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We all know that Thanksgiving means giving thanks for all the things we have. For some adults and children it is easy to express those words of thanks out loud. For some, it’s very hard to do especially in spoken words. One way to get the whole family to participate is by making a scrapbook.

Start by creating a name for and putting together your scrapbook. One possible name you could use is “The (insert last name) Family Scrapbook of Thanks.” This way the children, as well as the adults, know they can express their feelings without having to be pulled out in front of the whole family to tell their deepest thanks.

To create your scrapbook, you’ll need construction paper, a 3-hole punch and some yarn. With just these three things, you can put together the actual scrapbook in no time at all. Make sure it’s colorful and has plenty of pages for everyone.

Your children can design the outside cover of the scrapbook. Once you’ve decided on a title then your children can color, glue pictures, stickers or any other items they would like to make the scrapbook festive..

Try to have the scrapbook ready about one week before Thanksgiving. This will give everyone time to place his or her entries inside without feeling rushed. You may find that just one page per person is the way to go or it may be you’ll want your family to be able to express their thoughts as often as they wish. If you choose the latter, be sure to have some extra paper to add. No one wants to be left out because there’s not enough room. It’s easy to add extra pages anytime you need to.

Smaller children may not be able to write down their thoughts. If this is the case, let them express their thoughts and feeling with pictures. They can draw pictures or even cut them out of magazines or papers to glue on their page. Help them keep in mind that the pictures should represent the things they are thankful for.

Mom and Dad be sure to put a least one page in also. The children want to know what you are thankful for also. Try a beginning page and an ending page for your scrapbook. Not only does that help explain the reasoning for the scrapbook, but it also gives the children an idea of what to put on their pages.

On Thanksgiving Day you can all read and look at each other’s entries. Whether you decide to pass it around the dinner table or wait until everyone is lounging away the afternoon, be sure that everyone has a chance to look at and appreciate your scrapbook. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry, but every entry is sure to leave you with a feeling of love and thankfulness that will last a lifetime. Each year create a new thankful scrapbook and watch as the children grow how their thoughts and feeling mature and change.

What You’ll Need

* Mini scrapbooks (or construction paper & 3 hole punch & yarn)
* Stickers
* Markers
* Various scrapbook supplies
* Crayons
* Glue
* And, of course, your favorite pictures (film or printed from the computer)

Instructions

Gather family pictures. If you don’t have many pictures, take the ones you do have to a local copier and have extra prints made.

Purchase mini scrapbooks at a scrapbook supply store, along with stickers, markers and various scrapbook supplies.

Create miniature family scrapbooks, using one picture per page. Write what you are thankful for, in relation to each family member, on their designated pages.

On Thanksgiving Day, give a copy of your mini family scrapbooks to each family member as a memento.

Submitted by Christmas Fun

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