You've Been Elfed! An Easy Teacher Appreciation Holiday Idea + Free Printable
Treat your teachers to a little room service for the holidays! “Elf” your teachers by surprising them with a classroom delivery of school supplies, snacks, or self-care items.
If there's one thing teachers love, it's getting a surprise delivery of the supplies they need the most (a little chocolate or a caffeinated beverage doesn't hurt, either).
If your PTO is looking for an easy way to treat your teachers this holiday season, use our FREE “You’ve Been Elfed!” door hanger printable (part of our holiday teacher appreciation bundle) to surprise your teachers with a special classroom delivery.
How to "Elf" Your Teachers Before Holiday Break
Teachers get to choose a few things they’d love for their classroom—tissues, disinfecting wipes, pre-sharpened pencils, emergency desk chocolate, a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino, etc. Then, like magic, PTO "elves" deliver the goodies right to their classroom doors!
1. Download the free "You've Been Elfed!" classroom door hanger (part of our holiday teacher appreciation bundle). Customize this free printable with the items your PTO wants teachers to select from (be sure note the max number of items they can circle on the list). Our ready-to-go room service door hanger is a good starting point and lists the most requested supplies for teachers, but your PTO can customize it to include the supplies your staff would appreciate the most.
Some PTOs will also include snacks, drinks, or self-care items as part of their room service treat. Include an optional "Other" category if you'd like to allow teachers to request specific items they need that are not on the list.
- Tissues
- Disinfecting wipes
- Pencils
- Hand sanitizer
- Pens
- Paper
- Sticky Notes
- Dry Erase Markers
- Gallon Bags
- Other:
PTO tip: print your “You’ve Been Elfed!” door hangers on cardstock so they’re sturdy enough to hang on classroom doorknobs without bending or tearing.
2. Hang "You've Been Elfed" hangers on each classroom door. Ask teachers to complete their form by the deadline noted.
3. Collect door hangers and order supplies. Once you've collected requested items from your teachers, your PTO will need to figure out how many of each item you'll need to shop for (we recommend keeping track of this in a spreadsheet).
4. Assemble classroom deliveries. Once your PTO has purchased requested supplies, divide everything into individual teacher deliveries. You can prepackage items into small gift bags or plastic Dollar Store baskets for each teacher. Or, just plan to stock your cart with enough supplies and cherry pick items as you arrive at each teacher's classroom. Do whatever works best for your PTO and volunteer capacity!
5. Have your PTO "elves" make their deliveries before school breaks for the holidays. And, make your elf delivery fun! We recommend using a rolling sleigh cart on wheels to make it easier to deliver to each classroom. 😉 We love how Bar W Elementary PTO turned their plastic rolling carts into sleighs with some cardboard, holiday decorations, and hot glue! Check with your admin first to confirm which time is the least disruptive to make your deliveries - during a planning period, lunch break, or another pre-approved time.
Photo: Bar W Elementary PTO/Brenda Ecord
Ready to send your PTO elves on their way? Get the free “You’ve Been Elfed!” printable door hanger (part of our holiday teacher appreciation mega bundle) and start planning your holiday surprise!
