Celebrating interns can boost team morale and show appreciation for their hard work. Nowadays, many summer interns do more than fetch coffee; some of these young professionals can pull as much weight as any full time employee! That’s why National Intern Day is so important—as long as you celebrate it the right way.
So how should you should should you show employee appreciation on this momentous occasion? Our human resources experts have you covered.
In this article, we’ll share 24 National Intern Day ideas you can use to make your interns feel special. From stellar gifts to fun activities, your team will have everything they need to make Intern Appreciation Day a success.
24 National Intern Day Ideas: Gifts, Parties, and More
It doesn’t matter how many people are in your company’s internship program. You should celebrate national intern day to make them feel valued and improve company culture. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a few ideas to help you celebrate the right way. Let’s dive in!
National Intern Day Gift Ideas
1. A Digital Group Card
Digital group cards are an awesome gift for National Intern Day. They’re easy to make, heartfelt, and inclusive. These eCards make employee recognition simple by enabling everyone to leave heartfelt messages from their own devices, then automatically deliver the eCard on the special day.
Everyone on the lucky intern’s team can add personal well wishes, photos, and/or videos to the card—all of which will make them feel appreciated. It’s the perfect opportunity to tell them about the impact they’re making and the exciting future that awaits.
When it comes to digital group cards, you can’t go wrong with Kudoboard. The platform is powerfully fun, easy to use, and offers advanced business features just for enterprises.
Celebrate your interns with group cards
Create custom appreciation cards, collect messages from their team, and make Intern Day memorable.
2. Gift Cards
While not the most original idea, gift cards are a great way to recognize your interns on National Intern Day. Seriously, who doesn’t enjoy a little something extra to celebrate? Their flexibility allows recipients to choose the items or experiences they truly want.
The best part is that they’re super easy to distribute, especially for remote teams. All it takes is a few clicks, a corporate credit card, and you’re ready to deliver these employee incentives.
Pro tip: Create an Intern Appreciation group card and attach a gift card to say “you’re amazing!” With Kudoboard, simply load the funds and let the intern select the gift card they’d like after they receive their eCard.
3. Various Tech Gadgets
Everybody wants the latest tech—especially college students. Say “Happy National Intern Day” by giving them a portable charger, wireless earbuds, smart notebook, or other gadgets. These gifts are practical and fun and your interns are sure to appreciate them.
As a bonus, certain gadgets could make your interns more productive, which will increase their value to your company. Win! Plus, your campus recruiting team can brag about your generosity to prospective candidates.
4. New Desk Accessories
Desk accessories can enhance productivity and brighten up the office. Imagine how much better your interns’ workspaces will look and feel when they include stylish organizers, ergonomic mouse pads, and fun desk toys.
These items are easy to give and have a practical purpose. As such, desk accessories are a great way to show your appreciation on National Intern Day.
5. A Subscription Box
Subscription boxes are the gift that keeps on giving. Each month, your interns will receive new goodies in the mail, which means you’ll be able to celebrate their efforts all year long. The best part is, there are subscription boxes for everything. Snacks, books, self-care items, fashion—you name it, there’s probably a subscription box that fills the need.
6. Company Swag
We get it, Swag is kind of boring. Employers love to gift company swag like custom T-shirts, mugs, branded water bottles, and tote bags (and it’s played out). Just remember, this could potentially be the VERY FIRST piece of Swag these kids ever receive. Don’t you want that honor?
Even better, they make interns feel like part of the team. Worth mentioning, corporate gifts like swag are usually easy for companies to give because they’re already set up with the right vendors.
7. A Handwritten Note
A handwritten note is a heartfelt way to celebrate National Intern Day. They’re pretty rare these days, so the notes you send will show an extra level of thoughtfulness and effort.
They can also serve as keepsakes, which interns might hang on to for long after they’ve left your company (or at least recent graduates). If you don’t know what to give your interns, try writing them a message to show your appreciation.
