Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week with Friendzy freebies that provide turnkey activities for your classroom.
This Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re celebrating the heart, grit, and quiet heroism educators bring to the classrooms each day with a collection of gratitude-centered resources and activities students can complete to thank their teachers for all they do.
These cute cards are filled with fun and friendly compliments students can share with their peers and teachers.
Supplies:
Print the card sheets
Scissors for cutting out the individual cards
Students can let their creativity flow with this color page that reminds us to be grateful.
Supplies:
Print the coloring page
Available art supplies. Consider:
Crayons
Colored pencils
Markets
One of the best ways to lift someone’s spirits is through gratitude. Use this encouragement acrostic activity to creatively share encouragement with friends and remind them that they are seen, known, and loved and that we are in this together! With this acrostic, you will use each letter of a friend’s name as the start of a word or sentence that shares something you love about them, why you are thankful for them, or a special encouragement!
Supplies:
Blank Paper
Available art supplies. Consider:
Newspapers and magazines
Scissors
Glue stick
Markers/crayons/colored pencils
Stickers
Set up:
Set up at a table with your available art supplies. If you are going to be using art supplies like newspaper clippings, glitter, or paint, make sure your area is properly set up to avoid stains and messes!
Go:
Choose a friend you’d like to create an acrostic for and write out their name on a scratch piece of paper. Please make sure you know the correct spelling of their name!
Write something you love about them on your scratch paper for each letter of their name, or an encouraging sentence. Feel free to experiment and be creative with your word choices- this will be a draft.
Example - Name: Holly
H: Helpful - you are always willing to help me with my schoolwork!
O: Open - You always share your feelings and wear your heart on your sleeve!
L: Loving - I always feel loved when I’m around you!
L: Loyal - I know that you will always have my back!
Y: Youthful - you are always willing to be silly and play fun games with me!
Once you have a draft of your acrostic, use a fresh piece of paper to create an original piece of art for your friend! Consider finding the letters of their name with newspaper clippings and gluing them to your paper to write your words/sentences underneath. You could also cut out pictures, use stickers, or create drawings that match the sentences you’ve written. Be as creative as you’d like!
Share your acrostic with your friend!
Activity Recap:
In times of isolation, gratitude is one of the best gifts we can give—and it’s free to give! This encouragement acrostic activity gives you a chance to use your creativity and show your friends just how much you care about them and appreciate their presence in your life. Even when we are physically separated, there are so many ways that we can show our friends love and remind them that we are in this together.
Did you know that cultivating an attitude of gratitude is linked with experiencing greater happiness? Gratitude helps to elevate our mood by shifting our focus from the negative to the positive, making space for us to reflect on good experiences. Studies have shown that gratitude can improve our health, regulate our emotions during times of crisis and stress, and aid in building stronger friendships.
Supplies:
Post-it notes or scratch paper
Tape
Colored pencil, crayon, or marker
Baseball cap or large bowl
Set up:
Every day, set aside a few minutes for you and your kids to share at least three things you’re grateful for that day. After everyone has shared, grab some Post-it notes, scratch paper, and something colorful to write with. Have everyone write each thing they’re grateful for on a Post-it note or scratch paper. Then, using tape, have everyone place their notes of gratitude on the refrigerator. Repeat this activity every day for the rest of the week. All of the Post-it notes or scratch paper should be placed on the fridge in such a way that it comes together to create a heart — A Heart Full of Gratitude. At the end of the week, you’ll use the Post-it notes or paper placed on the refrigerator to play a game of Grateful Charades.
Go | Grateful Charades Instructions:
For Grateful Charades, have each player gather and fold three of the things they are grateful for and place them in a hat or bowl.
Explain how to play Charades. Charades is a game where words or phrases are acted out. It’s important to explain that Charades is a pantomime-only game, so remind everyone to act out what’s written down without speaking. Once someone has guessed correctly, recap the answer by saying, “You’re grateful for…. How did that make you feel?” It is important to do this part because each person has what they’re grateful for mirrored back to them and be reminded of the emotion associated. The Friendzy Daily Check-in Tool can help identify these emotions.
Choose player order by birthday. The player with the birthday closest to the day’s date goes first.
Go from player to player, having each person act out the items until the hat or bowl is empty.
Be loud and cheer each other on. Don’t worry about splitting into teams or having a timer like typical charades. We’re skipping the competitive element. Keep it simple, and have fun! Remember, the end goal is to highlight and celebrate all you’re grateful for as a family.
To close out the game, take a few moments to answer a couple of the questions below. Maybe even over dessert!
Connect with Each Other:
What was your favorite part of Grateful Charades?
Were there items that were acted out that weren’t yours that you’re also grateful for? Share a few of those items with one another.
How does having an attitude of gratitude positively affect our relationships with one another?
Look at the Friendzy Daily Check-in Tool and identify the emotion you’re feeling right now. Share it with your family, and try to explain why you feel that way.
As an expression of gratitude and a way to connect with family and friends, offer the option to write a thank you note or text someone a message of gratitude this week.
Activity Recap:
We can never be too grateful. Cultivating a heart full of gratitude is essential not only for our mental health during times of stress or crisis but also for our relational and emotional health. Intentionally being grateful gives way to contentment and calmness. Be mindful of everything that acted out during Grateful Charades, and remind one another of those items when needed in the coming days. Encourage everyone to practice keeping a running list of things they are grateful for each day and to share or reflect on them when and wherever they can. This gratitude activity could even become a weekly rhythm for your family.
