Tech Savvy Mama

Parenting in the Digital Age

A Parent’s Guide to Giving the Best Teacher Gifts (by a teacher!)

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When my kids were in elementary school, one of my favorite parent volunteer roles was serving as class room parent for my kids’ teachers because I LOVED shopping for teacher gifts. As a teacher, I knew first hand how hard my kids’ teachers worked each day, spending hour upon hour instilling important knowledge, skills, and confidence. I loved finding the best teacher gifts I knew they would love and each year I got compliments about the thoughtful gifts we chose to give as a family and also as a class.

If you’re wondering how I did it, I’m here to share my secrets for giving the best teacher gifts your child’s teacher will treasure. Spoiler- Get to know your child’s teacher and what they love!

I also have a list of the best gifts a parent could give a teacher. From indulgent class gifts, homemade items that teachers really treasure, practical items that will be appreciated each and every school day, to the kinds of gifts to avoid (trust me on this one!), my list of best teacher gifts is designed to make shopping for your child’s teacher easy.

So if you love this post, please share it! Forward it to a friend, post it on a PTA/PTSA Facebook page, and share it on social media. Teachers everywhere thank you! Happy shopping and thanks for being thoughtful!

3 Ways to Get to Know What Your Child’s Teacher Loves

Teachers know your child well but how well do you know your child’s teacher? If you don’t know your child’s teacher as well as you’d like, do some reconnaissance work to be a gift ninja!  You don’t have to be the room parent or the one who always volunteers to get good information about your child’s teacher. Other parents, your child, and fellow colleagues can be excellent sources of information and now is the perfect time to start asking questions to gather intel as you begin thinking about a gift that shows how much you appreciate their hard work.

1. Ask a Colleague

Fellow staff members can be a great source of information. They’re always happy to provide a few suggestions about favorite foods, restaurants, places to shop, and summer and winter vacation plans if they know your child’s teacher well. Instead of trying to catch them in the hallways at school, be covert and send a quick email. The response will contain a treasure trove of information!

2. Survey Fellow Parents

Ask those you know who had a child in that teacher’s class last year or the year before. What was given for holiday and end of the year gifts? Were they group or individual gifts? A second gift of something that was loved is always a good idea. Taking up a class collection for a group gift can be a great way to purchase something that might be a splurge for your beloved teacher.

3. Have Your Child Gather Intelligence

Your child spends about 6 hours a day in their classroom and during that time, a lot is learned about their teacher. Comments, behaviors, and observations by your child can provide good clues about the things your teacher likes and can be helpful in figuring out the best teacher gift to give. For example:

  • Is there always a paper Starbucks cup on their desk in the morning or do they drink water throughout the day? Give a Starbucks gift card or an insulated tumbler that they can sip water from to stay hydrated during their long days. If you’re pooling your money for a gift for a caffeine loving teacher, a Keurig would make a phenomenal gift! Coffee-drinking teachers would LOVE the ability to brew a fresh cup in their own classroom and parents can always gift pods during holidays such as Valentine’s Day, the teacher’s birthday, or just because.
  • Are their hands always nicely manicured or are they always applying lotion? A gift certificate for a manicure or lotion in a favorite scent might be appreciated.
  • What items do they tend to keep on their desks for snacks? What item has your child seen them eat in class? Are there certain cravings your teacher gets throughout the day? Refill their favorites so they’re never without a classroom pick me up when their energy level starts to dip. After all, it requires a great deal of energy and stamina to teach!s!
  • Do they talk about favorite places to go out to dinner? Are there certain restaurants they enjoy visiting with their family? We know how nice it is to enjoy dinner out after a long day at work and teachers feel the same way! A restaurant gift certificate treats them to a night off from cooking after a long day at school.
  • Are they traveling for the holidays or staying close to home? A class gift of an airline gift certificate could help a teacher plan a trip to see family over spring break or the summer. Those looking forward to a relaxing holiday at home might be planning to go to the movie theater during winter break or enjoy a Netflix marathon. A card containing a gift card to your local movie theater or Netflix gift card attached to a couple boxes of movie theater candy (available in the candy aisle at Target) makes a fun movie-themed gift.
  • What things do they love doing outside school? Gift certificates for items that fuel their hobbies are appreciated. Your child spends hours upon hours with their teacher so chances are they’re noticing a lot or picking up little bits of trivia about their teacher’s personality that can translate into gift giving. A little observation goes a long way!
  • What’s their favorite color? It’s always nice to be able to select items in a color they love rather than having to guess.