National Intern Day Experience Ideas
8. Event Tickets
Event tickets offer hardworking interns the chance to experience something amazing. For example, concert tickets let them see their favorite artist take the stage. Theater tickets will allow them to engage with powerful stories. And sports tickets can deliver thrilling moments that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. All in all, experience-related gifts are a great way to show your appreciation for the people in your internship program.
9. Outdoor Adventures
Your interns might love the great outdoors. Keep this in mind when getting them a gift for National Intern Day. Can you plan a fun hike in your local area? How about a kayak or rafting trip? Maybe a beach day is more your team’s speed.
Better yet, bring the whole team along and make it an employee engagement trip. Whatever you decide to do, an outdoor adventure gift will put a smile on your interns’ faces and help them create new memories.
10. A Day of Relaxation
Trips to the spa, complete with massages and facials. Yoga sessions that help participants decompress and clear their minds. A catered picnic in a serene park. These kinds of activities will help your interns shrug off the many stresses of life. As such, they’re a great way to say, “Thank you!” and ensure the folks in your internship programs feel valued on Intern Day.
11. Culinary Experiences
Any foodies on your team? Give them a culinary experience to celebrate National Intern Day. Now, you can take different approaches with this gift idea. For instance, you can sign your interns up for a cooking class. If that’s too hands-on, you can pay for them to attend a healthy meal to give them a “fresh perspective.” As long as gourmet food is included, this kind of gift is sure to be a hit with your team.
12. Team Building Activities
The best team building activities build camaraderie and trust. This is important because teams that enjoy being together usually perform better. So get creative and sign your interns up for a fun activity or two.
Escape rooms, scavenger hunts, ropes courses, and group cooking competitions are all viable options. Just make sure the activity you choose is fun and inclusive.
National Intern Day Professional Development Ideas
13. Online Courses
Online courses are another fantastic way to celebrate National Intern Day. They offer interns the chance to learn more skills from home, the office—anywhere, really. Obviously, the kind of course you purchase will depend on the intern’s goals. But you can find quality career development on almost any topic. Show your appreciation by helping your intern level up in their career.
14. Business Books
If there are ambitious people in your internship program, they might appreciate a business book on National Interns Day. The right book will teach your intern about industry trends, leadership, effective strategies, or otherwise help them to improve their skills. Once that happens, anything is possible, which is why books are almost always a great gift.
15. Industry Events
Industry events are a great opportunity to learn from respected thought leaders, network with professionals in their field, and build valuable connections. Because of this, tickets to industry events make fantastic National Intern Day gifts. Give your intern the gift of new skills, which they’ll use to improve their career (and do their current jobs better!)
16. Networking Opportunities
If you really want to show appreciation for your interns, arrange a networking event for them to attend. Invite other professionals from your personal circle of influence to attend. Then encourage your interns to interact with these people, ask questions, and gain valuable experience. One suggestion: choose an informal setting to help foster a relaxed environment that encourages mingling.
Funny National Intern Day Ideas
17. Fake Awards
Your gifts don’t always have to be serious. Life isn’t only about business, after all. Have fun and give your interns fake awards on National Intern Day. For example, you could name an intern “Most Likely to Become a CEO” or “Best Coffee Runner.”
Make sure the awards have humorous titles, but also include sincere praise. This will make your interns feel valued and appreciated while giving them something fun to remember their internship experience by.
18. Novelty Items
You can also celebrate National Intern Day by giving your interns a novelty item or two. Think custom bobbleheads or quirky stress balls. These gifts are fun and can lighten the mood for a National Intern Day Celebration.
They’re also great for social media channels. Encourage interns to share their new swag online. This will help build company culture, help recruitment operations, and everyone will get a good laugh.
