Thankful Tree Ideas for Kids and Adults

Turn bare branches, colorful paper leaves, or printable templates into a meaningful gratitude display. Find a project to enjoy together at home, in the classroom, or at work this Thanksgiving.

Give thanks this Thanksgiving with these thankful tree ideas for kids and adults. From bare branches decorated with real fall leaves to colorful paper trees and printable activities, you’ll find inspiration for your home, classroom, or workplace.

A thankful tree, also called a gratitude tree, is an interactive display where children and adults add leaves or ornaments with words or drawings of things they’re grateful for. It’s a simple way to pause, reflect on what brings joy, comfort, and meaning to our lives, and share our appreciation with others.

Make it a meaningful Thanksgiving tradition or enjoy this gratitude activity any time of year. Explore the ideas below to find a tree you love, then follow the links for complete instructions.

Thankful TREE IDEAS for Kids and Adults:

Explore a few of my favorite Thanksgiving tree ideas, from decorative autumn centerpieces to simple crafts kids can make. Choose one you love and make this interactive Thanksgiving tradition your own.

1. Thanksgiving Tree with Clay Gratitude Leaves:

Create a beautiful thankful tree with bare branches and marbled clay gratitude leaves. Stamp or write words of thanks on the leaves, then hang them from the branches for a meaningful Thanksgiving decoration that the whole family can make together.

Follow the complete tutorial to make a Thankful Tree with Clay Gratitude Leaves. You can also use the leaves to create a gratitude mobile.

2. Thankful Trees Made with Real Fall Leaves:

Bring the beauty of autumn indoors with a thankful tree decorated with preserved fall leaves. Invite kids and adults to use paint pens to write what they’re grateful for on each leaf, then hang them from the branches to create a meaningful fall display.

You can also use paper leaves or scratch art leaves to make this beautiful gratitude tree. Follow the complete tutorial to learn how to make a Thankful Tree with Real Leaves like the one pictured below.

3. Gratitude or Thankful Tree Printable for Kids and Adults:

These printable trees offer a simple way for kids and adults to express gratitude at home, in the classroom, or at work. Choose a tree labeled “Thankful” or “Grateful.” Each option includes a full-color tree and a coloring-page version.

Invite everyone to create their own tree, or decorate one together as a family, group, or class. Write or draw thankful thoughts on the printable leaves, then add them to the tree.

Display your finished tree on the fridge with homemade magnets, frame it, or pin it to a bulletin board. Explore both options and learn how to use them here: Thankful Tree Printable with Gratitude Leaves.

4. Thankful Tree with Wood Slice Ornaments:

Create a rustic thankful tree with bare branches and wood slice ornaments painted with chalkboard paint. Place chalk markers beside the display and invite family and friends to write their thankful thoughts on the ornaments before hanging them from the branches.

This simple fall decoration offers a meaningful way for kids and adults to share their gratitude. Follow the step-by-step tutorial from Create-ful-life to make the thankful tree pictured below.

5. Thankful Tree with Printable Leaves:

Create an interactive Thanksgiving centerpiece with gold-painted willow branches and printable paper leaves. Have the leaves printed, cut out, and ready for guests to write what they’re thankful for, then invite them to tie their leaves onto the branches.

You can also use a tabletop tree display for this project instead of willow branches. Find the printable leaf pattern and instructions for the thankful tree pictured below at Lia Griffith.

6. Thanksgiving Tree with Willow Branches and Paper Leaves:

Turn willow branches and paper leaves into a thankful tree for your home or workplace. Invite family, friends, or coworkers to write what they’re grateful for on the leaves, then add them to the branches to fill the display with thankful thoughts.

Follow the complete HGTV tutorial to make the thankful tree pictured below.

7.  DIY Thankful Tree with Lights:

Bring a warm glow to your fall decor with a lighted thankful tree. Display branches with lights in a vase or large mason jar, or use a lighted tabletop tree. Add colorful cardstock maple leaves made with a leaf-shaped paper punch, or choose pre-cut paper leaves for an easy alternative.

Invite family and friends to write their thankful thoughts on the leaves before hanging them from the branches. Follow the complete tutorial from The Happy Housewife to make the tree pictured below.

8. Paper Leaf Thanksgiving Thankful Tree Craft:

Create a paper thankful tree with recycled brown craft paper and paper maple leaves. Invite everyone to write or draw something they’re thankful for on a leaf, then add it to the tree. Decorate it together on Thanksgiving morning, or add a few leaves each day throughout November.

For a ready-made option, try a Thanksgiving tree craft kit. Find the tutorial and printable for the paper tree pictured below at One Creative Mommy.

9. Thanksgiving Gratitude Tree With Acorn Favors:

Decorate bare branches with paper gratitude leaves and acorn favors for a charming Thanksgiving display. Invite family and dinner guests to write something they’re thankful for on each leaf, then hang their thankful thoughts among the acorns.

Follow the complete tutorial from The House That Lars Built to make the tree pictured below. You can also use colorful homemade acorn marble ornaments in place of the acorn favors.

10. Chalkboard Thankful Tree Craft:

Pair a chalkboard tree with colorful watercolor autumn leaves for a beautiful Thanksgiving display at home, in the classroom, or at work. Invite kids and adults to add their thankful thoughts to the leaves, creating a visual reminder of the people, experiences, and everyday joys they appreciate.

