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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Top 10 free sub plan templates for teachers (2026)

Checked October 2026For TeachersKind Free websitesNo affiliate links, no paid placement. How we chose

One entry, Peabody Teach sub plan template and emergency sub folder, is our own free tool. It is marked Ours and ranked against the same criteria as the others.

Quick answer

The Pencil Jar Co.'s free editable substitute binder is our number one: it covers the welcome, schedule, class list, procedures, emergency information and a feedback form in one file you reuse all year. This list is for classroom teachers getting ready for a planned or sudden absence. Every template here was free on the maker's own page when we checked, and we note any log-in.

Top 10 free sub plan templates for teachers (2026): comparison
#NameBest forPrice
1Editable Substitute Binder FreebieBest for a full elementary sub binderFree
2Editable Free Sub Plans TemplateBest for preschool to 2nd grade teachersFree
3Free Editable Sub Plans Template (Google Docs)Best for a quick typed plan in Google DocsFree
4Peabody Teach sub plan template and emergency sub folder OursBest for filling in and printing with no downloadFree
5Free Substitute Binder TemplatesBest for a printable emergency folderFree
6Free Sub Plan FormsBest for writing down how your room runsFree
7Easy Peasy Editable Sub Plan TemplateBest for a reusable elementary setFree
8Sub Plan Template (Google Doc)Best for a plain, one-page planFree
9Free Sub Plan Template for music teachersBest for music teachers leaving a non-music subFree
10Emergency Sub Plan TemplateBest for schools already using Progress LearningFree

1. Editable Substitute Binder Freebie

The Pencil Jar Co.

  • Best for a full elementary sub binder
  • Free

An 8-page editable sub binder you type once and reuse all year. The listing names a cover, a welcome letter to the sub, a daily schedule, a class list for up to 24 students, rules and procedures, emergency information, a specials schedule and a feedback form for the sub. It edits in PowerPoint and can be uploaded to Google Slides.

Free on TpT (as of 2026-10-30); a free TpT log-in is needed to download

Watch for It had only six ratings when we checked, and the class list stops at 24 students.

Visit Editable Substitute Binder Freebie ↗

2. Editable Free Sub Plans Template

The Stay at Home Teacher

  • Best for preschool to 2nd grade teachers
  • Free

A 13-page PowerPoint file with several sub plan layouts to choose from; you type into the text boxes, save, then print or email it to your team. It is listed for preschool to second grade and had more than 400 ratings when we checked.

Free on TpT (as of 2026-10-30); a free TpT log-in is needed to download

Watch for It is a PowerPoint file, so you need PowerPoint or a program that opens it, and the store also promotes its paid sub packs.

Visit Editable Free Sub Plans Template ↗

3. Free Editable Sub Plans Template (Google Docs)

Vinlove with Literature

  • Best for a quick typed plan in Google Docs
  • Free

A 2-page Google Docs template for typing up a day's sub plan. Each section carries a prompt about what to tell the sub, so you are less likely to forget something. It is not tied to one subject.

Free on TpT (as of 2026-10-30); a free TpT log-in is needed to download

Watch for It is a single day's plan, not a full emergency folder, so add your own seating chart and contacts.

Visit Free Editable Sub Plans Template (Google Docs) ↗

4. Peabody Teach sub plan template and emergency sub folder

Peabody Teach

  • Ours
  • Best for filling in and printing with no download
  • Free

This is ours. Choose a two-page sub plan for one day, or an emergency sub folder with a welcome, schedule, arrival and dismissal routines, a seating chart, helpers, contacts and a notes page for the sub. You fill it in on the page and print it; an empty box prints with ruled lines to write on by hand. It is free with no sign-in, and what you type stays in your browser.

Free, no sign-in, no ads

Watch for It saves only in the browser on that computer, and to edit it elsewhere you copy it as a table into a document.

Visit Peabody Teach sub plan template and emergency sub folder ↗

5. Free Substitute Binder Templates

Teaching Across Borders

  • Best for a printable emergency folder
  • Free

Eight printable PDF pages for an emergency sub binder. The listing says they cover your classroom, students, attendance, procedures, daily routines and schedule, so a sub can find what they need fast. It is not tied to a grade.

Free on TpT (as of 2026-10-30); a free TpT log-in is needed to download

Watch for It is a PDF to print and fill in, not an editable file, and the store pairs it with its paid sub plans.

