Teacher Appreciation Week is an important opportunity for children to thank their hardworking and dedicated teachers in a meaningful way. There are plenty of ways to do this: Your kids can give their teacher a great classroom book for as little as $4, help their teacher stock the classroom with thoughtful supplies that double as gifts, or write a handwritten note. And in fact, writing can be a great chance for them to practice language skills along the way! Here are four activities that get children writing in honor of their teachers.
1. Draw Something, Then Label It!
A simple drawing with labels is a great way for younger children to blend writing with an activity they're already super comfortable with. Before your child starts drawing a masterpiece for her teacher, ask a few questions to help her brainstorm a fitting picture:
- How does your teacher start the day at school?
- What makes him or her smile?
- What do you love most about your teacher?
- What do you look forward to most each week in class?
These questions will start a conversation about the teacher, which your child can use as inspiration for the drawing. Once the artwork is complete, encourage your child to label it so the teacher doesn’t miss a thing! For instance, your child might write "goldfish" next to the drawing of the class pet, or "poster" next to his teacher's favorite inspirational poster on the wall.
2. Craft a Comic Strip
For many children, writing and illustrating a comic strip as a “thank you” is approachable and fun, and far less intimidating than writing a letter! Use the starter questions above to begin a conversation about your child’s teacher, and then hand over this printable so she can get started.
3. Write an Acrostic Poem
It may have a fancy name, but the acrostic poem is a simple way for your child to play with language! In this type of poetry, each line begins with a certain letter — collectively, those letters spell out a word, name, or phrase. For example:
L ike the sun
O r the moon
V ery special
E veryone needs it
You can encourage your child to write an acrostic poem for his teacher using this cute printable. She'll probably keep it for many years to come!
4. Fill in a Thank You Letter
It's less scary for a budding writer than starting from scratch! Use this "Thank you for a great year!" fill-in letter or this "My teacher is amazing because..." fill-in letter to inspire your little writer to sing her teacher's praises thoughtfully. If needed, ask the questions mentioned above to get her wheels turning.
You can equip your little artist with all the tools he may need for these activities with the Young Artist Coloring Gift Set, which features 12 premium crayons, six dual-tip markers, six jumbo colored EcoPencils, a sharpener, stickers, and a pad of art paper. It'll help his imagination run wild!