TeachersFirst Special Occasion Ideas: TeachersFirst Editors' Choices
Giving a thoughtful, heartfelt gift does not have to cost a thing. This collection of free and accessible tools empowers students to create original, personalized virtual gifts for any special occasion — from birthdays and holidays to teacher appreciation and end-of-year celebrations. Whether students are designing a custom digital card, recording a video message, crafting an illustrated story, or building a digital memory book, these creative platforms make it easy to put time, thought, and personality into a gift that truly comes from the heart. A perfect collection for students to turn to when preparing for classroom celebrations, family events, or any occasion worth honoring!
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StoryJumper - Peter Weck and John Yen
Grades
K to 8
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (163), stories and storytelling (72)
In the Classroom
Have students write and publish a personal narrative or memoir, adding illustrations and narration. Have students create informational books in science or social studies (for example, life cycles, ecosystems, or historical events). Work together to create a class book where each student contributes one page or chapter.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Requires registration/log in (NO email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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73 Inexpensive Homemade Gift Ideas - The Spruce Crafts
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (109)
In the Classroom
Have students use Lino, reviewed here to post theier favorite gift idea. Students can create step-by-step instructions using Google Slides, reviewed here. Students can use Pixabay, reviewed here to search for free images for their gifts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Homemade Gift Guide: Easy Handmade Gift Ideas for All Ages - This Pilgrim Life
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (109)
In the Classroom
Have students choose one gift idea from the site and create it in class. Set up materials in advance and allow students to follow directions independently or in small groups. Students can create a comic using Free Comic Strip Maker by Adobe, reviewed here, creating step-by-step instructions for their gift. Have students pair their handmade gift with a note or letter expressing appreciation for a family member, teacher, or community helper.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jigsaw Planet - Jigsaw Planet
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): fathers day (17), holidays (283), mothers day (29), puzzles (161)
In the Classroom
Students upload their images or class photos to Jigsaw Planet and create custom jigsaw puzzles. They can choose meaningful images like family photos or classroom memories. Encourage students to create puzzles as personalized gifts for holidays like Mother's Day or Father's Day. They can print and present the puzzle pieces as thoughtful, interactive gifts. Teachers can create jigsaw puzzles using educational content, such as historical events, scientific concepts, or vocabulary words. Students can then solve the puzzle while learning about the topic. Create a trivia-based jigsaw puzzle where each piece corresponds to a question or fact about a specific topic (ex., animals, historical figures, or math concepts). Students solve the puzzle and answer questions as they go.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mobius Strip Hearts - What We Do All Day
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (109), problem solving (269), STEM (354), valentines day (10)
In the Classroom
Include a Mobius strip heart activity during your Valentine's Day celebrations, or share the instructions and materials as part of maker-space activities. Extend learning by providing a finished Mobius strip heart, then ask students to problem-solve how to make the heart without any directions. Encourage students to share ideas for everyday uses of Mobius strips, such as conveyor belts and exercise bands. Ask students to record tutorials for creating the Mobius strip heart activity and other Mobius strip creations, then share their tutorials and pictures in a multimedia book presentation created with Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Designer - Microsoft Designer
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (274), images (263), Microsoft (55)
In the Classroom
AI-generated images are an excellent tool for use with many classroom purposes. The image creator supports over 100 languages, so it is accessible for use by almost all students. Teach students how to write descriptive sentences by creating AI-generated images; students quickly learn how to add specific details to create a desired output. Use Designer to engage students in creative writing projects by generating images based on anything their imaginations share. Include AI-generated images in your classroom newsletter, website, or worksheets as an easy resource for adding pictures without spending much time searching for the right photograph. Share this site with students to include images in multimedia projects, such as those created using Sway, reviewed here or Google Sites, reviewed here. When using any AI resource, be sure to provide guidance on using AI tools ethically, creatively, and responsiblyAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Adobe Express Video Maker - Adobe Spark
Grades
K to 12tag(s): blended learning (29), communication (120), digital storytelling (163), multimedia (59)
In the Classroom
Consider using videos in your classroom in various ways. Upload your slide presentations and add audio to create flipped and blended learning experiences for your students. Engage students and enhance their learning by asking students to create videos as an alternative to book reports or written presentations. Share videos on your class website for students to access when away from the classroom. As your students create videos, use a bookmarking site such as Padlet, reviewed here, to share and organize information for students to use when researching. Include Adobe Express Videos as part of a larger presentation using Book Creator, reviewed here. Embed your video along with images, text, drawings, and other media into your digital book creation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Photo Collage - Zygomatic
