Teachers Pay Teachers is an online marketplace for educational resources. It boasts millions of useful materials for educating and engaging students of all ages. TPT includes hundreds and thousands of lesson plans, activities, worksheets, flashcards, and more. Teachers can use these resources for classroom management and organization.
It was launched back in 2006 and is being used by over 7 million educators in 2023.
But it’s not just a place for buyers but also for sellers to create and sell their own resources.
So, suppose you are a teacher looking for a way to earn some extra money or maybe have a passion for education and are interested in creating original resources that others can use in their classrooms. In that case, Teachers Pay Teachers might be the marketplace you’ve been searching for!
Having said that,
I have found that the most common questions everyone asks while starting a TPT business are where to start and what to make!
In this article, I will take you through the top-selling products on Teachers Pay Teachers. Make sure to read this article until the end, and it will help you develop an excellent product idea for your TPT store.
Best Things to Sell and Make Money on Teachers Pay Teachers
- Activities
- Interactive Notebooks
- Teacher Planners
- Language Learning Materials
- Graphic Organizers
- Task Cards
- Reading Comprehensions
- Science Experiments
- Clip Arts
- Coloring Pages
- Sight Words Flash Cards
- STEM Educational Resources
- Writing Prompts
- Doodle Notes
- Posters
- Custom Font Packs
- Worksheets
- Games
Before we dive deep into this list. Let’s first take a quick look at a few essential things.
How much money can you make selling educational resources on TPT?
A successful seller on Teachers Pay Teachers generates $300-$500 per week selling educational resources.
Many teachers are using this platform as an excellent source of passive income. However, it is important to note that TPT may not make you a millionaire, but it sure can make a big difference in your finances.
With persistence and dedication, TPT can be a great way to earn extra income and showcase your skills as an educator.
It is possible to scale your TPT business to several thousand dollars per month by utilizing proper tools and investing time and effort to create high-quality resources that others will find useful.
TPT surely has the potential to turn into a full-time career. But hard work and determination are crucial for success.
Where to begin as a TPT seller?
You should start with creating unique products that are super cool and interesting.
You can use PowerPoint to make amazing printable and digital resources. Apart from PowerPoint, you can use Microsoft Word, Google Slides, and even design tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva.
Create lesson plans or activities that you think other teachers would love to use. Once you have your products ready, you can upload them to TPT.
The platform will ask you to upload a free and paid product while opening your store. Adding various free products is a good idea as it allows people to explore your skills at no cost. If those people like your work, they are more likely to purchase your paid products and become loyal customers.
You have the option to choose from a free and paid account. In my opinion, starting with the free one is a great idea until you make enough money to upgrade.
Please note that running a TPT store takes time and effort. So, make sure you have enough time to commit to it. You can become a TPT superstar and make some serious money with some effort!
Niche – The Key To Success
Positioning yourself as an expert in a particular area and building long-term brand loyalty is the key strategy to success as a TPT seller.
Do not focus on a single product; go for a specific category or niche. Create products tailored to the needs and interests of audiences from a particular category.
A niche can be anything from a particular grade level or subject area to a specific teaching method or approach.
Your niche will depend on your areas of expertise and interest, as well as the needs and interests of your audience.
When you focus on a specific niche or category, customers know exactly what they can expect from your store and are more likely to return for future purchases.
However, selecting a niche requires some trial and error to find the right fit, but it ensures the long-term success of your store.
Things to sell and make money on Teachers Pay Teachers
Here are some inspirational ideas for your TPT store. This list includes the most selling products on Teachers Pay Teachers and is sorted in no particular order.
Make sure to go through all of them and find something that may trigger a new and innovative product idea for your store.
#1 – Activities
Activities are one of the top-selling products on Teachers Pay Teachers. It helps students learn and practice specific skills and topics.
These activities can come in various forms, such as fun and engaging worksheets, informative reading passages, helpful graphic organizers, and exciting math games.
Just imagine how much easier our lives can be with these great activities at our fingertips!
You can start with math worksheets including various activities for different seasons and occasions or spelling activities for any list of words and even materials for teaching and practicing fractions, or worksheets and games for learning about money.
The possibilities are endless here! Create something that helps students learn and practice a wide range of skills and topics in a fun and engaging way.
#2 – Interactive Notebooks
Have you heard about the amazing Interactive Notebooks available on Teachers Pay Teachers?
They are packed with many engaging activities, worksheets, and booklets to make learning a joyful experience for students.
Interactive notebooks cover a wide range of subjects, including writing, science, social studies and even topics like the US government, Earth’s rotation and revolution, force and motion, etc.
You can create an Interactive notebook with hundreds of pages to explain complex topics related to science, social studies, and mathematics in a fun and easy-to-understand way.
Such notebooks tailored to specific topics are in high demand on TPT.
#3 – Teacher Planners
Teacher Planners on TPT are a great way for educators to say goodbye to stress and hello to a joyful new way of teaching!
Planners have become popular as they allow teachers to plan lessons, track grades, and organize like never before.
