Wanted…Teacher Appreciation Gifts
This card is a FREE download…see the end of the post – it will tell you how to get it! But first it is time to SHARE!
Teacher appreciation is coming and we all need ideas so let’s get a good list going here! I know you have all found at least ONE gift that went over well with a teacher – what was it???
Also, all you teachers – enlighten us! What do teachers want – how can we show our gratitude? We want to give you something – what should we give?
Missy
I asked my sister (who was a teacher) what to give once – she said to find out what their favorite restaurant was or their favorite place to shop and give a gift card to that place. Gift Cards.com offers discounted gift cards BTW! (I saw Bath and Body works and Borders on the discounted list this morning!!)
I have also given gift baskets from Great Harvest Bread because that is a gift I love receiving:)
My last idea is one I already posted for Christmas that was thought up by my friend, Jen – This could easily be adapted for teacher appreciation!
Alison
I asked Alison what her top 3 ideas were and she said, and I quote, “Are you kidding me?” With good reason – she has a bunch of posts on this very subject, so here are the links to her ideas.
Clean Teacher Appreciation Gift
Free teacher appreciation gift
Adorable DIY clipboards
Shelley
Shelley has not had to worry about teacher appreciation because her kids are not in school yet. She is, however looking forward to all of your ideas gathered in one place so she can come here when the time comes!
Just to make things a little easier for you, Alison and I created this card for you.
All you have to do is download, print, sign and give! It is made to be printed on an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper (make sure to print it landscape) and then folded to a card. It doesn’t get easier than that! If you are a HowDoesShe reader, check your inbox – there is a link to get the download. If you are not a HowDoesShe reader, sign up and the link will be sent to you!
Enjoy!
heidi @ wonder woman wannabe says
as a former lower elementary teacher, among my favorite gifts were gift cards for COFFEE!!! 😉
brenbren says
I would love to receive a link to download the card. Very great ideas.
Missy says
To get the download, just sign up to become a reader by entering your e-mail address up above in the black box where it says “HowDoesShe…in your inbox” The link to the card will be sent to the address you put in!
Karen says
I saw a really unique idea in 2007 on a blog called Everything Pink. I saved it all of this time to use one day. The time has come! Basically, you look up some really good quotes online that involve education. Print them out in some pretty fonts and place on scrapbook paper the size of a dollar bill. Then make into a little book with a title page that says “10 Things I Like About (teacher’s name).” As your child to answer such questions about their teacher like what is my favorite thing she taught me, what I will miss most about her, what her favorite color is, what I will never forget about this year…etc. Between each page put a crisp 1 dollar bill. If you can think up 20 things, you can do 20 1 dollar bills. You can also have the whole class participate in this and maybe even come up with 50 or 100 dollars as a group. The money part is nice, I’m sure, but what means more is the thoughts expressed. My son’s school only goes up to 5th grade and next year he and all his classmates will be bussed to a middle school in another part of town. I think his teacher would really appreciate this gesture even more since she won’t be seeing these kids again.
I’ve talked to a lot of teachers over the years. The gifts that are most memorable are like these…ones that come from the heart.
It would be fair if I didn’t at least post the page that idea came from on Everything Pink. You can take a look at everythingispink.blogspot.com/2007/05/teacher-gifts-but-with-end-of-year.html.
-Karen
Natasha says
This year I have heard from several of our teachers that budget cuts have hit home with basic supplies for the classroom. I have put together small baskets of things similiar to your Christmas basket. Our kids raised money for smart boards last year and so dry erase markers are a hot item. We also shopped for some books to add to her “library” in her class room. For middle school, we have had to share the wealth among many teachers, but paper and markers were a hit. I also threw in stickers for grade school, because my youngest thinks stickers are way better than stamps. LOL!!
colleen says
At the beginning of the school year, i send each teacher a questionaire asking them about their “favorites” – Favorite restaurant, candy, place to shop, color, home cooked meal, scent (for candles or soap), way to relax, drink (nothing worse than coffee if you don’t like it!), etc. I also ask if they have a hobby, if they like manicures, what one thing they would like for their classroom, etc. You ge the idea. This list serves as my guide for gifts all year and insures the get something they like and not just something i want them to have! Also, as the wife of a HS teacher, i can honestly say that a $5 gift card to a place He loves with a heartfelt note of thanks, goes a long way!
