Written by monthly contributor, Kristen from Celebrate Every Day With Me.
Are your kids facing a little summer boredom? Is there a little too much complaining going on? Would you like to inject a dose of thankfulness? Then join us as we create a Thankful Tree!
What You’ll Need:
- Ribbon (we color coded for each member of our family)
- Scissors
- Assorted Permanent Markers
Cut the ribbon into lengths and instruct your kids to write something they are thankful for on each ribbon. (Those too young to write can draw pictures or tell you what to write down.) There is no right or wrong. Although, I did finally encourage them to write “cousins” instead of each one, name by name. We have a big family . . .
We discovered we had so much to be thankful for! My daughter would have kept on going had she not run out of ribbon.
Tie your ribbons to a tree and reflect on all the blessings in your life.
I will tell you that it is quite possible this activity will produce some mushy sibling love. But, sit back and enjoy the moment!
And did I mention . . . I am thankful for you!
* Make it a priority to encourage thankfulness in your children and check out Stacie’s ebook, Thanksgiving Heart.

Kristen of Celebrate Every Day With Me is a fun-loving mom to two kids who keep her busy and laughing. Add her great husband and the Lord to the mix and her life is one fantastic (and sometimes crazy) adventure. She is a former youth leader, professional wedding and event planner and has a degree in Christian Thought/Christian Ministry. She loves long lists, diet soda and playing jokes on her husband.Kristen is the author of Teach Me To Serve: 99 Ways Preschoolers Can Learn To Serve & Bless Others. On her blog, you’ll find fun ideas for children’s activities, creating memorable moments and party planning.
I love this idea! Definitely going to try it with my kids!
I agree, Melissa! Kristen is so creative!
Every year when ALL of our family gathers, I am in charge of a group activity for all the grandchildren. Last year, at Thanksgiving, I cut out fall colored paper leaves, passed them out (even to the adults) and instructed them to write what they were thankful for. I glued the leaves on a fun tree branch and made a centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner. This idea would be great for a “summer camp” theme with kids. LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing.
I love that! We’ve done a fall Thanksgiving tree, too, but I love Kristen’s idea. It’s such a pretty summer tree!
What a wonderful idea! Easy, inexpensive, and great way to teach gratitude.
Thanks–I can’t wait to share with my fellow mom friends 🙂
Thanks, Mitzi!