tried and True
DIY Thankful Journals from Adventures of a DIY Mom
Gratitude Chain from Carla Schauer Studio
It is one of my favorite times of year. But one of the traditions I just ADORE is our Thanksgiving Thankful Chart and handprint turkey craft.
Each year we grab a poster board or large sheet of butcher paper and decorate it. Typically we make a handprint turkey craft with a bit of construction paper and the little ones traced hands. {Which is fun year after year and we love to see how their little hands grew each year.}
At the top of the post board we write, "I am thankful for......" and hang our thankful chart up on the wall. We keep a set of washable markers (essential when you have little ones that like to write on walls) next to the chart.
Than during the entire month of November we share all that we are thankful for on our chart.
At the beginning of the month, it is easy to fill in the chart. We put down each other, our home, clothes, food, etc. But as we get closer to Thanksgiving, it gets harder and we have to try harder to recognize and find things we are grateful for.
Yes, someone usually writes something silly, but overall it is a great way for each family member to really start to recognize and be grateful for what they have and what they are thankful for.
How to Make a Thankful Chart and Handprint Turkey Craft
Materials Needed
- Poster Board
- Construction paper in fall colors
- Scissors
- Black Marker
- Pen/Pencil
Step 1
Trace out hands to make your turkeys. Use the traced hand to cut out 4-5 different colored hands with construction paper in fall colors.
Step 2
Cut off the thumbs of all but one of your construction paper hands. If you don't cut the thumbs off they end up sticking out in funny places.
Step 3
Place the handprint with the thumb on the top and arrange the other cut out hands behind it and fan them out. You want them to look like turkey feathers. Glue the hands together but don't glue down the fingers.
Step 4
Cut a small triangle out for the beak and use a black marker to draw on an eye and a mouth if you'd like.
Step 4
Finally, glue your handprint turkey craft onto a large poster board and use the marker to draw legs. Make sure to label on the turkey with whose hands they were and the year. That way you can keep them from year to year.
Step 5
At the top of your poster board, write "I am thankful for...." Hang it up where everyone can write down what they are thankful for throughout the month or on Thanksgiving Day.
It starts out the holiday season on the right foot, with gratitude, thanksgiving and a bit of humbling for all of us. We have so much to be thankful for, even during those harder years.
I hope your family will join our thankful chart tradition. I know you will love it just as much as we do. And you'll start to recognize that the most important things in life aren't really things, but people and loving them fiercely.
Don't forget to save the sweet turkey handprint craft from year to year. You can see how those little hands change over time.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
------------------
Enjoyed this family tradition? Check out some of these other fun traditions.
Thankful Tree from Sunshine and Munchkins
DIY Thanksgiving Table Runner from That's What Che Said
Thankful Jar from The Scrap Shoppe Blog
Gratitude Calendar from Tried and True
DIY Thankful Journals from Adventures of a DIY Mom
Gratitude Chain from Carla Schauer Studio
