It's easy to remember what you're grateful for this Thanksgiving with this Thanksgiving Tree Craft. This simple Thanksgiving craft is easy to make, and a fun activity to do together. On the days leading up to the holiday, have each member of the family write one thing he or she is thankful for on a leaf doily or a piece of paper and clip it to the Thanksgiving Tree Craft; then, read each aloud at your Thanksgiving dinner.

Materials

• 1 12x12-inch green card stock (find in the scrapbooking section of your craft store)
• 1 red piece of patterned scrapbooking paper
• 1 brown piece of patterned brown scrapbooking paper
• 8 buttons
• 4 clothespins
• wooden letters that spell "thankful" (find these at your local craft store)

• 1 14-inch piece of ribbon
• leaf-shaped paper doilies
• quick-dry craft glue
• scissors
• Thanksgiving Tree Template

Instructions

1.
Print out the Thanksgiving Tree Template on the scrapbooking paper (or print in on regular paper and use it as guide). Cut it out, using the red scrapbooking paper as the tree top and the brown scrapbooking paper as the tree trunk.
2.
Glue top of tree about 2 inches below the top of the 12x12-inch piece of card stock. Glue brown tree trunk over tree top.
3.
Glue buttons in random places on the tree top with craft glue.

4.
Glue wooden letters that spell "thankful" to top of card stock above the tree.
5.
Glue 4 clothespins to bottom of card stock.

6.
Glue or tape each end 14-inch ribbon to the back of the card stock at the top to form a hanger.

7.
Allow craft glue to dry according to directions on the bottle.
8.
Keep a pen and the leaf doilies nearby so everyone can write down what they are thankful for and hang it from the tree!

Tips

• If you don't have some of the materials on the list, feel free to improvise. Instead of leaf doilies, cut leaves out of scrap paper; choose any color of paper you like to make the tree, or have your toddler paint a piece of plain paper and then trace the tree template onto it and cut it out. If you don't have wooden letters, use die cut letters or stickers, or simply write "thankful" on the paper with marker.
• Make this a permanent Thanksgiving decoration by making it with craft felt and pre-cut felt letters.