--- title: "Thankfulness Tree" description: "Participants trace and cut out paper handprints or leaves, write specific appreciations on them, and attach them to a shared tree display." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/thankfulness-tree/" --- # Thankfulness Tree Participants trace and cut out paper handprints or leaves, write specific appreciations on them, and attach them to a shared tree display. **Time:** 15 minutes. Source records suggest 5 to 15 minutes; UWT structures 15 minutes to allow cutting, writing, posting, and small-group sharing for up to 24 participants. **People:** 4 to 24. Individual drafting, whole-room display, pairs or small groups of 3 to 4 for sharing ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Create a shared visual record of participant appreciations and learning points at the close of a session. **Use it when:** Use at the end of a workshop, project milestone, or retrospective when the group needs an explicit way to acknowledge contributions and highlights. **Skip it when:** Skip during unresolved conflict or performance crises where forced gratitude feels dismissive or insincere. ## Materials and tools - Sheets of colored paper (at least 2 per person) - Roll of painter tape or masking tape - Pairs of scissors (at least 1 pair per 2 participants) - Writing markers or pens (1 per person) - Large butcher paper or poster board pre-cut into a tree trunk and branches, taped to a wall ## Before participants arrive 1. Substantial setup required. 2. Tape the paper tree trunk and branches to a visible wall, whiteboard, or door. 3. Distribute colored paper, scissors, and markers across tables so all participants have easy reach. ## Say this to open We are going to close our time together by creating a visual record of what we appreciate from this work. Take a piece of colored paper, trace your hand or cut out a leaf shape, and write one or two specific things you are grateful for from this project or workshop. You can choose whether to read yours aloud later. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce prompt and prepare shapes (3 minutes) Explain the goal and state the opening script. Direct participants to trace one of their hands or cut out a simple leaf shape from the colored paper. Provide pre-cut leaf shapes for anyone who prefers not to trace or cut. ### 2. Write appreciations (4 minutes) Participants write one or two specific points of gratitude on their paper shape. Give a neutral example: 'Grateful to Sam for organizing our daily check-in notes.' Anyone who prefers to keep their note private may fold the paper or write a general session takeaway instead. ### 3. Attach to tree and small-group sharing (5 minutes) Invite participants to tape their paper shapes onto the tree branches using small loops of tape. Once posted, have participants turn to 1 or 2 neighbors and briefly share what they wrote, or share what they notice about the overall display if they passed on personal notes. ### 4. Whole-room debrief (3 minutes) Gather the full room facing the tree. Invite 2 or 3 volunteers to read one item that stands out to them on the tree. Close the session on time. ## Debrief questions - Looking at the tree as a whole, what patterns or shared themes stand out? - What was an accomplishment or support that might have gone unnoticed without this display? **Finished output:** A collaborative wall display of paper hands or leaves detailing specific team appreciations. ## Remote Set up an online whiteboard with an illustration of a bare tree trunk and branches. Give each participant a digital hand- or leaf-shaped sticky note. Give participants 4 minutes to type their appreciation onto their note and position it on a branch. Break the room into breakout rooms of 3 people for 4 minutes to discuss what they wrote, then return to the main room for 3 minutes of debrief. ## Hybrid Prepare both the physical wall tree and the digital whiteboard tree. Pair each remote participant with an in-person buddy. When the remote participant adds a digital note, the in-person buddy writes the text on a paper shape and tapes it to the physical tree. During small-group sharing, run dedicated remote breakout rooms and local table pairs in parallel. ## Access and participation choices - Provide pre-cut leaf and hand shapes so no one is required to trace their body or handle scissors. - Participants may write session insights, practical resources, or leave their paper blank without explaining their choice. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants write broad platitudes like 'teamwork' that do not offer clear meaning.** Remind participants to name a specific action, person, tool, or moment from the shared work. **A queue forms at the wall, causing a time delay.** Place rolls of tape at individual tables so participants apply tape before walking up to attach their shape. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Teampedia and the IAF Library via SessionLab; author and exact origin date are unverified in the records. Retained the defining mechanic of tracing hands or cutting shapes, writing expressions of gratitude, and assembling them onto a paper tree on a wall, as documented in Teampedia and SessionLab. Added structured time management, small-group neighbor sharing to avoid a 24-person queue, pre-cut shapes for physical accessibility, hybrid buddy logistics, and explicit opt-out options for private reflection. [SessionLab](https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/thankfulness-tree) [Teampedia](https://www.teampedia.net/wiki/index.php?mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile&title=Thankfulness_Tree) [Teampedia](https://www.teampedia.net/wiki/index.php?title=Thankfulness_Tree&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile) [Teampedia](https://www.teampedia.net/wiki/index.php?printable=yes&title=Thankfulness_Tree) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/thankfulness-tree/