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The Ultimate List of Holiday Gifts That Teachers Actually Want!

It’s almost December and time to think about holiday gifts! If you're looking for some gift ideas to show that special teacher how much you appreciate having them in your child's life, read on. Here is a list of teacher gift ideas, based on my 29 years of elementary teaching and gift-receiving!

First, what to avoid:
*mugs
*apple objects
*anything made with pencils/chalkboards/crayons
*"my teacher is #1" objects

These types of gifts are cute, yes, but if the teacher is in their second year of teaching or beyond, they already have a lot of stuff like that.

*Baked goods are delicious and appreciated, but much of it gets tossed or given away because teachers get too much stuff like that. Consider giving one or two small pieces of your family’s favorite, but including something else with it, such as a gift card.

GETTING IDEAS FOR YOUR SPECIAL TEACHER - TWO QUESTIONS:

1 - Does your school have a list?
Find out if your school keeps a list of “teacher favorites”. This is a form that teachers complete about some of their favorite things (indulgences, foods, collections, restaurants, hobbies, etc.). If your school does not do this, you might want to suggest it. This is a quick and easy thing for a PTA/PTO to do. The forms can be kept in a binder at the front desk of the school. These lists are a great source of gift ideas.

2 - Does your child have suggestions?
Ask your child for suggestions! Their usual response: “I don’t know what my teacher likes.” But, when given specific questions, they can often come up with great ideas. For example:

*Does the teacher have any pens or markers they especially like? (My favorites are Flair pens. At least one child gives me a pack of these every year.) Other favorites are Paper Mate gel pens, bullet journaling pens, or Sharpie markers. Including a cute journal like THISTHIS would make a great gift!

*Does the teacher like coffee or tea? Consider a Starbucks gift card or a gift card for a local coffee shop.

*Does the teacher drink any particular brand of water or seltzer? My current favorites are San Pellegrino sparkling water and LaCroix lime seltzer.

*Does the teacher ever say, “I really need . . . “ or “I really get tired of having to . . .” One of my favorite gifts ever was a customized rubber stamp so that I could put my name in my classroom library books. A student noticed that I mentioned how much I got tired of writing my name in all my books!

*Another favorite gift was a colorful clipboard from a student who noticed that I complained about never being able to find my clipboard!

If your child is still stuck for ideas and there is no “teacher favorites” list, read on for what teachers love and appreciate:

OFFICE SUPPLIES
Teachers tend to love office supply products, especially if they are colorful or related to their interests in some way.

Here are some suggestions:

*Personalized notepads

*Erin Condren life planner

*Cute journal/notebooks

*Personal laminator or laminating pouches (if the teacher already has the laminator)

*Personalized clipboard

*Novelty office supplies, like this stapler, this tape dispenser, this post-it note dispenser, or this flash drive.

*Expo dry-erase markers. Teachers and students use these all the time, but they don’t last forever and can be a bit pricey for schools to replace.

PERSONAL ITEMS FOR RELAXING AT HOME:

*Bath supply gift sets like THIS or THIS. If you’re not sure about favorite scents, go with lavender. Lavender is calming and teachers can always use more of that!

*Candles like Yankee Candle scents or Voluspa scents.

*Smart home device like Amazon Echo or Echo Show.

PERSONAL ITEMS TO USE AT SCHOOL:

*Nice water bottle, like a S'well bottle or Hydroflask.

*Insulated coffee mug like Yeti. This is an exception to the "no mugs" advice above! :)

*A nice lunch bag or a Scout lunch bag.

*Monogrammed bag

*Cute tote bags. This is a tricky one because teachers often have a lot of these. However, if you see something that is particularly cute and it reminds you of the teacher somehow, it would probably make a good gift. Bonus points for including small, inexpensive gifts inside the bag! Some good options: Scout multi-pocket tote or this bag or maybe this cute bag.

PERSONAL ITEMS FOR FUN:
*Anything related to a favorite “obsession” of theirs (my obsession is the musical Hamilton, but other popular obsessions are Disney, Star Wars, and Harry Potter).

Hamilton favorites:
Hamilton: The Revolution
Hamilton calendar
Hamilton t-shirt

Disney favorites:
Disney shirt
Disney calendar
Disney mug warmer

Star Wars favorites:
*Star Wars mug
*book about women of Star Wars
*Star Wars t-shirt

Harry Potter favorites:
*Hedwig slippers
*Harry Potter socks
*Harry Potter wine tumbler

PERSONAL ITEMS FOR COLD RECESS DAYS:
*Gloves with touchscreen fingers or more heavy duty gloves for the cold

*Earmuffs

*Hothands hand warmers

*Monogrammed scarf

*Other fun warm scarves

BOOKS OR CALENDARS:
Teachers are readers. However, unless you know what type of fiction your teacher likes, it can be difficult to choose a specific title. It’s often easier to stick to non-fiction or “how-to” books.

Here are some of my current favorites:
*Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

*Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild & Wonderful Life by Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush

*The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage & Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton & Chelsea Clinton

*Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin Manuel Miranda

*Becoming by Michelle Obama

*Girl, Stop Apologizing! by Rachel Hollis

*I Really Needed This Today: Words to Live By Hoda Kotb

If they're into cooking, here are some great cookbooks:

*What Can I Bring?: Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Up by Elizabeth Heiskell

*any Pioneer Woman cookbook

*any Mix & Match Mama cookbook

*Love Welcome Serve: Recipes That Gather & Give by Amy Nelson Hannon

*any Ina Garten cookbook

*Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Tiegen

*Real Life Dinners by Rachel Hollis

*Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines

*Daily desk calendars, especially if it’s related to a teacher’s interest.

Some examples:

*Simple Acts of Kindness: Easy Ways to Make a Difference
*Every Day's a Holiday
*Peanuts
*Word of the Day
*Hamilton
*Life Hacks
*Teacher Cartoon-a-Day
*Someecards Year-in-a-Box (if you know the teacher’s sense of humor)

GIFT CARDS FOR SERVICES:
*Do you sell something? Are you a fitness instructor, yoga instructor, personal trainer? A personal chef? A consultant for popular brands like Rodan & Fields or Stella & Dot? Give them something from your line of work or your line of products. And who knows? You might get a new customer!

*Consider giving prepared meals from a local restaurant or one free shipment from a meal delivery service such as Hello Fresh, Green Chef, Blue Apron, Home Chef.

AND -- THE MOST POPULAR GIFT -- GIFT CARDS!

*Try giving a gift certificate for a manicure, pedicure, massage, or some other spa treatment.

*Gift card to Etsy -- to be used in any online shop.

*Chip in with other parents to get a gift card.

*Any amount is appreciated. Favorite places are Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, wine shops, Starbucks, local restaurants, movie theater, car wash. That, combined with a heartfelt letter from you and your child, make the perfect gift. Which brings me to . . .

THE ULTIMATE FAVORITE GIFT THAT WILL BE KEPT FOREVER:
Have your child write a meaningful thank you letter to the teacher. Consider adding another one yourself. These will be the gifts that teachers will keep forever, long after they have eaten the fudge or shopped at Target. This gift is also a favorite because everyone can do it -- budgets are not an issue. Have your child be specific about things the teacher does that they really like, things they love about the teacher, what they will always remember, how the teacher has helped them.

Please know that teachers appreciate any and every expression of gratitude. While gifts are certainly not necessary, some gifts are definitely more appreciated and needed than others. I hope this list has given you some ideas and options for Teacher Appreciation Week or for end of year gifts!

Happy Holidays!

The post The Ultimate List of Holiday Gifts That Teachers Actually Want! appeared first on Still Teaching, Still Learning.



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