It’s that time of year! Time to stress out about finding inexpensive gifts for teachers before your child goes on break.
Kidding! You don’t need to stress. Though every teacher is a unique individual, most teachers can agree on at least one of these five. I was a high school teacher myself for six years, plus I polled a bunch of current teachers to see what they thought. So today, I’m happy to share what teachers do (and don’t) want as gifts based on all their input.
If you want to really impress and simplify things for yourself, you can start the planning process earlier in the year. When you meet your child’s teacher at parent teacher conferences, ask them a few questions. What’s their favorite kind of candy? Office supply? Do they have any hobbies? (Some schools and PTA’s get all teachers to answer these questions. Then, they’ll distribute the answers at open house so all the parents can benefit from the survey.) Make sure you hint at your gift-giving purpose so your child’s teacher doesn’t get creeped out. Maybe try wrapping their gift in alternative wrapping paper so you don’t clog up their one and only recycling bin, too.
Of course, most people (myself included) don’t usually have that much foresight, and instead wait til the last minute to get gifts for their child’s teachers. If that’s where you find yourself today, read on to find a gift that works with your budget and available time.
Top Five Cheap Gifts for Teachers
#5 Potted Plants
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, many teachers do. In fact, even teachers who are terrible at keeping plants alive often like getting them. It helps brighten up a classroom, and it gives it a more natural feel. Plus, if they teach science, you might end up providing them with a new experiment!
If the teacher likes to cook, you might consider a simple potted herb from the grocery store. You can also take cuttings from a plant you already have and turn one plant into as many as you need.
For those teachers who enjoy puns, you could always give thyme plants. Just attach a note that says “I know teachers never have enough “thyme,” so here’s some extra!”
#4 Food and Drink
Consumable gifts are excellent since they won’t clutter up the teacher’s desk or home. Plus, you can buy this type of gift in bulk if you’re shopping for multiple teachers. (Or, as long as you know they’d welcome them, homemade baked goods! But more on this later.)
A little insight into your child’s teacher can go a long way. When you pick up your child from school, find out whether they’re a coffee or tea drinker. Or send an email asking if they have any allergies. Most teachers would be happy to answer these kind of questions if you not-so-subtly hinted that you were going Christmas shopping soon. After all, it means they have the chance to suggest something they’ll actually enjoy.
#3 Stuff From Their “Wish List”
Many teachers now have digital wish lists, whether they’re hosted on Amazon, a personal website, or a site like DonorsChoose. Generally, these will include classroom items like:
- Tissues
- Dry erase markers & erasers
- Hand sanitizer
- Trinkets or stickers for prize buckets
- Glue
- Markers
- Crayons
- Financial donation to a “field trip fund”
- Food for the classroom snack shack (especially in schools with high percentages of low income students, they often pay out of their own pockets to keep kids fed. I know I did.)
You might also like: 101+ Coupon Book Ideas To Show Everyone Your Love
#2 Gift Cards
These might be gift cards for a teacher’s personal use, like if you know he loves Outback Steakhouse. They might also be more geared towards classroom supplies. Since most teachers purchase at least some classroom supplies with their own money, this is still a great gift! According to Adopt A Classroom, the average teacher spends $750 of their own money on supplies each year.
Popular gift cards among teachers are:
- Amazon (duh)
- Walmart
- Dollar Tree
- Starbucks / Dunkins / Local coffee joint
- Local restaurants
- Craft supply stores
Some parents are self-conscious if they can only give $5 gift cards, but fear not. Teachers, at least none of the ones I’ve met or talked to for this article, aren’t going to judge based on the amount. (Well, unless you drive a Mercedes and give an already expired gift card for Uncle Bob’s Secondhand Store. Then they might judge.) As one preschool teacher said, “A free coffee always puts a teacher in a good mood!”
To save even more money, you can sometimes buy bulk gift cards. Places like Sam’s Club have deals where you can buy $50 worth of gift cards for $46. Not bad!
#1 Letters of Thanks and Appreciation
More than anything, I wanted to know what I did in the classroom MATTERED to someone. Every single teacher I’ve known (myself included) has a box or folder of these notes. When it’s been a hard day, they can pull out these folders and remember why they deal with glitter disasters or school boards or teenage hormones. Your words can keep encouraging a good teacher YEARS after your child has left their classroom.
Don’t know what to say? Try mentioning things like…
- How much your child has improved in a subject thanks to their help
- A funny story your child shared at the dinner table about them
- How much more focused your child seems
- Thanks for all the time they put into planning creative lessons
- How much your child enjoys their class
- Thanks for the extra hours they spent working on the field trip
- Appreciation for the teacher’s positivity
- How well they handled a difficult situation
Letters are great no matter your child’s age. They’re just what teachers need to hear, whether they’re a preschool teacher or high school chemistry teacher.
If you really want to go above and beyond, give them a handwritten letter, but send a copy to the principal, dean, or daycare owner. That way, their boss also knows how awesome a teacher they are. This may or may not matter when it comes to raises, future promotions, or even awards like “teacher of the year.” You never know how a quick expression of thanks might change their life!
Inexpensive Gifts Teachers DON’T Want
I also wanted to quickly mention some gift options I frequently see listed in these kinds of teacher appreciation posts which are TERRIBLE ideas.
Alcohol
I know, you might think it’s funny. “My kid is such a handful, she’ll need some of this!” But some teachers are striving for sobriety, or have personal or religious objections to drinking. Any of that can make things a bit awkward. Plus, most schools have very strict rules about alcohol on campus, and you don’t want to get them in trouble.
Candles
Most teachers already have a thousand of them, since everyone else also decides to give candles as gifts. What’s worse is that we can’t even use them in school because of safety regulations.
I can promise there’s usually only one fate for most gifted teacher candles…
Mugs
Believe me. The cabinet in the teacher’s room is already full, y’all.
Homemade baked goods
Unless you already know the teacher well and they know you, it might be best to skip this one. Some teachers have unspoken ‘throw it out’ policies due to concerns with home kitchen cleanliness. (I’ve known teachers who got food poisoning from eating baked goods from kids who were very sensitive to this.)
I hope this helps you plan for your next teacher gift shopping trip. If you’d like more ideas on how to save money as a parent, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter below for weekly new article alerts and other helpful info!
