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As my grandchildren get older, I’ve been trying to come up with some new holiday traditions for us. I was trying to come up with some Thanksgiving craft projects, and decided to make a gratitude box that would give us a place to put notes expressing things that we are thankful for. Each day leading up to Thanksgiving, we will add a notes to the box expressing something for which we are grateful. On Thanksgiving Day, when we sit down for dinner, we’ll pull out all the notes and read aloud the many ways we are blessed. My initial idea for this project was to create a Pilgrim Hat, but Halloween has left me with no black construction paper. Thus, the Grateful Turkey Box idea was created.

So many families are experiencing hardships, and especially around the holidays. My family has been truly blessed, so I want us to recognize the many things we have to be grateful for.

This is an easy Thanksgiving craft project that uses things you most likely already have on hand.

Here’s What You’ll Need
Empty tissue box
Construction paper in the colors brown, yellow, orange, and red
Craft glue
Scissors
2 googly eyes

1. Using brown construction paper, cover the outside of the tissue box and allow to dry.

2. Next, cut out six tail feathers – 2 brown, 2 yellow, and 2 orange. I didn’t use a template for this. I gauged the size I would need and cut them out freehand. You’re going to fray the ends, so they don’t have to be perfect.

3. Cut out 4 rectangular shaped pieces of brown construction paper for the wings – two of one size and two more that are slightly larger. Round one corner of the rectangles.

4. From the brown construction paper cut the turkey’s body. It will need to be taller than the box. I just cut out a peanut shape for this.

5. Next cut out a small orange beek, pink gobbler, and a small half circle shape from the brown paper (for the head feathers).

6. Using the scissors, cut around the edge of each feather to create the fray.

7. Glue the tail feathers onto the back of the box, overlapping for a fanned out effect.

8. Glue the body onto the opposite side of the box. Add the googly eyes, nose and gobbler to create the face.

9. Attach the small rectangle feathers (that you have frayed) to the sides of the box.

Printable Note Cards – I created some printable “I am grateful for” notes for us. I saved it to a doc and you can print them here. There are 5 to a page.

I hope you like my Grateful Turkey Box. I think he came out pretty cute!

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?