End of the Year "Thank You" Gift for Teacher

As a teacher, I appreciate getting things that I can use up. Teachers can always use fun post it notes, stickers, pens, note pads, fun pencils, etc. One of the best gifts I got was a children's book that had a stuffed fox that went with it. That was 13 years ago and I still use it in my classroom. I have also appreciated getting small gift cards to coffee shops, Panera, Barnes & Noble, teacher supply stores, etc.

I just received the cutest gift. It was a potted flower. The flower pot was painted by the child. There was a painted popsicle stick in the dirt. Attached to the stick was a picture of the child holding a sign saying "Thanks for helping me grow!". It is adorable!

I am a teacher as well and really do appreciate every thought of thanks, but the little things do add up to a lot of little "stuff." I really enjoy things I can use in the classroom or just a really nice card.

For my sons first teacher I coordinated a class gift and have asked all the families to donate a new copy of their child's favorite book and to sign the cover with a special note. I am collecting the books and am decorating a wooden crate from Michael's craft store with the kids pictures and hand prints and filling it with their books. The kids are going to present it to her on the day of their little completion ceremony; I'm sure she will get a lot of use out of it and a real special touch for her first year of teaching. The Family Fun website has lots of good ideas also. Have fun and thanks for appreaciating the hard work that goes into being a teacher!

I'm also a teacher, and I would also advise giving books for the classroom. It seems like so many times teachers are just given "stuff" that maybe looks nice and is a thoughtful gesture, but we can't really do anything with it. Books are something that benefits both the teacher and the students.

I am a teacher and I can tell you that I have received several gifts from kids over the years. It is nice to get a plant that blooms - flowers die, but a plant lasts awhile and each time you look at it, you remember that sweet child that gave it to you. Some other nice gifts I got where Bath and Body Works products, neat things from the children's countries (if they are from somewhere other than the US) and gift cards to many different places as Thank You's. The best gift cards are to book stores, I think. But, at the end of the year, I always liked getting a plant. I hope that helps. And have the students make her the card or at least help you write the card - that is the most precious!

As a teacher myself, I can say I have received many wonderful gifts over the years. I can say personally and from listening to co-worker teachers that you can get only so many "Teacher"-related gifts like mugs, decorative keepsakes, and such. All the things that have "teacher" quotes on them. Don't get me wrong. They are nice, but sometimes we like things to help us relax. I've received nice gift certificates, a peony plant, and other things. My husband and I own an internet business where we purchase gift albums. They are a booklet where you pick from many gift choices and it is shipped directly to the receiver's house (postage paid already). They are great especially for the hard-to-buy for person! If you are interested, let me know. I'd be glad to help. Good luck with whatever you choose.

As a (former) teacher myself, I beg you not to do "apple" type things! :-) Try something creative - like making a cookie bouqet or a loaf or bread with a handmade gift tag with a note from your daughter. Flowers, plants and gift cards are nice. I particularly enjoyed Christmas Ornaments witht the childs' name and the year I had them in my class on it. That way each Christmas I could pull it out and remember my students as I decorated my tree (whether it was a tree at home or a little one in the classroom!) Good luck! And know that whatever you choose, your teacher will be delighted to simply be acknowledged! :-)

A locket with your daughter's kindergarten picture in it and on the other side a picture of your daughter's teacher...and on the back of the locket a sweet inscription (for example, the teacher's name--Ms. X--and 'my kindergarten teacher' or 'world's best teacher' or thank you Mrs. X'

You have received a lot of great ideas for your teacher. Here is another thing to think about. Does your daughter have any other teachers or staff that have made a difference in her life? Maybe a play ground supervisor, librarian, art teacher, music teacher, or office staff. The "extra" people in the school often times are not recognized at the end of the year or holidays for all their time and efforts they put into the students and school. Obviously, these people don't spend the same amount of time with your daughter as your classroom teacher does, but maybe a small thank you might be nice.

well, you would probably think that apple gifts, or cups and etc are overdone.

i think, as a day care provider, that the most precious gift would be a nice handwritten note by your daughter. maybe a gift certificate to dinner at a nice restaurant or an interest that the teacher has. ask other parents in the class who would be in a similar situation; their child likes the teacher and would like to give a thank you gift. maybe all of you can go in on a bigger gift together. a group picture with handwritten letters would be precious!

I like flowers, giftcards, notepads, candy, ornaments.
Some things that I get too much of are bath stuff, candles, and mugs.
Some favorites were... a nice pen engraved with my name, a thin metal bookmark engraved with my name, a white wooden pencil holder/box that was decorated by the mom & child with alphabet stamps, a container of strawberries with a bottle of daiquiri mix. One mom brought me a "to go" menu from Panera and asked when she could bring me lunch and what I would like. That was wonderful!

