Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! This is our chance to celebrate and honor the educators and school staff who have dedicated themselves to helping our children learn and grow. To make it easier for parents and students to express their gratitude, I have a list of creative and thoughtful Teacher Appreciation celebration ideas that will surely make your favorite teachers feel valued and appreciated. Whether it’s a simple thank-you note or a grand gesture of appreciation, we’ve got you covered for the entire week. Get ready to show your teachers some love and make this National Teacher Appreciation Week one to remember!

thank you for helping me grow teacher gift
Printable Thank You For Helping Me Grow Plant Stake

What is Teacher Appreciation Week?

Eleanor Roosevelt initiated National Teacher Appreciation Week in 1953 to recognize and honor the significant contributions of teachers to our society. This week-long celebration serves as a reminder of the vital role teachers play in shaping the future generation. Since 1984, the National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) has designated a full week during the public school year to honor the men and women who lend their passion, skills, hard work, and dedication to educating our children.

When is Teacher Appreciation Week 2024? 

The first full week of May is designated as National Teacher Appreciation Week by the National PTA and the NEA (National Education Association.  The official celebration of teachers has taken place during the first full week of May every year, with National Teacher Day on the Tuesday of the first full week. Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 starts on Monday, May 6, and ends on Friday, May 10 making National Teacher’s Day May 7th.

How do you celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day?

If you need awesome teacher appreciation gifts be sure to check out these teacher gifts. You will find hundreds of ideas. Here are some simple ideas.

  • Write a note of thanks and appreciation for your teacher.
  • Round up a basket of goodies that your teacher can enjoy over the summer.
  • Give 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.
  • Bring in your teacher’s favorite treats and snacks.
  • Provide lunch for the teacher.
  • Find ways to include the staff, including secretaries and janitors.
  • Create a classroom gift like a photo album to involve the entire class.
  • Create a fun theme for the week that encourages the teacher to be appreciated all week long!
  • Fill a gift basket full of school supplies and those things a teacher often has to use their own money for.
  • Set up a wish list for your teacher on Amazon and let parents purchase just what your teacher wants and need.

Teacher Appreciation Week Idea Themes

Creating a theme for the week can be lots of fun and will help give everyone some great ideas for honoring teachers each day of the week. From elementary school to high school teachers and school staff will love these thoughtful ideas.

Around the World
Give teachers a trip around the world. Feature a different country’s cuisine every day. Kick it up a notch with clever puns. Think Mexican Monday for nacho average teachers to ‘pasta’tively awesome teacher for Italy. Display “Thank you!” in different languages on the bulletin boards

Super Hero
Without a doubt, teaching is a superpower! Decorate the lounge with action bubbles with special messages from the students. A lunch with hero sandwiches one day and soup for souper teachers another is a fun way to carry on the theme. Super Hero Theme from Kara’s Party Ideas!

Out of This World
Head into outer space to let teachers know they are out of this world.  Decorate with stars and planets. Serve rocket fuel drinks like coffee and sodas one day and give out pop rocks, moon pies, and Milky Way candy bars on other days. This is a sure way to let teachers know  ….. We’re over the moon about you!

Beach/Luau
Sweep teachers away to paradise. Umbrella drinks and lei’s are the perfect decoration.

Hooray for Hollywood
Give teachers the star treatment by rolling out the red carpet. Decorate with movie-related props, serve popcorn and other traditional movie snacks in the teacher lounge. Be sure to hand out  Academy Awards for awesome teaching. A great way to let teachers know they are picture-perfect. This movie and popcorn theme is super cute!movie theme teacher appreciation

Garden Party
Encourage all students to bring flowers to their teacher, You plant the seeds of knowledge and Thanks for helping us grow are great sayings for bulletin boards and small gifts.

Spa Week  
Take care of teachers with a week of luxury and relaxation. Hire a service to come to the lounge to do chair massages and offer spa-friendly foods like fresh fruits and veggies along with flavored waters. Even treat teachers to a packaged facemask with a tag that says we can’t mask our appreciation for your hard work.

Our Teachers Raise the Bar
The sky’s the limit with this one. It is easy to host a variety of bars…. a potato bar, nacho bar, salad bar, etc…… and of course give teachers a candy bar for the best teacher bar none.

Rising Up to Excellence
No question teachers lift us up. Use phrases like “Wake up” and have breakfast or hire a coffee service to come to make lattes. Giddy up, Dress up, Rise up, Surf’s up, Batter up are more ideas.

