They spend their time helping your child learn, grow, and succeed. They're not only your child's teacher, but they are their supporter as well. For the parents looking for some A+ end-of-year teacher gifts, we have the answer sheet! These gifts and basket ideas are not only thoughtful and useful, but they're approved by real-life educators from across the country.
Flair Pen Flower Pot
If you're looking for the perfect gift, a Flair pen flower pot is a great choice. Flair pens (highly rated felt-tip pens by PaperMate) are at the top of most teacher's lists. Many teachers use these felt-tip markers until the ink is dry, so they can never have enough! However, you don't just want to hand them a simple pack of writing utensils. Personalize this present by having your kids craft a fun flower pot and flowers pens.
Flower Pens
To make your flowers, you will need:
- Flair pens
- Fake flowers (from your local hobby store)
- Hot glue gun
- Floral tape
- Wire cutters
Once you have your supplies, simply remove the stems from your fake flowers and glue them to the base of your pen! Then, wrap the side of the pen with your floral tape. We recommend matching your flower colors to the various shades of ink. That way the teacher always knows what color pen they are grabbing!
Flower Pot
Finish your project by personalizing the flower pot with your child's teacher's name and a sweet "thank you, teacher" saying to highlight the impact they had on your little one. "Thanks for helping me grow" and "You have planted seeds that will grow forever" are both great options. Parents can use a Cricut or Silhouette machine to print out one of these a sweet captions or they can have their kids write them out.
Finally, fill up your flower pot with dried black beans and put in your flowers! This is the perfect addition to their desk that is both pretty and practical.
Teacher Survival Kit
Some of the most thoughtful presents are also the most simple. Individually packaged snacks are always a welcome gift, but kids can make this gift more exciting by creating a "Teacher Survival Kit." All you need to make this cute candy gift box are different wrapped candies and a plastic bead organizer box. Fill the spaces with all types of treats and then decorate the outside of the box! This is another wonderful gift option that your kids can put together themselves.
While the word "smartie" is an obvious choice for teacher gift captions, the actual candy is not always a favored choice. When selecting sweet treats, think about what candy the teacher likes and not what goes best with your sentiment.
Customized Classroom Products
Teachers always need paper, notebooks, and post-it notes! A really thoughtful end-of-year teacher gift is personalized stationery. There are so many places where you can order these products. Some of the top spots to consider are:
- Minted has personal stationary, notebooks and more inspired by independent artists.
- Shutterfly has tons of options ranging from journals to post-its you can customize with monograms, photos, and more.
- Paper Source is a good bet for cute custom stationary sets, including ones with pens, erasers, and other patterns perfect for teachers.
- VistaPrint offers lots of everyday office items and stationary you can customize for your favorite teacher.
- Rifle Paper Co offers beautiful notebooks, journals, desk accessories, and other stationary items you can customize.
- Etsy has anything you can image when it comes to custom stationary.
You can pair these paper products with custom stamps, a personalized keychain, or a tote for them to carry their student's schoolwork in and make it into a cute gift basket. Get your kids involved by having them help to pick out the stationary too.
Class Charm Bracelet
If your class wants to do a group end-of-year teacher gift, this is an excellent option. Brands like James Avery and Pandora can be a great choice, and their selection is extremely affordable.
For example: A simple James Avery sterling silver bracelet is at the time of this writing $56. In a class of 20 students, this equates to $3 a person for this portion of the gift. Then, each student can pick out the charm that they believe best represents their teacher. Charms average around $36, making this gift less than $40 per student. Best of all, James Avery has hundreds of charms to choose from. Pandora also has a spectacular selection and they offer even lower prices.
This thoughtful accessory is something that they can cherish forever and it will ensure that the teacher will always remember your student's class!
Fuel for Thought
Teachers are up early every day to prepare for class and then they stay up late grading papers and planning the curriculum for the next day. Make sure they have the proper amount of energy by gifting them some caffeinated drink options!
