We had so much fun last month that Astrobrights^® Papers and I decided to do it again! This time we are focusing on gratitude.  We are about to show how to bring a colorful, meaningful Thanksgiving activity to your students that they will love. 💛

This month, we’re creating a Thankful Garland that helps students reflect on what they’re most thankful for, one link at a time.

Ramona Recommends Favorite Thankful Book

Before we begin our craft, I love setting the tone for gratitude with the picture book Thankful by Elaine Vickers. This sweet book reminds students that gratitude can be found in both big and small moments. Thankful is the perfect book to explicitly demonstrate the power of gratitude. 

Grateful Chain: Links of Gratitude

After reading, each student will receive a colorful “gratitude strip” to write down one thing they’re thankful for. These gratitude strips will then be linked together to create a beautiful classroom garland that wraps the classroom in kindness, color, and connection. Below I explain everything you need. 🙂 

For my garland, I used two Astrobrights^® Papers assortments:

• Astrobrights® Naturals Assorted Cardstock Pack using the colors  Husk™ and Honeycomb™ 
• Astrobrights® Primary Assorted Paper Pack using the colors  Cosmic Orange™, Solar Yellow™, Re-Entry Red™, and Gamma Green™ 

These bright, cheerful colors make the garland feel warm and festive. I love a good festive moment don’t you?

What You’ll Need To Make Links of Gratitude:

• Astrobrights^® Papers/Cardstock
• Stapler
• Paper cutter (cut 2” strips)
• A space to hang your garland (a bulletin board, across your whiteboard, or above your classroom library!)
• Optional: Laminate the display poster so you can reuse it year after year.

How It Works

1. Print the thankful links (link below) on Astrobrights Paper.
2. Cut your Astrobrights^® Papers into 2’’ strips for each student.
3. Brainstorm gratitude/thankful ideas on white board. Have students write down their own idea on the colored strip. 
4. Link the strips together using a stapler to form a growing garland. Tip: Show your thank you idea on the inside or the outside of the chain, depending on your preference.
5. Hang it in your classroom as a reminder of what truly matters.

Each day before Thanksgiving break, choose a few gratitude links to read aloud as a class. It’s a wonderful way to pause, reflect, and spread thankfulness together.  Grab the template HERE and spread gratitude! 

Teacher Stamp of Approval:

Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to build classroom community, and Astrobrights Paper makes it easy to turn that message into something colorful.

This activity reminds us that there’s always something to be thankful for. 🍂The world really needs that right now, don’t you think?

Want to add more Thanksgiving picture books to your collection? I have the perfect list which outlines my favorites and shares how to use the picture books in your classroom during November and fall.

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Astrobrights^® Papers and Walmart.

The post Links of Gratitude: A Colorful Classroom Tradition appeared first on Ramona Recommends.