Making Staff Morale Activities a Priority in May
As I touched on above, we all know that this month is a busy one for classrooms and schools. But when things are busy, school workers often feel a bit frazzled, which means staff morale is more important than ever. The last thing we want is for school workers and teachers to end the year in full-blown burnout mode. This is certainly not ideal! So even though this is a busy time, I encourage you to prioritize staff morale activities in May. I promise you will see a big payoff in your school culture!
"But how?!", you might be asking. Well, my friend, you're in the right place! Today, I have 5 May Staff Morale Boosters to share that come together quickly, take minimal effort to prepare, and best of all, are actually affordable to execute. These ideas will allow you to ensure that staff know they are appreciated and end the year on a cheerful and encouraging note! Ready?! Let's go!
1. Staff Morale Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenge
This first idea is one of my absolute favorites because it's super simple to pull off and a little different from some of the other ideas you might typically use. Everyone loves a good game, right? That's how the Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenges were born! In this Spring/Summer Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenge, staff members will face off to win! Here' how it works:
First, you will distribute a letter that explains the game and rules to all of your staff members. You'll also distribute a floral lei necklace with a fun tag attached to each person. To play, teachers and staff members will challenge each other to a game of rock, paper, scissors when they pass each other in the halls. The winner gets to "steal" the floral lei necklace from the person they challenged. This continues throughout the day and staff continue to collect necklaces. If someone with multiple necklaces loses a match, they only need to give away one to the winner. This continues until the day's end and then prizes are distributed to the winners!
You can choose winners in a few different ways to make this work for your school. The staff members with the most necklaces can be awarded prizes, or you can give out prizes to anyone who still has at least 1 necklace. Either way allows for a lot of people to win! This game is a fun way to help staff feel connected and get a chance to check in and visit with each other for a couple of minutes throughout the day. It's the perfect May staff morale booster to lighten the weight of this hectic time and make your staff smile!
2. Staff Morale Taco Bar Luncheon
It's taco time! I don't know about you, but I always loved a good luncheon, potluck, or group meal at my school. It was such a wonderful way to get the staff to come together, chat over lunch, and just enjoy each other's company. May is a great time to host a Taco Bar Luncheon in honor of Cinco de Mayo! But really, everyone loves tacos any time of year, so feel free to use this idea whenever it fits your schedule best.
Taco Potluck
There are a couple of ways we put together the Taco Bar at my school. The first was potluck style. In this case, I put out sign-up sheets ahead of time and everyone brought a little something to pull this lunch off. This is nice because you only need to do the organizing, and everyone works together to bring in taco fixings. Here are some of the things I recommend:
- seasoned proteins in crockpot (beef, chicken, plant-based)
- rice & beans
- lettuce / tomato
- salsa / pico de gallo
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
- tortillas
Everyone signs up to bring something, and then you, as the organizer, get everything laid out and ready for lunchtime. I liked to put out some festive decor and signs to take this up a notch. This is so much fun, and everyone LOVES enjoying tacos together.
Partial Catering Option
Another option, if you want to simplify this for your staff, is to have the meal or part of it catered. You could have a local restaurant provide the meats and beans and then have staff sign up for toppings and fixings. This, obviously, is much more expensive and would require some funding from the administration or your Sunshine Committee to pull off. But, with some careful planning and fundraising ahead of time throughout the year, it certainly can be done! If you go this route, fill in the name of the restaurant for all the parts of the meal they will be providing, and allow staff to sign up for the other items.
Oh, and don't forget, to help simplify this process, I created a resource to help! Grab this Taco Bar Luncheon Pack for shopping lists, sign-up sheets, decor, and more! No matter what you choose, this is bound to be a celebration that everyone will love.
3. Scratch-Off Tickets
I think we can all agree that winning prizes is just plain fun! I'm sure that's why so many people love those little scratch-off lottery tickets you can buy at the gas station. It's exciting to reveal a prize! That's where the idea for these April & May Scratch-Off Tickets came from. They are just like those fun little lottery tickets, except you get to choose prizes and rewards that your staff will love!
To prepare, you simply choose the tickets you'd like to include and print them off. There are a few different options, as well as blank tickets so that you can write in your own prizes. After printing, you'll cover up the prize with a scratch-off sticker or paint. Then, pass them out and let the fun begin! There are so many great options for prizes out there, so you can really mix it up depending on your budget. I actually wrote a whole post about prizes that work well for scratchers, so be sure to read that next!
Pass these fun little tickets out at your May staff meeting, place them in mailboxes, or give them out just because. Each one features a fun, seasonal phrase, a cute image, and of course - a prize! I know that your staff will absolutely love these.
4. Staff Appreciation Banner
May includes Teacher Appreciation Week, and we have so very much to thank our wonderful teachers for! Many other staff appreciation days and weeks for administrators, nurses, and lunch workers fall around this time of year, too. Not to mention, Employee Appreciation Day is May 7th, so why not celebrate everyone?!
That's exactly why I made this Staff Appreciation Banner! This is a wonderful way to recognize your entire staff at once and make everyone feel valued and appreciated. Inside the resource, you get a set of adorable black and white pennant flags that can be arranged in 4 different ways to recognize your staff. Just print, cut, and string them together, and you're ready to go. It's simple and easy to prep, but will make a big impact! It's perfect for the staff lounge, school office, or a hallway that all the staff use.
The best part of this resource, though, in my opinion, are the fillable pennant pages. These were created so that you can create personalized messages for specific staff members or teams to add to the banner. You could string these on their own and hang them below the Staff Appreciation Banner for even more fun. Everyone will love finding their personalized flag and reading the note from administration, or the Sunshine Committee. If you want to add some personalized recognition to your May staff morale activities, I know you'll love this resource!
5. Staff Morale Windshield Messages
Last on this list of May staff morale boosters is another great way to make each member of your school feel valued! These May Windshield Messages are sure to brighten up every staff member's day! The idea here is to print them off and then head out to the parking lot to tuck them under each staff member's car windshield wipers. Each one includes a fun spring message, so you can simply print and go! There are 9 different seasonal messages included such as:
- Live like it's Spring
- You are the Bee's Knees!
- We've got sunshine on a cloudy day!
- The earth laughs in flowers.
These adorable spring-themed messages are decorated with colorful text and cute designs to add to the fun. Additionally, there is a black and white option that looks great printed on bright, colorful paper! You can even personalize them by adding a sentence or two on the back for specific staff members if you'd like. No matter how you choose to use them, I know everyone on your team will feel valued to find their note.
Simplify May Staff Morale Activities
Which of these May Staff Morale Boosters was your favorite? Can't decide? Me either! And the good news is that we don't have to. With the May Staff Morale Boosters Bundle, you get all 5 of these great activities at one low cost. Not only will you save by purchasing the bundle, but you'll also get the opportunity to simplify your planning. I know you will love being able to take the task of staff morale activities off your plate this May, so be sure to check out the bundle! Have fun celebrating with staff and wrapping up another great year at your school.
Looking for More Staff Morale Boosters?
The May Staff Morale Boosters Bundle is part of a year-long bundle that's designed to take the stress out of planning your faculty activities. Each month, you'll be well prepared with seasonal and holiday-themed staff morale activities that I know everyone at your school will love! Take the worry out of planning staff morale boosters at your school and check out the Staff Morale Monthly Round-Up Bundle!
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