I am constantly trying to instill thankfulness in my children on a daily basis (who isnt?!). But even with all my preaching, we still have I Guess Im Due moments in this area. I always seem to have at least one that needs some extra practice with gratitude.
So this month, being that we are celebrating Thanksgiving, I decided to start a new family tradition. Meet our Thankful Tree.
The purpose of
our tree is to remember and reflect on what we are thankful for and how
God has truly blessed each and every one of us.
Before I started this activity, I read the book "Biscuit is Thankful" to help remind the kids what being thankful means. Afterwards, we had a great conversation about things we were each thankful for just like Biscuit. We took our conversation outside and began hunting for the perfect branches to create our Thankful Tree. After we collected our branches we took a large vase and placed the branches so they fit just the way we wanted. Now, that our tree is assembled our goal is to sit down everyday for a few minutes and think of something specific we are each thankful for. Then, we each write down our response on a fancy piece of paper and cut it out into our very own leaf. After attaching a ribbon to it, the kids find the perfect spot to hang it up.
Before I started this activity, I read the book "Biscuit is Thankful" to help remind the kids what being thankful means. Afterwards, we had a great conversation about things we were each thankful for just like Biscuit. We took our conversation outside and began hunting for the perfect branches to create our Thankful Tree. After we collected our branches we took a large vase and placed the branches so they fit just the way we wanted. Now, that our tree is assembled our goal is to sit down everyday for a few minutes and think of something specific we are each thankful for. Then, we each write down our response on a fancy piece of paper and cut it out into our very own leaf. After attaching a ribbon to it, the kids find the perfect spot to hang it up.
It's been so much fun to hear what the kids are each thankful for. Things like, "the trees," "the fire that keeps us warm" and "going to the library." The tree has been such a great daily, visual reminder to all of us to be thankful for what we have. Instead of complaining about the things we don't have, the leaves are proof that God provides more than what we need. By the end of this month, it will be amazing to see how these branches will be weighed down with people, places, things, and feelings for which we are all thankful for.
No comments:
Post a Comment