“i’m shopping for teacher gifts. what should i get?” having been a teacher, this is a text i get every year from my friends. now, as a parent, i understand just how tricky teacher’s gifts really are. of course, you appreciate and respect your child’s teacher. many times, however, your child has more than one teacher, and you have more than one child. practically speaking, “what should i get?” means something a little more like ::

• i really and truly appreciate my child’s teacher. she/he loves {puts up with} my child all day, but i have so many other expenses to consider {i.e. other gifts, summer camps, end of the year parties, daycare, life, etc.}.
• i need something that says “i am so grateful for all you’ve done” but does not cost a fortune.
• is there anything out there for $10?

sound familiar? i get it. as a teacher, i got all kinds of gifts. handmade, homemade, new, used, living, nonliving, quirky, you name it. i truly appreciated the thought and beaming face behind every single one. teachers do what they do because they love it. it’s obviously not for the gifts. whatever you get your child’s teacher will be appreciated.

all this being said, as a parent, i want my kids’ teachers to like their gifts. i want them to know just how much i do appreciate them, even if i don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend. in answering my friends’ texts this week {and over the years}, i’ve determined three inexpensive ways you can choose an easy, affordable, meaningful gift that is exactly what your child’s teacher really wants.

{1} favorites.

at the beginning of the school year, or close to any gift-giving time, text or email your teacher and ask him/her to give you a list of favorites. it’s easiest if you ask for specific favorites. when my son was in pre-k i texted my his teacher with the following simple message:

we are so happy E is in your class this year. we’d like to know some of your favorites. please share your favorite color, favorite store, favorite candy, favorite coffee, favorite flower, favorite snack, and favorite way to treat yourself. thank you!

you can also email your child’s teacher with this free printable, or send it into school with your child. for my kiddos, i save their teachers’ lists and throughout the year, we pick up a favorite here and there and send it in to school. for example, one day E brought in a small bag of reese’s mini cups with a simple “thank you” tag. another day, we stopped at starbucks and bought a cup of his teacher’s favorite tea.

honestly, as a teacher, this rarely happened to me, but when it did, it absolutely made my day. it costs next to nothing but has a huge impact. {to note :: the thought occurred to me when we sent in our first surprise gift, that E’s teacher might think we were sucking up. ha! we took the risk. honestly, teaching is a lot like mothering, totally worth it but often thankless. i think it’s safe to say that little pick me ups will be seen for the kindness and thanks they are intended to offer.}

{2} gift cards.

never underestimate the power of a gift card. they may not seem fancy, or well thought out, but they are a favorite among all my teacher friends. no amount is too small. let me repeat. no amount is too small.
you do not have to buy a teacher a whole mani/pedi or coffee for days. $10 to get him/her in the door or $5 for one cup is more than enough and so very much appreciated. you are not competing with other gift card amounts. you are just giving your child’s teacher an opportunity to treat him/herself, something he/she probably rarely does without guilt. the favorites list discussed above can help guide your gift card purchase. one christmas, we got E’s teacher a gift card to her favorite store. that’s it. just a gift card. nothing fancy and no fancy presentation.

if you haven’t done the favorites list yet, don’t stress. just make sure the gift card is to somewhere your child’s teacher can treat him/herself. we all know there isn’t a lot of extra room in a teacher’s budget for splurges and treats. cupcakes, coffee, books, nails, ice cream, etc. easy peasy.

{3} what not to buy.

if i am being honest, and at the risk of sounding ungrateful, there are things a teacher just does not need more of. let me reiterate, teachers appreciate all gifts. some gifts, however, have become such go-to ideas that teachers are overloaded with them.

apples or things with apples on them, school supplies, mugs, candles, things with handprints, frames, candles, and baked goods are the first that come to mind. plants might be on the list too. i like them now but there was a time when i was not really a plant person. i tried, but i wasn’t good at keeping things other than humans alive. unless you know your teacher has a green thumb, i would probably also stay away from plants.

i know, i just took away all your go-to ideas, right? no worries. just refer back to #2.

 

at the end of the year in pre-k, i did some searching on pinterest. again, pinterest presentations are neither necessary nor expected. but for some reason, i was feeling crafty for the end of the year and this idea, from the one mile home style blog, was perfect.

both of my kids adore the spin off books from the if you give a mouse a cookie, series by laura numeroff. they think they are hilarious. their favorites are if you give a pig a pancake and if you give a moose a muffin. i took the pinterest idea, and personalized it for us. the tags for E’s gifts read ::

If you give your teacher a cookie…

…She will probably buy some milk to go with it.

While she’s at the store, she might as well buy something for herself, because she deserves it after such a busy, fun year.

Thank you, ____________, for putting your heart and soul into this school year and for loving your students so much. We could not ask for anything more and feel so blessed we got to have you as a teacher. You will be greatly missed next year.

Love,

______________

 {click here for a free printable of this tag.}

{cookie images borrowed from a fellow sweet lover at littlesweetbaker.com}

i knew E’s teacher’s favorite cookies were chocolate chip and peanut butter so we played on that. i found the cookies at target for $1.99, made the tags in microsoft word, and secured them with twine. the gift was personal, likeable, and budget-friendly.

that’s it. totally doable. this year, as you think to yourself “what should i get” during the holidays or the end of the school year, just remember these three simple suggestions. favorites. gift cards. and what not to buy. now go enjoy your last few weeks of peace before school break begins. happy gift shop-ing!

{want to save this idea for later? click the red save box on the image below to pin this post. or follow notice the LITTLE things on pinterest here.}