Have you ever asked a little child what they are thankful for? Once they understand the idea, thoughts come easily for most kiddos. Mostly they are thankful for their mommy and daddy, those essential beings who fill a little one’s world.

We made these beautiful painted little jars to fill with & hold those thankful thoughts.

~ Materials ~

Jars, make this a recycled art project by using that jelly or pickle jar you were about the throw out!
Acrylic Paints
Paint Brushes
Ribbon, String or Yarn
Signs “Little Thankful Thoughts” or some other saying that calls to you

~ Directions ~

This craft is easy to do with one child or a large group!

First, have the child pick two to three colors of acrylic paint. If they use a light color such as white, yellow or pink as one of their colors the marbling with look a bit more defined.

ext, carefully drip lines of paint around the inside edge of the jar. Tilt the jar as you add the paint to help it run down the sides of the jar. We did six lines around the inside of our jars which provided the perfect amount of paint.

Now for the fun part! Have the child run the end of a paint brush around the inside sides of the jar to blend the paint and cover the jar. Kids may get excited and try to mix the colors all together into one color. Encourage the child to just gently blend the colors into a marbled look. The kids loved doing this, they were fascinated by the way the colors blended together. Be ready with towels to wipe up paint from hands and drips.

Finally add a ribbon with a little sign!

~ Little Thankful Thoughts ~

Once the jar is dry you can start filling it with thankful thoughts. Help small children by writing what they have to say on small pieces of paper. They can also draw little pictures of what they are thankful for to add to their jar.

Here are some of my favorites from the little ones at preschool:

“I am thankful for toys and yummy food.”

“I love when my mommy and daddy take me bike riding and hiking.”

“I am thankful for my puppy.”

My personal favorite was: “I am thankful for hot baths.” Me too kiddo, me too.

And of course: “I am thankful for my mommy and daddy.”

These little jars would make a great addition to a Thanksgiving celebration. They also could find a home on a shelf for collecting thoughts over time. Then when a child is having a hard time and feeling fussy. They could look through the jar and see how many things they are thankful for, and perhaps feel a bit better. After all being thankful not only breeds happiness, it also breeds health and is a lovely thing to share with children.

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Shared On: It's Playtime, The Weekly Kid's Co-op, Toddler & Preschool Moms