Let’s do some “appreciating”!!
When I used to teach, I loved to see all the different gift ideas that would flood my desk at the end of the year. Let’s be honest…if you have NEVER been one to “do”teacher gifts…this is your year!! Teachers truly care. We truly pour our heart and soul into teaching your children…with little financial gain. We spend countless hours after school and on the weekends working on the latest and greatest way to help our students learn. If there is anyone who desires your “appreciating”, it is your child’s teacher. However, this doesn’t have to be a huge expense. As a teacher at our local co-op and a parent, I get to receive cute gifts and give them.
When I taught in the school system, the “crafty” moms would get something cute and trendy, and the “last minute” moms (don’t be offended…this would be me..haha) were always good for a gift card. My desk was often filled with yummy baked goods, and candy filled mugs.
So….what did I love???!!
Here you go…….5 great gift ideas for your teacher:
- A group gift: One year my “class moms” collected money from any family willing to give, and gave me a Visa gift card and a card from the children. It was a hefty sum of money and was such a thoughtful way of acknowledging me. If you think giving a Visa gift card is weird, it’s not. Any teacher would love to have extra money for a dinner out or a new outfit.
- A gift card: I love gift cards to places that I frequent anyway. In the past, I have given and received gift cards to Wawa/convenient store, Target/Walmart, local ice cream places, Panera, and Starbucks. I love that I can also go on Pinterest and find a cute tag to attach to my gift card. One year our family used downloads similar to these along with our Starbucks card. I would not suggest getting teachers a gift card to a teacher supply store. Enough of our money is going there anyway…haha.
You can find these free printables here.
3.) Homemade Food gifts: In dealing with several teachers for my children’s homeschooling co-op, I found that making something “yummy” was a great and inexpensive way to acknowledge the 15 teachers that teach all 5 of them. So this year, we used these awesome tags found here.
I didn’t feel that it was necessary to bake a whole dozen or even a half dozen. Three or four nicely baked fresh cookies would be sufficient. I have also received some delicious homemade applesauce, apple butter, and taco seasoning. All great gifts that were surely enjoyed. I was so bummed when I finished off the remainder of the homemade taco seasoning.
This is also a super cute idea. You get the “feel” of a homemade gift for half the work. haha. You can find the link for this here.
4.) Homemade gifts: If you are the “crafty” type, you can really find some wonderful ideas on Pinterest. Here are some of my favorites…..
How cute are these hand scrub jars? You can check these out here.
I received a tumbler like this one year and I loved it. The student had filled it with a couple of different “packets” of instant lemonade, and iced tea. Perfect for those poolside days!
You can print the tags for that here.
5.) Wine, wine and wine: It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t acknowledge the beauty of a nice bottle of wine..and what teacher wouldn’t love a bottle of wine with this cute tag attached. You can find it here.
Most importantly, write a small handwritten note thanking the teacher and acknowledging the work that they have done in your child. Be as specific as possible. Few things make a teacher happier than knowing that he/she is making a difference.
Here’s to another great school year coming to a close!
God bless,
Tammi
