Thankful Jar

I love activities this time of year that get kids talking about gratitude.

Recently, we made this thankful jar and the kids have been filling it with all the things that make them thankful.

Glass jar

Brown paper bag

Paint brush

*Note: I originally considered using the twine to tie around the top of the jar, but decided I liked the plain jar better. The twine is a good option if you want to add a bit of something extra to your jar.

Cut a selection of hearts from your brown paper bag.

You won’t need very many to decorate your jar. We only used five. Don’t worry about creases in the paper either, they will smooth out once you begin Mod Podging.

Cover your jar with a coat of Mod Podge.

If you’re looking for a nice, neat finish, try to keep your brush strokes going in the same direction and cover your jar with a nice even coat. I was crafting with a 4-year-old and decided it didn’t really matter. Our jar was just as beautiful this way and you really couldn’t tell that we had an uneven coat.

Once you have your coat of Mod Podge on the jar, add your hearts, smoothing out any bumps, bubbles, and wrinkles.

Once you’re satisfied with the layout of your hearts, paint another coating of Mod Podge over the top of everything. The Mod Podge will dry clear.

It takes about 30 minutes for the Mod Podge to dry enough for handling.

While our jar was drying, I cut a piece of paper into strips.

We started writing down the things we were thankful for, such as God, birds, grandparents, and good books.

We added our strips to the jar once it was dry.

I also left a pile of blank strips and a pen next to our jar with the invitation to add strips to the jar at any time.

This really was an easy craft to do and quite appropriate for older kids to do themselves. I worked side-by-side with my 4-year-old, but an older child would be able to make the jar independently.

My favorite part of the project was watching my 6-year-old sneak over to the jar later that evening, write down a few carefully thought out things, drop them in the jar, and run off to play. That’s enough to make your heart smile!

Do you have any fun ideas for teaching gratitude to kids?