I Am Thankful Book For Children to Make

I Am Thankful Book For Children to Make

by | Nov 1, 2013 | activities | 26 comments

 
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Want to teach your children to be thankful and discuss what that really means? It can be frustrating to teach this to children. We sound like broken records asking for them to “say thank you” while teaching manners. By inspiring them to reflect on what they are thankful for and documenting it, children can learn over time to have a grateful mindset all on their own.That is the purpose of this Thanksgiving book project! A free download and simple steps is all it takes to start the discussion with children preschool-age and older about being thankful and making sure that we are in that mindset each day-no matter the season.

Here are the supplies you need to start:

 construction paper (one color or a variety)
pipe cleaner (other options: staples, ribbon, binder rings, twist ties)
markers, crayons or colored pencils
folder
doo-dads (glitter, sequins, paper pieces, etc…optional)

 

Here are the steps for your child to create their I Am Thankful book:

 

1.) Start by downloading and printing this cover page.

 

Mount it onto a piece of construction paper. Encourage your child to write their name on the line and color/decorate the cover sheet with markers, crayons, and/or other doo-dads that can be glued onto the cover.

Ask your child what they think it means to be thankful. Discuss that being thankful means recognizing when we have received something and showing that we appreciate having it. For children, it can be easy to start with toys. They usually can relate to how happy they feel when they receive a new toy, or how fun it is to play with their toys. We then talk about how it is important to say ‘thank you’ to the people who give us things that we like or who help us when we need it.

 

2.) Once each day, ask your child what they are thankful for from that day. They use a piece of construction paper to draw a picture of what they are giving thanks for that day. Your child may need a little prompting to recall all that they did. If they want to draw more than one picture, I say go for it!
 

 

3.) Once they have drawn and colored their picture to their liking, write down (on their picture) what it is that they have drawn. (If your child is old enough to do this on their own, encourage them to do so.) I wrote the date as well and numbered the page in the bottom corner as shown in the picture above.

 

4.) Repeat this each day (or as many days as you remember…yes, we missed a few in our house) and store the completed pictures in a folder until it is time to assemble the book.

 

5.) At the end of the month-or whatever time frame you choose for ending this project-assemble the pages in order and punch holes in the edges of each page where you will secure them together. I used a piece of pipe cleaner cut into 2-two inch pieces to loop through the holes and just twisted them lightly to stay locked. You can use metal binder rings from an office supply store, or ribbon or yarn from your local craft store.

 

 

 Your child’s book is complete!

 

 
 

I love these make-at-home books that allow children to be authors and illustrators. These would be great to read through/share during Thanksgiving dinner gatherings or to give as gifts to the grandparents. 

These types of activities provide children with exposure to writing and literacy/reading exploration of their own making. I hope you enjoy the time helping your child create this “I Am Thankful For” book this Thanksgiving season. For additional Autumn and Thanksgiving themed activities, click here.

I Am Thankful for book for children to make. A simple Thanksgiving activity for kids to encourage being thankful.

Free gifts for subscribers to the Stay-at-home mom survival guide blog.

Take the gratitude and thanks one step further with this Free printable “You’ve Been Gobbled” neighborhood activity for Thanksgiving. Such a fun way to share an act of kindness this Thanksgiving season.

I am thankful book for kids to make with a free printable cover to customize and color as a Thanksgiving project for kids.
Girl smiling holding a thank you sign. Text reads I am thankful book for teaching children gratitude.

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26 Comments

  1. Kim Vij
    Kim Vij on November 18, 2013 at 7:50 pm

    Jaimi you’ve been featured on our After School Thanksgiving Roundup of Activities for School Aged Kids this week. This gratitude book looks like so much fun for the kids to create and share with the family. Just want to tell you that we are so thankful for you and your blog! Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 19, 2013 at 5:51 pm

      Thanks so very much, Kim! That is quite the list! I have my list of what I need to pin all there for me. 🙂 I appreciate you stopping by and your kind comment. What you do is awesome!

      Reply
  2. Anna @ The Measured Mom
    Anna @ The Measured Mom on November 16, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Thanks for stopping over at After School to link this up, Jaimi! It will be part of my round up on Monday.

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 17, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      Thanks, Anna! I am so glad! I really appreciate the opportunity to share it.

      Reply
  3. Jacquie F.
    Jacquie F. on November 16, 2013 at 4:30 am

    What a great idea – love that it's so open-ended for the kids. I'll be featuring you on our Thanksgiving round-up this week. Thanks for sharing at Discover & Explore!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 17, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      Awesome, Jacquie! Thanks so much and I appreciate you stopping by. I love seeing what you all link up for Discover & Explore!

      Reply
  4. Natalie F
    Natalie F on November 10, 2013 at 4:00 am

    This is a great way to capture Thanksgiving memories! Thanks for sharing with Afterschool!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 12, 2013 at 12:26 am

      I appreciate that, Natalie. It is nice to get to link up and share! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  5. Pennies of Time
    Pennies of Time on November 9, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    My kids will love this! Great idea to use pipe cleaners as fasteners–Thanks for sharing at Magic Moments Monday. Off to share this idea with others!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 12, 2013 at 12:25 am

      Thank you! I appreciate the opportunity to share it. Thank you for sharing it with others. That is so kind!

      Reply
  6. Anna @ The Measured Mom
    Anna @ The Measured Mom on November 7, 2013 at 4:10 pm

    Great idea, Jaimi! So nice to help kids keep the holiday season in perspective. Thanks for linking up at After School!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 7, 2013 at 5:43 pm

      I appreciate that. Thanks for the opportunity to link up!

      Reply
  7. Bekki Sayler
    Bekki Sayler on November 6, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    I love that this will work with all three of my younger kids!
    Love it!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 7, 2013 at 5:43 pm

      Perfect, Bekki! That's why I like simple, open ended ideas-they work for more than one age group at a time which is what I face in my house too. Best to you!

      Reply
  8. Nicole Flothe
    Nicole Flothe on November 4, 2013 at 12:22 am

    Sweet, I'm always asking my kids to tell me about their day and what they enjoyed. This would be a great way to reflect on the thankful things they've experienced. Happy SCBloghop!

    Reply
    • Jaimi
      Jaimi on November 4, 2013 at 9:27 pm

      Absolutely! It really is a visual answer to our questions about their day. So easy to insert into the day. Thanks, Nicole!

      Reply
  9. Marian
    Marian on November 3, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    I can't wait until my kids are old enough to twiddle and have fun doing this. I'm about to cry just thinking about it, haha! oh, well, emotional mom here talking. I guess I just knew that I'm doing something right that I'm pretty sure I'm raising them fairly well 😉

    Reply
  10. Alecia @ ChickenScratch NY
    Alecia @ ChickenScratch NY on November 3, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    Thanks for this! It would be great to do this every year so you can look back as they grow up

    Reply
  11. Tara
    Tara on November 3, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    I LOVE this Thankful book for kids! What a great way for them to think about what they are thankful for! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  12. Monika Baptista
    Monika Baptista on November 2, 2013 at 7:35 pm

    What a great idea! I would love to have my kids complete this and then we can look back each year and read what they wrote the year before. Thanks for sharing! -Monika

    Reply

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