Grand Slam
Pennant banners are the perfect decoration for this. Give students blank pennant shapes to write special notes on to place in hallways and the lounge. Each day serve a different ballpark fave like hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, etc.

Spy
Play off phrases like “We spy the world’s best teachers” and “It’s no mystery, our teachers rock!” Decorate with magnifying glasses and fingerprints

We’re Wild About You
So many fun treats with this one… animal crackers, monkey bread, banana bread, bananas, etc. to let teachers know … We are wild about you! and Were bananas over you!

NACHO Average Teachers
The perfect theme to serve the teachers is a nacho bar. This is an easy idea to pull off. Let me share how I did it and the Gracias Banner file.

Papel picado banner that says "Gracias" in green, orange and purple for Teacher appreciation week. The card on top reads Nacho Average Teachers
Aren’t these banners so cute?

Teacher Appreciation Week Sample Schedule

Many schools do something each day. Planning it with daily ideas can make it easy. “If you give a teacher…” is such a fun play on the popular children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Teachers will also like these daily ideas:

  • We ‘Donut’ know what we would do without you – coffee and donuts
  • Thanks for making our kids such smart ‘cookies’ – fresh baked cookies
  • We couldn’t have ‘picked’ better teachers – fresh fruit
  • Thanks for ‘quenching’ the thirst for knowledge – refreshing drinks
  • There’s muffin like a great teacher – muffins and juice
  • You’re all that and a bag of chips – small individual bags of chips

Here is What I did for Teacher Appreciation Week

I am a huge fan of vinyl banners that can be used year after year. They are typically reasonable in cost or are something that can be donated from a local sign shop. Here is a sample of what we did during the week:

Teachers were served coffee and donuts in the teacher lounge. One year we hired a donut truck to come to the parking lot.

Small bouquets were purchased from a local flower wholesaler. We sat them in buckets in front of this banner to make sure they know we could not have hand-picked better teachers and staff.

flower bouquet idea for teachers

A local bakery made the teacher cupcakes to show our teacher take the cake.

If you would like to make your own 2ft by 4ft banner you will find the graphics for the first two banners are included in my teacher appreciation bundle.

Ideas for the Teacher’s Lounge

 These free printable appreciation signs are a fun way to show your teachers how much you appreciate their hard work! These freebies make teacher appreciation activities EASY!

Ideas for Entire Staff

Teachers aren’t the only ones making an impact.  Secretaries, janitors, all of the non-homeroom classes, and support staff need to be recognized too! These ideas can be printed off and placed in the staff mailboxes.

The printable for the next three ideas can be found in my teacher printable bundle.

  1. Post-it Note Padspost it note gift for teachers
  2. We are Lucky to Have You Lottery Ticket Giftlottery ticket gift
  3. Hands down Best Teachers Hand Sanitizer Gifthands down best teachers
free printable school secretary card
Free Printable Card for Administrative Staff

Teacher Gifts Ideas

Here are a few simple and inexpensive teacher appreciation ideas that are easy to execute! These free downloadables make darling handmade gifts.

homemade teacher tote
Teacher Tote ( this freebie could be used to make a T-shirt too)

Teacher gifts can be extravagant or simple, store-bought or handmade, or just a card of thanks with or without a gift card. 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. Here are some special gift tags that can be attached to anything! And as always, I still have more for you check out thes printable teacher gifts.

crumbl cookie tags
Cute Crumbl Cookie Tags

Gifts Teachers Really Want!

A survey of teachers showed they loved handwritten notes and gift cards.  No matter what you decide to gift to your teacher, a hand-written thank you card from a student is always appreciated and treasured.

Printable gift card holders are designed perfectly for the gift cards that you can pick up right at the register of your grocery store on the way to school. Here are more teacher gift card ideas.

any way you slice it you are amazing pizza box gift card holder
Pizza Gift – give the teacher a break with dinner on you!

This free printable pencil card takes minutes to make and couldn’t be any cuter! The inside is blank to add your own personal note and even a gift card if you like.

Related: If you need help with just the right words check out these thank you teacher messages.

printable pencil card says you are just write
Pencil Card

More Ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week

As you can see US Teacher Appreciation Week can be quite an affair. It doesn’t have to be hard to support teachers and thank them for being good role models for our children. Their days can be tireless and they certainly deserve a pat on the back for being a good teacher.

just write teacher gift for pencils or pens
Just Write Pencil Gift
zippered pouches with sayings for teacher gifts
DIY Teacher Zippered Pouches – Cricut Project

How to Give a Virtual Thank You!

