A thankful tree is an easy family tradition for November. Each day, children write or draw one thing they are grateful for on a paper leaf and add it to the tree. By Thanksgiving, the bare branches are covered in leaves, and each one is a reason to say thank you. Our free thankful tree printable has the trunk, the leaves and the prompts, so you can start today.
Ages 3-10 · 15 minutes to set up · Includes a printable tree trunk, 4 leaf templates and prompt cards.
[Printable PDF to be added] Thankful tree printable pack with a tree trunk poster (2 pages to tape together), 4 gratitude leaf shapes, and 30 daily prompt cards.
What’s in the thankful tree printable pack
- Tree trunk and branches: a large tree outline that prints across two pages. Tape them together for a poster about 40 cm (16 inches) tall.
- Gratitude leaves: four leaf shapes (maple, oak, birch and a simple round leaf) with writing lines. Print them on orange, red, yellow and brown paper, or let kids color them.
- Pre-writer leaves: leaves with a blank space for drawing instead of writing, ideal for toddlers and preschoolers.
- Daily prompt cards: 30 gratitude prompts, one for each day of November.
- Title banner: “We Are Thankful For…” to display above your tree.
What you need
- The printable pack, printed on regular paper or card stock
- Scissors (child-safe for little ones)
- Glue stick, tape or reusable sticky putty
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils
- Optional: a real branch in a vase, string and a hole punch
How to make your thankful tree (step by step)
- Print the tree trunk. Print both pages, trim the edges, and tape them together. Color the trunk brown, or let your child paint it.
- Display the tree. Stick it on a wall, door, fridge or classroom board at a height your child can reach.
- Print and cut the leaves. Cut out a batch of leaves and keep them in a basket or envelope near the tree with a pen.
- Add one leaf a day. Each day, your child writes or draws one thing they are thankful for, then sticks the leaf onto a branch.
- Read the leaves together. On Thanksgiving Day, read all the leaves aloud at the table while everyone is together.
Option: Make a 3D branch tree
Instead of the paper trunk, place a few bare twigs from the garden in a vase or jar filled with pebbles. Punch a hole in each leaf, thread a short piece of string through, and hang the leaves from the branches. It can double as a centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table.
30 gratitude prompts for kids
Sometimes children say “I don’t know” when asked what they’re thankful for. The prompts below give them somewhere to start, and they’re also printed on cards in the PDF.
- A person who makes me smile
- My favorite food
- Something in nature I love
- A friend who is kind to me
- A toy or game I enjoy
- Something that keeps me warm
- A teacher or helper
- A place I love to visit
- A happy memory
- Something I can do with my body (run, jump, dance)
- A book or story I love
- A sound I like
- Someone in my family
- An animal or pet
- Something that made me laugh this week
- A food that grows on a farm
- My home
- Something I learned
- A holiday tradition
- Someone who helps our community
- My favorite season
- Something beautiful I saw today
- A song I like
- A gift I gave someone
- Something I’m good at
- A neighbor
- Something that’s hard but I’m still trying
- Water, food and a bed to sleep in
- A way someone was kind to me
- Today!
Ideas for different ages
Toddlers and preschool (ages 2-5)
Use the drawing leaves. Ask a simple question like “Who do you love?” and write their answer for them. Let them stick the leaf on the tree. Even a scribble counts!
Kindergarten to grade 2 (ages 5-8)
Children can write one or two words on each leaf. Encourage them to sound out the words themselves, which makes this a gentle writing practice as well.
Older kids (ages 8-10)
Challenge older children to write a full sentence that starts with “I am thankful for… because…”. Explaining the “because” makes them think a little harder about why it matters to them.
Using a thankful tree in the classroom
Teachers can make one big class tree. Each morning, a few students add a leaf. At the end of the month, gather the leaves into a class book titled “Our Thankful Book”. Keep the book in the class library so students can read it again later in the year.
Pair the tree with a short read-aloud from our stories about gratitude for kids, or add a verse each day from our Thanksgiving Bible verses for kids if you’re using it in Sunday school.
Why a thankful tree works
Research on gratitude suggests that noticing good things regularly can help people feel happier. For children, the thankful tree turns an abstract idea into something they can see and touch. Watching the tree “grow” leaves gives them a real sense of how many good things are in their lives.
For more seasonal crafts, see our fall activities for kids.
FAQ: Thankful tree printable
What is a thankful tree?
A thankful tree is a paper or branch tree where children add a leaf each day with something they’re grateful for. It’s a popular November and Thanksgiving activity for families and classrooms.
When should we start our thankful tree?
Most families start on 1 November and add one leaf each day until Thanksgiving. You can start any time, though. It works all year round.
Is the thankful tree printable free?
Yes. The tree trunk, leaves and prompt cards are free for home and classroom use.
