Teacher Appreciation Craft Ideas for Kids

Teachers Appreciation day is coming up on May 7th. Have you thought about what you're going to do for your child's teacher? Thankfully we have you covered with this piece by Sarah Carlson!

Teacher Appreciation Craft Ideas for Kids

Shouldn't teacher appreciation day be every day?  Since the greatest appreciation is paying attention in class, then yes, it should be!  But every once in a while, it is a wonderful idea to give the special teachers in your children’s lives a reminder of how much you appreciate their efforts, their hard work, their patience, and their support.  Teachers know that special gifts don’t have to cost a fortune; in fact, they don’t have to cost much more than a bit of your time. Here are some great teacher appreciation craft ideas for kids who love their teachers.

A Picture Says a Thousand “Thank You’s”

A special class photo can be a great gift for a teacher.  But since they get one of the standard yearbook-type photos each year, up the ante and do something different.  Parents could arrange to have a photo taken of the children in which they arrange themselves to spell “THANK YOU” or, if there are more students, they could spell the teacher’s name.  The picture is taken from overhead, perhaps on a ladder or from a balcony.

Alternatively, you could have the students in a classic photo layout with tall kids in back and short kids in front.  Spell out "Thank You" on poster board having the children in the middle each hold a poster board with an individual letter.  The first child holds the T, the next the H, the next the A and so on.  Then snap off the photo.  You can get it printed at your local Walmart or Walgreens as a poster or print an 8x10 and frame it.

A Sudsy Sentiment

This idea for personalized hand soap comes from the GiversLog blog.  You need:

·         A bottle of hand soap. Look for a bottle that has a clear blank area.  This blog recommends Lavata, which is available at Target, but any bottle with a blank area will be fine. Use non-foaming soap.

·         A picture your child has drawn.

·         Transparency.

Make sure the drawing is a size that will fit on the bottle.  Transfer your child’s drawing or even a handwritten poem onto a transparency.  If you can get this printed at a Kinkos, that will work best.  You can add color with blue or green Sharpies as well.  Cut out the image, roll it up, and put it through the bottle neck.  It will unroll, and you fix it into position by putting the soap pump behind it.  You can check out the tutorial here for more information and a look at the finished product.

Helping Hands

If you want to give the teacher something that she can use for years to come, consider buying a large terra-cotta flower pot.  Then go to the craft store and pick up some colorful paints so that each of the children in the class can make a hand-print on the outside of the flower pot.  Have one of the kids' moms write the name of each child above their hand-print and voila, you've got a great gift that the teacher can proudly display. 

flower pot photo credit: MTSofAn from Flickr

Have a Pencil?

There are never enough pencils!  Your teacher is the perpetual supplier of pencils, so why not give her some of her own?  Buy a few boxes of yellow pencils at the dollar store or box store (at the beginning of the school year, there are great deals) and hot glue them to a straight flower pot or vase.  Tie a ribbon around the container and hang a cute sign with a saying of appreciation or just a big “Thank you!”  Add some straw or fabric flowers, a plant, or cut flowers.

A Sweet Sentiment

Just about everyone loves a sweet treat and teachers are no exception.  Bake up come delectable cupcakes, cookies, or brownies that you can place in a thank you tin.  Add a ribbon and a thank you note for an awesome teacher appreciation gift.  Online you can find lots of places like Love from the Oven that give step-by-step instructions for how to create adorable and yummy ice cream sundae cupcakes.  They even have some free printable tags that say "You Are Appreciated". 

cupcake photo credit: Christi from Flickr and Love from the Oven

Author Bio:

Sarah is a writer who enjoys party planning, crafting and DIY projects. She also regularly contributes to the Holiday Gifts & Baskets blog, hosted by http://www.holiday-gifts-gift-baskets.com.