Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Teacher Gift Ideas

I have probably gotten more emails or comments asking about teacher gift ideas than I have for any other idea.  And with good reason, teachers can be very hard to buy for.   You need a gift that adequately expresses your appreciation for everything they do for your child but at the same time you may not know what your teacher's hobbies are outside of school, if they have any food allergies, and schools can sometimes even limit the monetary value of a gift that teachers are allowed to accept. 

Luckily for you I have a little bit of an "in" with the teaching crowd.  My mother was a teacher, I have three aunts and two uncles that were teachers, and my grandparents were both teachers.  And the unanimous answer for some of the most helpful gifts they received was: supplies.
Teachers often buy a lot of items using their own money and they can go through supplies faster than a room full of kindergarteners can devour a platter full of cupcakes.  Teachers will really appreciate anything that helps stock up their supplies for the next year.

There are lots of ways you can gift supplies too.  From the super-duper-all-out-fantastic to the simple and cute I've gathered up some great inspiration photos for you.

Monogrammed Pencil Jar from The Rachel Berry Blog.  Perfect for all those "can I borrow a pencil" moments.

Supply Cake from What's Scrapping.  Adorable!  This would be a good group gift.

 Another Supply Cake from The Butlers.  I love the flowers on this one!

 Paint can with a cute tag that says "Teachers fill our world with color, thanks for brightening our year" from Creative Holiday Gift Ideas

 A french fry style box filled with supplies from Pigtails Paper Trails.  Any unique basket can really dress up a simple gift.

As with any gift I think what teachers would appreciate the most is the thought behind it and the sincerity with which it is given.  No matter how you decide to package up your gift, or how big or small you go, I've made a tag for you that will work with any supply gift. 


You can download the tag here.


Brieanna

14 comments:

  1. You can never have enough supplies. I know any that are give will be greatly appreciated by any teacher!

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  2. Thank you for the great ideas!

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  3. Such a sweet idea for the class. Does this really appreciate the teacher? It gives her things that the school and/or parents SHOULD provide. It would be nice to honor the TEACHER for what she does for her students. A gift card, a card, something unexpected-not something to be used by your children. That is just my thought. Any acknowledgement is thoughtful.

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    1. You're right in the fact that these are things that SHOULD be provided to the teacher, but unfortunately in today's economy they aren't. A lot of the teachers I talked to end up spending a lot of their OWN money on supplies and really appreciated anything that contributed to their classroom. But I do think it is the thought that counts the most and I am sure any teacher just appreciates even a simple thank you.

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  4. Oh how glad I am to have found your site!!! You truly are an inspiration to DIY gift makers everywhere. Love it, Love it, Love it!

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  5. These are so darn cute I had to share it on my linky list on my blog post
    http://www.igottatrythat.com/p/blog-hop-linky-colde.html
    I know my readers will thank me for sharing your blog. I am now a follower of yours. I would love for you to come visit and follow me back.
    Thanks, Marcie
    www.IGottaTryThat.com

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  6. You have such a fun site. I will be visiting often.

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  7. As a teacher, I love the supplies gifts. The most meaningful gifts I've ever received just for me have been notes or letters written by parents voicing their appreciation, especially if there were something they particularly appreciated. I also had a parent who stood at an end-of-the-year full school celebration, and told that her son who had previously hated school had loved coming to school that year. That was for a second grader 23 years ago. That grown-up second grader runs to give me a hug when he sees me even now. His mother's comment, and his hugs are priceless.

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  8. Just stopping by to thank you for showcasing my school supply cake. You have a great site!
    Leigh Anne Butler

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  9. I made 2 gifts for kindergarten teachers. One was an insulated travel cup with a straw filled with skittles and starburst. Card tag read, "thanks for getting my creative juices flowing!" Second was a small flower pot (decorated at home with paint and stickers). We drew, colored and cut out 3D flowers, attached them to pipe cleaners, then cut foam to fit in the pots and inserted our "flowers" into the foam in the pots. Card tag read, "thanks for helping me bloom this year!" Just adding some ideas!

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  10. I made 2 gifts for kindergarten teachers. One was an insulated travel cup with a straw filled with skittles and starburst. Card tag read, "thanks for getting my creative juices flowing!" Second was a small flower pot (decorated at home with paint and stickers). We drew, colored and cut out 3D flowers, attached them to pipe cleaners, then cut foam to fit in the pots and inserted our "flowers" into the foam in the pots. Card tag read, "thanks for helping me bloom this year!" Just adding some ideas!

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  11. I made 2 gifts for kindergarten teachers. One was an insulated travel cup with a straw filled with skittles and starburst. Card tag read, "thanks for getting my creative juices flowing!" Second was a small flower pot (decorated at home with paint and stickers). We drew, colored and cut out 3D flowers, attached them to pipe cleaners, then cut foam to fit in the pots and inserted our "flowers" into the foam in the pots. Card tag read, "thanks for helping me bloom this year!" Just adding some ideas!

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  12. I am so sorry if my comment is showing up more than once! My phone just totally went haywire on me and I can now see my comment 3 times! Feel free to delete!

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  13. Very creative post! last time I help my kids to make a bookmarker, simple but their teacher loves it. I saw that idea here: 13 preschool teacher gift ideas

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