No time? Tight budget? We’ve got you covered with some clever, crafty and cheap gift ideas for teachers. Add them to your list right now!
Coffee Time: Price Range: $5 – $10
Let’s set the scene: A teacher walks into class the Friday morning before Christmas break, exhausted and totally ready for a holiday vacation—and there waiting on the desk is a piping cup of coffee, their favorite breakfast treat and a card from the entire class. Can a gift be any more thoughtful?
Make this a class present! Collect a dollar from each student and add a gift card to the mix.
This kind of gift is a great way to teach your elementary-aged children that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a good teacher’s day.
Supply Giftbox: Price Range: $2 – $10
Paper, pens, thumb drives, crayons, markers…. These sound like boring gift ideas, but most teachers spend their own hard-earned paychecks on supplies for their classrooms. Isn’t Christmas a good time give back?
Parents and children can either put together their own gift boxes with a few items, or this can be a class project where each student brings in an item. Imagine how happy your child’s teacher will be when they open a big box of school supplies. And another perk—all you had to do was pick up an inexpensive school supply. How fabulous is that?
For the Techie Teacher: Price Range: $10-$15
Something that just about everyone would like in their stocking is a mobile battery charger. You can pick them up for as little as $10. If you want to make it special, add your teacher’s initials with a paint or glitter pen.
Something Homemade – An Apple for the Teacher: Price Range: $1 – $10
We always associate apples with teachers, so let’s run with that. First, you’ll need apples. If you want to make this a classroom giveaway, have every student bring in one apple. Be sure to challenge the students to bring in different types of apples.
For the sweet-treat part, if you don’t have a beloved homemade sauce that just screams of holiday fabulousness, then we’ve found a few online that will help you out.
All of these recipes involve cheap ingredients and take very little time to make. Store one sauce (or all of them) in a jar and add them to the apples your child’s classmates brought in. Creative treat–no stress!
Crafty Phone Case: Price Range: $3 – $5
You can buy blank cell phone cases for pennies, so buy a few and let your kids go nuts with their paint pens and permanent markers. For extra credit, be sure to write the phrase, “World’s Best Teacher” on there.
If you’ve got an extra crafty kid in the house, you can also decoupage old artwork, photos, or candy wrappers onto the case. Wouldn’t it be great if you could find an old school picture of your child’s teacher to put on there?
But being thoughtful doesn’t take a lot of time or money–especially for the teacher who does so much for your favorite student. Happy Holidays!
