Mindful Moment: The Gratitude Tree
Mindful Moment: The Gratitude Tree
Welcome to a Mindful Moment where we take a few minutes out of our busy day to slow down, recharge, and practice mindfulness together. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity.
Gratitude is noticing and appreciating the good things, big or small, that happen around us. For young children, gratitude starts as simple awareness: “I’m thankful for my snack,” “I love when my friend shares crayons,” or “I’m glad we get to play outside.” These moments help children see their world as a place filled with goodness and connection.
Creating a Gratitude Tree is a joyful, visual way for children to share what they’re thankful for and see gratitude “grow” over time. Combined with a short breathing or movement practice, it helps students calm their bodies, focus their minds, and nurture positive emotions together.
This Mindful Moment is designed for educators with limited time and many responsibilities. It’s quick, meaningful, and easy to integrate into your classroom routines.
Materials List
- Large paper or bulletin board space (Sample Gratitude Tree)
- Heart cutouts (one per child)
- Crayons, markers, or collage materials
- Optional: construction paper “grass,” stems, or vines for display
How to Create a Gratitude Tree
- Begin by decorating your garden space—label it “Our Gratitude Tree” or “Watch Our Gratitude Grow.”
- Give each child a heart cutout.
- Invite them to draw, write or explain something they’re thankful for:
- a person they love
- a favorite toy or snack
- something in nature
- a kind friend or moment at school
- Add their heart to the “Gratitude Tree” each week.
- Or, keep a basket of blank cutouts nearby so children can “grow” new gratitudes any time they notice something good.
Display their work and enjoy!
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more to explore
The first cohort of this professional learning opportunity brought together TK and Kindergarten teachers as well as Physical Education teachers for an engaging series focused on physical development in TK and Kindergarten. Hosted by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) P-3 team, Playful Pathways supports educators to deepen their understanding of physical development and explore developmentally appropriate ways to embed physical activity throughout the instructional day.
Welcome to a Mindful Moment where we take a few minutes out of our busy day to slow down, recharge, and practice mindfulness together. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity.
Join us for an engaging professional learning series that examines how early foundational skills lay the groundwork for later language and literacy success. Guided by the P-3 Learning Progressions and Preschool/TK Learning Foundations (PTKLF), participants will explore how language and literacy skills develop across the P-3 continuum and leave each session with practical, “try-tomorrow” strategies to strengthen instruction from preschool through 3rd grade.
SDCOE's P-3 team welcomes you to join the 2025-26 P-3 Alignment Network. Learn and network with educators from across the county at regularly scheduled meetings geared toward educational leaders and partners.
The P-3 team is committed to providing Professional Learning opportunities throughout the year that are supportive to the work of educators within the P-3 space. Check out our calendar of upcoming events!
Regulation for all Students: The Peaceful Place at Lexington Elementary School
The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration provides an opportunity to access free self-paced courses that provide evidenced-based strategies to boost learning acceleration in your classroom.
The California Department of Education, Early Education Division has released the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF). The PTKLF describe the knowledge and skills that most children ages 3 to 5½ develop in a high-quality early education program.
At Children’s Paradise we recognize that family engagement extends beyond the center and into the communities where our families live. To support this we forged a partnership with North County Trade Tech High, a tuition-free charter public school, to develop and implement the Future Educators Academy (FEA).