19. Engraved Items
There’s nothing funny about engraved items—until you inscribe a humorous message. For instance, you might give the folks in your internship program a glass water bottle that says, “Stay hydrated, stay sharp!” Or a personalized pen that says “World’s Best Intern.” These gifts are silly, but also useful, which makes them a great option for National Intern Day this year.
20. Office Olympics
You could plan a funny event instead of giving you interns a funny gift on National Intern Day. Official Olympics fit the bill. Have each of your interns compete in events like paperclip pick-up, pencil sharpener races, or coffee mug stacking—you know, things that fit their internship roles. Then give out gag prizes to the winners. Trust us, your interns will enjoy themselves (probably). They’ll also love not having to work for a few hours.
National Intern Day Party Ideas
21. Pick a Theme
What if you planned a party for your interns, rather than getting them gifts? If you decide to celebrate National Intern Day this way, make sure you choose a fun theme. You could go with superheroes, for example, and explain how your interns are the secret power of your organization. Whatever you do, recognize your interns in a way they’ll appreciate.
22. Plan Activities
Your National Intern Day party won’t be much fun if you don’t plan activities. Think about what your interns enjoy and incorporate that into the celebration. You could have a scavenger hunt, a trivia night, or even a karaoke session. As long as it’s entertaining for everyone, it’s fair game.
23. Order Food
You’ve picked a theme and chosen activities. Now you need to order food to make your National Intern Day party a big success. You could hire a caterer to come to the office. Or spring for a meal at a favorite local restaurant. You can even involve your interns by asking them to bring in their favorite dishes to share. This will add a fun, personal touch to the event.
24. Make it Fun!
Okay, this isn’t really an idea; it’s more of a rule. But, speaking of fun, the party you throw needs to be loaded with good times. Make sure the theme, activities, and food options you choose are things your interns will like.
This whole celebration is supposed to be about your spectacular junior employees—paid or unpaid. Give them memories they’ll cherish forever on National Intern Day.
Why Should You Celebrate National Intern Day?
Not every company will be celebrating national intern day. Why should your organization take the time to recognize the people in its internship program? Here are a few important reasons:
- Team Morale: In general, celebrations can improve each of your employees’ moods.
- Company Culture: Recognizing team members creates a more inclusive workplace.
- Retention Rates: Acknowledging interns can increase the chances of them joining permanently. Who knows? Some of them might become your company’s future leaders.
- Productivity: When your interns feel happy and appreciated, they’re more likely to engage with their work, increase their effort, and improve their productivity levels.
How to Promote National Intern Day Around the Office
It’s not enough to have the best National Intern Day Ideas to recognize your interns or plan a party to celebrate their efforts. You need to get your other employees on board. That way they can celebrate interns too.
Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do. For example, you can hang up National Intern Day posters around the office. Or send emails to promote the various activities you’ve chosen. Or make an announcement after your next meeting to tell employees about your plans. Make sure you use multiple promotion channels so the message is loud and clear.
Don’t forget to use company social media accounts for promotional purposes as well. Remind your team that you plan to honor the folks in your company’s internship programs via LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and/or the other platforms your company uses.
Recognize Your Interns With Kudoboard
Digital group cards are one of the best ways to celebrate National Intern Day and make sure your interns feel valued (although we’re a little biased). Guess what—digital group cards are easy to make with Kudoboard.
Simply, create an appreciation card for each of the interns in your internship program, invite their teams to contribute, and send the cards to their intended recipients. Staff can write heartfelt messages, leave photos and gifs, and celebrate the staff together.
If your team has fun and the cards are impactful, you can do more than just recognize interns with the platform. Celebrate office birthdays, recognize hard work, celebrate work anniversaries, and more with a fun employee recognition platform. with an enterprise plan, you get access to unlimited digital cards, endless recognition and more. It’s a one-stop-shop for all of your recognition and company culture-building needs. See you on the inside!
Give authentic recognition to your interns
Make sure your interns feel appreciated on National Interns Day. Send them a digital group card they’ll cherish forever.
About the author:
