Dollar Store Paper Plate Thankful Wreath Craft for Kids
Some days in homeschool feel like a well-oiled machine. Other days, someone is crying over long division, the dog ate a worksheet, and you are googling “is it too late to enroll in school” at 10:47 a.m. If that sounds familiar, this craft is for you.
This Dollar Store Paper Plate Thankful Wreath is one of those projects that quietly does a lot of heavy lifting. It slows everyone down, gets little hands busy, and opens the door to one of the best conversations you can have with your kids this season: What are we actually thankful for? And it takes about 30 minutes, with supplies you can grab in one Dollar Store run.
Here in Brooklyn, fall shows up in the park leaves before it shows up anywhere else. This wreath brings that color indoors and gives your kids something they made (and meant) to hang on the door.
Why We Love This Paper Plate Thankful Wreath
This is so much more than a cute decoration. Here is what your kids are practicing while they create:
Fine Motor Skills
Tracing, cutting inside the lines, and drawing leaf veins all build hand strength and control. That is the same foundation kids use for handwriting.
Counting and Sorting
Tracing each leaf shape 3 to 4 times across five colors is a sneaky math lesson. Younger kids can count leaves by color, sort them, or build patterns around the wreath.
Following Multi-Step Directions
Ten clear steps, done in order, is excellent practice in sequencing and patience. Bonus points if they wait for the paint to dry without poking it. (No promises.)
Gratitude and Emotional Vocabulary
Writing one thankful word per leaf helps kids name what matters to them. You may be surprised by what they choose. “Pets” and “Food” are practically guaranteed.
Creative Confidence
No two wreaths look alike, and that is the point. Kids decide on colors, layouts, and words. That ownership matters.
Materials You Will Need
- Paper plate (Dollar Store)
- Cardstock in orange, tan, ivory, burgundy, green, and golden yellow
- Orange craft paint
- Glue gun and glue sticks (Dollar Store)
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Washable markers in red, brown, yellow, orange, green, and black
- Free printable thankful wreath patterns
Free Download
Thankful Wreath Patterns
Swap idea: Colored craft foam, construction paper, or craft felt all work for the leaves.
How to Make a Paper Plate Thankful Wreath
Step 1: Paint the Paper Plate
Gather all your supplies. Basecoat the outside of the paper plate with orange acrylic craft paint. Let it dry, then add a second coat if needed.
Step 2: Cut Out the Center
Using scissors, cut out the circular center of the paper plate to create your wreath base. Younger kids may need a grown-up to start the first cut.
Step 3: Print and Trace the Leaf Patterns
Download and print the thankful wreath patterns, then cut them out. Trace each of the five leaf shapes 3 to 4 times onto orange, yellow, green, burgundy, and tan cardstock with a pencil.
Step 4: Cut Out the Leaves
Cut out each leaf, cutting just inside the traced pencil lines for a clean, finished look.
Step 5: Add Outlines and Veins
Using the photo as a guide, outline each leaf and draw veins with the coordinating washable marker color.
Step 6: Write What You Are Thankful For
On each leaf, write one thing you are thankful for with a black marker. Family, friends, books, pets, laughter, home. Big or small, it all counts.
Step 7: Attach the Leaves
Glue the leaves around the wreath with a glue gun. Tip: Liquid craft glue works too; you will just need to wait for it to dry. For little ones, the grown-up handles the hot glue while kids choose where each leaf goes.
Step 8: Trace and Cut the Banner
Trace the banner pattern once onto ivory cardstock. Cut it out, staying just inside the pencil lines.
Step 9: Decorate the Banner
Outline the banner with a brown marker. Write “Thankful for” in black marker. You could also write “Grateful for,” “I am Thankful,” or “I am Grateful.”
Step 10: Attach the Banner
Glue the banner across the center of the wreath. Hang it up and admire your work!
Extension Activities to Keep the Learning Going
1. Gratitude Writing Prompt
Have kids pick one leaf and write a few sentences (or a full paragraph for older learners) about why that word made the wreath. Pre-writers can dictate while you write.
2. Leaf Science: Why Do Leaves Change Color?
Explore the real science. As days get shorter, trees stop making chlorophyll, the green pigment. As it breaks down, yellow and orange pigments that were there all along become visible, and some trees produce red pigments in fall. Compare your paper leaves to real ones and sort by color.
3. Nature Walk and Leaf Hunt
Take a walk and collect real leaves to match your wreath shapes. Here in Brooklyn, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are gorgeous this time of year, but a neighborhood street tree works just as well.
4. Harvest Festivals Around the World
Gratitude and harvest celebrations happen across many cultures. Learn about Chuseok in Korea, Pongal in South India, Sukkot in Jewish tradition, or the Mid-Autumn Festival in China. Talk about what they have in common with your family’s traditions.
5. Indigenous Perspectives on Gratitude
Read books by Native authors (see our list below) to learn how gratitude is woven into daily life for many Indigenous communities year-round, and to explore a more accurate history of the Wampanoag people and the 1621 harvest.
6. Leaf Pattern Math
Younger learners can create AB or ABC color patterns with extra leaves. Older kids can graph how many of each color they used or measure the wreath’s circumference.
Books to Read With Your Thankful Wreath
These picture books pair beautifully with this craft.
- We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell. A Cherokee author shares how gratitude is expressed through the seasons.
- Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten. The harvest story told from a Wampanoag perspective.
- Thankful by Eileen Spinelli. A gentle, rhyming look at everyday gratitude.
- The Thankful Book by Todd Parr. Bright, simple, and perfect for preschoolers.
- Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora. A heartwarming story about sharing and community.
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Leaf collage art that pairs perfectly with a nature walk.
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Want More Fall Learning Fun?
If your family loved this craft, you will find hundreds more hands-on resources inside the Blooming Brilliant Educational Resource Vault. From seasonal printables to unit studies, it is built for real homeschool days, the messy ones included.
Want new crafts and freebies in your inbox? Join the Blooming Brilliant newsletter and hit reply to tell me what your kids wrote on their leaves. I read every one.
Permission to Make a Messy Wreath
Your wreath does not have to look like the photo. The leaves might be crooked. Someone might write “Minecraft” instead of “family.” There might be a glue string or twelve. That is completely fine.
The point was never a perfect wreath. It was the 30 minutes you spent at the table together, talking about what matters. That is the part your kids will remember.
You are doing great. Keep going.
