How to Thank a Teacher: Heartfelt Gestures They Won’t Forget   

Summary: Learn fun and creative ways parents and students can thank a teacher this Teacher Appreciation Week and all year long.  

Each and every day, we entrust our children’s care and development to their remarkable teachers who share the wonders of the world with them. These teachers provide comfort, guidance, and inspiration and have the incredible ability to maintain the attention of over 20 young minds at once! It’s a superpower that deserves to be celebrated. 

From May 6–10, we observe Teacher Appreciation Week, a time dedicated to recognizing the invaluable support provided by teachers. While we ought to show gratitude year-round and teach our children to say thank you for encouraging them every step of the way, let’s make this week extra special by showering their teachers with gratitude and appreciation!  

Here are some meaningful, creative ways you and your children can say thank you to their teachers during this week of celebration and recognition. And remember, you don’t have to spend money on a gift to show you care. 

Ways for Parents to Thank Teachers: 

• Create a questionnaire for the teacher that asks them to share their favorite flowers, coffee, tea, restaurants, colors, sports teams, or activities. You can share this with other parents in the class and use it as a guide to get the best-fitting tokens of appreciation.  
• Send a thoughtful, handwritten note that expresses your gratitude, explaining what your child loves about their classroom or in what way they helped your child grow this school year. 
• Bake a homemade dessert or bring in other goodies. 
• Design an IOU or coupon book with options for gifts or services, such as volunteer time during or after school, a gourmet coffee before school, or a delicious lunch from off-campus dining. 
• Surprise their teacher with a bouquet of flowers. 
• Compile a book of inspirational quotes about teachers and the impact they make. 
• Work with other parents in the class to create a video compilation of students explaining why they appreciate their teacher or what makes their class fun.  
• Give them a cool or silly accessory for their class like a bouquet of flower pens, a dinosaur memo holder, or an otter tape dispenser. These fun items can help make the classroom memorable for young students, too.  
• Reach out to the school’s principal to express gratitude for the teacher, explaining what makes them exceptional. 
• Decorate the classroom door with messages of appreciation (be sure to ask permission from the school administration first). 
• Send a personalized message of thanks from Thank My Teacher or create a word cloud of kind words that describe teachers. This is a great option to send to online schoolteachers! 
• Donate a book for the classroom library and ask students to sign the inside margins. 
• Start a fundraising campaign to help raise money for classroom supplies for the next school year. 

Ways for Elementary Students to Thank Their Teacher: 

• Have your child paint a clay pot and then plant flowers in it together. 
• Buy a canvas and ask your child to paint a picture for their teacher. 
• Teach your child to thank their teacher at the end of each school day. 
• Ask your child to write a letter that expresses their gratitude. 
• Help your child write an acrostic poem that describes what makes them a great teacher.  
• Cut out a bookmark from paper stock and have your child decorate it with colors, glitter, feathers, or other fun craft items. 
• Dress your child in red for Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday, May 7. 

Ways for Middle and High School Students to Thank Their Teacher: 

• Organize a car wash for teachers and other school staff members. 
• Volunteer time to help refresh the classroom or teachers’ lounge with a new coat of paint. 
• Create a giant card or poster board with messages of thanks. 
• Organize a humorous skit in honor of the teacher that students in the class can perform. 
• Write a letter expressing how this teacher impacted their journey to college. 
• Make a TikTok compiling videos of students explaining what makes their teacher so special. 

With so many fun and easy ways to say thank you, I am confident that we can make our children’s teachers feel important and valued this Teacher Appreciation Week. But let’s not limit our gratitude to just one week. Leading by example, we can teach our children to express gratitude to their teacher throughout the year.  

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