Even a note is much appreicated by the teacher. maybe with a picture of the child. Liz S.

One of my friends is a teacher and she likes getting gift cards to the movies or restaurants.

I am a Tastefully Simple Consultant in Fargo, ND. When I had an exposure event last September, I had a gal from the Minneapolis area say she orders the "Corn Black Bean Salsa" and a regular bag of Fritos or some other chips. It's etible and everyone loves it! You can also make the Salsa item in to rollups or other things. Very versitile. I'm sure if you are interested, you can look at my profile as I have my business listed there.

Good luck on what you choose and let all of us know what you did...it may help me someday!

For the end of the year gift I would love to receive gift cards for craft stores because as a teacher I use my own money alot. A hand made card so I can see the thought that went into the gift and maybe a hand picked flower are all things that I would appreciate.
D. S. SAHM of 6, grandmother to 3 and loving it.

Gift cards to places like Target, or restaurants are good. We've also given flowering plants (like Gerbera Daisies). Woodlane Flowers in Woodbury has very cute "Sunspots" that are packaged just right. They're Gerbera daisies in bright paper.

Goodluck!

We gave our daughters teacher a plant that blooms (a Christmas catcus but a hiabcus would be great too) with a stick inside that said "Thanks for helping me bloom" with a picture of our daughter on the other side. We put it in a clay pot that our daughter decorated. Her teachers LOVED it and always tells our daughter that when she sees it bloosming she thinks of her and smiles.

For a personal gift, my kids write their teachers' name and draw a picture with fat markers. The more child-like the better. I shrink it down, print it off onto a stack of different colored paper at Kinkos (I use 100 pages - 20 in each color) and then have them cut and glue the end into a notepad of paper - each page with their drawing and the teacher's name at the top (or bottom or corner - be creative). You can get four small notepads from one regular size of paper. It just requires a bit of cutting and pasting - especially if your child's letters are all over the paper. For older kids, they can write something like, "A note from Mrs. Johnson" or something. This is a fun family project as well. I usually have them write their own name and surprise them with their own notepad as an end of schoolyear gift.

Please, please, please, no plaques for our desk that say #1 teacher! As a former teacher, as much as those gifts meant, there is no way to save (or dust) them all. I think that a gift certificate to a restaurant, teacher store,ice cream place, or a massage at the mall is great. Thank you or blank cards are nice. Lotion from Bath and Body is awesome. A gift basket filled with some of the things she likes i.e. coffee, chocolate, pretzels, candies, candles, etc. Or, maybe see if you can set up a time for the three of you (your daughter, you and the teacher) to get manicures on you! That would be something fun for your daughter, she could get some special time with the teacher, and everyone would have pretty polished nails!
I hope this helps.
J.

I always order Tastefully Simple products for all my boys teachers, usually the bread mix, a dessert and then I order the triple dips and give only one to each teacher. I make cards with the boys pixs on it, so the teachers can have a rememberance of our boys.

-M.

I'm a teacher (as one of my jobs) and gift cards are terrific. Many teachers I know also have more than one job to pay the bills, so going out to a restaurant or movies can be a rarity and quite a treat.

My children are older. Once they have 8 or more teachers in a day, it gets hard, so I have them choose how many they would like to 'gift.' Usually they choose to recognize 3 or 4, once my son choose 6. We have made neat "theme" gift bags. One winter we picked up blockbuster gift cards, then packaged them with some flavored cocoa and a luxurious throw. Another times we made "day at the beach" bags, "aromatherapy" with scented everything... you get the idea. It's fun & creative- we always change it as there are a couple teachers he has had every semester & always recognized. We do this twice a year.

Thank you for choosing to acknowledge your child's teacher. We really put our heart into what we do!

I am a dance teacher and a number of people generously remember me with a gift card to a restaurant, for a massage or book store. I always appreciate it. I love all the stuff my students give me and I have an abundance of dance/teacher related items. Consumable gifts such as food, candles etc are appreciated as well. One of my favorites is when someone donates to a scholarship fund or charity in my name. In our area we have the Theater Arts Guild that awards annual scholarships for students going on in the arts in college. I know someone will really benefit, it is money well spent and it is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. If the teacher is an animal lover, a donation to the local humane society or animal shelter is a possibility as well. Something that the teacher can pamper or enjoy outside of teaching is always a good choice. You are kind to remember your teacher this time of year! Good Luck!
J.

