Teacher Appreciation Week
What is Teacher Appreciation week? Since 1984, the National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) has designated a full week during the school year as a special time to honor and celebrate the men and women who lend their passion, skills, hard work and dedication to educating our children.
When is Teacher Appreciation Week? The first full week of May is designated as Teacher Appreciation week. This year (2018), that week is Monday, May 7th through Friday, May 11th and Teacher Appreciation day falls on Tuesday, May 8th. I suggest checking with your school PTO to make sure these dates are correct for your school and teachers!
How do you show your appreciation to your teacher?
- Writing a note of thanks and appreciation for your teacher.
- Rounding up a basket of goodies that your teacher can enjoy over the summer.
- Gift cards to your teacher’s favorite restaurants, shopping places, or coffee shops.
- Decorate your teacher’s door with a creative banner or sign.
- Stock the teacher’s classroom with supplies that are running low.
- Bringing in your teacher’s favorite treats and snacks.
- Provide a lunch for the teacher.
- Find ways to include the staff, including secretaries and janitors.
- Create a classroom gift, such as a photo album, that the entire class can be a part of.
- Create a fun theme for the week that encourages the teacher to be appreciated all week long!
Teacher Appreciation Week Themes
Creating a theme for the week can be lots of fun and will help give everyone some great ideas on ways to show their appreciation. The Busy Budgeting Mama has some great ideas and some cute printables. This movie and popcorn theme is super cute!
I absolutely love this Super Hero Theme from Kara’s Party Ideas! I love all of the bright fun colors and after all, I think that we can all agree that teachers definitely have superpower!
You will also find some great ideas over at the Room Mom Spot. She has a post with 15 different ideas to celebrate the whole week with a theme including this fun Dr. Seuss idea!
Teacher Appreciation Door Ideas
Decorating and personalizing the classroom door is a tradition that is loved by both kids and teachers! You can find some great ideas to help you get started with these fun Teacher Appreciation Door Ideas.
Here are some more easy door ideas including this Super Star door. I love this idea because it allows for each of the students to write a personal note to the teacher inside of the stars. It is a door your teacher will truly treasure!
Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas for Staff
Teachers aren’t the only ones making an impact. Secretaries, janitors, and all of the non-homeroom classes need to be recognized too!Here are some great free printables that you can put in the staff lounge for everyone to enjoy.
Southland PTO has some great door ideas not only for teachers, but for the whole staff including the speech room and the secretaries office.
Teacher Appreciation Week Gift Ideas
Teacher gifts can be extravagant or simple, store-bought or handmade, or just a card of thanks with our without a gift card. It is the thought of appreciation that truly makes the gift memorable for the teacher. Here are some great ideas that are sure to make each of your teachers feel loved and special! My children have great teachers and I love this opportunity to thank them. My oldest son has a team of teachers that help him through the day. There are four in particular that I wanted to thank each day with a small something. Here are some ideas I am thinking about:
- “You are out of this world” tag attached to a Milky Way or Mars candy bar
- “You deserve an extra payday!” tag attached to a Payday candy bar
- “There is no ‘sub’stitute for you!” tag attached to a gift card for the local sub shop
- “You are ‘extra’ special” tag with a pack of Extra Gum
- “Thanks for helping Blake ‘bloom’” tag with a bouquet of flowers
- “We appreciate the ‘mounds’ of work you do!” tag attached to a Mounds candy bar
- “Thanks for giving Blake a hand” tag with hand lotion
- “Thanks a ‘latte’!” tag with a gift card from local coffee shop, special coffees or travel mug
- “You are ‘souper’! – soup mix, custom decorated soup bowls or homemade soup
- “Thanks for holding everything together” tag with fun paper clips
- “Just a note to say you are special” custom made note pads , purchased notepads or post it notes
- “You are a ‘treasure’ tag with Treasures candy
- “You really measure up” tag with a cool ruler, yardstick or measuring tape
- “You are ‘sum’body special” tag with a calculator or math game for the class
- “You are the apple of our eye” with a basket of apples (construction paper leaves with nice sayings—A+ teacher, you’re special etc. can be hot glued to the stems)
- “You are ‘tea’rrific!” tag with a selection of teas
- “You deserve a ‘break’ today! Thanks for your hard work” tag with a Fast-Break candy bar or McDonald’s gift certificates
- “You are a smart cookie” tag with homemade cookies
- “Thanks for a ‘picture’ perfect year” tag with movie coupons or nice picture frame
- “Thanks for making our school year bright” tag with a package of highlighters
- “Thanks for helping Blake grow” tag with flower seeds
- “You are o’fish’ally the best!” tag attached to Goldfish Crackers
- “Thanks for lighting the way” or “You light up our world” with a flashlight or nice candle
- “We are your biggest ‘fan’!”with a cute desk fan, hand held fan or paper fan.
