Gratitude is the act of being not only aware, but thankful for the good things that happen in life. Similar to learned emotions such as empathy and compassion, the concept of gratitude is important to teach to children. If children do not learn about gratitude at an early age, they can easily begin to take things for granted or believe that they are entitled to certain items or treatment. Finding ways to encourage children to practice gratitude at school and at home is essential to their emotional development.
The Thankful Pumpkin Pie Activity helps children develop their idea of what gratitude is and also helps them identify sources of gratitude. Children will construct a Thankful Pie that will highlight eight different things, such as pets, family, friends, and foods, that children are grateful for in their lives. The pie will expose one source of gratitude at a time with the help of a paper fastener—allowing a cut piece of paper to spin and expose different sources of gratitude.
Download our FREE printable below!
Required Materials:
- Paper Plate
- Orange Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Cotton Balls
- School Glue or Hot Glue Gun
- Crayons
- Paper Fasteners
1Make the "Pie Filling"
Place a paper plate upside down on a piece of orange construction paper and trace the edge of the paper plate with a pencil. Cut out the circle, and then cut a triangle out of the orange circle (the triangle should be about ⅛ of the circle).
2Add a Dash of Gratitude
Take the triangle you cut out from the circle, and use it to create eight different sections on the paper plate. Now have the child think of eight different things he or she is grateful for—each will be written on a separate section of the paper plate. Depending on the child's developmental ability, they can write what they're grateful for or you can write it down for them.
3Top with "Whipped Cream"
Next, add "whipped cream" to the pie crust by gluing cotton balls around the rim of the paper plate. You can give children regular school glue and let them glue them on, or you can glue them on for them with a hot glue gun (adults only).
4Put It All Together
With a crayon, write "I am thankful for..." on the orange circle. Put the orange circle in the middle of the paper plate, carefully tucking the edges of the circle under the cotton balls. Using a paper fastener, poke a hole through both the middle of the construction paper and the paper plate. Secure the construction paper and the paper plate together with the fastener.
The Thankful Pumpkin Pie Activity is a fun and fulfilling craft you can make with your students for the holidays. Be sure to shop our art supplies and browse our activity ideas and seasonal crafts for more inspiration!
