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The last couple of years we have been doing the best tradition in November and I want to share it with you! We call it our thankful tree! I draw out a really rough looking tree on kraft paper, then cut it out! Honestly this is my least favorite part (and it’s not even that bad) so if you wnat to dodge that step you could get a Bulletin Board tree cut out HERE!
Then hang it up in a place that is a common area in our home and a place that everyone in our family can reach! Each night, each member of the family adds a leaf with something written on it that they are thankful for. It can be as sweet or silly as you like, the only rule is it can’t be something you already wrote, no repeats!
I’ve learned you need LOTS of tape for this so make sure to have lots on hand. I also like to have a pen, tape, and the pre-cut leaves (see below for my silhouette file or you could purchase leaves already cut HERE) close by the tree so we can add our leaves to the tree easily when we remember each night!
I’m telling you squid like or not it is still such a fun tradition! haha! Each day up until Thanksgiving the tree gets more full of leaves and it’s so cool to see all the things there are to be thankful for. It’s amazing to me to see little Liv grasping the concept so young! I love it! When we take it down on Thanksgiving or the day after, we read all the leaves and it’s another favorite day of the month!
It’s so fun to watch it all month long get more and more leaves! It’s so pretty! Liv has been loving have the leaves fall or be on the ground because it’s FALL after all! haha
This year Liv and I decided to add our names so we know who it’s from too! 😉 it’s also great writing practice for littles!
It’s sure to be a tradition we keep for years to come! Last year she even had her bestie cousin Grayson write on a leaf and say something he was grateful for while he was playing at our house.
Each kid gets to also choose the placement of their leaf each night so it makes it more interactive and fun to see what they come up with to put on their leaf first off then where they are going to put it!
A fun family activity all November long! Or how cute would this activity be in a school room! I even did a version of this with my young women for a mutual activity years ago.
Love the cute leaves that I captured last year when we were taking down the tree!
If kids are too young to write they could draw pictures too!
Or have someone else write it for them, a parent or an older sibling. I loved this leaf! I would’ve forgotten if I hadn’t written it down! And that she had another one for just her baby sister! She really does love little Violet! I’m so grateful they have each other!
Here’s all you need for this fun tradition:
You can find all the directly below or shop them all on my LTK HERE!
-leaf cut outs (If you have a Silhouette machine AND the Silhouette program already installed on your computer-you can use this silhouette file I made HERE colored or you can cut the shapes on colored cardstock paper like we did, it makes it SO easy!)
–Kraft paper or precut Bulletin Board tree
–cardstock paper or precut leaves
-This is not a need but if you’d like to use the silhouette file above you’ll obviously need a Silhouette Machine!