How to Get Free Stuff for Teachers and Classrooms in 2023

Teachers often don’t get paid enough for all the hard work they do every day.

On top of that, many are left to pay for materials for their classrooms out of their own pockets.

That’s why organizations and businesses sometimes offer free resources for teachers and their students.

Teachers can even get into some museums, zoos, and other fun places for free, as a way for these facilities to thank them for the work they do.

If you’re a teacher looking for free books, software, and other goodies for your class, continue reading this guide.

Teaching Freebies 101: How to Get Free Stuff for Teachers

If you’re a teacher, you may have access to a lot of free stuff that you don’t even know about.

From free teaching and classroom supplies to DVDs, books, and activity kits for your classroom, there are tons of free things waiting for educators of all grade levels.

If you’re not sure where to find them, we’ve listed several below.

But you can always do some research to find more.

First, start with your school or school district.

Your administrator or superintendent may know of some resources to point you to.

You can also ask fellow educators for tips.

Finally, do your own research by using Google.

You’ll find a lot of resources by looking up some general terms, like “free stuff for teachers” or “free books for classrooms.”

But you can also get more specific to find certain things you need, like “free biology lessons for 6th graders” or “free health lesson classroom kits.”

Free Posters, Software, and Media

ABC Mouse

ABC Mouse is completely free for preschool to 2nd grade teachers to use in their classrooms.

Basecamp

Basecamp is a project management software that K-12 and university teachers can get for free to use in their classrooms.

Just sign up for the free trial and then email Basecamp with details about your school.

Learning For Justice

This organization sends free film kits to educators in K-12 schools.

Kiss the Ground Movie

This movie gives a look into the world’s climate crisis and how people can take steps to become more environmentally friendly.

It’s free for schools and educators.

Dinosaur Train Poster and Toolkit

Help little ones learn with the Dinosaur Train team and this free poster and toolkit. Just fill out your information in the form.

PassItOn

PassItOn spreads messages of encouragement, kindness, friendship, acceptance, awareness, and more.

It also allows teachers and schools to get free posters and a DVD to help spread these messages to young students.

Wilbooks Free Online Books

Wilbooks offers some of its books for free on its website for learners.

Practical Money Skills Resources

This site has several digital resources to help students learn about practical money skills.

C-Span Classroom

This free resource from C-Span can help teachers bring history, politics, and current event news into their classrooms.

Free Optics and Photonics Videos

These videos are perfect for science lessons.

National Gallery of Art

Whether or not you’re an art teacher, you can still get beautiful art to hang in your classroom for free from the National Gallery of Art, along with some activities to inspire your students.

Distance Learning Theatre Resources

Drama teachers might meet specific challenges when teaching remotely.

However, they can download this guide to help them overcome some of those challenges.

Microsoft Office

Schools and educators are eligible for getting Microsoft Office in their classrooms for free when they sign up through Microsoft.

You’ll also get additional classroom tools to use free. You just need to sign up with your school’s email address.

Crayola Professional Development Resources

These free resources are designed to help you implement a more art-focused teaching style into your classroom.

Teach CERCA

CERCA is a framework for crafting evidence-based arguments, and you can get a free poster for your classroom to help students remember how to use it.

NIDA

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) offers free posters and other resources for educators to share in their classrooms.

Switch Energy Alliance

Switch Energy Alliance provides a free online classroom with a full curriculum to teach students about energy through quizzes, videos, and more.

Maplesoft

Download and print free posters about math and engineering to hang in your classroom.

Epic Books

Epic is an online book reading platform for kids.

Educators can sign up for free to get their class involved in literacy fun.

Project Gutenberg

This website has thousands of free digital titles to read for kids and adults of all ages.

CK-12

Get free textbooks for math, social studies, and science, to use as helpful resources for your classroom.

International Children’s Digital Library

This online resource has tons of free digital books for your students to read.

Free Magazines, Books, and Newspapers for Your Classroom

First Book

First Book hosts book distribution events.

Sign up on the website to get notified when there’s an event in your area.

Wall Street Journal

Professors and universities can get a free subscription to this paper for use in their classrooms.

The New York Times

The New York Times has a free subscription for high school students and teachers currently available through September 1, 2023.

Studentreasures Publishing

Through this company, you can order a free publishing kit that allows you and your students to collaborate on publishing a book together.

Half Price Books

Half Price Books is a company that sells books for lower prices than what you’d find in stores.

It also has a donation program that donates books to classrooms in need. You can sign up with the online form.

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

This charity provides grants to schools and libraries in need of books.

You can apply for your school to get a $4,000 grant.

Kids Need to Read

Fill out the form on Kids Need to Read to get books donated to your classroom.

Richard C Owens Publishers

This publishing company will send out a free book sample when you fill out its online form.

The Library of Congress Surplus Book Program

The Library of Congress occasionally gives away extra books it has in its inventory to schools and other educational institutions for free.

Findings Magazine

This magazine focuses on science and research topics, and you can order free issues for your classroom.

Math Mammoth Samples

Get free book samples from Math Mammoth, which creates math worksheets and activities to help students have fun learning math skills.

T.A. Barron

Although this site used to give away physical teacher boxes, it paused the program due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

You can still download digital materials, though, through the website.

Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic is a name you probably recognize if you’re an elementary school teacher.

But did you know that hosting a Scholastic Book Club event at your school can help you earn free books for your classroom?

