National Coaches Day

If you're like me, you see something like #nationalcoachesday trending and immediately wish you had done something kind for the saint-like people who coach your children week after week. Well, I'm here to help because for the first time in my life, I'm not finding after it feels too late.

First, you need to know your audience. For instance, my son's football coaches don't want the same girly stuff that my daughter's cheer or Girls on the Run coaches would appreciate. A cute canvas bag that I've decorated with my Cricut isn't really the very thing they're hoping for. Yesterday, I considered these cute "Papa Bear" mugs from Target because we're the Bears. The problem? They were printed with a shiny gold foil. I cannot imagine the men who spend hours a week teaching my son to "get in there and hit somebody" drinking from a glass mug with a gold bear on it. So, yeah, start with an inventory of you audience.

Next, consider your budget. Football = 6 Coaches. Cheer = 3 Coaches. Girls on the Run = 3 Coaches. That's twelve coaches for our house. Aka, a lot. I love them but buying something for 12 coaches adds up. Determine how much you want to spend then get to work.

Pinterest in one of my favorite spots on the internet because my creativity is limited to copying what other people have already thought of. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? Sometimes I tweak an idea a little, like if it's meant for teachers but I need something for a coach, I'll recreate the idea with the language I want. No need to reinvent the wheel, I say.

I've created a Pinterest board with some of my favorite/quick/easy/ and mostly cheap ideas for coaches. Feel free to scan it for a condensed version of ideas or do your own search and weed through the thousands of ideas until you feel overwhelmed and decide to do better next year. Kidding.

Seriously, just do something. The people who spend hours with our kids teaching them character, strength, and determination in ways we can't do it because they love it. They love the sport and want the next generation to share in that passion. However, they don't mind a shoutout every now and again. So, even if you just send a little note of gratitude for their commitment, just do something.

Here is the Pinterest link:

For fun, here is a picture of our football coaches with our team this last Saturday. They don't really have the frill factor, do they?