Top 11 Ways to Celebrate Virtual Teacher Appreciation Week 2020

Teacher Appreciation Week 2020 is right around the corner and this year we all must get a little creative about how we are able to celebrate our teachers virtually at a respectable social distance.  Below are the top 11 ways to show your teachers how much you love and appreciate them still while staying safe in the meantime!

UPDATE! CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR ALL NEW 2021 TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK IDEAS!

1. Give local Restaurant gift Cards

As many of us know, restaurants are one of the hardest hit industries due to the current global situation.  Give teachers a break from cooking and give them a gift card to a local establishment in your area.  It's a win-win because it allows you to support and appreciate both the teachers in your school and the hardworking food industry professionals who feed them. 

2.  Put together a Student Keepsake Booklet

The abruptness of students being pulled from their classrooms and teachers having to teach from an online distance is something we are all still trying to wrap our heads around.  There was no time for any real goodbyes since none of us knew the duration or scope of what we were walking into.

Because of social distancing, unfortunately, good bye hugs and teary last days for teachers treasuring the students that are leaving them will have to be done virtually this year.  Teachers always crave ways to remember their students, but this year seems like it is even more important to find a way to treasure the time that was spent together.  A great way to do this is with a virtual teacher appreciation keepsake booklet template.  Have students fill out the pages and then collect them all to assemble a gift that will be treasured endlessly for a school year that will ultimately not be forgotten.

3. Send out Candy/Treat Gifts

Does your sweet teacher have a sweet tooth?!  Gift them a SWEET QUARANTINE TREAT of homemade cookies, brownies or cupcakes or tell them you MISS THEM A CHOCO-LOT with chocolate candy gift tags that you can attach to store bought candy bars or local chocolates (support a local small business chocolatier at the same time - double bonus!)

4. Mail Flowers or Care Packages

You can go the sentimental and old-fashioned route by simply having the class pitch in and send your teacher a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers.  They will love the surprise and lovely fragrant flowers are sure to cheer them up when they have to be away from their students and classrooms.  

Care packages are another great option for showering teachers with love during virtual teacher appreciation week!  You can even create a gift box themes such as A GIFT OF SUNSHINE to lift their spirits and show them true appreciation and pampering.   Fill boxes with yummy smelling candles, candies, snacks, lotions, bath salts, chapsticks, gift cards and even maybe a live succulent plant!  Try to find items and products in bright sunny yellow colors to keep with the happy sunshine theme!

5. Have Students Mail Letters or Postcards to Their Teacher's Home

Who doesn't love snail mail?!  Have students mail handwritten letters of thanks and appreciation to their teachers that are strewn with photos, drawings, pictures and kind words!  You can also use these cute WORLD'S BEST QUARAN-TEACHER and EVEN WHEN WE'RE ALL APART THANKS FOR TEACHING WITH ALL YOUR HEART Printable postcard designs to mail out!

Stagger when you have students send them so the teacher has a new surprise waiting when she checks his/her mail daily!

6. Make it a Nacho Average Fiesta!

Since this Quarantined Teacher Appreciation Week 2020 falls right during Cinco De Mayo incorporate the theme with the "NACHO AVERAGE QUARAN-TEACHER" gift tags!  Attach to a Mexican-themed basket of chips, salsa, margarita mix and avocados and leave at your teacher's doorstep for an adorable and fun fiesta gift they are sure to love!

7. Chalk the Walk in Front of Teachers Houses

Have you heard of chalk the walk?  If not, you must!  It is one of the most positive and uplifting trends happening right now.  It's so simple and wonderful - grab some sidewalk chalk, walk around your neighborhood and draw pictures or write positive messages of hope and inspiration for all to read, see and enjoy!

So take this trend and think chalk the walk teacher appreciation style!  Assign each child (and their guardian) a time slot (so not everyone is there at once and can still practice social distancing) and write/draw something wonderful on the teacher's driveway or sidewalk.  The teacher will enjoy walking outside and seeing all the wonderful things her students have left for him/her!

Love the idea and need a flyer to get it communicated and organized for parents - we've got one HERE!

8. Put out Teacher Yard Signs with Balloons

Get sneaky and set out at nighttime to put a HONK! An Amazing Teacher Lives Here! yard sign in your teacher's front yard complete with balloons... and perhaps party bunting in a nearby tree!  This really could be considered the equivalent of toilet papering (put who has any of that these days?!) houses during homecoming season, but virtual teacher appreciation 2020 style!  Get crazy and hang party poms in the trees or whatever else you can think of!  Teachers will love looking out their window with their morning coffee and seeing the evidence of appreciation and love in their front yard.  Not to mention enjoying all the honking that goes on acknowledging their teacher awesomeness all day long! 

9. Give Teachers a Wine or Coffee Break

What's better than some wine or coffee?! Not much... and most teachers love both!  Use these adorable (and funny!) virtual teacher appreciation wine labels to attach to wine and leave at your teacher's doorstep!

If wine or alcohol not something you want to gift to your beloved teacher, coffee usually does the trick.  Of course a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts gift card is always great, or you can also simply gift a cute coffee mug or pound of ground beans.  Make sure to let your teachers know you MISS THEM A LATTE with these super cute gift tags to add to any virtual teacher appreciation coffee gift of your choice!

10. Amazon or Target Gift Cards 

When in doubt a Target or Amazon gift card is always a great idea.  Both for personal use or to use for classroom supplies teachers will love this practical idea for virtual teacher appreciation week. 

You can gift the gift extra flair by attaching a Target gift card to a cute printable gift card holder!

11. Give a TidyLady Printables Gift Card

Why?  Because you know teachers are just itching to get back into their classrooms and since there is a lot of current downtime to daydream and cruise Pinterest for classroom ideas for the fall, give them a gift card so they can splurge on a wide array of TidyLady Printables inspirational classroom posters to make their future classroom bright and beautiful!  They will have a jump start on getting their classrooms cute and organized over the summer and this unique and creative gift idea will help with those costs! A thoughtful and unique gift for any teacher!

(12. BONUS!) Host a Teacher Appreciation Drive By Parade

Host an awesome world's best "Quaran-teacher" drive by parade party for your school teachers as an awesome way to thank them during quarantine teacher appreciation week 2020. 

Use this invite and upload to your school website or email/text out as a digital invite.  You can also print and mail the invite for teachers to formally invite them to your special teacher appreciation thank you parade!

Have signs, balloons and everyone there to honk and wave! Hand out your teacher appreciation gifts (view the matching gift tag to the invite HERE) to each teacher in their car! You can even throw out candy and have curbside pizza by the slice for them to pick up on their way through!

VIEW THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF VIRTUAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK PRINTABLES HERE!

UPDATE! CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR ALL NEW 2021 TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK IDEAS!