Missy says
Survey your teacher…BRILLIANT! I like that you do it at the beginning of the year so it is just a get to know you rather than a tell me what you want for a gift. I would think this would help them share more.
Mary says
Hi, I was wondering if you could share the questionaire,,,, it sounds like a really great idea!
Thanks. Mary
[email protected]
Kasee says
Thank you so much for posting your idea! I love it! I was just trying to figure out what I could do for my daughter’s teacher. She just started Kindergarten today and I wanted to have something for her to give her teacher, but it just did not happen for the first day! I tell ya, I remember when I was always organized and on time back in college…then kids happened 2 weeks after i graduated from college. My organization has not been worth bragging about since…haha!
Again, thank you for this idea!
Veronica B says
I just finished my final internship before completing my degree in elementary education. As a gift to my teachers and students for Christmas my mom and I made fabric covers for composition books. The teachers loved them and I think the fact that the covers had their names embroidered on them made them love them even more! They’re not always cheap but they’re pretty simple.
As a teacher things that I love receiving are: gift certificates for things for my classroom, classroom supplies (like a basket or apron full of dry erase markers and sticky notes and such), books, gift cards and things made be the kids like cards or pictures because I save all of them 🙂
Thanks for thinking about us!
Tracey says
What I have done for my favourite teacher was make a donation to her through the school fundraising charity –
Adopt-A-Classroom http://www.adoptaclassroom.org
100% of my donation goes to her which then allows her to purchase items she needs for her classroom and stays with her and any class she teaches. Her purchases are monitored (so she can’t go shopping at Victoria Secrets) and I get an email from her letting me know what she bought and her plans as to how she is going to use them. She needed protractors, calculators and dry markers for her white board. Now she has what she needs to teach her special-ed math class.
This is the fourth time we have made the tax deductible donation to her and I am thrilled and proud to make a difference in a local classroom. For me, a retired teacher & librarian, this type of teacher appreciation gift beats cards, stuffed bears, coffee cups or candy any day. The teacher I donated to agrees!
Emily says
I taught middle school for 6 years and am now home with my kiddos- from my point of view, the best gift was just being thought of and the words of appreciation… in middle school you get lots less of that… So I now try to give small gifts and notes but more frequently. As far as tangible things go, the best guideline is to make it USABLE. I have a few little nick-nacks and trinkets left that my students gave me, but most of the “I Love Teaching” pillows and magnets and mugs have gone by the wayside now that I don’t have a classroom. I loved gift cards too, and supplies for the classroom. I don’t think you can go wrong with those things. Even if it’s a hastily written note on a little card, it’s really is the thought that counts.
Kim - The TomKat Studio says
I posted a free printable TEACHER thank you card last year:
tomkatstudio.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-school-diy-printable-notecards.html
Lisa says
I’m giving a Mr. Clean magic eraser to my daughter’s preschool teacher. Wrapping it in a pretty ribbon with a nice card. Just a little gift to say thanks.
Danelle says
I’m planning to adapt the 2×4 ideas using 3 boards modpodged in paper that matches the school colors. The bottom, longest board, will say the teacher’s name (Miss Smith), the middle board will say the school mascot (Bobcats), and the top, smallest, board will say the school name (Bethany). All tied with a ribbon, or with wires for pictures. A cute little easy decoration for a teacher’s desk. I’m sure they’d prefer gift cards, but I’m all about virtually free!
Nicole says
I saw the following on a blog I read awhile ago. As a teacher I would be thrilled to receive something like this.
http://www.houseonhillroad.com/my_weblog/2009/06/teacher-gifts.html
Rebekah says
One of the all time successful gifts I have given is telling your teacher that you would like to bring them lunch. Ask them what they would like and what time they have their lunch break. They love that or favorite coffee and bring it in the morning, great way to start the day! I am also a fan of giving gift cards.
kris says
For teacher appreciation, I usually give a “certificate” for a meal. I include a menu with 2 choices of meals. I ask that they give one week’s notice. On the day they choose, I bring the homecooked meal of their choice to school. I package it creatively, so that it’s fun to open as well as delicious to eat. Teachers always love it!
stacy says
If my kids have a female teacher I like to give them a bouquet of flowers chosen by my child. I also write a nice note and have my son/daughter write a thank you note. If the teacher is male I give them food! Set up a day during teacher appreciation week you can bring them the lunch of their choice…this is always a hit. Gift cards to Staples or a educational supply store is always appreciated if you want to give more!