If you are distance learning send your teacher a virtual thank you. Let kids say thank you by holding up this cute thank you coloring sign. Such a fun way to say thanks virtually! You can even post on social media.

girl holding colored thank you coloring page sign
Free Virtual Thank You Sign

Free Appreciation Coloring Pages

If your child loves to color these coloring pages make a heartfelt gift. Give the teacher questionnaire to your teacher early and you will know exactly what they would like most!

Teacher Door Decoration Ideas

Decorating and personalizing the classroom door is a tradition that is loved by both kids and teachers at most schools!  You can find some great ideas to help you get started with these fun Teacher Appreciation Door Ideas. and here

There are so many easy door ideas including this Super Star door (click the links).  I especially like the ideas that allow each student to write a personal note to the teacher.  These ideas will help you create a door your teacher will truly treasure! These are Ideas from my kid’s school over the years. Be sure to click through all three links for loads of ideas!

Make Teacher Appreciation Week Easy With These Printables

teacher bundle

Give Pinterest-worthy gifts that teachers love without all the work!

Over 200 done for you printables will help you Create useful gifts that will be loved by teachers.

teacher appreciation bundle

Everything at your fingertips!

All the printables you need are at your fingertips organized in an online database. Access anytime and print whatever you like whenever you want.

I hope these ideas help you to have a happy teacher appreciation week! Do you have any ideas that you have used at your children’s school? I would love to hear about them!

I would love to keep you fully stocked with creative ideas, yummy recipes, fun crafts, and loads of free printables. Subscribe to Skip to my Lou to get new ideas delivered to your inbox. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates.


About Cindy Hopper

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Comments

  1. Awesome ideas and very affordable! My son is in preschool and he has about 4 teachers that rotate throughout the day. Plus my daughter always wants to do something special for the p.e. coach, the art teacher, the principal…etc..etc – the gifts can add up quickly! Thank you so much for sharing…. I linked here through “Tip Junkie”. I am so gonna subscribe to your blog!
    Happy Mother’s Day!!!!

  2. Awesome ideas-I am on day 4 for our “Teacher Appreciation Week” looking for a quick idea for tomorrow. Monday was microwave popcorn “Popping up to say you are GREAT”. Tuesday was an orange “Orange you SPECIAL”. Wednesday was a box of Smart Start cereal “Thank you for a Smart Start to ___grade”. (filled in with the next grade level).

  3. I need some ideas I have been geeting donations for our schools event and Dairy Queen donated a Sundae for each of our teachers and I am looking for a worderful quote…….HELP!!! Thanks!

    Another one I saw was this place would be a zoo without you…. and attach animal crackers. Keep in mind the principal and I are doing this for all teachers.

  4. These are all great ideas! Thank you for posting them. I have already bookmarked this page for future reference.

  5. Was referred to your site through Tip Junkie – awesome ideas – and thanks so much for sharing!!

  6. I bought large canvas totes and when I was in helping in the classroom and the teacher was going to be doing assessments in another classroom for an hour or so, I helped each child apply pain to their hand and then put their handprints on the bag. I then wrote their names by their print with permanent fabric marker, and then on the card put the line “you have touched our hearts and we’ll carry you with us forever”.

  7. These are great ideas! Here is another idea that I actually received from a friend of mine. She made a batch of rice crispie treats and then cut one large heart out of it and wrapped in colored saran wrap and then traced and cut her daughter’s hand out of construction paper attached it to the wrapped treat and wrote “You have touched my heart. Thank you for being my teacher.” This could also work well with heart shaped sugar cookies.

  8. People like you make being a teacher all that much nicer. It’s wonderful to have the rewarding experience with the children, but knowing that the parents appreciate it is just the icing on the cake. Thank you for doing this.

  9. I love all of your ideas!!! When I lived in Alabama we did Teacher Appreciation but here in Missouri they do not do it. So I send gifts all year long for holidays. Thanks for the idea.

  10. I’m here from Karla’s, and these are very creative! I am bookmarking this page.

  11. Thank you for posting this. We love our son’s preschool teacher and I had no idea it was Teacher Apprciation Week. Luckily, I have a cute bag of Pistachio nuts and cute die cuts to make a gift tag!

    P.S. We made your Blarney Teasure Stones for the class for St. Patrick’s Day and they were a huge hit!

  12. What you have listed sounds like the greatest teacher appreciation gify I have ever heard of!!

  13. perfect perfect perfect!!! I love these ideas! Thank you!

    blessings,
    karla

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