Remind your guests and family of the true meaning of Thanksgiving with a DIY thankful tree. Creating and decorating a thankful tree with real, natural fall leaves is a gratitude craft and Thanksgiving tradition that kids and adults can enjoy.
Discover how to make a thankful tree, also known as a gratitude tree, to add to your festive decor using real autumn leaves as ornaments with this easy DIY tutorial. A thankful tree is a simple craft that combines the beauty of the fall season with the spirit of gratitude. Use the step-by-step directions below to learn how to make a thankful tree with natural, fresh fall leaves to decorate your home, workplace, classroom, or other space this November. You might also enjoy this printable Thankful Tree.
Making a thankful tree is not only a fun and creative seasonal project, but also a meaningful opportunity to practice mindfulness and appreciation. Often assembled as a family or group activity for a classroom, team, roommates, or other community, a gratitude tree serves as a visual reminder of the blessings in our lives. Each “leaf on the tree holds a note of thankfulness, whether it’s for family, friends, good health, or the small joys of everyday life.
Their many positive qualities make thankful trees one of the best Thanksgiving decorations. Whether displayed on a dining table, a classroom windowsill, or a quiet corner of your home, it encourages everyone who sees it to consider what they’re thankful for. First published on November 2, 2015, this DIY Thankful Tree tutorial is regularly updated to enhance its content. Scroll down to learn how to make and decorate a natural rustic DIY Thanksgiving tree. You might also enjoy these Thanksgiving Gratitude Crafts and Activities.
DIY Thankful Tree for Thanksgiving with Real Fresh Fallen or Preserved Autumn Leaves
Making a Thanksgiving tree is a great way to cultivate gratitude during the holiday season. Creating this simple craft with natural elements for your home, classroom, or office is a fun activity that family or friends of all ages can enjoy during the Thanksgiving season. It’s a tradition that can be revisited year after year, growing more meaningful with time, and becoming a cherished part of your fall celebrations.
Thankful trees made with real leaves make a great holiday decor piece. They are festive decorations and a naturally gorgeous piece of rustic DIY fall home decor that looks as amazing as a centerpiece on the Thanksgiving dinner table. They also look lovely on a side table or a nature table.
Use your thankful tree as a Thanksgiving advent that the family can use to count down to Turkey Day, 
or as an interactive Thanksgiving centerpiece that guests can decorate while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner. Learn more about Thanksgiving thankful trees and how to make and use this gratitude activity to bring thankfulness back to your dinner table HERE–>Thankful Tree Ideas. You might also enjoy this list of Thanksgiving gratitude crafts and activities.
Related: How to Make a Gratitude Tree with Clay Gratitude Leaves
How to Make a Thankful Tree with Real Fall Leaf Ornaments:
There are many ways to make and decorate a Thanksgiving thankful tree. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create your own thankful tree using real bare branches and colorful natural autumn leaves. The project begins with gathering a few bare branches from outside to serve as the structure of your tree.
Next, collect freshly fallen leaves in a variety of rich fall colors, such as red, orange, yellow, brown, and even deep burgundy. After pressing and preserving the leaves, it’s time to write messages of gratitude on them with a permanent marker or paint pen.
Invite family, friends, co-workers, and students to write what they are most grateful for on preserved fall leaves. Then, use autumn leaves with words of gratitude to decorate bare branches. Carefully attach the leaves to the branches using washi tape, mini clothespins, glue, thread, or string to finish your DIY gratitude tree. Please scroll down for the complete step-by-step thankful tree craft tutorial.
Thanksgiving Thankful Tree Craft Supplies:
- Ceramic or crystal vase.
- Sand and/or pebbles (to add weight to the vase so it doesn’t tip over).
- Bare branches:
- I used fallen branches from the oak tree in our backyard to make the Thanksgiving tree in the photographs.
- Go on a nature hunt to find bare branches, tree limbs, and sticks three to six feet long to make a thankful tree.
- Alternatively, purchase natural willow or birch twig branches, lighted branches, or a small lighted tabletop birch tree at a local craft store or florist.
- Leaf ornaments:
- My family and I used several different kinds of real preserved fall leaves to make the thankful tree in the photographs.
- Alternatively, you can use paper leaves or clay gratitude leaves.
- Autumn-colored pom-poms (optional – I picked the warm fall colors from THIS pack).
- Hot glue or glue dots if kids are helping (for attaching pom poms or fall leaves).
- Glue tape, duct tape, string, twine, or ribbon (optional for attaching fall leaves).