Follow the step-by-step tutorial from Make Life Lovely to make the chalkboard thankful tree pictured below.

11. November Bulletin Board Thankful Tree for Kids:

Create a thankful tree for your home or classroom with brown kraft paper branches and laminated construction paper leaves. Invite toddlers and preschoolers to share what they’re thankful for, then write their words on a leaf and add it to the tree.

For a ready-made alternative, use a tree bulletin board set or a large tree wall decal with leaf-shaped sticky notes. Add a leaf each day throughout November and watch the branches fill with thankful thoughts. Sticky-note leaves are easy to remove when you’re ready to start again.

Follow the complete tutorial from Simply Rebekah to make the paper thankful tree pictured below.

12. Handprint Thankful Tree for Thanksgiving:

Make a handprint thankful tree to start a simple Thanksgiving tradition with your little ones. This construction paper display fits on a wall, door, or bulletin board, with handprint leaves filled with your family’s thankful thoughts.

1. Tape pieces of brown construction paper together to form a tree trunk, as shown in the photo below. Alternatively, you can use recycled kraft paper found in packaging or cut paper bags.
2. Trace your children’s hands onto colorful construction paper and cut out the handprints to make leaves.
3. Write something your family is thankful for on each leaf. Invite children who can share their ideas to tell you what to write.
4. Tape the handprint leaves above the trunk to fill your tree with gratitude.

You can also add handprint leaves to a ready-made tree bulletin board set.

The original tutorial from Our Goodwin Journey is no longer available online, but you can use these directions and the photo below to recreate the idea.

Related: Fall Leaf Art with Free Printable Templates

Ways to Use Your Thankful Tree

Turn your thankful tree into a daily gratitude activity or a meaningful part of your Thanksgiving gathering. Here are two simple ways to invite family, friends, students, or coworkers to share what they’re thankful for.

Make a Daily Gratitude Tree

Set up your tree at the beginning of November, or whenever you’d like to start. Invite each family member, student, or friend to add a thankful leaf each day with their words or drawings of something they’re thankful for—big or small.

Keep blank leaves and writing supplies nearby so everyone can contribute as they notice something they appreciate. Children who aren’t writing yet can draw their thanks or tell you what to write. As Thanksgiving approaches, watch your tree fill with thankful thoughts.

Save your family’s thankful leaves each year to look back on the people, places, and everyday moments you appreciated together.

Create an Interactive Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Place your thankful tree where guests can reach it, with blank leaves and pens beside the display. Invite everyone to write or draw something they’re grateful for and add it to the tree before dinner. Read a few of the messages together during your Thanksgiving celebration, or simply enjoy the display of everyone’s thankful thoughts. You can also display your thankful tree on a fall nature table to bring gratitude into your seasonal decor.

Related: Gratitude Books for Children that Inspire Thankfulness

What do you put on a Thankful tree?

Decorate a thankful tree with paper leaves, preserved fall leaves, clay gratitude leaves, or other ornaments that hold words of thanks. Choose materials that suit your tree and the people who will use it. Paper leaves work well for a classroom display, while real or clay leaves make beautiful ornaments for a tree made with bare branches.

You can also add ribbons, colorful pom-poms, other seasonal ornaments, or string lights to complement your fall decor. Leave room for the thankful thoughts that everyone contributes!

What do you write on a thankful tree?

Write or draw something you’re thankful for on each leaf or ornament. It might be a person you love, a small act of kindness, something you enjoyed learning, or a beautiful moment in nature. Everyday comforts and little joys belong on the tree, too.

The idea is to pause, notice the good around you, and express that feeling. Gratitude is a value shared across cultures, faiths, and philosophies — it reminds us to focus on abundance rather than lack.

Try these prompts to get started:

• Someone I’m thankful for is…
• Something that made me smile today was…
• A place I love spending time is…
• Something I enjoyed learning was…
• One small thing I appreciate is…

Invite children who aren’t writing yet to draw their thanks or tell you what they’re grateful for. Write their words on a leaf, then let them decorate it before adding it to the tree.

As the tree fills with thankful leaves and other ornaments bearing words of gratitude, it becomes a beautiful representation of the group’s collective gratitude. “Thankful” is written on a preserved autumn leaf in the photograph below.

Start Your Own Thankful Tree Tradition

Choose a thankful tree idea you love and invite others to help fill it with words or drawings of gratitude. Whether you add a leaf each day or decorate it together on Thanksgiving, your tree will remind you of the people, places, and little moments you appreciate.

Keep your family’s thankful leaves to revisit in years to come, and enjoy watching this simple tradition grow. Happy Thanksgiving!

Learn more about Nell Regan Kartychok, author of these DIY thankful tree ideas HERE, and Rhythms of Play HERE!

More Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities:

• Thankful for Thanksgiving Placemats to Color
• 40 Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities and Crafts
• I am Grateful Gratitude Journal Printable
• Gratitude Journal Prompts Printable
• Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities
• Thankful Turkey Printable Thanksgiving Gratitude Activity

More DIY Bare Branch DIY Tree Decor Ideas:

My daughter loves decorating trees, so we make one every season. Along with our fall thankful tree, we create an Easter tree in the spring, a butterfly tree in summer, and a Christmas tree filled with handmade ornaments in winter.