Do you want to honor Sunday School teachers on Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day (the third Sunday in October), but don’t know where to start? Here are some fun ideas to make Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day special for your teachers:

Awards

• Nominate your favorite Sunday School teachers for the Sunday School Teacher of the Year Award.

• Encourage your congregation to nominate their Sunday School teachers. Nominations are due AUGUST 31 at 5:00 p.m.
Pacific Time.

• Place the Sunday School Teacher of the Year nomination forms in a visible spot in your church or in your bookstore. Download a Nomination Form (PDF)

• Get inspired by reading about some of our previous winners!

• Download a certificate to recognize the Sunday School teachers at your church.

PUBLICIZE THIS SPECIAL DAY

• Announce Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day in your bulletin or church newsletter, and remind everyone of the vital role Sunday School plays in the life of your church.

• Use some quotes in church bulletins and newsletters.

• Hang recognition banners in the entryway or sanctuary.

• Insert fliers into your church bulletin.

• Advertise with a poster parade.

 

HAVE A SPECIAL SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY SERVICE

• Focus the sermon topics on servanthood and the ministry of Sunday School.

• Pastors can offer a dedication prayer to those who faithfully serve.

• Pastors can plan sermon topics around teachers and the importance of Sunday School. Relevant passages from Scripture include:

- Deuteronomy 6:5–7
- Proverbs 22:6
- Matthew 19:14
- Luke 2:52

• Present appreciation certificates.

• Recognize their contribution by awarding certificates of appreciation. Students could give their teachers the awards and share with their congregation what they appreciate most about their teacher.

• Select two or three children to share briefly what they like about Sunday School and their teacher.

• Teacher interviews

• Arrange for pastors or another “up-front” person to interview one or more teachers during a worship service or in adult Sunday School classes. Interview topics could include the purposes and rewards of teaching Sunday School and how God has impacted lives through this ministry.

Sample interview questions:
• How did you get started teaching Sunday School?
• What do you remember about the first class you taught?
• What is one of your favorite parts of teaching Sunday School?
• Why do you still give time and energy to teaching Sunday School?
• How has being a Sunday School teacher impacted your life?

• Teacher standout

• Give Sunday School teachers and Children’s Ministry workers a special VIP name tag, corsage/boutonniere, pin or badge to wear on Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, the third Sunday in October.

• Alert the congregation through pulpit and bulletin announcements that the many VIPs in their midst are Sunday School teachers.

• List the teachers’ names and classes in the bulletin.

• Special music

• Thank You, by Ray Boltz

• Have children from one of the Sunday School departments sing a song for the congregation.

• Fellowship and feast together.

• Plan an annual event to honor your teachers. Include the teachers and their spouses, family or other guests. Invite people who have served faithfully in the past, but are unable to do so now (or who have been led into other areas of ministry). Or, invite the whole congregation to join in the celebration.

• There is almost no limit to the kinds of events you could offer:

- Breakfast, brunch or lunch
- Banquet, potluck dinner or dessert night
- Family picnic, barbecue or pizza party
- Short program after eating or a full evening program with appetizers
- Concert, guest speaker or a video made by students

• Tips for making these events successful

GIVE SPECIAL GIFTS

• Explain that the gift in no way monetarily reimburses the teacher. Instead, it is a symbol or token of gratitude for faithful, excellent service.

• Encourage the leaders at your church with the following resources:

- Encourage your pastor
- Encourage your Sunday School teachers!
- Encourage your Youth workers
- Encourage your Children's Ministry workers!

• Visit Christian Tools of Affirmation for encouraging gifts to give Sunday School teachers.

• Other gifts include:

- Flowers or potted plants
- Personalized mugs, tote bags, T-shirts, pens, pencils or notepads
- Books
- Food items (fresh fruit, baked goods, preserves, etc.)
- Gift certificates
- Class pictures

THANK-YOU CARDS

Thank-you notes or cards provide a tangible expression of gratitude for a job well done. Often the most appreciated cards are those that kids write and/or illustrate. Younger children can make a book of their own drawings with a special cover. Arranging for children to do this may require a little planning (so the teacher in question is not present when the cards are being made).

• Children can make cards when regular teachers are absent, while participating in another program—church time, mid-week, etc.—or at home (requires cooperation from parents).
• Write thank-you notes on poster board. In the hallway, place poster board and felt pen(s) by the classroom door or in the hall near the class. Parents and/or kids may write thank-you notes on it.
• Cover pages for a book of children’s art—each child may sign his or her name in the blank space.
• Create individual thank-you notes or cards on which you, the children, the parents, the pastor, etc., can write a personal thank-you to your teacher.
• Create a thank-you poster by making a transparency of the page. Using an overhead projector, aim the image onto a sheet of poster board and trace the projected image.

• Send your Sunday School teacher an encouraging e-card

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