- Extra fine-tip paint pens or a permanent marker (for writing and doodling your gratitude on the preserved autumn leaves).
- You can also use paint pens to make painted rocks, color wooden beads, and decorate Easter Eggs!
and/or 
, lighted
.
.
(optional – I picked the warm fall colors from 
Related Post: Thanksgiving Traditions and Fun Things to Do on Thanksgiving
Step-by-Step Natural Gratitude or Thankful Tree DIY Tutorial:
Wondering how to make a gratitude tree for Thanksgiving? Use the step-by-step instructions below to create a Thanksgiving tree for your home, classroom, or office. Please read through the step-by-step instructions before starting this DIY Thanksgiving project. (A photo craft tutorial to help you make this natural gratitude tree craft for Thanksgiving is posted below the project directions.)
1. Arrange bare branches:
- Use a ready-made tree or arrange bare branches in a vase to form the base of the DIY thankful tree.
2. Add sand and/or pebbles to the vase:
- Pour sand and/or pebbles into the bottom of your vase around the bare branches to add weight and ensure the vase and Thanksgiving tree remain upright.
- Sand, pebbles, or floral stones help keep the weight of the branches from tipping the vase over.
3. Glue pom poms to the branches of the thankful tree to add a pop of autumn colors (optional):
- Use hot glue or glue dots to attach pom-poms to the branches of the Thanksgiving tree.
- This step is optional. If you do not want to add pom-poms to your gratitude tree, proceed to the next step.
- Little ones love helping with this optional addition when making Easter Egg Trees and Thanksgiving thankful trees. I put the dots of glue onto the bare branches of the gratitude tree while my daughter carefully stuck pom-poms into it to attach the warm autumn colors to the tree.
- Supervision is required for this craft-making step if you are using hot glue. Please guide and instruct children to use proper safety precautions and exercise caution while working with it.
while my daughter carefully stuck 
into it to attach the warm autumn colors to the tree. 4. Place leaf ornaments and decorating supplies in a central location near the Thanksgiving tree:
- Put leaf ornaments and other decorating supplies near the thankful tree:
- Preserved autumn leaves look nice sitting in a large bowl.
- Put paint pens or permanent markers in a cup, pen holder, or other container.
- Place a roll of glue tape or duct tape and a pair of scissors near the Thanksgiving gratitude tree to make it easy for friends and relatives to attach leaves to the bare branches to decorate it.
- Alternatively, have some string, ribbon, or twine available to tie to the leaf stem and tie a loop to hang it from the tree.
- Of course, you can also use paper leaf ornaments or clay gratitude leaf ornaments and string to decorate your gratitude tree if you prefer.
look nice sitting in a large bowl.
in a cup, pen holder, or other container.
near the Thanksgiving gratitude tree to make it easy for friends and relatives to attach leaves to the bare branches to decorate it. 5. Write what you are grateful for on leaves and decorate the gratitude tree:
- Please invite friends and family to use a paint pen to write what they are most thankful for onto the leaf ornaments.
- Cut a piece of glue tape or a small strip of duct tape, and wrap it around the stem or attach it to the base of each leaf to make it easy to attach the thankful leaf ornaments to the tree and decorate it.
- Alternatively, tie a piece of string or ribbon to the stem of the leaf. Then, tie a loop to hang it from a branch. Or use hot glue to attach the leaves to the bare branches.
- If your child is not writing yet, ask them what they feel most grateful for and write it on a leaf ornament to add to the Thankful Tree. Then, invite them to decorate their thankful leaf with doodles, dots, and fun designs. Next, encourage the kids to attach their thankful leaves to the bare branches of the gratitude tree to decorate it.
- Invite family, friends, coworkers, roommates, and students to write what they feel most thankful for on a leaf each day as a fun way to count down to Thanksgiving. Alternatively, set it up to decorate with your guests before inviting them to enjoy their Thanksgiving feast.
- Explore these thankful tree ideas for more fun ways to incorporate a Thanksgiving tree into your celebrations with this Thanksgiving tradition.
to write what they are most thankful for onto the leaf ornaments.
Update: The “THANKFUL” leaf shown in the photograph was preserved for over a year when the picture was taken. As I pulled it from our leaf box, I was surprised to see that it was still vibrant red! Learn how we preserved this leaf–>HERE.
