Both during times of joy and times of difficulty, we can always find reason to be thankful for the blessings that God has given us. And just as we thank God daily (through tefillah and berakhot) for what God has given us, so too, our tradition teaches, we should thank those who have partnered with God to bring good into our lives.

In honor of the American holiday of Thanksgiving, make a sign that shows some of the things you most appreciate. First, make a list of twenty things for which you are most thankful. Then, in Hebrew or English, create a sign that says Happy Thanksgiving, Give Thanks, Welcome to Our Home, The ______ Family, or any other message that’s appropriate for the day. Use dark marker to create the sign by hand or type up a sign on the computer using black ink and any font you like. Big bubble letters or outlined letter fonts will give you plenty of room for drawing, or you can use the letters as parts of pictures. Make each letter into a drawing representing something from your list of twenty things for which you are most thankful. For example, if you use “HAPPY THANKSGIVING,” you can draw the sign shown here:

H = A favorite food on the shelf of the H

A = A person (put a circle for a head on top of the A)

P = An American flag

P = A flag that’s important to you, such as Israel’s flag

Y = A person with arms raised

T = Some favorite things hanging from the top line

H = A pet on the shelf of the H

A = A tree or flower

N = Two favorite activities

K = A computer or TV screen from the 90 degree angle

S = Musical notes, or a scene from a favorite song

G = The globe

I = A person doing a favorite sport

V = Two friends sitting on the tops of the V

I = The spine of a favorite book

N = Names of people in your family, or your guests’ names

G = A big smiley face

Craft Activity by Rena Gray Fein