As the holiday season approaches, November brings a wonderful opportunity to teach children about gratitude and the value of thankfulness. This month, introduce the “Thankful Trees” craft theme in your preschool classroom to inspire children to express what they’re grateful for in a fun and meaningful way. Each child will add a leaf with something they’re thankful for, creating a beautiful, growing “Thankful Tree” for everyone to admire.
In this blog, you’ll find a step-by-step tutorial on making a Thankful Tree with your class, tips to encourage participation, and ways MyKidReports can help you organize, share, and track this special activity. With MyKidReports, you can easily keep parents in the loop, allowing them to witness their child’s growth in real time.
Gratitude is a powerful, nurturing emotion, and studies show that teaching children to be thankful helps build their social-emotional skills, which are essential for forming healthy relationships and fostering empathy. Early childhood education research, such as that published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), highlights the importance of social-emotional learning. Activities like the Thankful Tree teach children the value of kindness, mindfulness, and empathy by encouraging them to reflect on the good things in their lives.
The Thankful Tree craft is an interactive and collaborative activity that gives every child a chance to participate. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set up the Thankful Tree project in your preschool classroom.
Materials Needed:
Instructions:
Using MyKidReports to Organize and Share
MyKidReports makes it simple to keep parents updated on the Thankful Tree project. You can upload photos, share daily gratitude highlights, and send updates about the activity. MyKidReports also allows you to organize the project timeline, assign tasks to teachers or assistants, and track engagement.
A director, Lisa Thompson from Little Hearts Preschool, shares her experience with gratitude-themed activities:
“We’ve been using gratitude activities like the Thankful Tree for the past few years, and it’s truly made a difference in the classroom. Children show more empathy, are more willing to help others, and even develop better friendships. Parents love seeing these updates on MyKidReports—it makes them feel connected and reassured that their children are learning meaningful values.”
By using a tool like MyKidReports to organize and document these activities, Lisa’s team is able to give parents a clear view into their child’s development, building trust and a shared sense of purpose.
In addition to the Thankful Tree, here are a few other ways you can integrate gratitude into your classroom routine:
1. Gratitude Circle
2. Gratitude Journals
3. Thankful Cards
Organizing and tracking gratitude activities like the Thankful Tree requires seamless communication and planning, and MyKidReports provides several features to help with this:
Simplify the concept by saying that gratitude is about being happy for the good things in our lives. Use examples like “I’m thankful for my family” or “I’m thankful for my friends.” This helps children understand gratitude in a way that feels personal and relatable.
Share photos and updates on MyKidReports, giving parents insight into the activity. Weekly highlights can show parents what their child and classmates have contributed to the Thankful Tree, making them feel connected to the classroom community.
For younger children, focus on simple phrases or drawings, like “my mom” or “my toys.” Older preschoolers can be encouraged to think of more specific gratitude statements, like “playing with my friend Sarah.” This helps meet each child at their developmental level.
Consider activities like Gratitude Circles, where children share what they’re thankful for, or Gratitude Journals for drawing or writing about positive experiences. These options help reinforce the theme in different ways.
MyKidReports allows you to share photos, videos, and updates with families, showcasing their child’s participation in the Thankful Tree project. With real-time updates and reminders, parents can stay connected to their child’s social-emotional growth throughout the month.