They include editable forms, pre-dated calendars, and different covers tailored to different teachers’ unique needs.
The best part is that they are fully customizable and compatible with the most popular tools, such as PowerPoint and Google Slides. Few sellers also include how-to videos in their product listings to make their planners easy to use.
Planners are for everyone, from new to seasoned teachers. Make sure to focus on designing teacher planners that are easy to use and implement.
#4 – Language Learning Materials
There are tons of fantastic language learning resources available on TPT.
They allow students to excel in English language skills such as reading, writing, and speaking.
Worksheets that teach figurative language fun and engagingly are highly popular on Teachers Pay Teachers. These worksheets are perfect for helping students identify and create their own examples of figurative language.
Such resources are perfect for homework, test preparation, or just some extra practice in class. They save students time and effort while ensuring excellent learning resources at their disposal to help them improve.
Make sure to design high-quality language learning materials that help students succeed.
#5 – Graphic Organizers
Graphic Organizers help students with problem-solving, planning, brainstorming, and decision-making.
TPT sellers offer plenty of graphic organizers to students to help them organize their ideas in a fun and structured way.
A graphic organizer uses different formats, including Venn diagrams, concept maps, T-charts, idea webs, and KWL charts, to serve a specific purpose.
Venn diagrams are great for finding similarities and differences between two topics. At the same time, a concept map can help you identify a main concept and sub-concepts and show relationships between specific concepts or vocabulary words.
Teachers love to use Graphic Organizers to help their students learn and grow.
While selling graphic organizers, you must explain why they should choose your graphic organizer for a specific topic and show them how to use it effectively.
#6 – Task Cards
Task Cards, as you might have imagined, are useful in all activities, including mathematics, science, and even social studies. You can include various types of questions that can help students master essential skills.
They are popular amongst both teachers and students. There are over thousands of task cards available on TPT covering various topics.
Such an incredible set of cards are another way for students to practice any skill or subject.
For example, one of the popular task cards on TPT includes short passages with questions that require text evidence to answer. It is perfect for improving students’ inference skills and feels like a game.
Try to make sure that task cards will be less overwhelming. Keep one question per card and use interactive elements.
#7 – Reading Comprehensions
Reading Comprehension is one of the top-selling products on Teachers Pay Teachers. It involves reading passages and answering questions, which can be fun and engaging to develop word reading and language comprehension skills.
They are a perfect fit for kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade classrooms.
Include questions focusing on language comprehension and requiring students to recall information and make inferences based on what they read.
Your resources should also help students improve their critical thinking skills and learn to analyze what they are reading.
The key to success is creating user-friendly, structured, and decodable reading comprehensions focusing on phonics and fluency.
#8 – Science Experiments
Science Experiment worksheets are a great way to learn about the world around us in a hands-on and engaging way.
The Teachers Pay Teachers platform offers science experiments that provide engaging and stress-free lessons for students.
These experiments come with easy-to-follow instructions, hands-on activities, and printable resources perfect for both in-class and at-home learning.
For example, one popular science experiment worksheet on TPT teaches students about states of matter using simple household objects and sorting activities. It then reinforces their newfound knowledge with a lap book project.
Design something that encourages students to follow a systematic process of measurements and tests to verify or refute a hypothesis.
Teachers will surely love your resources that help their students enhance their understanding of nature and discover new phenomena and relationships.
#9 – Clip Arts
Clip Arts is an exceptional product for Teachers Pay Teachers sellers who are creative and enjoy designing visuals for their products.
Its flexibility allows it to cater to various grade levels and subjects. Additionally, Clip Arts on TPT are mostly used for commercial purposes. Posters, worksheets, or other visual aids can be created using these designs to help students understand different subjects and routines.
A clip art design set may include kids involved in various activities and subjects. It can be created for any theme, whether it’s seasonal or subject-specific.
You can create Clip Arts for specific subjects or grade levels using programs such as Procreate and Adobe Illustrator.
#10 – Coloring Pages
Coloring pages can be created around various themes and styles to suit different age groups and learning levels.
Many sellers offer fantastic coloring pages that allow little ones to practice math and literacy skills, promote creativity, and encourage positive thinking.
You can start with anything from the Emoji Expression Coloring Sheets to more advanced ones, such as coloring pages for practicing math skills and allowing educators to teach number matching, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a fun and engaging way.
Coloring pages are best fit for back-to-school, distance learning, morning work, early finishers, substitutes, homework, and even more.
#11 – Sight Word Flash Cards
Sight Word Flash Cards can be a fantastic tool for improving young readers’ word recognition, fluency, and decoding skills. These flashcards are designed to help children practice reading high-frequency words in isolation and decodable sentences, making them an essential resource for teachers.
You can design Sight Word Flash Cards that include a range of sight words commonly found in guided reading books and reading assessments. Moreover, make sure that decodable words follow a phonics progression from CVC to multisyllabic words, which helps students learn and retain new words easily.
Finally, don’t forget to make your flashcards easy to understand with picture support and interactive elements.
