This is the time of the year we tend to focus on teaching our children to be grateful. In years past, our family has had a couple of Gratitude trees, and last year we had a Gratitude Garland. One of my daughters suggested using our new cornucopia – and our Thankful Cornucopia was born.
This year I wanted to encourage my children to do a little more than think about the blessings in their lives; I wanted them to show their gratitude. I want it to be who they are, not just something they do on Turkey day.
While trying to get this fuzzy idea in my head to a working plan, I found exactly what I had in mind over at Somewhat Simple. Stephanie shares a list of things we are thankful for, and a way to show our gratitude. For example, I’m thankful for treats. Deliver some to a neighbor. Or, I’m thankful for my sister. Do something nice for her. She printed out her list, cut them into strips and put them in a jar. Her family picks a strip every day and does that activity. I found some additional ideas at 24/7 Moms.
I have a little different spin so it’s more like our Gratitude Garland. I cut out a bunch of leaf shapes and wrote one “I’m thankful for” and the activity on each leaf. Those are in a small basket with a pen, next to our cornucopia. Whenever someone completes a thankful activity, they write their name on the back and place it in the cornucopia. I’m working on getting some blank leaves in the basket so we can add our own ideas.
Right now the cornucopia is the centerpiece on my dining room table. Hopefully gratitude will be the centerpiece of my children’s lives!
Does your family do a gratitude tree or some version of it?
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