Thanksgiving place cards that teach gratitude

When you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner, forget the boring Thanksgiving place cards. Replace them with thankful place cards. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, guests use the included pencil to jot down a few things they are grateful for. Then everyone shares their lists during the meal. (Or reveal the lists with one of the games described later.) Keep reading to download your free thankful place cards and learn about the games.

*The original post was created by Laura from The Experimental Home. Since sharing her idea, she has shut down her blog. With that closure, her images and download disappeared. After several requests for the download, I did my best to recreate her idea and use some creative editing to produce similar pictures.

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A houseful of guests for Thanksgiving dinner can be a lot of fun and a lot of work. With so many details to take care of, I like to make things simple. It doesn't get much easier than these Thanksgiving place cards. Not only do they add some color to your Thanksgiving table, but they also provide a great conversation starter for your meal.

How to make Thanksgiving Place Cards -- Editable file version

To use these thankful place cards in your own home, you will need:

• cardstock
• pencils, pens, or markers
• a hole punch
• a color printer
• the free download you'll find near the end of this post

To print your guests' names on the cards ahead of time, use my editable Word file. Instructions for editing the file are included with the download. 

Once your cards are ready and printed (4 to a page), cut them out, punch a hole in the top and bottom center, and thread a pencil, pen, or marker through the hole.  Place one at each place setting, and you're ready to go.

How to make Thanksgiving Place Cards -- Pdf printable version

If you'd rather not edit a computer file, just print the pdf file included in your free download instead. To add the names, use a sharpie or a white paint marker pen. I like this one and this one. *Affiliate links.

Thankful Place Card Activities

Use the place cards during dinner to find out what everyone is grateful for.  I'm sure there are lots of ways to use the cards, but here are two and a bonus game.

Basic Gratitude Discussion

Take turns going around the table and listening to everyone read their cards. Not very exciting, but it is fun to hear people's lists (especially the little kids).

Guess Who

Can you identify a person by learning what they are grateful for? There's only one way to find out!

Collect all of the cards and mix them up. Have one person read one list at a time (without giving the name away).  Ask your guests to guess which person goes with which list.

Gratitude ABC's

This game has nothing to do with the printable, but we do it every year, and it's really fun! 

Starting with the letter A, the first person names something they are grateful for that starts with that letter. The next person uses the letter B, then the letter C, etc. We usually go through the alphabet a couple of times or until people lose interest.

Download your free files

Ready for your freebies? Click the download button below to sign up for my newsletter and get your free printables. Once you sign up for my newsletter (cancel any time), you will receive an email that includes a link to download a zip file. It includes instructions, a pdf file, and an editable word file.

These thankful place cards are a perfect complement to the Thankful Tree that my family uses all month long.  You might like these ideas, too. The images below are linked, so click on them to visit the posts.

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