Visit Free Substitute Binder Templates ↗

6. Free Sub Plan Forms

Sum Math Fun

  • Best for writing down how your room runs
  • Free

A free 14-page PDF of forms for recording how your classroom works, so your team and a sub have it in one place. It is not tied to a grade or subject and had close to 100 ratings when we checked.

Free on TpT (as of 2026-10-30); a free TpT log-in is needed to download

Watch for The listing does not say the PDF is editable, so plan to fill it in by hand.

Visit Free Sub Plan Forms ↗

7. Easy Peasy Editable Sub Plan Template

Mrs Perez Teacher Tools

  • Best for a reusable elementary set
  • Free

A 24-page editable PowerPoint set for emergency or planned sub days. You enter your daily schedule, procedures, routines and emergency procedures once, then reuse the pages. It is listed for preschool to fifth grade.

Free on TpT (as of 2026-10-30); a free TpT log-in is needed to download

Watch for It is a PowerPoint file and has only a dozen ratings, so preview the pages before you rely on it.

Visit Easy Peasy Editable Sub Plan Template ↗

8. Sub Plan Template (Google Doc)

Ohio's state schools for the deaf and blind

  • Best for a plain, one-page plan
  • Free

A staff onboarding page from Ohio's schools for the deaf and blind links a plain Google Doc sub plan template you can copy. It has spaces for the teacher's name and date, class periods, the roster and key student notes, lesson plans, and notes from the sub. The page also lists what a planned-absence sub plan should include.

Free; make a copy in Google Docs

Watch for It is very bare, with no prompts for routines, dismissal or contacts, and it was written for that school's own staff.

Visit Sub Plan Template (Google Doc) ↗

9. Free Sub Plan Template for music teachers

MakeMusic

  • Best for music teachers leaving a non-music sub
  • Free

A three-page PDF from a music software company: a template with a note on what goes in each field, a filled-in sample for a non-music sub, and a blank copy. It lays a class out as school and class procedures, a lesson beginning, middle and end, and comments from the sub. The download needs no sign-up.

Free PDF download

Watch for It plans one lesson rather than a whole day, and the sample lesson uses a video, so it assumes a projector.

Visit Free Sub Plan Template for music teachers ↗

10. Emergency Sub Plan Template

Progress Learning

  • Best for schools already using Progress Learning
  • Free

A free Google Doc you copy from the Progress Learning blog. It has a quick overview for the sub with tech logins, student helpers and behavior expectations, a daily routine table, a lesson template and wrap-up prompts so the sub can leave feedback.

Free Google Doc copy

Watch for It is built around the Progress Learning platform, so much of the lesson section only fits classes that use it.

Visit Emergency Sub Plan Template ↗

Also good

How we chose

We weighed these, most important first. The order is our judgement against them, not a score or a vote, and a different teacher could reasonably order it differently. Our own tool sits where those criteria put it; we built it after studying the others, so read its entry with that in mind.

  1. Free on the maker's page. The template was free on the page we checked, with no paid unlock; we note when a free log-in is needed.
  2. Covers a whole day. Templates with a schedule, routines, contacts and a place for the sub's notes rank above single-lesson forms.
  3. Easy to edit and reuse. Typeable files you fill in once and update rank above print-only pages.
  4. Fits most classrooms. Templates not tied to one product or subject rank above specialist ones.

We took no money, free products or affiliate commissions for any place on this list, and no link here carries a tracking code. Every fact was read on the maker’s own page on October 30, 2026; prices carry that date because they change. See how we choose and the ad-free promise.

Questions

What should a sub plan include?
The templates here agree on a schedule, routines such as attendance and dismissal, where materials are, students who can help, who to ask for help, and a space for the sub to leave notes. Leave medical details with the office if that is your school's rule.
Do free TpT templates cost anything?
The TpT items here showed a price of free when we checked on 2026-10-30, but you need a free TpT account to download them. Prices can change, so check the page before you rely on it.
Should I keep an emergency sub folder?
Yes, if your school allows it. Ohio's schools for the deaf and blind, for example, ask staff to keep a marked substitute folder with a roster, the schedule, safety information and at least two days of work. Ask your office where it should live.

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Last checked October 30, 2026. Something out of date or missing? Tell us and we will fix it; makers can send corrections, never money.