Top Ten Gift Ideas for Teachers

You don't want to buy your child's teacher another set of soaps, candles and potpourri. Are you trying to tell them something about the way they smell? They probably don't need another apple mug or knick knack either. My husband is a junior high teacher and I have a few friends who are elementary teacher. I've heard what they like and is appreciated and also what they don't care for. Here is a list of some inexpensive but useful and thoughtful items for the teachers on your list.

1. My husband and I swear by Airborne. There are so many germs floating around and illnesses constantly spread in schools. Airborne is a tasty effervescent natural supplement developed by a second grade teacher who was sick of catching colds in the classroom. It has lots of vitamin C, zinc, electrolytes, and organic herbal extracts with no artificial colors or flavors. Speaking of flavors, our favorite is the orangey "original" variety. It costs $4.99-5.99 for a tube of 10 tablets.

2. Along these same lines is hand sanitizer. My husband always keeps a bottle of this in his classroom. He uses it himself but also encourages students (who are often notoriously bad at washing their hands) to use it to help prevent the spread of germs.

3. Healthy snacks or a fruit basket are much appreciated. Fruit baskets can be bought at most groceries and start at $10 at stores like Meijer. You can also throw together your own basket with oranges and/or apples, mini boxes of raisins and wheat crackers or healthy snack bars.

4. An office supply gift card is always handy. My husband visits Staples at least once a month for school and office supplies. Of course gas cards can be used by pretty much everyone also. Even a small amount is appreciated but parents can also pool very small amounts of money together for this easy gift.

5. A personalized Christmas ornament is an easy and inexpensive gift that is still heartfelt. You can buy simple bulbs or figures at the dollar store and decorate them with the student's name and date with a paint pen. You can also make some yummy smelling ornaments with a ½ cup of cinnamon, 1/3 cup of applesauce and 1 tablespoon of glue. It's made into dough that's rolled out and made into holiday shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole for a ribbon and let dry.

6. Pens, pencils, paper, and anything else on the student's class supply list. Every year, parents receive some sort of list of items needed for each class. Each year, these items get lost or forgotten or broken. The teacher usually keeps an extra supply (paid for by the teacher) for students who don't have theirs. A nice gift would be a few items from this list that the teacher can set aside for the current (or future) class that do not have to be paid for by the teacher.

7. The teacher will need to send thank you cards to the students/parents, so why not supply these? You can buy a simple set at the dollar store with a basic design or maybe with a teacher theme like pictures of apples or ABCs or a school bus. You could also buy a stationary and envelope set that can be used as thank you cards or for sending notes home to parents.

8. A cute and useful gift is a movie-theme package. You can buy a $5 gift card from Blockbuster along with a $1 box of microwave popcorn to give your teacher a fun night of entertainment for only $6. The same can be done with a $5 book of certificates from the local discount movie theater along with a $1 movie-size box of candy.

9. Gloves are a simple gift that nearly everyone uses (and loses). My husband and I are constantly going through gloves either by misplacing one or both or wearing them out. Gloves are pretty much one size fits all so you don't have to worry about figuring out a measurement. Stick with black or brown.

10. Okay, this last one is for very special teachers (possibly one who's retiring or leaving). It requires time, effort and planning but is a wonderful gift that will be cherished for years. My friend's daughter had a teacher that everyone loved and who was leaving. Each child in the class decorated a square of cloth with fabric markers. Then, my friend and another mom sewed all the squares together and made a quilt to surprise the teacher. She was touched and amazed at the thought and effort that went into the gift.