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Recommended Gift Ideas
The Very Best Gift Ideas for Teachers
If you haven’t yet read my advice on choosing a Christmas gift for teachers, please do so now, as it will give you some background as to why I’ve chosen the items on this list.
This page just features my very best gift ideas for teachers– these are the items that teachers in my gift poll have requested again and again. But every teacher is unique, so you may find it more helpful to go beyond this select list and search for more teacher gift ideas according to recipient, occasion, or type of gift. You can view all of the lists on this site in the navigation menu on the right hand side of the page.
Good luck choosing a great Christmas gift for your teacher, and thank you for supporting educators!
Gift Cards
I know they get a bad rap, but this was the #1 requested item from all of the teachers we spoke with. A Gift Card is never unwelcome, doesn’t take up any space, and can be used to get something the teacher actually needs. If you prefer to make it more personal, my suggestion would be to make a handmade thank you card with your child. Include a sincere note of appreciation and a pouch where you can slip in the gift card. Believe me, this gift will be a hit!
Here’s a perfect way to turn a practical but boring gift card into something unique and personal! Add your child’s photo for an easy but truly unique personalized gift for teachers.
If you’re buying a gift card, don’t pay full price! Plastic Jungle is one of those ideas so simple and brilliant you wish you’d thought of it: people sell their unwanted gift cards for less than face value; you can therefore buy a great gift card for a teacher at less than its face value! The recipient doesn’t know that you got a great deal (although I hope they wouldn’t mind anyway!), and you’re able to give more gift for less moolah!
Another source of Gift Cards at discounted prices.
Craft supplies are one of those things that teachers of younger students can never keep in stock, and they’re often spending their own money to do so. Solution: get them a gift certificate to Create for Less, an online supplier of discount craft supplies which many teachers use to stock up on supplies.
School Supplies
Simple school supplies and office supplies was another oft-requested gift. Again, it might seem practical, but that’s what teachers want for Christmas! (And you would too, if you were spending your own money to keep the classroom stocked!) Even school supplies can be made personal and unique: consider buying a cute basket (see my suggestions below), and filling it with common supplies arranged like a gourmet gift basket. One parent I know bought a Christmas wreath and decorated it with helpful school supplies.
This is sold as a planter, but I think it would be perfect filled with office supplies and given as a gift basket (which can then be used as a planter or other decor item).
Use this super-cute apple basket as the starting point of a unique homemade gift basket with your teacher’s favorite foods, a book or two, and a sincere thank you card. Voila! The perfect Christmas gift for teachers!
This fun pencil vase can also be filled with school supplies or other items to make a unique gift basket for teachers.
Teachers of younger grades who do lots of craft projects are always having to restock their supplies (often out of their own money. Create for Less offers “Craft Kits” with dozens of fun goodies suitable for making all kinds of creative projects.
Savvy teachers know the power of positive reinforcement, and they can go through thousands of little stickers and similar “awards” in a year — sadly, most of those will need to be bought with their own money! Any teacher will appreciate you helping to replenish their supply.
Also for younger teachers, these sticker sheets are only $0.74 a pop, making them a great (and appreciated) filler for a basket or card.
Personalized Teacher Gifts
Personalized gifts are especially appreciated by sentimental teachers — some I know have kept a box of all the handmade “treasures” they’ve been given over the years, and get them out from time to time whenever they need a reminder of the lives that they’ve touched. But remember, you can make any gift personal just by adding a sincere, heartfelt note of appreciation to a handmade card.
Photo books or items personalized with a photo offer a plethora of opportunities for unique and very personal gifts. Consider printing a photo of the class on a coffee cup or a mouse pad. Make a calendar with all your child’s favorite memories from the year. Make a “memories book” where every student in the class contributes a page including a photo, their favorite memory, and one thing they learned that year.
Another great option for custom photography gifts — SmugMug does beautiful box-framed photos and prints which any teacher would be proud to display.
Start a legacy by planting a tree in honor of the teacher– also makes for a great teacher retirement gift. The tree symbolizes the seed of knowledge that the teacher has planted in the minds of so many children… As the tree grows and flourishes, so do the teacher’s students. A very meaningful and personal gift that is sure to touch them.
Sweet gift idea for the creative chocolate-lover: personalized M&Ms! Personalize with school logo, name, teacher’s name — even pictures of the students in your class!
This gift looks handmade, and can be further personalized by having your child add their name and/ or photos of the class to create a cute gift.
Classic Christmas ornament can be made into a personalized Christmas gift for teachers by engraving your child’s name or class year on the heart.
Consumable Items
If you’re lucky enough to get lots of gifts each year as many popular teachers are, then after a while you start to prefer gifts that are consumable, rather than having yet another coffee mug, “best teacher” plaque, or kitschy apple for the teacher to find a place for. Here are some of the consumable items requested by teachers I spoke to:
Like a day at the spa, but in one low-priced gift basket!
Give the gift of good health! As you can imagine, teachers and daycare providers go through a lot of hand sanitizer, making this a very practical and appreciated gift.
Female teachers in particular will love the treats in this reasonably-priced gift basket.
What teacher couldn’t use a little pampering from time to time? Great gift for Teacher Appreciation Week!
A very unique Christmas gift for female teacher!
Movie Tickets Gift Certificate
Many teachers have families, so giving them something nice that they can do with their family or significant other is greatly appreciated. A gift like this has zero chance of ending up as something unwanted.
Candles can be a great gift for teachers who could use a little relaxation (and really, who doesn’t these days?)
Inspiring Books or Movies
Many teachers are avid readers, and if you happen to know what kinds of books they like to read (and haven’t read yet), then you really can’t go wrong getting them a nice book. If you don’t know what kind of books or movies they prefer, a good bet is to go for an inspiring story about teachers — it’s something that they will enjoy and just might make them better at their job.
Many people have heard the inspiring story of teacher Rafe Esquith, and how he managed to engage students in inner city Los Angeles. His story can provide both motivation and practical lessons any teacher can use.
Humor and inspiration in one delightful gift for all teachers!
The delightful Chicken Soup series always makes for a great gift, but this special edition is unique, a commemorative dedicated especially to teachers and the gifts that they give our children every day.
How about putting a couple of DVDs in a gift basket along with some popcorn and a thank-you card? There are many great movies about teachers: Pay it Forward, Dead Poet’s Society, Stand and Deliver, Mathilda, Freedom Writers, Mr. Holland’s Opus, etc. The choice is yours!
Delightful book of cartoons for teachers.
David Shribman’s quest to explore the role teachers have played in the lives of ordinary people (one for every day of the year) will warm the heart of any teacher.
Teachers love the uber-intellectual New Yorker, and the New Yorker loves teachers so much they made this collection of cartoons just for them.
More Sources for Great Christmas Gift Ideas!
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