Teacher gift ideas...help!

[Lilyana'sMommy]

My sister has been a teacher for about 10 yrs and the amount of gifts she has received is unreal She appreciates everything but some of the items are just things she would never use and they end up being given away. I agree that the best idea would be to make a homemade card and give a GC or a plate of homemade goodies. I know a lot of ppl don't like giving GC because they don't seem personal (b/c you didn't go into a store and pick out an item) but my sister always loved getting the GC's and she DOES keep the cards and writes inside what the child gave her. Store bought cards are nice but personally I think a teacher likes a homemade card better .

I wouldn't even spend $10 I would buy a $5 GC per teacher and I'm sure you probably have construction paper and other supplies home so it would be a cheaper solution. In my opinion I think that if you just spend $5 the teacher may think that the child used their allowance for it.

[tray]

Does anyone have any ideas they would like to share about what to get for end of year teacher gifts? I normally leave this to the last minute and spend way too much $. I have 5 teachers to buy for so I don't want to look cheap but really can't afford to spend over $10 each. Thanks for your help

Do you have a stash of free bodywash, razors, soap etc? I started getting in on these deals and keeping a small stash and make gift baskets for these kind of occasions.

[kiwis-mom]

It's nice to give teachers a little something...whatever it is good teachers always appreciate it. I know a lot of teachers love baked goods, GC's and yes, even a bottle of wine(a nice one can be purchased for less then $10). Anything that you & your child put a little thought into is a sweet gesture and always brings a smile to a teacher's face.

[NateandAva]

Has anyone ever done a girly type basket (meaning body wash, razor, shave gel, candle, etc) before for their child's teacher? How did it go? I am unsure if this is the right gift or not but I have 4 preschool teachers to buy for so I NEED to know if this will work. Thanks!

[pinkyts]

I'm a teacher, and i agree that lots of the gifts we get given are never/rarely used. I find the best gift that can be given is a letter/card from the parent of the child being taught. It's amazing how much a thoughtful letter from a parent can me your day (or even year for that matter). I know letters like that get shared with other teachers, and it means a lot to us. Other inexpensive gift ideas are baked goods, a bouquet of flowers (most teachers have or can easily find a vase to use in the classroom, and donations to charities.

[big-red-dog#2]

I have always encouraged MY DAUGHTER, who is almost 13 to write a thank you letter to the teacher at the end of the year and I ask her to be specific about things that she has leared from this teacher or have her mention times during the schoolyear that she enjoyed.
We also give a GC usually to somewhere like Coles, Chapters, Amazon etc. Somewhere that the teacher can choose something personal or something to use in the class. This year the teacher is very special to the students so they plan on making her a little book with pictures and handwritten notes in it. She is also a big fan od COKE so the kids want to buy her CASES.

[tray]

I have always encouraged MY DAUGHTER, who is almost 13 to write a thank you letter to the teacher at the end of the year and I ask her to be specific about things that she has leared from this teacher or have her mention times during the schoolyear that she enjoyed.
We also give a GC usually to somewhere like Coles, Chapters, Amazon etc. Somewhere that the teacher can choose something personal or something to use in the class. This year the teacher is very special to the students so they plan on making her a little book with pictures and handwritten notes in it. She is also a big fan od COKE so the kids want to buy her CASES.

Big Red - This is so nice. I love ideas like this. I'm a new mom with a 21 month old so I'm not there yet. But I love this idea. I think it's a great lesson for your daughter to thank her teachers.

[alohamom]

A few times the kids and I have made fruit "baskets" but what I do is go to winners/homesense and buy a pretty serving tray or platter, nothing too big and always fairly neutral. Then we just do apples, oranges and bananas or grapes or whatever and a bit of basket wrap from the dollar store. It usually runs around 10-12 bucks total depending on the size of the tray. Something a little different and healthy as well!

[esbee]

Does anyone have any ideas they would like to share about what to get for end of year teacher gifts? I normally leave this to the last minute and spend way too much $. I have 5 teachers to buy for so I don't want to look cheap but really can't afford to spend over $10 each. Thanks for your help

why do you have to buy for 5 teachers? is there a homeroom one? not one designated teacher?

wow, that can get expensive

[Chuck71]

My cousins are both teachers as well and it's the same thing... They appreciate it but most of the time can't keep everything or don't have any use for most of the things.

Another good idea - At the dollar store they have these cute popcorn bins (they look like the boxes you get at the movies but are plastic- Red and white striped) I would fill it with a Bag of microwave popcorn, maybe a bag or two of gummie candies and a GC for a movie rental at a local movie rental place ( usually about $5) It's a nice night in for the teacher and spouse and they won't have things laying around... other than the bin.

What a fabulous idea, I may take this idea for my sons preschool teachers

[runningmom23]

why do you have to buy for 5 teachers? is there a homeroom one? not one designated teacher?

wow, that can get expensive

I have three kids in school- my youngest is in nursery school so she has two teachers.
Thanks soooo much for all the ideas...I am definitely going to use red dog's idea about having my DS and DD write something special about their teacher. (we'll include this with our homemade cards). My son's teacher is very into health and wellness - so I think a fruit basket would be great - thanks for the suggestion. For the rest of the teachers I think I will do homemade goodies and maybe a small gift card to Tim Hortons. Now I just have to put time aside to do actually do these things

[kiwis-mom]

I'm sure that whatever gift you give, the teachers will be happy that you took the time to think of them.

[esbee]

I have three kids in school- my youngest is in nursery school so she has two teachers.

ahh.. my other question was going to be, do you have 5 kids? lol

at first i thought you might have had a kid in middle school with 5 classes... but this makes a lot of sense...

good luck!!

[canadian_girl]

As a teacher myself, I know that gifts are always appreciated but definitely under-utilized. Often, we receive beautiful things that a) we already have lots of or b)will never use. I don't want to sound ungrateful at all - I am thankful for all the thought that goes into gifts I receive from my students - but I think the 'less is more' approach is best. After all, we are rewarded in so many other ways throughout the school year! Gift cards are great, and just as good as homemade cookies and cards.

If I had to make one suggestion, I would stand up on my soapbox and scream from the top of my lungs to all those parents out there to 'buy us something for the classroom'. We're teachers, so we can always use more manipulatives, posters, incentives or classroom supplies. And who else do you know who's going to get gitty over a box of tangrams? I love it when a parent approaches me and asks what I need for the classroom instead of what I want for myself -- it saves me money and it's exciting for the whole class since we all get to benefit from the gift.

Just a thought....

[ladynetz]

I teach PT and the best gift received was a $10.00 Tim Horton card with a drawing from the child. The drawing I keep, the card I use on whatever I want.
Gifts are good, but you never know what's really needed and what goes to re-gifting.
keep it simple - it works always!!!