May 4-8, 2026 is Teacher Appreciation Week, and to celebrate, there are some freebies and deals around.
I have only included those in my local area, but if you are outside the Southern CA area, a quick Google search can find you some local freebies.
Chipotle: This one is pretty popular. Chipotle is saying “thank you” by giving away 100,000 FREE Burrito Cards. Enter to win by 5/12.
Shake Shack: Teachers receive a free ShackBurger or Veggie Burger with a $10 purchase. Must show school ID.
Some Raising Cane’s locations are offering free drinks (excluding lemonade) in May. My local Raising Cane’s is not participating. Here is the list of participating locations.
I’ve read online that some Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s locations may do freebies or deals next week; however, I couldn’t confirm anything online.
If you are a Sonic Drive-In fan, download their app and sign up for an account. When you go to account settings and select “I’m a Teacher” to join the Teachers’ Circle. You will be asked to verify that you are an educator. Update your profile to verify your status as faculty or staff at a K-12 school or degree-granting university. Once you verify, there will be freebies and deals added to your account throughout the year.
These next freebies are not tied to Teacher Appreciation week- these are available year-round and are pretty amazing.
Canva is free for teachers. Canva for Education
Headspace offers a free subscription for educators.
We are Teachers has free printables!
If you are looking for year-round deals, check out ID.me.

This week has been wild. I’ll post a separate update tonight, but needless to say, I am so glad it’s Friday.
One of my favorites is still 

I love Michaels! Not only do they have great sales and 
I love clothing swaps- If you have read my blog, you know it’s one of my favorite ways to refresh the kids’ wardrobes (and my own). Now that the kids have grown into adult-sized clothing, I’m always looking for a good swap that will have clothes in all of our sizes.