Make your end of year teacher gifts even more special by including a Teacher Appreciation Letter! Have your child use this free printable teacher letter template to write his or her teacher a note of thanks, or write your own letter with these tips!
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that I’m a “last minute” kind of Mom.
My husband jokes with me every May, when I’m frantically trying to get together last minute teacher gifts, that I knew this day was coming all year. But life gets busy, and things get delayed until the last possible second.
And if 2 Day Amazon Prime is going to take too long, then give a simple letter of appreciation from the heart instead (and maybe run to Target for a gift card, too!).
Here are some awesome teacher appreciation letter ideas, and be sure to download the fill in the blanks teacher letter of appreciation at the end of this post!
What to Write in a Letter of Appreciation for a Teacher
A teacher is a HUGELY important part of a child’s life. Just think about how many hours each day your kids spend at school. Both of my girls have a 7 hour school day, so that means that they spend the majority of the weekday hours that they are awake with their teacher.
My youngest daughter has even shed tears on the last day of school solely because she would miss her teacher.
So, it’s important to show teachers just how much they are appreciated! If your kids have ever done virtual learning and you were the default teacher, trying to figure out common core math and keep your child focused for 30 minutes, then I’m sure you EXTRA appreciate your child’s teachers!
Here are some things you may want to include in a teacher appreciation letter:
An adjective to describe WHAT kind of teacher they are
For instance, your child could write “Thank you for being such a ________ teacher!” , and include adjectives like:
- patient
- kind
- compassionate
- nice
- caring
- fun-loving
- awesome
Your child’s favorite memory
A special memory that your child has about the school year is a GREAT thing to write in a teacher appreciation letter. If your child often came home from school excited about something that happened in class, then pass that along.
My youngest daughter came home from school a few days ago telling me all about how her 3rd grade teacher stood on top of the desk that day. She said that her teacher often climbs up on her desk when she’s trying to get the attention of the class or when she has something important to say, and my daughter thinks it’s hilarious!
Small, specific details like that make your note of thanks more personal, rather than just saying “My daughter really enjoyed your class.”
Something the teacher did well
Highlight some of the teacher’s specific strengths… and get creative! You could mention something more serious like “I appreciate your willingness to really listen to my child’s 14 stories everyday.”
Or, keep it light and funny with something like “Kenzee was amazed at your hula-hooping skills and the funny voices that you made when reading books aloud to the class.”
What your child will miss most about the school year
Ask your kids what they will miss most about their current school year, and have them include that in their teacher appreciation letters. Just to give you some examples, your kids may miss things like:
- their class pet
- the awesome and comfy reading nook in their teacher’s classroom
- the funny sayings that the teacher uses (like “Criss cross applesauce”)
- the mini Friday dance parties
- getting to eat lunch in the room with the teacher as a special treat
- smelling the teacher’s popcorn/coffee/etc in the classroom
A difficult concept that the teacher did a great job explaining
Fractions are no joke for a third grader, but my daughter’s teacher did an awesome job explaining them this year. And a few years ago, my older daughter’s teacher showed her a simple trick to use her fingers and easily figure out the 9’s multiplication facts.
Those little “teacher tricks” are invaluable in really helping your kids grasp certain difficult concepts. If your teacher did an awesome job at teaching something that could have resulted in a lot of tears but didn’t, you can add that to your letter!
Improvements you saw in your child
Most teachers choose to teach because they really want to make a difference in the life of young people… because it’s probably not the great salary that’s drawing them to the job! So take the time to tell the teacher about specific ways that your child improved during the school year.
In your note of thanks to the teacher, you can reference something that your child struggled with at the beginning of the year, but overcame with the teacher’s help.
Free Printable Teacher Appreciation Letter Template
A “Mad Lib” style, fill-in-the-blanks teacher appreciation letter template is GREAT for younger kids to be able to express their thanks for their teacher all by themselves. Instead of writing an entire note, kids can use this free printable teacher letter template and just fill in the blanks.
Here’s the wording of the FREE template:
Dear _____________________,
Thank for you being such a ____________________ teacher! The classroom activities that I enjoy the most are ___________________, ___________________, and _____________________.
Even though _____________________ was hard for me, I am glad that you ________________________________.
Thank you for pushing me in/encouraging me in _______________________. What I will miss most about __________ grade is _________________________. My favorite memory from this year is ________________________________.
Love, ___________________
Other Teacher Appreciation Ideas
Want other free teacher appreciation printables? Check out these posts:
Teacher Cookie Gifts with Free Printable Gift Tags
Just make a batch of homemade cookies (or stop at a local bakery) and put a few in a bag with this cute free printable teacher gift tag! This easy and inexpensive gift idea is great for teacher appreciation week, when your kids may be encouraged to bring small gifts or notes in each day of the week.
Donut Gifts with Printable Gift Tags
These free printable donut gift tags are also great for making super easy and cheap teacher gifts! Just pick up a donut from your local donut shop, put it in a cute bag or gift box, and tie on one of these free printable donut gift tags.
Or go here for more teacher appreciation gift ideas!
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