Toddler Tuesday: Thankful Bags

Here’s a quick, easy, simple Thanksgiving gift that even toddlers can make for parents, grandparents, family, friends, neighbors… whoever!

We started out by giving each child a brown paper lunch bag to color with crayons. We also had some autumn stickers for them to further decorate their bags. (Fine motor skills!)

The poem attached to the outside of the bag reads,

“Thank you for your loving care,

And the kindness that you share,
For helping me to learn and grow,

And showing me all that you know.

That’s why I just want to say,

“THANK YOU” in the biggest way!”

We then laid out all these objects and read the “ingredients list” to the children as they dropped each item inside. (They were so into this that I didn't get any photos!)

“THANKFULNESS BAG INGREDIENTS:

1. A rubber band – to keep our hearts tied together always

2. a candy kiss – to say thank you for all your love

3. a penny – to say thank you for sharing my thoughts and letting me know they are important to you

4. a warm fuzzy (we used a pompom) – to make you feel good when you are sad, like you always do for me

5. an adhesive bandage – to say thank you for all the times you’ve made my hurts feel better

6. a facial tissue – to say thank you for all the times you dry my tears

7. a circular candy – to show that my love for you will never end"

When the bags are all filled, just write on there, “To  _____ from ____,” punched 2 holes in the top, and tied some ribbon through. I do not know where the poem or ingredients list came from, so if anyone knows the original source, please let me know!

SKILLS PRACTICED:

• Fine motor skills – coloring and sticking stickers on, as well as dropping in each item
• Listening and learning new vocabulary from the ingredients list
• Sensory awareness – feeling the difference between the soft pompom and the hard candy, for instance

Happy Thanksgiving!