4 Things to Avoid Giving Classroom Teachers

Getting to know your child’s teacher through observation helps you avoid my list of dreaded gifts and generic items. If you are thinking of giving one of these things, make sure you know your teacher well enough to know that they’ll love these items otherwise avoid them.

  1. World’s Best Teacher tchotchkes— Your child will have a lot of teachers in their years of schooling. Is this year’s teacher THE BEST? While it may be a compliment, no teacher really believes this so save your money because this item will never get displayed in their home. Instead it will get tucked away with the many other items just like it that have been received over the years.
  2. Apple paraphernalia— According to Smithsonian Magazine, apples were originally given to teachers on the frontier to show appreciation for those in charge of more than 50 students. Let old traditions die and leave the apple themed things on the store shelf.
  3. Baked goods and sweets— Just like you’re trying to be more health conscious too, so is your child’s teacher! Unless you know that your gift will be something that they really want or love, it might be best to refrain from extra boxes of chocolate and homemade baked goods.
  4. Mugs— Generally the rule is no more mugs! Avoid the traditional ceramic ones in favor of insulated mugs that will keep hot beverages warm for hours of sipping or a large bottle for water in their favorite color BUT if your teacher adores things with monograms, a special ceramic mug with their initial in their favorite color might be appreciated! Brands teacher love include Tervis Tumblers, Swell water bottles, and HydroFlask.

27 Best Teacher Gifts 

Giving the best teacher gift isn’t impossible if you know your child’s teacher but if you’re feeling stuck, here’s a list of favorite gifts from the teachers at my kids’ elementary school, my former colleagues, and from my experience in the classroom.

1. Gift cards or gift certificates

The ability to choose something they truly want is what they want the most. Gift cards and gift certificates let your teacher capitalize on post-holiday sales and buy something that catches their eye. If you worried this seems too impersonal, use your reconnaissance to pair it with something you know they’ll like for a more thoughtful gesture with a truly personal touch. If you’re giving gift cards as a class gift, tuck them in a slim wallet or wristlet that they’ll use outside the school day. 

2. Handwritten notes and fun pencils 

Besides gift cards, the #2 most coveted gift from students are handwritten notes. Teachers who love to receive notes would appreciate the gift of beautiful personalized stationary even in the age of electronic communication. Pair a handwritten note with custom engraved laser pencils for an even more thoughtful gift. I love the ones from Pew Pew Lasercraft featuring Hamilton and Harry Potter sayings that will be treasured by any teacher! Get free shipping from Pew Pew Lasercraft with code: TECHSAVVYMAMA

3. Custom name labels and supplies just for them

Custom name labels help ensure that their classroom stuff doesn’t wander off to another room in the school and if it does, it’s returned to them! Mabel’s Labels allows you to customize text and fonts and orders tend to arrive in just 3-4 days.

Personalized stationery also makes a great gift for teachers. I loved writing thank you notes to students on personalized notecards. Another helpful gift are nice organizational supplies that are just for them. So many times teachers reach for the yellow school supplied sticky notes that tend to lose their stick or generic supplies in the supply closet. Having nice supplies is an instant mood booster and I love the pretty pastel Sticky Notes Set ($11) from MomAgenda. Their Sticky Tabs ($11) are also helpful organizational tools all teachers will appreciate. Get up to 50% off sitewide on MomAgenda with code BF2022

Tech savvy teachers like myself don’t want the standard school-issued techcessories to go with their laptop or tablet. Upgrade their devices by getting them a laptop case they’ll use every day in a fun color. I personally love the Speck Transfer Pro-Pocket because it comes in great colors and has a pocket for keeping earbuds, a wireless mouse, and the charging cable. iPad users will appreciate a durable case like the Logitech Rugged Combo 3 Touch that features a keyboard in a durable but portable case. A stylus is also a welcome gift. Consider the Logitech Crayon that works beautifully with iPads. 

4. Funds towards their DonorsChoose.org project

While not a gift for them personally, if you know your teacher has a project on DonorsChoose.org that needs funding, contributing funds is most appreciated. It’s a gift that they will appreciate and one you can feel good about giving because it’s something your child (and others after them) can enjoy using in the classroom for the rest of the year. To find out if your teacher has a project, visit the DonorsChoose.org site and use the search boxes to type in your teacher’s and name of your school along with your zip code.