Hi E.,

I have four children so we have given plenty of gifts over the years. I always start with a letter (only if it is true) to the teacher and I cc the principal and the superintendant as well. I describe how having such a positive experience is so important during the first years and how this teacher has given my child a wonderful foundation to build on. I also buy a gift certificate to a restaurant, book store, craft store or teacher supply store. Sometimes, if someone has already taken the initiative to get a class group certificate, I simply contribute but still write the letter.

I never buy plaques, mugs, ornaments, or #1 teacher ANYTHING. For me, I think lotions, perfumes, etc. are too difficult to buy as most of us use only certain brands.

I am glad to hear your daughter had such a wonderful experience. Teachers are awesome people and many times don't get the credit they deserve!

C.

my daughters teacher always called her "her little lamb" so we bought a really cute stuffed lamb, body lotion, and a picture frame set with candles. Something personal or even a gift card to a nice restaraunt or something she can really use. I've even given a gift card for Target and she gushed cuz she could really use it for her family.

My daughter just graduated from kindergarten too and all the parents got together and bought her a pot with lots of pretty flowers. She was so excited. Most people buy flowers in the summer anyway so we just helped her purchase some of hers. Her teacher really liked it.

Hi E.-
We did target gift cards.
The teachers like to get items for the school, but this gave them the option.
They have special teacher one.
About me- mom of twin 6yo girls.
B. J

We've had great luck with gift certificates for book stores, coffee shops, local gift shops (like Bibelot - we have one in our neighborhood blocks from our school), and grocery stores. We always include a hand made card with a personal note. Sometimes we even do a little craft project to include for the teacher.

Anyway - good luck!

Hello, I too used to give gifts when my kids, now middle and high school, were in elementary. I remember talking to a teacher about all the gifts she gets, and wondered what would I do with all the "Apple", or mug gifts that so many give. I started giving things like a gift certificate for a coffee place, or something from Pampered Chef, or Tastefully simple. With the idea, this was for "them" to use for them. So a quiet retreat for coffee, or something they were interested in was nice. I know one of our teachers liked scrapbooking so I gave a give certificate for Creative Memories. Also, a bit of my 2 cents, becareful as you spend, because each year you may feel the need to do more, and it can get expensive. We need our teachers and I belive, the thought does count so don't forget a note with the gift, that comes from the heart, every teacher needs to know the differnce they're making. Being creative or just thinking of what you'd like in addition to being thanked. Have a great day

I always make homemade mixes for my daughter's teachers. For Christmas we gave them a cinnamon pancake mix with a small bottle of maple syrup. For the last day of school, we made a chocolate chip muffin mix. You can find a ton of "gifts in a jar" recipes on the internet. My daughter helps me by adding the ingredients, and it's something we can do together that we enjoy. In addition my daughter takes pride in telling her teacher she helped make the gift.

I am a teacher -- I've taught both kindergarten and preschool -- and the most important, wonderful gift you could give your daughter's teacher would be a letter detailing your gratitude and appreciation. Seriously. You'd be surprised how infrequently teachers get these letters -- they are prized when they are received!

If you want to buy something, then get a gift certificate that falls under one of two categories -- something she can get for herself, or something that she'd be spending her own money on anyway to get for the classroom.

Ideas in the first category would include gift certificates to coffee shops in the neighborhood of the school, a bookstore, or go in with other parents on a salon gift card.

Ideas in the second category would include gift cards to Target, a grocery store, Lakeshore learning Store, Axman surplus, or a children's bookstore. You would be AMAZED to know how much of their own money teachers spend on their classrooms!

Thank you for wanting to show your appreciation to your child's teacher -- I know you will make her happy no matter what you decide to do.

My mom and step-dad are both teachers and they say a gift card is the way to go. That way they can spend it on something for the classroom or get a little something for themselves.

I am not a teacher, but have had the same question you have, so I did a little reading on other message boards. Above all, teachers say they appreciate a card or letter, especially when made by their student, telling them that they are appreciated. If your daughter is writing at all, I'm sure the teacher would also be thrilled if she wrote some words of appreciation herself.

I've also done gift cards - usually book stores, since teachers tend to be passionate about reading! I think for my son's kindergarten teacher's end of the year gift, I'll do a Barnes & Noble gift card with a note that she has to buy books for herself, not the classroom.

Things I've heard to not bother with are bath stuff & candles, or homemade baked goods, unless you know the teacher really well.

Teachers spend countless hours on their feet. Why not give her/him a gift that they can pamper themselves with. How about a gift certificate for a pedicure?