Grades
K to 12tag(s): collages (17), editing (88), images (263), noregistration (78), photography (134)
In the Classroom
Use this tool to create pages of class memories for the end of the year and create yearbook type effects easily. Since you can create and customize the shapes, this would be a great tool to represent a theme for any story, novel, or unit of study. Extend technology use in your classroom and use your collages by including them on class pages created using a site like Carrd, reviewed here, or transform classroom technology use with a multimedia presentation created using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. When learning about the features of states or countries, create a collage then use Odyssey, reviewed here, to create a virtual field trip with your pictures.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Meme Buddy - Mike Bodge
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): creativity (84), DAT device agnostic tool (127), digital storytelling (163), images (263)
In the Classroom
Use Meme Buddy to quickly create memes on the fly. Share a meme on your interactive whiteboard as a discussion starter for the beginning of your lesson. Ask students to create a meme as a one sentence summary of the day's activity and use as an exit ticket. Meme Buddy translates information into other languages, create a meme in a different language as an anticipatory set for learning about a foreign language. Foreign language teachers will love creating memes to teach phrases to students!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Room Escape Maker - doctorfou.com
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (298), gamification (94), makerspace (39)
In the Classroom
Increase student engagement in any subject through this form of gameplay! Create games to introduce the main concepts within the escape room. Ask students to create a game using what they have learned to share with their peers. Before creating a game, have students map out information and strategies they will include in a blog format using a tool like edublogs, reviewed here. Ask fellow students to share comments describing their problem-solving process as they try to escape the room.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wakelet - Jamil Khalil
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (34), collaboration (110), communication (120), curation (24), DAT device agnostic tool (127), multimedia (59), news (224), personalized learning (13), playlists (8), social media (61), social networking (56)
In the Classroom
The possibilities for using Wakelet in the classroom are endless! Create collections with tips for writing in different genres, current events, information about specific countries or cities, math games, and much more. Have students set up their own collections as part of a research project. Put together a scavenger hunt to introduce a new unit or as a review at the end of a unit. Share your collections on your class web page for student use at home to review and practice class content. Having a cover image and background for your collections makes them much more interesting and easier to identify, especially for younger or visual learners!Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Delightex (was CoSpaces) - Delightex GmbH
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): augmented reality (7), coding (106), creativity (84), DAT device agnostic tool (127), digital storytelling (163)
In the Classroom
Recreate scenes from books or use Delightex (CoSpaces) to retell any story with 3D images. Encourage creativity and ask students to develop virtual exhibitions of artwork, animal habitats, or landforms. Have older students create infographics featuring data collections, for example, comparing Internet availability across different American towns.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Left Brain Craft Brain - Anne Carey
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): architecture (81), blogs (73), coding (106), cooking (34), crafts (109), earth day (60), engineering (138), human body (97), magnetism (36), oceans (139), rockets (14), senses (22), stars (79), STEM (354)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use when implementing STEAM activities. Use the site's search bar to find activities for specific content. Have students create an online or printed comic demonstrating their activities using one of these tools: Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here, or Canva Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos of activities using their photos uploaded to Clipchamp, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Left Brain Craft Brain offers excellent activities to use alongside your Earth Day and Thanksgiving lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fotojet - PearlMountain Technology Co., Ltd
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (274), collages (17), graphic design (49), images (263), posters (44)
In the Classroom
Create cards, posters, or photo collages for any classroom presentation. Share what you created on your website or blog for students to review or for students who were absent. In the younger grades, teachers would create the project. Have students create presentations to "introduce" themselves to the class during the first week of school. Link or embed the introduction presentations on your class wiki and have others guess who they are about. Use this tool in your 1:1 art class to help students practice design principles and techniques. Share student projects with parents and others via URL. Be sure to demonstrate HOW to use this tool on your interactive whiteboard or projector.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Canva for Education - Canva.com
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (127), graphic design (49), images (263), posters (44), slides (38)
In the Classroom
