Now more than ever, it is becoming obvious to me how much my children, and I, need to practice being thankful. Our world is tough these days. Our kids are swarmed with stuff in every direction and attitudes that they NEED more, more, more. Goodness, I get sucked up in it, too.
I love the idea of stopping every day to notice things for which we are thankful, and I want to instill that habit in my children.
I want them to grow up being able to recognize the things in their lives for which they are thankful. I want them to focus on gratitude rather than wants and worries. It’s up to me to teach my children how to do that. It’s up to me to teach myself how to do that. It’s important for our family.
It’s all good in theory, but I’ve been thinking over the practicality of it. How do I make those attitudes and a heart of gratitude happen in a family with three kids five and under? After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to use the thankful tree. It’s fun and easy to do! Also, because it is a great family project and an easy way to include kids, they will take pride in it and will want to add to the tree.
Here’s how it works:
Collect sticks. {It is top-of-the-line fun for kids to find sticks that are perfect for the thankful tree. If your house is anything like mine, then your kids will also be excited they get to bring these sticks inside.}
Put the sticks in a container. {This can be a vase, a basket, a box, or anything else you have lying around. You can make it as pretty and creative as you want or it can be very plain and simple like mine is.}
Print thankful tags. {You can find these for free on Jones Design Company’s website.}
Hole punch the tags and add a ribbon for hanging them on the tree.
Place the tags beside the tree so they can be easily accessed for listing what you’re thankful for.
Have fun with the tree and have fun teaching your kids about the importance of being thankful!
