Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated during the first full week in May. Here are some great gift ideas to show your teachers some LOVE! 

Teachers are grateful of any gift from parents, BUT if you’re looking for some guidance start by asking your school secretary, homeroom parent or Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for a “Teachers Favorites List.” At the beginning of each school year, teachers commonly complete a form with their “likes” and “preferences” in this department. The Teachers Favorites List can be extremely helpful when parents are searching for a meaningful gift for their teacher, so make sure to ask about it! 

RELATED READING :: Dear Teachers

Keep in mind that many schools delegate a homeroom parent who generally collects money at the beginning of the year. These monetary donations will cover the cost of gifts for the teacher throughout the school year for holidays, birthdays, etc. This is not a requirement for all of the parents, but a nice way to collect money to use towards purchasing whole-class gifts. 

One of my favorite gift ideas to give teachers is to put together a “goodie” basket. You can get a basket from Michaels and fill it with your teacher’s favorite things from their list. Some of the items I have included inside teacher’s goodie baskets include: a monogrammed Yeti cup, their favorite snack, dark chocolate, a handwritten card signed by the whole class, a monogrammed beach towel, and a gift card to their favorite store or restaurant. 

Another idea is to have individual parents bring food and drink items for your teacher to the school.  This can easily be organized through a website called SignUpGenius. Parents from your child’s class can shower their teacher throughout the whole Teacher Appreciation Week. You can include breakfast, lunch and/or special treat options. I usually send an email to my teacher asking them to give me a better idea of their favorite local restaurants and food preferences. Special treats could include a bouquet of flowers from a local florist, an Edible Arrangement, or a box of Tiff’s Treats

Creating a word cloud using wordcloud.com or tagxedo.com is a really creative way to make a thank you card. Your child can use unique adjectives to describe their teacher and make into a fun card. It can be printed on card stock paper and put inside a nice frame. Another fun idea is to have every student in your child’s class write a letter explaining why they love their teacher. You can collect all the letters and make it into a nice book. Younger students can draw a picture instead of writing a letter. 

Here are other creative ideas you can gift your teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week:

A monogrammed mug from Anthropologie 
A plant with a cute “thank you for helping me grow” sign 
A mason jar full of your teacher’s favorite chocolate or candy 
Papermate Flair Pens 
A gift certificate to get a massage or a manicure/pedicure
A candle 
A box a baked goods 
• A VISA gift card

Whether it’s a handwritten card, a gift card to their favorite store, or a thank you email, this week is truly the perfect time to show deep gratitude and show appreciation towards one of the hardest working professionals that give it their all everyday———TEACHERS! 

Andrea Steimle
Andrea is a stay-at-home mama of two littles, Everett (2013) and Ellie (2019). Prior to staying home, she was an elementary school teacher for over a decade. She holds her 300 hour yoga teacher certification with the Yoga Alliance and currently teaches vinyasa and yin yoga in Lakeway. Her lifelong passion lies in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and sharing this knowledge with like-minded individuals. During her free time, you will find her exploring new and fun places in Austin, practicing yoga, actively volunteering in her local community and school district, and spending quality time with family and friends. Follow this Austin mama on Instagram @andreasteimle.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hi Andrea – Fab ideas!

    Did you know SignUp.com is headquartered in Austin (with an Austin mom founder) and is much easier to use that that other planning site you mentioned? We make it a snap to coordinate parents for all kinds of teacher celebrations and school activities and to collect funds and items for group gifts. Whether your planning or participating, SignUp is the easiest way to bring busy parents together. Hope you’ll check us out!

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