Christmas has it’s obvious decorations, traditions and mountain of storage boxes, but for several years I was scratching my head about how to preserve Thanksgiving memories. So we created the Thanksgiving Notebook!
It is one binder that you can add to year after year, collecting memorable lists from each year and saving artwork from your kids.
As you can see on this one, I altered one of my favorite fall pictures of the season to make a goofy cover for each year. (Another tradition was my annually taking pictures of them at the pumpkin patch.) And then had our table guests to sign the cover. Now I can remember who came what year! Or whose house I was at each year!
With just a little preparation, you can get your notebook ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving AND store future memories!
A few days before Thanksgiving I look up free printable puzzles or coloring sheets and place them in the binder and gather a few crafty supplies. This can be- just cutting up colorful paper into squares to make “leaf” pictures. Draw a tree from tracing their hand and forearm and then gluing leaves on the branches and on the ground. There are so many simple ideas like this out there to keep the little ones “working”, especially if you tell them they are in charge of making decorations for the house and then display what they created for you!
You will thank yourself on Thanksgiving day when you can open this up and let the kids get creative before the meal is served! Especially if one of your other traditions is to let everyone share 5 things they are thankful for!
In our Thanksgiving Notebook we store: 
- Printed copies of hymns to pass out
- Lists of who joined us at the table each year
- Page protectors to keep artwork (keep just 1 per child, you can do it!)
- Grateful lists or pages of “thankful squares” from each guest
- Pencil, glue stick, cut up paper for easy crafts
- Treasured recipes for the big meal
So to get started on your own Thanksgiving Notebook you need:
- Binder, preferable with pockets
- Page protectors or folder
- Binder pencil case
- Printed worksheets or paper
- Supplies to fit your child’s age: construction paper cut outs, popsicle sticks, glue stick, pencils, etc.
My favorite part about having done this is reviewing the kid’s lists of things they are thankful for. When they were small we drew 6 or 9 squares on a page and asked them to draw a good memory in each square. For some reason drawings are a lot easier to get out of them than making a written list of 10 things. This picture below was such a great reminder of the year and see what they value that we do. It shows learning magic tricks from dad, joining Cub Scouts, 2 field trips, a babysitter and playmate who are friends, and…Twizzlers. They do teach us to savor the little things in life as blessings.
We adults also review our calendars and make lists of what we are thankful for or make themed lists of our favorite memories, places we visited, people we spent time with. All of these are stored in this notebook and I am so thankful to get to read over them again.
Sometimes I make requests like history themed art and get great works of art like this one.
And if you don’t have a fall picture to use, you can make one out of yourself out of your handprints. We let the kids help embellish us. I don’t think this hair represents me well but they did capture my braces.
This is a simple, fun way to think ahead and prepare for the kids and be able to look back and cherish your previous years’ memories. And saving them helps those moments of thankfulness live again for years to come. You’ll be glad you did.
What would you include to make Thanksgiving day activities easier and worth remembering? If you start this, come back and let us know! Comment with any ideas that you have to add!
What a lovely idea! Pinning this!!
Thanks! Sometimes I feel like Thanksgiving gets a little left out compared to all that we do for Christmas!
What a wonderful idea! I I wish I’d done this with my kids. I may start now even though they’re grown and do it with them and my granddaughter as well!
I think the kids would enjoy helping you put something together too! And it really can be as simple as putting in a few coloring sheets or construction paper and a glue stick!
Pardon the reference, but my first thought was “this is so intentional!” I love the collection you have going, and hope it encourages many folks to do the same. I could benefit from seeing how God has blessed our past Thanksgivings, as I tend to get down when it’s different all the time.
Yes, it’s been really cute as they have grown to see their young thankful lists! And with a meal that can be very repetitive, it has helped us remember where we were each year because I tend to forget. 😉
What a great idea especially for families with small children.
Thanks! Our kids love pulling this out and there are usually craft supplies left in it from the year before to get started with!
Jennifer, what a wonderful idea! Over the years, by adding things each year, it forms a gratitude keepsake that each Thanksgiving everyone can review it and celebrate all the good and the blessings that have happened over the years. I can see this being particularly lovely especially during a year that has been hard and challenging and filled with trials. It allows the family to remember that though it might have been a difficult year, God has been faithful over the years. It would be such a great reminder of His steadfast provision and protection, which in turn inspire hope and gratitude even in the hard seasons. Thanks for the post.
That is a great perspective- thinking about the long term. I already cherish seeing the childhood pictures and their little handwriting!
What a fun tradition!!!! I love this!!!