- “Thanks for the ‘time’ you spend with Blake” tag on a cute clock, fun watch or pretty appointment book
- “We are fortunate to have you!” tag with a Chinese take out box filled with fortune cookies
- “You have been a ‘bright’ spot in our year!” tag with a package of highlighters
- “You are a joy!” tag attached to an Almond Joy candy bar
- “Thanks for giving Blake a hand!” tag attached to work or garden gloves filled with candy
- “You have been just ‘write’ for Blake!” package of nice pencils or pens in a case or container
- “You rock!” tag with pop rocks, rock candy, Rock Star soft drink or painted rock for a paperweight
- “You have been ‘key’ to Blake’s success!” tag attached to a key ring, maybe a pretty handmade beaded one
- “We are ‘nuts’ about you!” tag attached to some nuts
- “You ‘float’ above the rest” tag attached to a balloon or a fun pool float for the summer
- “You are worth more than a 100 grand to Blake!” tag attached to a 100 Grand candy bar
- “You ‘mint’ so much to us this year” tag attached to some mints
- “You were ‘mint’ to be a teacher!” tag attached to some mints
- “Here is a ‘pat’ on the back for doing such a great job!” tag attached to a gift certificate for a massage
- “You are an ‘amazing’ teacher” tag attached to an Amazing candy bar
This free printable for a Di-Vine plant tag is perfect to add to a houseplant. It makes a super cute gift for the classroom or for the teacher to take home! I love that the tag holder is a yellow No. 2 pencil, and I think that your teacher will love that too!
These EOS printable cards turn a simple lip balm into a special gift of appreciation. Everyone loves lip balm and it is perfect for any teacher–and for all of the extra teachers and staff too! It is an easy way to take an inexpensive gift and make it extra thoughtful!
School supplies are always a big hit with teachers. It is something that always runs out, and isn’t always in the school budget! These free printable Sharpie gift tags will turn school supplies into a sweet gift of appreciation! You can find more free printable Teacher Tags that you can put on all sorts of supplies including pencils, hi-liters, scissors and much more!
A beautiful watch would make any teacher’s day! This watch printable makes an adorable gift!
Gift cards always make a great gift, and these free printables can make a simple gift card a thoughtful and appreciated gift! These cute little tags were designed perfectly for the gift cards that you can pick up right at the register of your grocery store.
This Fantastic Fan printable makes a fun and unique gift for teachers! The fan attaches to a smart phone and is a fun gift as we head into summer!
Fridays are casual dress day at our school, and teachers can wear T-shirts and jeans. T-shirts have become a really popular gift and they would be a unique way to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week! I created these teacher tees below over at SunFrog and then picked out a few more I think are extra cute. Let me know if you would like a different color of any of the designs below! Just email me and I can add what you like over at SunFrog. Your teacher is sure to get all sorts of compliments (and nods of understanding from other teachers!) when she is out and about in one of these fun shirts
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
~Cynthia Ozick
Do you have any ideas that you have used to thank your children’s teachers? I would love to hear about them!
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