Every November, our kitchen table disappears under piles of construction paper, glue sticks, and the occasional runaway feather — which can only mean one thing: it’s time for our annual Grateful Turkey project.
As a mom, I like to find little ways to teach my kids about gratitude — especially in a season that can so easily turn into a countdown to pie, presents, and way too much pressure. The Grateful Turkey is a fun reminder to slow down and notice all the good stuff around us.
READ: How to Instill Gratitude in Your Kids
It’s a simple tradition I started (literally) as soon as my kids could talk. I cut out a big paper turkey for each child and a stack of colorful feathers — okay, admittedly, this year I went extra and used my Cricut — and every day in November, we add a new feather with something we’re grateful for written on it. When they were toddlers, I was the scribe, carefully writing down their answers — things like “Lightning McQueen,” “the color blue,” and “that one time we saw a garbage truck.” The priorities of a 3-year-old, right?
Now that they can write on their own, the tradition has only gotten better (and way funnier). We’ve had some gems over the years: “fishing” (my son’s never gone fishing), “recess,” “teeth,” and one year, just “pickles.”
I also secretly wait to see when — okay, if — “Mom” will make the list. (It’s usually somewhere around day 15, right after “YouTube.”) Whether or not “Mom” makes it up before “Dad” is an unspoken rivalry I will never concede.
Confession: It doesn’t have to be perfect. There are years where we didn’t start until November 8 (and we wrote eight feathers all at once) — if you miss a few days, you can always catch up.
But by the end of the month, our Grateful Turkeys look like a chaotic rainbow of crooked feathers and kid handwriting, but it’s hands-down my favorite Thanksgiving decoration. It’s a reminder of how their hearts — and their humor — have grown each year.
It’s such a simple thing, but it slows us down in a season that can feel like a sprint. We get a few minutes each day to reflect, laugh, and remember how much there is to be thankful for… even if one of those things is pickles.
READ: 12 Thanksgiving Traditions Worth Trying This Holiday
If you’re looking for an easy, meaningful Thanksgiving tradition to start with your kids, grab some construction paper and make your own Grateful Turkey — feathers, glue, giggles, and all.