Since everyone has a specific preference when it comes to their morning cup of joe, consider gifting a Trade Coffee Subscription. You simply decide how much you want to spend, and once you purchase your plan, then your child's teacher will receive a subscription notice in their email inbox. From there, they will either select options they like or they can take a quiz to find out which coffee types best fit their palate!
You can also pick up a gift card at their favorite coffee spot as well. Starbucks is always a fan favorite, but companies like Dutch Bros, Dunkin' Donuts, and Tim Hortons are also fantastic choices! Want something to pair with this gift? Skip the tumbler and give them a coffee warmer. This guarantees that their coffee is ready to consume, no matter what time they finally get to drinking it!
Rainy Day File
Being a teacher is hard. They are overworked and underpaid. Not only that, but they always take their work home with them. Help to remind your child's teacher of their amazing impact. A 'Rainy Day File' is another fantastic group end-of-year teacher gift that costs almost nothing to make! All parents need is a container of some sort that they can decorate and blank cards. Have every student in the class fill out a card answering one of these questions:
- What makes my teacher so special?
- Why is this teacher my favorite?
- What did my teacher help me understand this year?
- How did my teacher change my life?
- Why should this teacher keep teaching?
When you give this gift, let their teacher know that this rainy day file is not for now. It is for the days and weeks where they are questioning their purpose or losing sight of why they chose to become an educator. These personalized affirmations are a wonderful way to truly show your child's teacher that they are valued and that their work is appreciated.
Gift Cards
While this may not seem like the most thoughtful gift, for a teacher, a Visa or Amazon gift card is a welcomed option. Why? Because teachers pay for a large portion of their room supplies out of their own pocket. This simple gift can go a long way towards stocking their room for next year. Parents can also make this a little more personal by selecting gift cards for stores and restaurants that you know your child's teacher will enjoy.
Classroom Supplies
If gift cards aren't your style, but you still want to make an impact, these are some items that teachers can never have too many of in their supply closet. These are also great options for end-of-the-year teacher gift basket ideas!
- Clorox Wipes
- Tissues
- Pre-sharpened pencils
- Erasers
- Expo Markers
- Scissors
- Glue Sticks
- Flair Pens
- Inkjoy Gel Pens
- Decorative Paper
If you want to up the ante or if you are hoping to put together a group gift, also consider items that can make their classroom projects easier. A Scotch Thermal Laminator, adhesive magnet tape, a portable charger, and a crayon sharpener are all super fun options that will get a lot of use!
Other End-Of-the-Year Teacher Gift Basket Ideas
For those looking to make a slightly more personalized gift basket, parents have the option to mix and match the items on this list!
Combine candies, classroom supplies, personalized paper products, and of course, some special teacher notes marked "For Exceptionally Hard Days." If you want to make this gift a little extra special, you can also get a personalized reusable cloth bag and put all the items inside! This can make their "basket" of goodies even more useful.
What Your Teachers May Not Want as a Gift
There are some gifts that may seem thoughtful in the moment, but most teachers would not prefer. We spoke with a classroom full of teachers from across the nation to find out what they could personally do without. The top items that they advised parents to skip include:
- Mugs
- Candles
- Lotions
- Other scented products
- Homemade snacks
Why should you not give these items as end-of-year teacher gifts? First, scents are an acquired taste, so unless you know their preferred fragrance, it is best to skip candles and bath and body products.
In terms of mugs, if this teacher has taught kids for more than a year or two, then they probably already have a stockpile of mugs that will last them a lifetime. Homemade snacks can be thoughtful, but teachers are all too aware of lurking germs, so homemade treats might not always get used.
Think About Your Child's Teacher When Choosing Gifts
One of the best ways to ensure that your end-of-school teacher gift will actually get some use is to consider what this person teaches. Are they in charge or STEM topics (math and science) or are they helping your child find a love of reading? These small details can help you tailor a gift to their wants and needs.
Also, think about how long they have been teaching. If they are relatively new, they may appreciate teacher-themed decorative items. But if this is their tenth year of teaching, they likely already have all the decor they could ever need. With a little thought, you can gift incredible, meaningful gifts they your child's teacher will love.
