We’re celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week this year and making it easy on parents and kids to honor their teachers, educators and school staff who have worked so hard to help our kids learn this year. We have a week’s worth of Teacher Appreciation celebration ideas to thank your favorite teachers and show your gratitude. Welcome to a big list of ideas for National Teacher Appreciation Week!
When is Teacher Appreciation Week?
US Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week of May. This year, Teacher Appreciation Week falls on May 8, 2023 – May 12, 2023. National Teacher Day is May 2, 2023 which was originated in 1953 by former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.
Teacher Appreciation Week is meant to honor teachers for their hard work over the school year and how they truly love and care for all of our kids with small gifts. In my opinion, pampering our teachers five days out of the year isn’t enough, but it’s a start.
Related: Our best list of teacher appreciation gifts kids can make
Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas
When asked what teachers want as a gift, my teacher friends usually say that great teachers want their kids to be safe, healthy, happy, read to, and for mom and dad to support the kids’ learning at home. They also quickly follow those sentiments with “wine” as a favorite gift choice, haha!
Here are some ideas for your child’s teacher that make a great gift…
1. Gift Card Ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week
You can’t go wrong with digital gift cards for Teacher Appreciation Week for great places they can go: coffee, Netflix, Hulu, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, Kindle, Buffalo Wild Wings, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Target are great quarantine gifts that will be appreciated.
2. Send a Delivery for Teacher Appreciation Week
Send teachers the special gift of Tiff’s Treats or flowers. Have a yard card service set up a message in their yard or school yard (ask permission first), like “an awesome teacher lives here!”
3. Set up an Amazon Wish List for Teacher Appreciation
Room parents and class volunteers can ask the teacher to set up an Amazon wish list of some of their favorite things, school supplies or books they want to read and parents can purchase from there. Even some of the big name stores are getting in on the fun, like Target’s teacher discount!
Thoughtful and Inexpensive Gifts for Teachers
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to give teachers something special. Kids crafts are a great place to start! Who doesn’t love a sweet memento like a video or slide show presentation?
Don’t forget school administrators, support staff and any other helpers in the school district…everyone can take part of teacher appreciation week!
1. Kid Written Notes
Kids can write a nice thank you note or notes of appreciation and mail it to their teacher (if they are willing to give you their address), or you can scan and email it instead. You could even have your child record a video message for their teacher and email it to them.
How Do You Wish A Teacher Appreciation?
We’ve put together a sample daily schedule for online Teacher Appreciation Week that includes five different prompts for students to share something special about their teacher.
There are printable PDF versions that kids can fill out — take a picture of their creation, print it, scan it, and email it to your teacher, post on social media, or upload the picture to your child’s digital classroom in Google Classroom, SeeSaw, or whatever program your school uses. There are also links to each of these messages in Google Slides so you can edit them digitally to make them even easier to share!
Each day has a great idea that is easily completed for National Teacher Appreciation Day and week.
What is each day of teacher appreciation week?
Use the digital version links for each day (copy and edit) or download the Teacher Appreciation Week Graphics pdf version: Teacher Appreciation Week Template Printables
Monday:
- Share your favorite photos with Teachers and Staff on your school’s social media or create a collage and take it to your teacher.
- Today’s Special Message: Use this My Favorite Thing About My Teacher template to share what you love about your teacher. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
Tuesday:
- Record a video message or write a letter to your teacher to show them how they helped you with student success! You can email it directly to them, upload to your digital classroom, or share a photo on your school’s social media or deliver it personally to the teacher’s desk.
- Today’s Special Message: Use this You Taught Me template to share something special that you learned from your teacher. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
Wednesday:
- Dress up like your favorite teacher or staff member!
- Today’s Special Message: Use this Making You Proud template to share a special moment when you knew you made your teacher proud. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
Thursday:
- Give your teacher something special! Students can draw a picture, write a poem, sing a song — the sky is the limit!
- Today’s Special Message: Use this Favorite Memory template to share your favorite memory from your class this year. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
Friday:
- Decorate your desk, classroom bulletin board or hallway for the teachers and staff so they can feel the love. Use sidewalk chalk to leave messages in front of the school, create fun signs and put them in the school yard.
- Today’s Special Message: Use this What I’ll Miss template to share what you will miss most about your teacher. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
More Ways To Celebrate US Teacher Appreciation Week 2023
- Printable teacher appreciation cards you can print and mail to your teacher.
- Make a teacher appreciation gift they will use all the time!
- Some of our favorite DIY teacher appreciation gifts.
- Teacher Appreciation Freebies and Deals
- Teacher Gift Card Holder
No matter how you honor the awesome teachers at your school for their long hours of service giving high quality education, just make sure you have a good time in celebration of teacher appreciation week! Whether it is preschool, Kindergarten, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers or a high school teacher you are celebrating, let’s support teachers who went way past the call of duty this past year with special gifts.
Happy teacher appreciation week!
Fun Things to Do with Kids this Summer
- Check out these kids education websites offering free subscriptions.
- Help your kids learn how to make bubbles at home!
- My kids are obsessed with these active indoor games.
- Make reading even more fun with this PB kids summer reading challenge.
- Rawr! Here are some of our favorite dinosaur crafts.
- Get kids off technology and back to basics with learning worksheets you can print at home.
- Summer heat won’t be a problem with these indoor games for kids.
- What is Butterbeer?
Teacher Appreciation Week FAQ
Teacher Appreciation Week is every year and falls on the first full week of May. Teacher Appreciation Day falls on the Tuesday of the first full week in May. That means in 2023, Teacher Appreciation week is May 8 – May 12 and Teacher Appreciation Day would be Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
While teachers deserve our appreciation every day of the year, Teacher Appreciation week falls yearly on the first full week of May.
Yes, Teacher Appreciation week is celebrated across the United States every May! Don’t miss this fun opportunity to celebrate the important educators in your life.
How are you celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week?
Comment below, and make sure you tag us with #KABlovesteachers if you post any pictures or ideas on social media!
Are you a teacher? Check out how to get free Zolli Lollis for your class!
Thanks for this ideas! God bless ??
You are so welcome, Siena! The same to you!
I have thanked a teacher via the purchase of a gas card for rising gas prices !!
I am sure that will be appreciated! Thank you for the suggestion, Veronica!
As a teacher, I appreciate student made gifts! It could be a simple color page or picture. I also really appreciate parents who donate crafting supplies for my class!
Thank you for these ideas and thank you for all that you do as a teacher, Aspen!
In my 24 years, my favorite teacher appreciation gestures were handmade notes/pictures from students. The PTO also hosts a luncheon on Teacher Appreciation day in the school library with yummy food and desserts. I think a great gift from the PTO would be a school mascot/school name tote bag, shirt, or sweatshirt!
Love these ideas, Lisa! Thank you for sharing them, and thank you for all that you do as a teacher!