Teacher Gift Ideas

Looking for teacher gift ideas for the end of the school year or another special occasion? Want to know what NOT to give a teacher?  Well, you've come to the right spot! 

Who better to tell you what teachers really want than a teacher? :)

Even though this is a preschool site, these ideas would certainly work for other teachers as well.

Elementary teachers, teacher assistants, principals, etc. would also enjoy these gifts.  First, let's look at what to avoid.


What NOT To Get Teachers

Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful because truly, every gift a teacher receives means something to them.  It means that the parent (and sometimes student) thought that their preschooler's teacher deserved a gift, went out and spent their hard earned money on it, or used their time to create something.  In that way, you really can't go wrong with any teacher gift idea.

However, there are some teacher gift ideas that many parents give us and, quite honestly, we end up having a collection of items that we can't possibly use.  Keep in mind how many students your child's teacher has this year.  Now, multiply that by the number of years they've been teaching.  

We have 32 students each year between both classrooms.   After the first five years of teaching, that is potentially over 150 of the following gifts:

Wall plaques              Yes, they were cute the first couple of years, but after a few years of teaching, an entire wall with wooden plaques and phrases could be filled.

Trinkets                 Unless your teacher specifically collects something (and you know for sure!), please don't buy her a tiny porcelain cat.

Apple Items                   I know "an apple for the teacher" is a cute saying, but we can only make room for so many apple related things on our desks or in our homes.

Perfume                
Like you, teachers have a favorite brand, if they even like perfume. Unless you know specifically the type they wear, it is likely that they will not use it.   

The Best Teacher Gift Ideas

Even though teachers appreciate the thought behind every gift, here are some ideas of gifts teachers are sure to use.

Some great teacher gift ideas are:

  1. Home Made Items.  Any craft made by the children and/or parent, especially if it includes their picture and the date!  Also, home made snacks are always a hit!
  2. Gift Certificates.  I always love gift certificates! That way, I can pick out what I really need.   Do you know your child's teacher's favorite restaurant?  Do they drink coffee?  Do they like books?  Get a gift card at their favorite place to go for these things!

Something we never have enough of are coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc. I've put some ideas on the carosel here! Here are some favorites of teachers! 

Teacher Gift Ideas # 3-11

Click on the arrow in the carousel below for some great ideas! 

12.  Kindle?  

If you are feeling especially generous and you had the most wonderful teacher in the world this year, you could always buy the teacher a Kindle.  This would be a great gift to pitch in together on with other families!

Click the picture above to see the different types of Kindles.

13.  Classroom supplies.  No, seriously.  Budgets are tight for everyone.  We never, ever have enough glue sticks, construction paper, tissues, handwipes, etc.  Ask your teacher what they go through the most and supply them with it.  OR, ask what they want that is not in the budget.  One year, our classroom received a set of 12 Bible puppets.  We had a $20/month budget so we would never have been able to purchase these puppets.  Our students LOVED puppet shows!  They were used and loved daily!

Christian Teacher Gift Ideas

14.   Christian Gifts.  If you are looking for specifically Christian teacher gifts, then you should go to ChristianBook.com's beautiful selection. You won't be disappointed!  I shop often at this site for co-teacher gifts and for Sunday School volunteer gifts.

15.  Christmas ornaments    Some teachers may not agree, however, home made tree ornaments, with the child's name and year on it are my FAVORITE!

 I think warmly of the children every year when I decorate my tree at home !  I LOVE these!

What are YOUR Teacher Gift Ideas?

Do you have more ideas?  Add them to the comments below and share!


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