Jessica says
As an elementary teacher my favorite gifts are gifts for the classroom. I spend a lot of my own money and appreciate it when parents give supplies and books for our classroom library. My favorite all time gift was from a student who painted a wooden box and filled it with paperclips.
Melissa says
Oh how I love teachers and wish to be one someday myself. I don’t believe there has been a gift that a teacher hasn’t loved that we’ve given. I try really hard to make it personal but usable. We also give to our Sunday school teachers because they have spent an entire school year teaching our children each and every Sunday when they themselves could be in other classes or taking a break. This is a favorite we’ve given those SS teachers: wishesdreamslove.blogspot.com/2007/11/last-kids-craft-project.html . We have Awana leaders to think about as well and these made good gifts too. One leader had a teenage boy helper that my daughter truly enjoyed seeing every week so we made him a special gift. I knew that he was a runner year round, so my daughter took wool socks and used puff paint on the bottom to make them non slip slippers added this verse “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15 with a thank you card.
I noticed one day while volunteering in class (I get lots of ideas when I volunteer in my child’s classroom) that the teacher played upbeat short songs on a cd player as the kids were leaving for the day. They go out in groups to their buses so some students remain behind a little longer than others. I made up a mixed kids cd for the teacher of songs my daughter loved.
A potted plant with a personal note thanking the teacher and one from my child stating, “thanks for helping me grow!”
My middle daughter has a teacher that LOVES frogs. As I was grading papers for her one day I noticed she likes to use stickers so I had a personal rubber stamp made that states “great work” with a frog on it than I gave her a green stamp pad. She also mentioned often how much washing hands and the air in school dried her hands out, so I bought a nice bottle of lotion to go with it. Another day as math class was ending she asked all 22 students to tear out the remaining pages of their math chapter to take home since they finished that chapter. She had a hand stapler all ready to staple pages together for all her students. That poor woman’s hand was aching before she was half done and the stapler jammed a few times. I went home and began my online search for an electric stapler, found one for $5 and enough replacement staplers to last her through next year.
This past Christmas I made lanyards as each teacher has to wear an id badge plus some include a personal item they use often: lip balm, a key, hand lotion, etc…that hooks to the clip as well. One year I did key fobs.
Another end of the year gift I had given a teacher that had 2 young sons she would spend the entire summer with making up for that time she was in school teaching our children, was a summer fun basket. I bought 2 sand pails that came with shovels, made each an apron that matched their personality (I was able to get to know them by volunteering in class and talking with the teacher), a bag of sugar cookie dough mix, tub of frosting and colorful sprinkles, a bottle of sunscreen, a colorful handmade quilted lap blanket (for outings to sit on, I went to the thrift store and picked up a queen sized flat sheet and twin flannel sheet, cut queen flat sheet in half and put the flannel sheet between, fold the edges over and zigzag them. I quilted it by machine by making fun shapes all around it. The blanket may have been used but it was still in good condition and I refashioned it to make it usable for beach sand, grass and dirt outings.
Lastly, we have a book fair during the spring parent conferences where I find one book that the teacher has selected wanting for their personal classroom. I add a stack of sticker book plates personalized for the teacher to use in their classroom. I just print them up on my computer and they are free! Book plates are AWESOME!!! Don’t forget the librarians as well, they do so much for our children in teaching them to enjoy reading. Often students donate books so sticker book plates that state, “donated by ________ date _______” are really appreciated, especially now that the schools are trying to go paperless so that means less printing is allowed on campus.
Wow, okay, that was lots of information you probably all knew but I really do want to stress that volunteering in your child’s classroom is the best “thank you” you can really give a teacher. All the cutting, grading papers, gluing projects, etc…frees up the time a teacher can spend with his or her family or working on bigger projects for the students to enjoy.
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..Happy Easter! =-.
tara says
we don’t want mugs!!! we have so many, they end up in the staffroom
or snow globes . . . snow globes bad!
honestly i prefer no gift, most of us didn’t choose teaching for the free gifts 🙂 we’re just happy to spend the day with the children (most of them) and see the ‘ah ha!’ moments on their faces.
.-= tara´s last blog ..Scrapbooking retreat fun! =-.
