it sneaks up every year. once halloween hits, suddenly it’s thanksgiving, and then it’s crunch time for gift buying. the same thing happens at the end of the school year. summer arrives in a frenzy of activity, with so many end of the year commitments my head feels like it might explode, and when it comes to teacher’s gifts, i find myself scrambling!

maybe it’s because there is NOTHING that could properly thank a person for putting up with my children all day every day. at least nothing in my price range. maybe it’s because i know our teachers well on a professional level, but on a personal, gift-giving level? not as much.

teacher’s gifts give me anxiety.

in order to combat said anxiety, i started compiling a mental list of creative teacher’s gifts each year. because i am a teacher {and so generally speaking have a basic idea of what teachers want}, every year friends used to text me, asking what i thought they should get for their teachers. i used to rattle off my list, over and over. then i got smart and decided to just make a teacher’s gift giving guide for anyone who might need help answering the question…

what should i get my child’s teacher?

first of all, it takes the pressure off to know some of your teacher’s favorites. i use this cute teacher’s favorites printable to learn what my kids’ teachers like best. i send it to school in their folders and the teachers send it back. easy! you can grab yours here {along with lots of other fun printables and FREEBIES to make your life easier}.

here’s another version. i know. so hard to decide which one to use! we have a mr. teacher this year and this one is slightly more male-ish. so i am going to use one of each. sign up to snag both designs here. you’ll get a password to a whole library of fun and helpful printables, like these.

now, really quick before the list of best gifts for teachers, let’s talk about what not to buy. please know i say this with utmost respect. teachers are appreciative of any and all gifts – store bought, handmade, and homemade alike. as a teacher, this is just my opinion on a few things i think teachers have enough of:

things to take care of {like plants}. unless you know he/she is an avid gardener, teachers usually do not need more plants. plants for the classroom have to be remembered over breaks and holidays and that is just hard. and transporting plants home is also hard.
candles. i know. this is kind of my go-to gift. and it’s not the worst teacher gift but teachers get a lot of candles.
anything with apples. let’s be honest. i don’t know anyone who decorates with apples in their home. and if you’ve been to your child’s classroom, you know there is enough stuff in there as it is. no more apples needed, even if they look cute on etsy.
photos of your kids. your kiddos’ teachers love your kids or they wouldn’t do the job they do. that being said, they probably don’t need extra pictures of them. again, they have enough stuff for their classroom and most likely won’t hang something with your child’s picture on it at home, because they have their own kids.
kids’ artwork. this is cute, and special, but there is already so much of it. it’s hard enough for you to figure out what to do with it when it comes home. your teacher feels the same way. {and if you need an easy way to organize your child’s artwork at home, click here.}
food {homemade or otherwise}. teachers know and genuinely appreciate the time that goes into a baked good. but admittedly i am a germaphobe, and the thought of multiple kid hands mixing and sneezing makes me second guess eating a homemade cookie, no matter how delicious it might look.
things for their classroom. imagine 24 kids in your family room. every day for seven hours. and then imagine all of their stuff. and your stuff. teachers really just don’t need more stuff for their classrooms unless they send home requests. then, those things are probably better donated and not given as gifts.
mugs. again, kind of a go-to gift. unless you find a mug with a phrase {not a picture} that perfectly depicts your child’s teacher or something he/she always says, your teacher probably has enough mugs.
lotion and bath products. i know. bath and body works has ALL of those specials and sales that make these gifts SO tempting. again, not the worst gift ever. smells and fragrances are just hard because people are particular about the way they want their hands to smell all day. at least i am. my one exception to this rule is hand sanitizer. one year i got our teachers clip on lotions for their lanyards. so you know, sometimes these products work, just don’t go overboard on the lotions.

ok, so here’s the list of my top 3 gifts for teacher’s this season {and each suggestion has multiple options making it really more than 3 suggestions}…

{1} plum paper products

if you’ve read my favorite planner post, you know i love plum paper for planners. i’ve treated myself to one ever since i saw a friend’s. plum paper also sells the cutest, most fun accessories to their planners like notebooks, notepads, and stationary. you can personalize them AND it is ALL so reasonably priced!

my first choice for teacher’s gifts this year is this adorable notebook. it is PERFECT for teachers for keeping notes at meetings, trainings, and conferences. you can get it in any of these patterns {along with SO many more pattern and size options on their site}. you can have it monogrammed with your teacher’s name or initials. the price is just $14.00! for a LITTLE bit more, you can add on fun teacher tabs for keeping track of parent correspondence, etc. AND if you email me [email protected], with a quick message that you’d like my referral discount, i will forward you a link for 10% off!

plum paper also sells stationary. you can personalize it for your teacher. personalized stationary to keep in my desk to send home thank you cards to parents or other teachers? YES please! email me [email protected], and i will send you my 10% referral discount!

i am also obsessed with these notepads i just found at plum paper. they are tear off, one for each day, and have sections for to do’s, meetings, notes, etc. this is SUCH a great gift for teachers! there is SO MUCH to keep track of during a school day. to have it all in one place would be so helpful.

if you are in my kids’ classes, don’t get this option because i am!! just kidding. there are SO MANY choices on the plum paper site and as a teacher, i would love multiples of THESE GIFTS! so you can get one too.

email me [email protected] and let me know you’d like the referral code for a 10% discount. plum paper does charge shipping, but this 10% can help with that and if you order for all your teacher’s at once, the shipping is worth it. or grab something for yourself {wink}. they also have patterns that are more male-ish and i bought personalized notebooks for our male teachers last year.

{2} graphic t-shirts

i included graphic t-shirts in my last teacher’s gifts post. they are here again because what’s not to love about a graphic t?!

if you don’t already know about EVERYKIND, you should! not only are they local to fishers, indiana {where i live!} but their company has THE BEST message and with a very special back story. they are owned by colleen and colleen and they are huge now {!}. you have to check them out!

they have a new line, that is equally as encouraging as their original line under the mama said name {which always cracked me up, that they were called mama said tees, because my mama DID always say to be kind!}. i have a couple of their shirts already and i am always checking their site for new designs.

the colleens have so graciously offered a 15% discount code for LITTLE things readers. subscribe here and claim YOUR code!

while scrolling through etsy, i also came across this company, Heart to Farm. initially, i liked it because i was laughing out loud at the t-messages. then i realized this company is also close to home {shop local!} so i wanted to share heart to farm with you as another graphic t option.

{3} momentum jewelry

this is another company i mentioned in my last teacher gifts post but they were such a hit and they have NEW options! so i had to use momentum jewelry again in this list. see that leather wrap bracelet?? i LOVE the gold one and it’s a new product. the best part about these is ALL the many options of sayings you can choose. there is one for everyone. my personal favorites are live joyfully and choose kind. but i am thinking about getting one personalized with notice the LITTLE things!

again, momentum has offered a coupon code for readers. subscribe here to grab your code for 15% off your whole order.

i really really hope this helps take the guesswork out of shopping for gifts and makes your life EASIER! all of these options are great for teachers or ANYONE who wants a fun a unique gift this year. don’t forget to subscribe for coupon codes and to be included in our LITTLE things community. i’d can’t wait to get to know you better!

thanks for stopping by!

*affiliate links used. this means i might receive a small percentage of sales when you use some links i provide. full disclosure, i only recommend things i already have and use in my own home. companies do not reach out to me and ask me to write about their products. i’m not that fancy of a blogger. you can trust that things i recommend on this blog are items i like in real life!

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