This site is ideal for enhancing, modifying, or transforming classroom technology, depending on the requirements of the assignments. Create a slideshow, invitations, or photo collages for any classroom presentation. Share what you created on your website or blog for students to review or for absent students. Deliver blended or flipped lessons using Canva Edu by adding links to videos, assessment information, and other learning activities. In the younger grades, teachers would be the ones creating the project. However, older students could easily create their own Canva presentations. Have students use this online tool as they would any presentation tool or image-enhancing site. Use this site for research projects about famous people from the past and present. Have cooperative learning groups create presentations about science or math topics. Have students create presentations to "introduce" themselves to the class during the first week of school. Link or embed the introduction presentations on your class wiki or website and have others guess who they are. Use this tool with your 1:1 art class for students to practice design principles and techniques. Create 2 to 5 circle Venn Diagrams. Share student projects with parents and others via URL. Be sure to demonstrate HOW to use this tool on your interactive whiteboard or projector.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Activities for Kids - Activities for Kids
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (109), directions (10), holidays (283), mothers day (29), parents (51)
In the Classroom
Bring great ideas to your next PTO meeting with Activities for Kids! Feature this site during parent nights, open houses, and curriculum nights. Include this link on your class website so kids can access it during snow days or vacations. Encourage teachers and students to use it in after-school craft clubs or after-school care. In math, work with fractions using kid-friendly recipes. Use the blank checks for a unit on personal finance or as a checkbook reward system. In language arts, practice personal letter writing with thank-you notes, or use the how-to activity directions as examples for following directions. During thematic units, check for ideas in the party section.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Foodista - Foodista
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Capture every student's heart (or stomach) with Foodista! Introduce on your interactive whiteboard or projector for learning how to write, read, and follow directions. This site is sure to make some stomachs grumble and some mouths water! In math class, explore or multiply fractions used in recipes. In science, Family and Consumer Science (FACS), or health class, explore the nutrition side of Foodista. Help students gain a better understanding of diabetes or food allergies. Use to create food for special celebrations of literature or in social studies as you study cultures around the world. Allow students to choose food for special class celebrations. In your FACS class, use the blog area as a weekly update for new recipes, home care, and nutrition ideas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Eventbrite Organizer - Kevin and Julia Hartz
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): calendars (35), Teacher Utilities (205)
In the Classroom
Use Eventbrite to increase excitement for any classroom event. Be creative and have students attend an "event" to review for exams (using bar-coded tickets they can earn by participating in a student-made review activity). Offer tickets to in-class enrichment "events" for those who test out of a unit. Have student groups design "events" instead of giving class presentations. The "event" could be a quiz show or game session that teaches a curriculum topic, such as "World War Wonders." Have your class work together to plan a culminating "event" such as a tea for famous Americans, and issue invitations and tickets to students who play the parts of the people they researched. Invite parents to Open Houses and Conferences. (Perhaps provide a small door prize for those using the Eventbrite app as their admission ticket!) Use Eventbrite to manage events with limited seating or a limited number of participants. If you provide professional development sessions, this is an excellent way to spread the word and manage participation. If you are an advisor for a school club, this tool would make it easier to organize club-sponsored events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Diamante Poems - ReadWriteThink
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): antonyms (12), firstday (22), parts of speech (40), poetry (196), rhymes (23), synonyms (15)
In the Classroom
Diamante poems are a fun format for writing about a single topic or comparing/contrasting two topics. Review parts of speech and then apply these concepts to writing diamante poems. Work the idea of cause and effect into the diamante poem format for a challenging activity with your poets. Provide students with diamante poems with a few words missing and have them fill in the blanks to complete the poem. Compare or contrast text passages for any subject area or use the diamante format to summarize a selection. Provide your students with images and have them write diamante poems about them. Make homemade greeting cards with your students to give, using this poetic format, or write "about me" poems using this tool at the start of school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Art Projects for Kids - Kathy Barbro
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): artists (98), crafts (109), drawing (57), holidays (283), seasons (57), symmetry (32)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site to find art projects and inspiration to use throughout the year. Share with your school's art teacher as a resource for projects that coordinate with classroom content. Don't have an art teacher at your school? Be sure to save this site for lots of easy-to-incorporate ideas. Create art projects in the style of your favorite authors using the links provided. Take pictures of completed projects and create an ebook using Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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