My Thankful Tree Worksheets: 10 Printable Gratitude Activities for Kids
Help children celebrate the people, places, and everyday moments that make them happy with these My Thankful Tree worksheets.
This collection includes 10 black-and-white designs for drawing, writing, coloring, and crafting. Children can fill their trees with things they are thankful for, from family and friends to a favorite book or a sunny afternoon.
Use them for a Thanksgiving activity, a classroom gratitude lesson, or a quiet family conversation at home.
What’s Included?
The collection contains 10 individual worksheets with English instructions and portrait US Letter layouts:
- 8 draw-and-write worksheets with spaces directly on the tree.
- 2 cut-and-paste worksheets with separate leaves to decorate and attach.
Each design has six spaces for children to share their ideas. Some include writing lines, while others leave the leaves open for drawings or longer responses.
The designs feature rounded leaves, maple leaves, heart-shaped leaves, apples, and playful details such as a squirrel, a birdhouse, pumpkins, and a tree growing from an open book.
Who Can Use These Worksheets?
These thankful tree activities are designed for children approximately ages 4–8, with support adjusted to their needs.
Younger children can draw pictures and explain their choices aloud. An adult can write down their words if they would like help.
Children who are beginning to write can add a name or a short phrase to each leaf. More confident writers can explain what they appreciate and why.
What You’ll Need
Prepare a few simple supplies:
- A printed worksheet
- Pencils
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Child-safe scissors and a glue stick for the two cut-and-paste designs
Print in portrait orientation. Check the print preview and select “Fit to printable area” if any edges fall outside your printer’s margins.
How to Complete a My Thankful Tree Worksheet
1. Talk About Being Thankful
Begin with a short conversation:
“Being thankful means noticing and appreciating the good things in our lives.”
Ask children to think about someone who helps them, something they enjoy doing, or a small moment that made them smile.
2. Choose a Tree
Let each child select a favorite design. Some may enjoy the heart-shaped leaves, while others may prefer the apple tree or a tree with an animal beside it.
3. Draw or Write
Invite children to add one idea to each large leaf, apple, or canopy space.
Possible answers include:
- My family
- My friends
- My teacher
- My pet
- Books
- Our playground
These are starting points, not required answers. Encourage children to choose things that matter to them.
4. Add Color
Children can color their tree trunks, leaves, fruit, and decorations.
Try autumn shades such as red, orange, yellow, and brown, or let children invent their own colorful tree.
5. Share One Idea
Invite each child to share one thing from their tree:
“I am thankful for my friend because we play together.”
Sharing can be optional. Children may also prefer to talk privately with a teacher or family member.
How to Use the Cut-and-Paste Versions
Two worksheets include a bare tree and six separate leaves.
- Draw or write something thankful on each leaf.
- Color the leaves and the tree.
- Cut out the individual leaves.
- Arrange them on the branches.
- Glue them in place.
Keep the printed tree on the page as the background. Children only need to cut out the leaves to complete the activity.
For younger learners, an adult can prepare the leaves beforehand so children can focus on drawing, coloring, and arranging.
Helpful Sentence Starters
Offer a sentence starter when children need help expressing an idea:
- I am thankful for ______.
- ______ makes me happy.
- ______ helps me ______.
- I am thankful for ______ because ______.
A child might write “Grandma,” draw a picture of her, and explain: “I am thankful for Grandma because she reads with me.”
Easy Classroom Activity Ideas
A Thankful Tree Display
Give each child a worksheet and display the completed pages together under the heading “Our Classroom Is Full of Thanks.”
The different tree designs make it easy for children to create individual work while contributing to one shared display.
A Gratitude Writing Center
Place several designs in a writing center with pencils and crayons. Children can choose a tree and complete it independently or with a partner.
Keep a small word bank nearby for children who need spelling support.
One Leaf a Day
Spread the activity across six days. Each day, children add one new idea to their tree.
Use a different prompt each time, such as a helpful person, a favorite place, something in nature, or a happy memory.
A Family Thankful Activity
Complete a tree together at home. Each family member can contribute an idea, or children can create their own trees and share them during a meal.
Use Your Thankful Tree Beyond Thanksgiving
Although these worksheets fit naturally into Thanksgiving lessons, gratitude can be explored throughout the year.
Use a tree after a class project to recognize helpful classmates, at the end of a school term to reflect on happy memories, or whenever children need a gentle prompt to notice something good in their day.
Get the My Thankful Tree Worksheets
Choose from 10 black-and-white My Thankful Tree designs, including drawing, writing, coloring, and cut-and-paste activities.
Print a favorite page or offer the full selection so children can choose their own tree. With a few pencils, crayons, and thoughtful ideas, each child can create a personal reminder of what they appreciate.