#12 – STEM Educational Resources
Let teachers and their students dive into the exciting world of STEM with resources that focus on multiplication, division, character development, and scientific experiments.
There are a lot of materials available on TPT that offer a fantastic way to apply science and math concepts to real-world scenarios.
STEM Educational Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers offer engaging and high-interest activities for students to enhance their skills in technical areas. Teachers use the detailed instructions from these resources to encourage learning important STEM concepts.
Developing STEM educational resources may require additional skills and expertise in technology and science. But, it is important to note that they are in high demand on TPT and represent a lucrative business opportunity for new sellers.
#13 – Writing Prompts
Writing prompts help educators inspire and improve their students’ writing skills.
An effective writing prompt should include a situation and clear directions. You must consider the type of essay, prompt construction, brevity, repetition, and sensitivity while creating writing prompts.
As a TPT seller, try to come up with writing Prompts that will spark students’ imaginations!
Start with basic resources that include paragraph writing activities and Writing Prompts, and make sure that students will be able to practice their writing skills conveniently.
A great example of writing prompts is paperless morning journal prompts, a great way for teachers to streamline students’ morning routines and help them develop their writing skills simultaneously.
#14 – Doodle Notes
Have you heard about this new trend called Doodle Notes?
If not, this is the time to see if you can benefit. Doodle notes are a fun and creative learning strategy that can help students understand and remember complex concepts.
Now is the time to fuse your creativity with learning and start earning.
Math is a popular subject where Doodle Notes are used, but they can also be helpful in other subjects like science, history, and statistics. They can improve the mastery of concepts, especially if anyone is struggling.
There is growing demand for Doodle Notes on Teachers Pay Teachers; head over to the TPT official website and explore this category of Doodle Notes to determine if you can add value.
#15 – Posters
Educational posters are an excellent resource for enhancing children’s learning and development.
It is a perfect opportunity to create visually appealing, informative, and engaging educational posters that facilitate visual learning. In fact, almost 60-65% of educators worldwide find educational posters to be more effective than any other material.
You can create posters for the alphabet, math, phonics, physics, continents, world maps, motivational quotes, and more.
Educational posters offer convenience for parents and teachers and can serve as a constant source of learning for children.
#16 – Custom Fonts
Custom Font Packs offer a unique and customizable way to enhance teaching materials.
You can design font packs based on any subject, teaching style, and theme.
Also, include clear instructions on installing and using the font while listing them on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Teachers are always on the lookout for unique fonts that they can use to create professional-looking educational resources.
Create innovative fonts and allow other sellers on TPT to elevate their resources.
Moreover, custom fonts can also be sold commercially on other platforms such as Etsy, allowing sellers to diversify their income streams and reach a wider audience.
#17 – Worksheets
Teachers Pay Teachers are overloaded with a variety of worksheets. They are useful in engaging students effectively and supplementing lesson plans.
Right from the activities like reading and writing to explaining complex subjects like math and science, there is a worksheet for everything!
Though the competition is high under this category, you can make your worksheets stand out and diversify them by incorporating different types of questions, graphics, and illustrations.
As mentioned earlier, worksheets are highly popular on TPT as they are a valuable educational resource for teachers that provide a quick and easy way to engage students in the learning process.
#18 – Games
Games on TPT are designed to be both educational and entertaining.
So, the educational games created by you should aim at providing a unique approach to teaching that can capture students’ attention and keep them engaged.
Teachers seek high-quality educational games covering various topics and subject areas.
Math games are among the most popular, designed to make math more enjoyable and accessible for students. On the other hand, science games use memory games, card games, and trivia games to make learning scientific concepts fun and engaging.
You can also create social studies games in various formats, such as board games, card games, and puzzles, to offer a fun and interactive way to learn about different cultures, traditions, and historical events.
FAQ
Q. How to find more product ideas to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers?
The best and most easy way is to use the TPT official website’s search bar!
Simply visit www.teacherspayteachers.com; at the top, you will find the search bar.
Even when you click the search bar, the website will show you the most popular searches for that particular period.
Now, type in anything on your mind. For example, I tried searching for the keyword “Graphic Organizer.” As soon as I typed in the word Graphic, TPT returned the popular searches related to that word, as shown below,
Finally, another tip is developing product ideas based on your expertise and interest.
To Sum Up: Best Things to Sell on TPT
In conclusion, there are many exciting ways to make money on Teachers Pay Teachers, and this list is just the beginning!
As an educator, you have the unique opportunity to create valuable resources that will benefit your fellow teachers and bring in a steady income for you. Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned pro, TPT is the perfect platform to share your expertise and make some extra cash.
Practice makes perfect, and you’ll become more confident and skilled at meeting the needs of your audience with time.
Dedicate yourself to the process, and you’ll soon have a thriving online store that allows you to spread your love of teaching to educators all over the globe.
So why wait?
Start crafting your TPT products today and join the community of passionate educators earning a living by doing what they love. With TPT, there’s no wrong way to do it; every step you take will bring you closer to success.
Believe in yourself, your ideas, and your ability to positively impact the lives of students and teachers alike. Happy selling!
