Teachers in the United Kingdom and beyond often invest significant personal resources into their classrooms and professional development. Recognising this, many organisations, brands, and educational bodies provide free resources, supplies, and offers to support educators. This article outlines the types of freebies and promotional programmes available, based on information from dedicated teacher support resources. It covers free teaching materials, classroom supplies, safety kits, and personal-use items, providing a factual overview of how educators can access these benefits.
The availability of free resources for teachers spans digital downloads, physical materials mailed to schools, and personal offers. Access typically requires verification of teacher status, often through a school email address or official identification. The following sections detail the categories of freebies available, the processes for requesting them, and the specific organisations that offer them.
Free Teaching Materials and Lesson Plans
A significant portion of free teacher resources consists of digital downloads for lesson plans and educational activities. These materials help reduce preparation time and provide high-quality content for various subjects and age groups.
National Education Association (NEA) The National Education Association provides regularly updated free lesson plans covering a wide range of topics. These are designed to keep teachers informed and equipped with current educational material. Available lesson plans include activities for Inauguration Day, classroom resources for teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a "Reading 101" guide for parents, lesson plans for teaching about 9/11, and resources for supporting English Language Learners. Teachers can access these plans through the NEA website.
Teachers Pay Teachers Teachers Pay Teachers is described as the largest provider of lesson plans in the United States, offering thousands of free and pre-made lesson plans from pre-K to 12th grade. The platform allows teachers to download millions of lesson plans across all grade levels. Free options are available directly on their website, covering subjects from mathematics to language arts.
Curriki Curriculum Curriki provides access to thousands of free lessons and activities for children. The downloadable curriculums cover a broad spectrum of subjects, including mathematics, arts, social studies, and language arts. Teachers can select from over a thousand free downloads on the CurrikiLibrary website.
Admongo.gov Lesson Plan Packet The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers a free lesson plan kit for 5th and 6th-grade teachers. This kit is developed by the Admongo.gov initiative and includes lesson plans, worksheets, posters, and activities. The material is designed to meet national standards for language, art, and social studies. To request a kit, teachers must follow the link provided by the FTC on its official website.
Sesame Street® Learning Resources PNC provides free downloadable Sesame Street learning materials and supplies for teachers. These educational resources include downloadable storybooks, free Sesame Street games for toddlers and kids, and activity cards. A key benefit is that no registration is required to access these materials.
Free Maplesoft Poster Download Maplesoft offers free downloadable math and engineering posters for classroom use. These posters feature striking visuals intended to enhance the learning environment. The company also provides downloadable desktop backgrounds. These resources are available for download on the Maplesoft website.
Tolerance.org Freebies Tolerance.org offers additional freebies for teachers. Specific details on the nature of these freebies are not provided in the source material, but the site is noted as a resource for educators seeking supplementary materials.
PETA TeachKind Materials PETA offers free teaching materials for teachers across America through its TeachKind programme. The materials cover various age-appropriate languages and images, ranging from books to comics and free stickers. PETA will send materials for all children in a class. Teachers need to select a primary school kit for grades K-5 or a secondary school kit for grades 6-12.
Free Classroom Supplies and Physical Materials
Beyond digital resources, several organisations provide physical supplies that can be mailed directly to schools or teachers. These items help furnish classrooms without burdening a teacher's personal budget.
School Health Hand Sanitizer and Dispensers School Health offers free hand sanitizer and dispensers to teachers and schools. They will mail the hand sanitizer and dispensers upon request. The programme extends beyond individual classrooms; schools can also receive these items at no cost. To receive freebies for a whole school, teachers must first talk with the company. An individual teacher can fill out the form on the SchoolHealth.com website for details.
ZooZingo Animal Cards Schools with over 150 students can request a free set of ZooZingo animal cards. This is intended as a fun activity for students. To qualify, the requester must be a school administrator at an elementary school meeting the student count requirement. Registration must be completed with an official school email address on the ZooZingo.com website.
American Electric Power (AEP) Safety Kits Teachers in grades K-4 whose communities are served by any of AEP’s seven operating companies can request free safety booklets or kits. These kits feature "Louie the Lightning Bug" and are designed as a fun, educational activity for students. The AEP safety programme will mail the kit upon request.
Mellow Monkey Masks Mellow Monkey has a programme where they automatically donate KN95 face masks to local teachers for every $100 in face mask sales. Teachers can also get a free KN95 mask directly from the company by following the link provided on their website.
Personal Use and Professional Development Freebies
Some freebies are aimed at supporting teachers' personal well-being and professional development, acknowledging the demands of the profession.
Happy Teacher Revolution Starter Pack This free starter pack, created by TFA Baltimore alumna Danna Thomas, helps teachers implement self-care strategies inside and outside the classroom. The kit is designed to have potential benefits for the teacher and those around them. Teachers can sign up for the free starter pack through the provided link.
Flu Shot While awaiting other vaccines, teachers are encouraged to protect themselves with a flu shot. A free flu shot is available with a copay for those with health insurance. Information on where to get the free flu shot can be found on the policygenius.com website.
Teacher Discounts and Promotional Offers
In addition to free samples and materials, some businesses offer discounts to teachers as a form of appreciation. These offers typically require verification of teacher status.
Pluckers Wing Bar Teachers and school staff can enjoy a free appetizer with a $5 purchase every Friday at Texas-based Pluckers Wing Bar. To redeem this offer, a staff badge must be shown to a Pluckers team member.
Texas de Brazil Teachers receive a 10% discount on dine-in lunch and dinner prices at Texas de Brazil. This offer is valid for up to four people at the table.
Access and Eligibility
Access to most teacher freebies and discounts requires verification. The primary method of verification is through a school email address or a teacher ID/staff badge. For school-wide supplies like sanitizers or ZooZingo cards, communication with the offering organisation may be necessary to coordinate delivery. Some offers, like the Happy Teacher Revolution Starter Pack or flu shot information, are available more broadly, while others, such as the AEP safety kits, have geographic and grade-level restrictions.
Conclusion
A variety of free resources are available to support teachers in their professional and personal capacities. These range from essential classroom supplies like hand sanitizers and educational cards to digital lesson plans and professional development kits. Organisations such as the National Education Association, Teachers Pay Teachers, and various corporations like School Health and American Electric Power provide these resources to help alleviate the financial burden on educators. To access these offers, teachers should be prepared to verify their status using a school email or official identification and should review the specific eligibility criteria for each programme.