Thanksgiving is a time for children to reflect on things for which they are thankful, and a Thankful Tree gives them a visual aid to do just that.
Draw a tree trunk that is about 18 inches tall on bulletin board paper (or cut one out on construction paper, then tape to the bulletin board). Have each child trace his handprint (young preschoolers may need assistance) on yellow, orange or red construction paper, then have each one tell about something for which he is thankful. You can write this item on their handprint for them, or you can provide them with an index card with their item written on it and have them copy it onto the handprint.
Tape each child's handprint to the tree as "leaves," sharing the contents of each "leaf" with the class as you do. Title your bulletin board, "Our Thankful Tree" (see references 1).
This bulletin board also will be a great place to display other paper crafts throughout the Thanksgiving season.
This lovable bulletin board is a useful way to tie in love with Thanksgiving. Title your board "Our Thankful Hearts," and draw a simple barnyard scene on your board.
Draw a simple turkey for each child to cut out and color, as well as a heart shape that is 6 inches in diameter and made from red construction paper. This will serve as feathers for the turkey, so the size of the turkey should correspond with your heart. Alternatively, you can provide the children with a heart-shaped template and let them trace it out onto the construction paper to enhance fine motor skills.
Encourage the children to write one thing for which they are thankful on their hearts (or you can write it for them), have them paste the hearts onto the back of their turkeys, then display these turkeys on the bulletin board.
This bulletin board idea gives your preschoolers something they can "open," similar to a pop-up book, and little ones love that. In advance, ask the parents of your students to bring in a photo of their child, or take a photo during class (parents love photos of their children they haven't seen yet).
Decorate the background of the board with brown and blue for the ground and sky, and draw dark lines through the brown portion to represent a farmer's field. Draw a sun, about 9 inches in diameter, on yellow construction paper and add that to your scene. Draw a pumpkin onto orange card stock, and draw a door onto the pumpkin and cut around the door so that it "opens." Tape each child's photo to the back of his pumpkin, so that it's viewable when the door opens. Display the pumpkins on your bulletin board titled "Who's That Hiding in the Pumpkin Patch?"