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Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect opportunity to pause and say thank you to the educators who have poured their time, energy, and heart into our kids all year long. From early mornings to late-night grading, teachers do so much behind the scenes to help students grow, learn, and feel supported. Whether your child is in preschool or high school, a thoughtful gift (big or small) can go a long way in showing just how much their hard work is appreciated.
For more general ideas of what you can do for Teacher Appreciation Week (like a group gift, volunteering, ect), check out this post!
For easy and specific gift ideas, check out this list below! We broke up our list into three categories.: Practical, Fun, and Whimsical, and things with summer in mind!
Practical Gift Ideas
Sometimes a practical gift is truly the best thing to give! It’s not a burden, easily understood how it will be used, and can help take a future task off an educator’s plate.
Gift Box of School Items
Teachers are just wrapping up a school year and are about to take a much-deserved break. Assemble a gift box of items they will need for the next school year! Help cross off an item from their summer to-do list! Fill your gift box with items like pre-sharpened pencils (this brand is a teacher’s favorite), hand sanitizer, expo markers, and, depending on the grade they teach, items like fun stickers for grading!
Restock Their Prize Box
Many classrooms have a prize box that teachers use for different rewards. At the end of the year, their prize box is going to be running low! Give them the gift of restocking it for them! One less thing for them to think about when they come back to school in the fall. We love this mix of party favors that are popular for classrooms.
A Scholastic Gift Card
Help your favorite teachers bulk up their classroom library! Many teachers spend a good amount of money to ensure their classroom libraries have great books for their students to read. Gift them a card to a place like scholastic, where they can pick out some new books for their classroom library.
Fun and Whimsical Ideas
If you know your teacher well, or know they love things to be a bit more fun, check out these gift ideas!
Teacher Themed Hair Clips
Hair clips are an accessory that is here to stay! Give your favorite teachers, who like a little bit of fun, this pack of teacher-themed hair clips! Easy for them to keep at school and use when they are needed.
A Fun LEGO
Does your educator love LEGO? Give them a fun LEGO as a gift this year! Think of something that they can display on their desk, like these happy plant LEGO! They can also become something of a classroom toy for kids to make and remake during the school year.
Teacher Earrings
If you know that the teacher you are buying a gift for loves leaning into being a teacher, get her some fun teacher items! Think personalized teacher name hanging for the wall, or these fun teacher earrings!
Summer Break Gifts
Help get our educators in a summer bread mode with some of these gifts!
A Snack Box
Teachers need summer break to help decompress and gear up for the next busy school year. Get them a fun snack box with different things to try this summer!
A Great Beach Towel
Give an amazing Turkish beach towel that your favorite educator can use at the beach this summer. Write a note thanking them for the year and encourage them to take the time this summer for a well-deserved nap on the beach!
Spa Gift Basket
Now, often, teachers don’t quite get the summer break that non-teachers imagine. There is still professional training, prep, maybe moving classrooms, team meetings, and finally getting around to the things they put on the back burner during the school year that they need to get done during the summer months. Or maybe teacher summer really means being a full-time parent so that they don’t have to pay for endless summer camps. All that to say, your favorite teacher might not get a summer of rest! Give them something they can do at home with a spa basket! Fill it with things like this Aveeno hand mask, a Patchology face mask, or this set of sleep bath items from Dr. Teals.
At the end of the day, it’s not about how much you spend, it’s about the thought behind it. A simple gesture of appreciation can mean the world to a teacher who has dedicated their year to helping kids succeed.
