Top 5 Gifts for Teachers

What types of gifts do teachers really want? Personally, I always love to receive gift cards. Besides gift cards, there are many other things that you can give a teacher. Whether you are shopping for your child’s teacher or a teacher friend, here are the top 5 gifts that I think teachers want.

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Gift Cards

Gift cards are always a teacher’s best friend. They are easy for you to purchase and they are easy for teachers to use. Let me tell you, I hold on to my gift cards and use them when I get a day off from work or during the holidays.

Many schools get teachers to write down their favorite things at the beginning of the year, so if you have that info then you’re all set. If you’re not sure where to get a gift card from, you could always just ask directly or ask your child (if you’re buying for your child’s teacher) or a co-worker (if you’re buying for a teacher friend)

Here are some suggestions on what kinds of gift cards to get:
•Restaurants (Olive Garden, Chili’s, Starbucks, etc.)
•Stores You Can’t Go Wrong With (Target, Walmart, etc.)
•Teacher Stores (Lakeshore Learning)
•Clothing/Jewelry stores (Old Navy, Charming Charlies, etc.)
•Craft stores (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc.)
•Online stores (Amazon…check out the TTC Amazon store, Teachers Pay Teachers, etc.)

Classroom/Teacher Supplies

Another great way to go when buying gifts for teachers is to purchase classroom supplies. If you have a teacher’s wish list, view the list and select a few things that you can purchase. You have no idea how much this helps teachers! Typically, teachers come out of pocket for things like Clorox wipes and Kleenex, so don’t think that buying supplies is somehow an inferior gift option. Absolutely not!

In addition to gifting things that are needed for the students, consider gifting supplies that teachers love too. Teachers love flair pens, sticky notes, and notepads just to name a few.

Here are a few more suggestions on what kinds of classroom and teachers supplies to get:
For the Classroom
•Copy paper
•Dry erase markers

For Teachers
•Mechanical pencils
•Highlighters

RELATED: CHRISTMAS CRAFTS FOR THE CLASSROOM

Bags/Totes

Last year, one of my parents gifted me a large, monogrammed bag that has come in handy so much. Thinking of that gift inspired me to add bags and totes to this list.

Teachers always need a good, large bag to hold graded papers, notebooks, and other supplies. You can find bags nearly everywhere in both physical stores an online.

Here are a few suggestions on where to buy bags/totes:
•Amazon
•Thirty-One
•Etsy
•The Teacher Tote

Box Subscriptions

Here’s a gift suggestion that you might not have thought about—subscription boxes. You might have heard of subscription boxes like Stitch Fix or HelloFresh. Well, did you know that there are boxes specifically for teachers?

A subscription box would be a really cool gift for teachers because most provide a variety of items that teachers will enjoy. You don’t have to worry about picking the wrong thing because the subscription box service chooses it. For most subscription boxes, you can choose to gift a teacher for one month, 6 months, or a year.

Here are a few subscription box suggestions:
•Teacher Care Crate
•Trendy Teacherz
•The Teacher’s Crate

Donor’s Choose Donations

Giving money to teachers directly isn’t an option due to ethics, so giving towards a big classroom project is the next best thing. Donor’s Choose is a website that teachers use to fund items for their classrooms. I have had several Donor’s Choose projects fulfilled thanks to the generous donations of my parents.

You can easily go to the Donor’s Choose website and type in a teacher’s name to see if they have an active project. Once you make a donation, the teacher is notified and you’ll receive thank you notes from the teacher and students when the project is fully funded. Plus, your donation is tax deductible!

What are your favorite gifts to give teachers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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