Many schools have fun spirit days as a way to build a sense of community throughout the school year. The whole campus has an opportunity to dress up in silly costumes. Unless these theme days happen too often, most teachers, kids and staff members love to participate in dress-up day. As a parent, these days start to drive me nuts, but the kids love them.
One common theme day is Twin Day, where kids and teachers partner up with a buddy and dress like twins. Here are Twin Day Ideas for teachers.
It’s a fun way to celebrate friendship, so be on the lookout for kids and other teachers who want to be included but can get overlooked.
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Contents hide
1 What are some Twin Day Ideas for Teachers?
2 What do you do on Twin Day?
3 What are some other Spirit Week Ideas?
4 When is the best time to have a Spirit Week?
5 Does Spirit Week make a difference in school culture?
What are some Twin Day Ideas for Teachers?
Below are some potential costume ideas if you want to participate – or even if you DON’T want to do it and you’re just being a good sport.
Nerds– What’s nerdier than a teacher? We take it as a compliment! With a simple sweatshirt purchase and stuff you probably have lying around the house, you’ve got the perfect twin day for teachers idea.
Matching Teacher Tees– Need to keep it simple? You probably already have matching tee shirts with your teammates, assuming you teach at an elementary school. These teachers used their “Be Kind” shirts to participate in twin day. Add similar jewelry or matching hairstyles to go together even better! I like this idea because by the time you go to the trouble to be crafty, you’ve probably spent more money than if you just bought a matching shirt that you can re-wear later in the year. Better yet, get the whole team involved in a group costume and fudge the rules a little bit so no one feels left out.
Outdated Technology – What if you had one teacher tape Vis-a-Vis markers all over herself and the twin teacher taped transparencies to her outfit!? That’s better than having all that outdated technology stuck in a closet somewhere, right?
Copy and Paste– Well, if there’s one tool that just about every teacher knows how to use, it’s CTRL+C and CTRL+V! All you need are basic tees and a Cricut machine to pull this one off.
Moon and Stars – I’m a big fan of any costume that involves minimal cost. For this one, science teachers could just wear their yoga pants and black tee. Then, one can tape on a large moon cut from yellow butcher paper and laminated while the partner covers herself in stars. Bonus points if you have paper stars in a plastic shoebox tucked away on a shelf in your classroom. You can seeherehow easily it would be to pull together something like this quickly.
Teacher Twinkies– If you need something super simple, just attach some Twinkies packaging to your lanyard and call it a day! Then you just have to find someone who wants a Twinkie feast.
Hamburger and Hot Dog Buddies – Well, if you don’t mind paying for a silly costume, you could be ahot dogandhamburgertogether? You can always reuse it later as a Halloween costume!
Deviled Egg Duo – This costume is fun because it’s so easy to finddevil horns, and your partner can dress up like an egg for super cheap. To put together a cheap egg costume, wear white bottoms, a white t-shirt, and tape a yellow construction paper circle to your belly for the yolk.
Team RLA – One partner can cover themselves in old book pages while the other attaches pencils and lined paper to her clothes.
Tutus for Two – This one is great because you’ll be so comfy. Throw on some black yoga pants, a black tee, and then order a pair ofmatching pink tutusfor you and your teacher bestie. Call it good!
Book Characters for English Teachers – This one works best if you choose book characters from something your students are reading together.
Historical Character Pairs for History or Social Studies Teachers – You could dress up as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton, Angelica and Eliza Schuyler, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, or any other famous pair. Here’s a greatwebsitewith historical costumes.
Superheroes – Each of you can dress up as your favorite superhero or just choose a Superhero t-shirt for each of you to wear.
Whataburger – If you really wanna be “extra” about it, you can dress up as aWhataburger table tent. All my Texas teachers would love this!
Hawaiian Shirts – Ya know, ahideous Hawaiian shirtis just a useful thing to have in your wardrobe if you’re a teacher. Theme days are so common, you’re bound to use it again sometime. So dress up in tacky Hawaiian shirts with your teacher bestie and enjoy the day. Hint: Get an ugly one for men, otherwise it looks like you’re trying too hard.
Sports Heroes for PE Teachers – Consider dressing up like two famous athletes together! This just requires matching jerseys, cute golf or tennis outfits, or anything else of that nature.
Famous Musical Pairs for Music Teachers – You could dress up as Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Simon and Garfunkel, Sonny and Cher, Brooks and Dunn, the list goes on…
What do you do on Twin Day?
Twin Day allows you to dress up similarly for school with a best friend or colleague. Some people like to match identically, but others like to think of fun pairings and just “go together” rather than match. For example, you could go as Salt and Pepper shakers. Twin Day is a great way to have fun with your teacher bestie!
Twin Day is popular at all grade levels, but it seems most common in middle school, when kids are especially social and interested in having a ride or die bestie. In these cases, it sometimes seems like TOO much fun to me, but school can’t be ALL business.
What are some other Spirit Week Ideas?
Here are some other common spirit days if you’re looking to start a little fun at school. Consider choosing two that are pretty much overdone, so that parents and teachers don’t have to think too hard about their costume.
A week’s worth of brand new costume ideas will annoy your families and teachers (particularly if you’ve got a bunch of families with two working parents who are pressed for time).
Then, get creative with the other three days so that your Spirit Week costumes don’t feel tired and boring.
- Crazy Hair Day
- Wacky Wednesday
- Hawaiian Day or Hawaiian Shirt Day
- Book Character Day
- Twin Day
- Crazy Sock Day
- Tacky Day
- Meme Day
- College Day
- Disney Day
- School Colors Day or School Shirt Day
- 80s Day
- Hat Day
- Camo Day
- Star Wars Day
- Superhero Day
- Pajama Day
When is the best time to have a Spirit Week?