Related: Gratitude Books for Kids that Inspire Thankfulness
Thankful Tree DIY Photo Tutorial:
Step-by-step directions for this Thanksgiving DIY project are written in the section above, while the photo tutorial is below. (Alternatively, you can make marbled clay gratitude leaves to decorate your Thanksgiving tree, or use this printable thankful tree craft for Thanksgiving.) Learn more about how to create and use a tree for Thanksgiving, and look at a few more gorgeous DIY thankful trees, on this list of thankful tree ideas!
Related: Top 10 Fall Nature Crafts
Tips for Writing Words of Gratitude on the Leaves:
Writing words and short phrases on the leaves of a thankful tree is a simple way to express your heartfelt appreciation for specific people, experiences, and things in your life. Use these printable gratitude prompts to help you come up with things to write down on each leaf. When we are grateful for what we have and take a moment to express our appreciation for the simple things in life, especially those that people often overlook or take for granted, it increases feelings of happiness and contributes to our overall well-being.
The key to grateful thinking is to go beyond generic statements and include personal details that make the message more meaningful and impactful. Unfortunately, writing everything on the leaves doesn’t work for this gratitude activity. However, there is a simple solution. I recommend creating a separate gratitude journal entry for each leaf. In other words, write a gratitude entry, then select a short keyword or phrase to write on the leaf that reflects that entry. You can also write the date on the leaf to make it easier to look back on what you wrote if desired.
Here are a few other things to consider when you write on the printable leaves for your Gratitude or thankful tree:
- Use a gratitude prompt: If you are helping others write on leaves for a gratitude tree, provide a prompt or ask a question to inspire more detailed responses, such as “What made you smile today?”
- Write down people and events more than things: Focusing on people and events fosters a more profound sense of thankfulness and gratitude. Meaningful moments and the people in our lives will always bring us more joy than material things, so prioritize people and experiences over possessions.
- Feel it in your heart: Take a moment to feel gratitude in your heart instead of quickly writing a word without any emotion.
- Consider your life without it: Take a moment to reflect on the absence of that person, place, or object to deepen your appreciation for it and enhance feelings of gratitude.
- Make it short and sweet: Come up with a single word or a short phrase to represent whatever it is that you are grateful for, and keep it simple. You can even doodle your answer onto a leaf or use this gratitude journal page.
Rustic Thanksgiving Gratitude Tree with Preserved Leaves
Gratitude trees help increase feelings of gratitude and happiness. Remind your guests and family of the true meaning of Thanksgiving by making a DIY thankful tree with real fall leaves this year. The entire family or a group of peers can enjoy making one together, creating beautiful, rustic DIY fall home decor that’s perfect for display, such as on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Making and decorating a Thanksgiving tree with autumn leaves is a gratitude craft that kids and adults can enjoy creating together. Writing down what we are thankful for on leaves and decorating a thankful tree for Thanksgiving is a fantastic opportunity to discuss the concept of gratitude with your child.
Making and decorating a thankful tree can help foster feelings of gratitude and joy at home or in the classroom. Gratitude activities and crafts, such as reading Gratitude Books to children and gratitude journaling, can help children learn more about gratitude and the concept of thankfulness.
You might also enjoy this printable thankful tree craft with colorful gratitude leaves, offering another excellent way to make this easy Thanksgiving craft.
Discover more information about the thankful tree tradition, along with several more ideas you can use to make your own here–>Thankful Tree Ideas.
You might also enjoy these Thanksgiving Traditions and fun things to do on Thanksgiving, as well as these Fall activities with a printable bucket list.
Learn more about Nell Regan Kartychok, author, photographer, and creator of this original thankful tree craft HERE, and Rhythms of Play HERE!
Thanksgiving Ideas
- 40 Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities and Crafts
- Printable Thankful Turkey Placemats To Color
- Thankful Tree Printable with Gratitude Leaves
- Thanksgiving Turkey Leaf Crafts
- Thanksgiving Thankful Tree Tradition
- Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
- Thanksgiving Traditions and Fun Things to Do
We’ve been making thankfulness trees since our first year of marriage half a decade ago! I love your Pom Poms! Cute addition. We just posted about our tree on our site at the beginning of November too! I’m so glad someone else enjoys a tradition like this! We have such good memories from looking through the blessings Thanksgiving Day!
We just started doing a Thankful Tree last year. We did it with real fall leaves and paint pens like this year, but no pom poms. Those were an addition this year. They make the tree even more lovely. 🙂
Hi Nell,
This is such good idea. I loved it… And I have included your this post in my ’15 Awesome Gratitude filled Thanksgiving Ideas’ blog post. Do come over and check it out!