There is quite literally NEVER a bad time of year to give teacher appreciation gifts. These are individuals who work day in and day out to make the most of arguably the most important time in our kids’ lives – all the while keeping them safe, sound, and even entertained. But since back-to-school is one of the busiest times of the school year for teachers, it’s the least you can do to give them a boost with a thoughtful back-to-school gift to let them know you appreciate their hard work.
Whether your kids are off to high school, middle school, or even kindergarten, here are our picks for the best back-to-school gifts for teachers.
School Supplies and Organizers
Okay, before you start snoring, hear us out. Just like your kids, teachers can never have enough school supplies – especially since it’s usually incumbent on them to purchase their own classroom supplies. And while sharpies, highlighters, sticky notes, paper clips, glue, hand sanitizer, and Kleenex may not seem incredibly exciting on their own, you can get creative with your presentation.
One idea is to fill a custom mug or portable coffee cup with pens, pencils, or other writing utensils. You can also decorate a custom school supply organizer, then place the supplies inside. If you want to really go all out, try assembling a school supply “cake” like this one.
No matter how you package your gift, there’s no shortage of custom printables with themed sayings – like “Thank you for coloring our lives!” for markers or crayons – to add some decorative flair to your back-to-school gift. That way, you give a very practical gift a personal touch.
Plants in Decorated Pots
What better symbol for the nurturing influence of teachers than plants? Not only is this another fun opportunity to get creative with decorations – you can even get the kids involved to decorate home-made plant pots – but it’s also a gesture of care, too. That’s because plants carry tons of health benefits, from filtering the air to reducing stress. Your kids’ teacher can take the plant home or add it to their classroom décor.
Check out some adorable DIY plant gift ideas for teachers here.
Teacher Care Package
Newsflash – teachers are stressed out! Help them relax with a care package. Since you may not know the new teacher very well, it’s okay if you can’t get super personal with this one. But a decorated box or basket filled with healthy snacks, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, cold medicine, Epsom salts, stress balls, personalized candles, or any other goodies promoting health and relaxation is sure to give your kids’ new teacher a boost when they need it. You can even throw in a few school supplies as a bonus!
Gift Cards
Help your kid’s teacher treat themselves with a gift card or two. The possibilities are endless with this one – you can go for a nice local restaurant, a school supply store, a coffee shop… anything that might help a teacher get through a rough week. You can even throw a gift card into another gift, like a care package or tote bag (more on that below).
Teacher Tote Bag
Are tote bags still in? Doesn’t matter – they’re too convenient to pass up. Plus, your options for adorable graphic tote bags with fun images or sayings are truly infinite. If you know the personality of the teacher, you can go for something that fits their style, or you can simply go for something school-themed.
The best part? You can fill it with other small goodies, from school supplies to gift cards to anything in between. Your child’s teacher will then be able to use the bag – it’s truly a gift that keeps on giving.
Coffee-Themed Gifts
Whether you go for a Starbucks gift card, a coffee subscription, artisanal coffee beans, or coffee candy, you can hardly go wrong with caffeine when it comes to back-to-school gifts for teachers. Even better if you include a decorated travel cup or mug with a funny saying.
If you really want to think outside the box, check out these coffee-themed gift ideas curated especially by teachers who love coffee, from graphic tees, totes, and socks to mugs printed with adorable teacher “nutrition facts” highlighting just how amazing teachers really are.
Candy Club Candy Box
Hand sanitizer and healthy snacks are great, but sometimes a teacher just needs a little sugar boost to get through the day. Give them just what they need with a gourmet candy box from Candy Club. Gift a one-time box or have gourmet sweet and sour candies delivered to them month after month – no doubt they’ll appreciate the dose of sweet in their stressful lives! Learn how it works today.
Whether you go for something practical, totally indulgent, or a little of both, start the school year off right with a little teacher appreciation. Don’t forget to check out our other creative DIY gift ideas for every occasion!