Here in Texas, most schools for sure celebrate around Homecoming week, but you can do it anytime! I think it’s best to avoid May and December, of course. It’s just too stressful on parents to add one more thing to their responsibilities. And most teachers aren’t in the mood, either.
Early October works well for Spirit Week, but you might also consider doing a single Spirit Day right before your major holidays like Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, or any other brief reprieve from the hustle of school. Many parents will find it less annoying to plan just one at a time. After all, you want it to be a wonderful time, instead of feeling like a chore.
When it comes to Spirit Week, a little goes a long way. One week in the fall and one week in the spring is more than enough; in fact, it may be overdoing it.
Does Spirit Week make a difference in school culture?
Public school life is pretty tough right now. Between impossibly unfair testing expectations, all the drama with school board infighting, public perception of teachers, and politics at the state level, it’s hard to find bits of cheer if you’re not laser focused on your school community and all those young lives to mold.
As an administrator or school leader, don’t get so bogged down in your ridiculously long to-do list that you forget to enjoy your role as an influencer within your school. You have the ability to be the joy on your campus and ensure that people have a bit of fun.
At the same time, read the mood of your teachers. If there’s a collective groan that erupts anytime you send out a dress-up day email, consider taking the dress-up day off the calendar AND find something else to take off their plates, too. When your fun days are being poorly received, that’s a sign that something isn’t working well in your school culture. Take notice and try to take good care of your teachers. You can send out a SurveyMonkey to your staff (or whatever other vote-taking platform you prefer) to find out how frequent they’d like to have dress-up days.
Also, recognize that many parents are getting fed-up with dress up days. When it’s overdone, it’s just exhausting, and the kids don’t get that excited about it, either. Still, a few days throughout the year that are strategically timed can be a really fun way to ramp up the energy level in your building.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an educational expert, I have extensive knowledge and experience in the field of education, including school culture and community-building activities such as spirit days. I have worked closely with teachers, administrators, and students to create a positive and engaging learning environment.
In this article, the concept of spirit days, particularly Twin Day, is discussed as a way to build a sense of community and fun within schools. Spirit days are events where students and teachers have the opportunity to dress up in costumes or themed outfits. Twin Day specifically involves finding a partner and dressing up as twins. It is mentioned that these days are generally well-received by teachers, kids, and staff members, although parents may sometimes find them overwhelming.
The article suggests several Twin Day ideas for teachers, including:
- Nerd costumes: Teachers can embrace their inner nerd by wearing a simple sweatshirt and using items they already have at home.
- Matching teacher tees: Teachers can wear matching t-shirts with their teammates or colleagues, adding similar jewelry or hairstyles to enhance the twinning effect.
- Outdated technology: One teacher can tape Vis-a-Vis markers all over themselves, while the twin teacher tapes transparencies to their outfit, creating a humorous nod to outdated classroom technology.
- Copy and Paste: Teachers can wear basic tees and use a Cricut machine to create "CTRL+C" and "CTRL+V" symbols, representing the common copy and paste function on computers.
- Moon and Stars: Science teachers can wear black pants and a black tee, with one partner taping on a large moon cut from yellow butcher paper and the other partner covering themselves in stars.
- Teacher Twinkies: Teachers can attach Twinkies packaging to their lanyards, creating a simple yet recognizable costume.
- Hamburger and Hot Dog Buddies: Teachers can dress up as a hot dog and hamburger together, which can also be reused as a Halloween costume.
- Deviled Egg Duo: One partner can wear devil horns, while the other dresses up as an egg with a yellow construction paper circle taped to their belly.
- Tutus for Two: Teachers can wear black yoga pants and matching pink tutus, providing comfort and a fun visual.
- Book Characters for English Teachers: Teachers can dress up as book characters from books their students are reading together.
- Historical Character Pairs for History or Social Studies Teachers: Teachers can choose famous historical pairs and dress up accordingly.
- Superheroes: Each teacher can dress up as their favorite superhero or wear superhero-themed t-shirts.
- Whataburger: Teachers can dress up as a Whataburger table tent, which can be particularly popular in Texas.
- Hawaiian Shirts: Teachers can wear tacky Hawaiian shirts, which can come in handy for other theme days as well.
The article also mentions other common spirit days, such as Crazy Hair Day, Wacky Wednesday, Hawaiian Day, Book Character Day, Crazy Sock Day, Tacky Day, Meme Day, College Day, Disney Day, School Colors Day, 80s Day, Hat Day, Camo Day, Star Wars Day, Superhero Day, and Pajama Day.
The best time to have a Spirit Week, including Twin Day, can vary depending on the school and its specific events and holidays. In Texas, for example, Spirit Week is often celebrated around Homecoming week. However, it can be done at any time of the year. It is suggested to avoid scheduling Spirit Week in May and December, as these months can be particularly busy for parents and teachers. It may also be beneficial to choose a single Spirit Day right before major holidays or breaks, so that parents and teachers find it less burdensome to plan for just one day at a time.
Spirit Week can have a positive impact on school culture by fostering a sense of community, fun, and engagement among students and teachers. However, it's important for school leaders and administrators to be mindful of the preferences and feelings of their teachers and parents. If dress-up days are poorly received or cause frustration, it may be necessary to reevaluate the frequency and timing of such events. A balance needs to be struck between creating an enjoyable atmosphere and ensuring that teachers and parents are not overwhelmed with additional responsibilities.
In conclusion, spirit days like Twin Day can be a fun and effective way to build a sense of community and school spirit. By providing creative costume ideas and considering the timing and preferences of teachers and parents, schools can create an engaging and enjoyable environment for everyone involved.
