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Looking for some ideas on what to buy your child’s teacher for the holidays? I can help by sharing with you my top 5 teacher gift ideas of all time!

I’ve been a teacher for 25 years and have come to understand a thing or two about teacher gifts. Let me begin first by saying that any gift,  whether it’s a simple thank you card or a store-bought gift, is appreciated. For teachers, it really is the thought that counts.

If however, you are looking to give your child’s teacher a special gift, here are a few simple suggestions.

Top 5 Gifts to Give a Teacher

1. Gift Cards

The one thing about teachers is we never want to spend money on ourselves. Whether your child’s teacher is just starting her career and paying back college loans or has a family to support, there’s always something more important than ourselves to spend our money on.

With that being said, a gift card to anywhere is appreciated. Find out what their favorite coffee shop is, where they like to eat, or shop. Parents of students where my children attend often go in together to get a gift card. This is a great idea for a teacher getting ready to have a baby or getting married over the summer.

2. Anything that Pampers

Bubble bath. Bath salts. Lotions. Soaps. You get the idea. These items can be purchased as a package or individually to make your child’s teacher feel special. You can also find amazing bath salt recipes on Pinterest you can make yourself and are less expensive. Put the salts in a glass mason jar with a pretty bow and you’ve got an extra-special gift. Click below for some simple DIY gift ideas that are sure to please.

This delightful Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub is from Meredith @ The Palette Muse.

This amazing Whipped Lemon Salt Scrub from Kelley at Miss Information Blog is both a body butter and a salt scrub.

This Orange Creamsicle Soap from Simply Stacie is easy to make and smells so good you want to eat it.

3. Anything Personalized

One of the most practical gifts I received over 20 years ago was a rubber stamp that said, “Happy Gram.” Students earned a “Happy Gram” as a reward at the end of the day for making good choices. The parents of one of my students realized how much time it took to write out “Happy Gram” 28 times per day and had a stamp made in my own handwriting. I felt like a had just won the lottery. Really.

Also, be sure to check out these personalized planners, notebooks, stationary, gifts, and more from Erin Condren. 

4. A Framed Picture of the Class or your Child

This next gift idea is one I received my second year of teaching from a family I still keep in touch with. I had their daughter in kindergarten and they always came up with the best gift ideas!

I received a framed picture of the entire class sitting around me as I sat in a chair. The picture was not posed but rather informal and really showed the personalities of the students. I still have that picture today and every time I look at it I can feel the exact feelings I had on that afternoon with that special group of kids.

5. Organizing & Office Supplies

I don’t know a single teacher who doesn’t have a thing for office supplies. Just watch a teacher walk down the isles of an OfficeMax or Office Depot store before school starts and watch their eyes light-up at the sight of nice pens, colored card stock, Post-It notes in every size, colored file folders, binders, clips, and items to keep it all organized.

A lot of school districts don’t have the funds to buy these type of supplies for their teachers and most often teachers either do without or use their own money to buy what they need. According to Education Week, the average teacher spends $479 a year on classroom supplies and 94% don’t receive any reimbursement.

With that being said, one last idea could be to simply ask your child’s teacher what the class needs and purchase these items instead. Pens, pencils, tissues, paper, crayons, glue, dry erase markers, Clorox wipes, paper towels…the list is endless.

As I mentioned before, ANYTHING is appreciated.

Thank you for reading this post and for considering a few gift ideas for the teacher(s) in your life.