The more your student families buy from the event, the more you can earn.

Free Tickets for Teachers

Sea World

Florida teachers can get a free SeaWorld pass when they show their licensure.

Kennedy Space Center

Teachers in Florida, Georgia, Peurto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands can get an Educator Study Pass to get into the Kennedy Space Center for free.

You can also get helpful field trip tips and information to add to your lesson plans.

Crayola Experience

Teachers can enjoy the Crayola Experience at any of its five locations for free.

LegoLand

Teachers living and teaching in Florida can get free LegoLand passes for one full year, just by showing their valid teaching license.

Graceland

Graceland – where Elvis lived – allows teachers to visit for free and will even give lesson plans, activity sheets, and other goodies for students to enjoy.

Alliance Theatre

The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, has some shows that are free for teachers.

New England Aquarium

Sign up for the Teacher Pass Program through the New England Aquarium to gain free access to the aquarium.

Shedd Aquarium

If you’re a teacher in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, or Wisconsin, you can get free tickets to the Shedd Aquarium to enjoy.

Free Activities and Lessons

Teachers Pay Teachers

Teachers Pay Teachers is all about teachers supporting other teachers by buying their activities, lesson plans, and other stuff they create digitally.

However, there’s a full range of free stuff on the site, too, that allows teachers of all grades to get stuff for free, thanks to the generosity of other teachers who use the site.

There’s always new free stuff popping up, so bookmark the link to save for the future.

California Department of Water Resources

This organization sends free kits to teachers filled with activities, lesson plans, and learning materials.

P&G School Programs

Health and science teachers might find P&G’s resources helpful.

They focus on puberty and changing bodies through adolescence.

WWF Educators Toolkits

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has free toolkits for teachers that include lesson plans, activities, and other resources about animals, the environment, and more.

KidsHealth in the Classroom

Get free health lesson plans and activities from this organization.

The Nora Project

The Nora Project’s website features lesson plans, activities, and other materials to help students learn about disabilities and inclusivity.

VariQuest

VariQuest helps learners of all types success through visual and kinesthetic learning tools.

You can request a free sample kit to learn how it all works here.

National School Choice Week

National School Choice Week advocates for different education options available to students.

You can join in the celebration with free activities and classroom resources.

Pearls In School

This free program comes from PearlOnly to educate students in oyster life cycles and pearl harvesting.

It could be an interesting and fun way to incorporate science into the classroom.

Bam! Body and Mind

This resource from the CDC gives teachers resources to use in lesson plans about health, wellness, and making positive life choices.

Hot Wheels Speedometry

Hot Wheels Spedometry includes lesson plans teaching math and science to help bring some fun into STEM-based lessons.

Teachers can get classroom kits that help bring the concepts to life through video, activities, and more.

Family Night Lesson Plans

Hosting a family night for your classroom or school?

These free plans and activities from PTO Today can help you get everything organized and give you some ideas.

Speed Stacks Trainer

Get your gym students interested in something new!

Speed Stacks – the game where you learn to stack multiple cups quickly – will send you a free trainer to spend some time with your students and teach them techniques.

Colgate Resources

Visit this site to get teeth-friendly materials to use in your classroom, including games, songs, and oral health facts.

United for Human Rights Activity Kit

This kit can help you and your students advocate for human and civil rights.

The kit includes a DVD, booklet, and action guide.

Math & Song Activities from Demme Learning

Get a pack of 15 songs, 12 coloring pages, and 8 activities to help your students learn math and math facts.

Izzit

This site offers free resources, like videos, lessons, and quizzes, in various subject areas, so it could be a helpful tool for the classroom.

AEP

American Electric Power (AEP) sends kits and booklets to classrooms for free. The kits teach kids about using electricity responsibly, saving electricity, etc.

Free Cooperation Kit

This kit comes from Sharon Love, M.Ed., to teach kids about cooperation.

Subscribe to her email list to get the kit for free.

Sesame Street Learning Resources

This free online course and activity guide is perfect for younger students, like preschoolers and kindergarteners, who are learning to read.

It’s also bilingual!

Admongo

These lesson plans are suited for children in grades 3 through 9 for language arts and social studies lessons.

Other Free Stuff for Educators

Organized Teacher Program

The Container Store has a brand new program starting in 2023 just for teachers.

Its previous program offered free resources for teachers to help organize their classrooms.

SitSpots

SitSpots help guide students to their own areas on your classroom rugs for circle time, reading time, and other activities.

You can get a free sample pack to see how they’d work in your classroom.

SchoolMate

This popular teacher’s catalog will send you free catalogs to order from, plus sample supplies, like calendars or planners.

Free Pencils

Fill out the form on the linked webpage to get a box of #2 pencils shipped to your classroom for free.

Free Rulers

This site hands out a free set of 6” rulers to keep and use in your classroom, which could be helpful for little ones just starting to learn to measure.

Thrive Market Subscription

Teachers can get a free monthly membership to Thrive Market to enjoy the savings without a monthly fee.

Get Free Teacher Supplies by Mail or Online

Teachers deserve all the freebies they can get!

Hopefully, this long list of free stuff for your classroom can help you get stocked up on the essentials.

Don’t forget to utilize the resources you have, like your administrator or local library, that can connect you with additional resources for your classroom.

Thanks for all that you do!

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