Thanksgiving is in exactly two weeks from today! The holiday has evolved a lot since it first took place in 1621, however, the focus on giving thanks is still strong. This year, you can remind yourself and your family to give thanks with this DIY magnetic countdown calendar. For each day until Thanksgiving, add a new “I am thankful for” item. Here’s how you can create your own.

Supplies

  • Magnetic board
  • Neodymium magnets
  • Construction paper
  • Foam leaves
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Marker

Steps

  1. Take your magnetic board and lay it on a flat working surface. You can either make your own magnetic board and customize it with a fall or Thanksgiving theme or you can purchase one with a calendar.
  2. Create a title banner for your board by writing “Give Thanks” or “I Am Thankful For” on a thick piece of construction paper.
  3. Glue magnets to the back of the paper and attach it to the top of the board.
  4. If you made your own magnetic board, then you’ll need to add some numbers to keep track of the days until Thanksgiving. You can do this by grabbing some number magnets or creating your own.
  5. Place your number magnets on the board in order.
  6. Take your foam leaves and write one thing that you are thankful for on one of the leaves.
  7. Turn it over and glue a magnet to the back. Press down for a few seconds to make sure it sticks.
  8. Place the leaf on today.
  9. Create a thankful leaf magnet each day to countdown to the holiday.
A Give Thanks magnetic board is a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving, but you could also continue using it even after the holidays. Since the leaf magnets are easily detachable, simply remove them and repurpose your magnetic board for all year round use. If you created a thankful board for the holiday, what were some of the things you put on it?