A Gratitude Jar is a small, simple tradition that grows more meaningful every day it is used. Throughout November, family members write a note of thanks on a slip of paper and drop it into a jar. On Thanksgiving, the jar is opened, and the notes are read aloud. This printable gives you twelve ready-made slips per page, each with a different prompt, so nobody stares at a blank piece of paper wondering what to write.
A November Gratitude Jar Plan, Week by Week
Week 1: set up the jar
Find a jar- any clean mason jar, vase, or bowl works- and label it. Print a few pages of slips, cut them out, and leave them next to the jar with a pen. Explain the idea at dinner: one slip a day per person, or whenever something good happens.
Week 2: make it a habit
Link writing a slip to something you already do every day, such as clearing the dinner table or brushing teeth before bed. Children love being the one to remind everyone.
Week 3: mix it up
Use the different prompts on the slips to explore new kinds of gratitude: a skill, a place, a lesson, a memory. Encourage guests and visitors to add a slip too.
Week 4: Thanksgiving
Open the jar on Thanksgiving Day, before dinner or with dessert. Take turns reading slips aloud. You can keep the author secret and let people guess, which always gets a laugh.
The Twelve Prompts on the Slips
Each slip starts with a prompt and leaves two lines to finish the thought:
- I am thankful for this person because…
- A meal I loved this year was…
- Something that made me laugh…
- A place I am grateful for…
- A lesson I learned this year…
- Something small that made my day…
- I am proud of myself for…
- A friend who helped me…
- Something in nature I love…
- A memory I want to keep…
- A skill I am thankful to have…
- Someone I want to thank is…
The prompts move from people to places, achievements, and memories, so the jar collects a rich mix by the end of the month.
The Mason Jar and Slip Sheet Design
The page is US Letter, 8.5 x 11 inches, portrait, on white. In the top left corner is a little illustrated mason jar: pale blue glass with a rounded body, a grey neck band, a red and cream gingham lid, a kraft label that says THANKS, and three folded paper slips in peach, butter yellow, and sage tumbled at the bottom. Beside it, Gratitude Jar is written in Amatic SC, a tall hand-drawn font, with a short rust instruction underneath.
Below the title are twelve slips in two columns of six. Each slip is surrounded by a thin dashed outline for cutting and has a coloured strip down its left edge in rust, olive or mustard. The prompt is printed in bold dark brown at the top of each slip, with two soft lines underneath for writing. Our small brand mark is printed under the final pair of slips.
Cutting and Folding the Slips
Download the PDF and print on regular paper; thin paper folds better than card for a jar. Cut along the dashed outlines with scissors or a paper trimmer. Each slip is about 3.8 inches wide and a little over an inch tall. After writing, fold each slip in half, then in half again, before dropping it in the jar. Folded slips look lovely through glass and keep the messages a surprise.
Print three or four pages for a family of four for the month, more if guests will join in.
Choosing and Decorating the Jar
- A one-quart mason jar holds about a month of folded slips for a family.
- Tie a ribbon or twine around the neck, and add a paper tag with the year.
- Cut out a spare slip, write Our Gratitude Jar on it, and tape it to the front as a label.
- Put the jar somewhere central, like the kitchen counter or the dinner table, so it is seen every day.
Editing the Prompts
Every prompt is an editable text box. Change them to suit your family, your classroom, or your workplace. For young children, simplify: My favourite toy is…, I love it when…. For a team at work: A colleague who helped me this month…, A win I am proud of…. You can also leave some slips with no prompt at all for free writing. The coloured strips are simple shapes, so recolour them to match your jar’s ribbon.
Gratitude Jars Beyond the Family
Teachers use gratitude jars as a classroom routine in November, reading a few slips each morning. Offices place one in the break room with anonymous slips about colleagues. Care homes and youth groups use them as a gentle discussion starter. The printable works the same way for any group.
Keeping the Slips After Thanksgiving
Do not throw the slips away. Glue them into a notebook, store them in an envelope labelled with the year, or keep them in the jar until next November. Reading old slips on future Thanksgivings, especially those written by young children, becomes a treasured part of the holiday.
Reading the Slips Aloud on Thanksgiving
The reading is the best part, so give it a moment. Pour the slips into a bowl, pass the bowl round the table, and let everyone draw two or three to read. Keep the reading light: a funny slip after a heartfelt one keeps everyone smiling. If the jar is very full, read the rest over dessert or keep some for the day after, when the house is quieter.
Gratitude Jar Questions
How many slips should each person write?
One a day is a nice goal, but even two or three a week fills the jar by Thanksgiving.
Can children who cannot write yet join in?
Yes. They can draw on the slip, or tell a grown-up what to write.
Can I use the slips outside November?
Absolutely. A gratitude jar works all year, and many families keep one going from New Year to New Year.
A month of small notes adds up to something big. Print the slips, fill the jar, and give your Thanksgiving table a reading everyone will remember.