Liz@HoosierHomemade says
My boys are in High School & Middle School, but I was thinking of taking a tray of bake goods for the Teachers Lounge. And probably sticking one of your cute cards on it! 🙂
Thanks for always posting the BEST ideas ever!!!
~Liz
.-= Liz@HoosierHomemade´s last blog ..Cupcake Tuesday~Snickers Cupcakes =-.
Amie says
This year I am making a board which I provided the link below. I have one male and one female teacher to prepare one for.At our school the teachers always have various notes on the door saying who is going home with whom or who needs to ride the bus instead of walk, etc. they are usually sticky notes on the door or papers taped to it. I am going to make these magnet boards to hang on the door and then stick the notes on. I think it is a usable gift, which let’s face it, tend to be a better idea, at least in my humble opinion…okay, it’s not really humble but just the same. I will be making magnets to go with it so they are not looking for some. Hope this helps the eternal search.
Amie
allthingspinkandcrafty.blogspot.com/2010/02/diy-magnet-board.html
Shawna Nicholson says
Teacher door hanger signs or letter blocks personalized with their name and custom made for their schools or themes of their classroom! I’m a senior now about to enter the teaching world and LOVES making special gifts for special teachers!
Hilary @ KatrinkaJane says
A lot of my clients get Satin Hands and/or Satin Lips for teacher gifts, and several teachers request it each year! They help replenish that dry skin that people around paper always get. :p Since it’s not pink or scented, it’s appropriate for male or female teachers. Another popular option is “coffee/cocoa and cream”: hand cream or shaving cream in an unusual mug, with candy and fancy wrapping. You can even toss a gift card or other small item in there. If anybody needs help with those, just let me know — I gift wrap AND ship for FREE in the U.S. 🙂
.-= Hilary @ KatrinkaJane´s last blog ..Works For Me Wednesday ~ Strewn-About Magnets =-.
Margot says
I think one of the best ways to say thank you is to volunteer to help out in the classroom. Volunteers make such a difference for teachers and students alike.
School supplies are also a good idea, as those dedicated teachers often supply shortages from their own pockets.
Another great idea is to write a letter to the principal or school superintendent with specific praise of this teacher’s merits. Applause given to the right person may make a world of difference to that teacher.
A final idea is to have the children compile a simple scrapbook (one page per child) with drawings or written statements from each child about how much s/he likes this teacher. What a sweet memento this would be, and the teacher would be sure to treasure it!
Christi says
I love this card! I will be making one for each of my kids teachers. Thank you for providing quality and classy gifts for tight budgets.
Christi
Casey says
for my daughter’s preschool teacher, we made on of those letters out of crayons. I still get compliments on the thing, it’s hanging in the classroom. http://www.flickr.com/photos/caseyplusthree/3569483080
.-= Casey´s last blog ..an idea coming alive! =-.
Tammy Moore says
I like to find out at the beginning of the year if my daughter’s teachers like coffee, tea, etc. (she does a bit of recon for me ;)). Then I package up a pretty mug, card, and gift card for an easy gift every-so-often. I try to give at least one personalized gift, especially something with monograms. A set of handmade monogrammed blank greetings cards, a clipboard with a monogrammed tag or back, etc. Also, if you have extra photos of the class you can put those in a small scrapbook or frame for the teacher at the end of the year.
.-= Tammy Moore´s last blog ..Love Sparkles Layout and Card =-.
Susie M says
Ok so I didn’t read everyone else’s comments, so this could easily have been said already. I’m an Elementary Education student and I’m currently starting to build my classroom library. I think a great teacher gift would be a few books for her classroom library(especially with the budget cuts). Don’t worry about getting the “right” grade level because there are always kids of every reading level in each grade. Caldecott and Newberry books are always good bets. Of course you can find good books cheap on amazon and from book orders but you can also find good books in decent shape at yard sales or the DI if you’re lucky. I bet your kids would like to help pick out the books too!
Mara Goulette says
I don’t know what happened but I didn’t get this email for the card download. I’ve even searched my email. Any chance you can send me the link?
You gals are great!
Thanks
Mara G
Kristen says
I would also LOVE the questionairre. What a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Cathatreader says
I have been a teacher for 5 yrs and the best teacher appreciation gift I ever got was a gift card for a free massage at massage envy (several parents pooled their money) Teaching is a super stressful job and we don’t get paid enough to treat ourselves to spa treatments and massages.
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Andrea says
I would love the link to the card, great idea!