5. Gifts that let them relax

After long days on their feet and talking almost nonstop, vacations are an opportunity to enjoy some rest and relaxation. Avid readers would appreciate an Amazon gift card to reload their Kindles with books from their must-read list while a gift certificate to a local spa allows teachers to spend some time pampering themselves with a massage or facial at a location nearest to their house (or to enjoy while traveling since locations are nationwide) so they can come back to school a bit more rejuvenated in the New Year.

6. A day where they don’t have to bring their lunch

For most teachers, lunch time is never glamorous. While an hour for lunch may seem luxurious, it’s always spent in line at the copy machine, trying to grade work, returning a phone call, or with students finishing work that wasn’t done earlier in the day. Treat your teacher by finding out their favorite nearby restaurant that delivers to school and purchase a gift certificate or a gift card to Uber Eats, Postmates, GrubHub, Domino’s, etc. Gift cards can be a great pick me up on a hard day or a long day with staff meetings or conferences that keep them at school until late at night. 

You can also give your teacher something classy to pack their lunch in. I personally love Mason-re. Mason-re makes silicone koozie for mason jars that allow you to drink hot or cold beverages from your mason jar. They can also be used to carry homemade lunch to and from school such as salad, overnight oats, or the yogurt and granola that was my lunch staple (just ask the students who ate lunch with me daily!). The silicone koozies protect the jar from breakage and can be dishwashed, microwaved, and contain no plastic. They’re available in lots of fun colors, with or without mason jars, and you can add a drinking lid for your teacher to be able to sip from it.

7. Something they might not buy themselves

If you’re collecting funds for a class gift, treat your teacher to something that would be a decadent surprise. An Edible Arrangement delivered to school not only is a healthy treat but becomes the talk of the staff lounge or if you want to give a gift that they can enjoy a bit longer, why not give have fruit from Harry and David delivered to school each month for three months?

A couple things you might not think of include a personal heater for super chilly classroom. The Honeywell Heat Bud Ceramic Personal Heater ($24.99) is an affordable gift option that keeps teachers who work well after the bell rings warm even on the coldest days when the heat goes off in the building. Teachers who have recently become new moms would adore a necklace from Helen Ficalora featuring the initial of their little one on a chain. Not only would this help keep their little one nearby all day long but Helen Ficalora was the pioneer of the alphabet-charm craze and her designs are classics!

8. Anything homemade

Elementary teachers love getting handmade gifts from students. Here’s a list of 20 homemade gifts our elementary teachers said they have gotten from students and loved to give you an idea of what your teacher might like too! Note that teachers don’t always love homemade treats due to dietary restrictions or food sensitivities. 

20 Homemade Gifts Teachers Love Getting from Students on TechSavvyMama.com

Middle school and high school teachers LOVE when their students write them a heartfelt note. I’ve saved every single letter, note, or email students wrote expressing their gratitude. They hold a special place in my heart!

2023 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES

AGE-APPROPRIATE GIFT GUIDES

AGE APPROPRIATE GIFT GUIDES

SPECIALTY GIFT GUIDES:

FAVORITE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES FROM LAST YEAR

Need other ideas? Here’s a look at last year’s gift guides:

I hope you enjoy this year’s picks and wish you happy and stress-free holiday shopping!

Note to PR: The period for accepting items for age specific gift guides has ended but I am happy to accept items for review to consider for specialty guides. Please be specific about the products you’d like me to consider reviewing in your pitch and if you’re able to offer a reader giveaway. Giveaway items will be directly shipped to readers upon conclusion of the giveaway. Thanks for understanding I’m on a short deadline to get most gift guides wrapped up before Thanksgiving and do not have the bandwidth to return samples during this extremely busy time of the year. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Leticia says

      What a lovely idea! It’s always fun to look back on artwork to remember kids you’ve taught over the years!

  5. Kerri says

    We are getting my daycare teacher a gift card, a soy candle because she always has candles burning and then two books for the school.

    • Leticia says

      I love the combination of a personal and classroom gift! You can never go wrong with books for the classroom!

    • Leticia says

      Drawings from kids are always treasured! I still have one that a first grader drew for me during my first year teaching! He drew a picture of our classroom and it’s so precious!