Teacher Gift Ideas: 20+ Gifts They Actually Want! (2024)

Coming up with teacher gift ideas can be a bit stressful! Especially if you‘re going through end-of-the-year or holiday craziness! Relax. I got you covered. As a teacher myself, I can speak from personal experience! I have also polled my 30+ coworkers (teachers in grades K-8) to tell you candidly EXACTLY what they want!

As a teacher, I definitely understand the impact of thoughtful gifts on a teacher’s morale and motivation! In my experience, the gifts that truly resonate with teachers are the ones that show a genuine understanding of their needs and interests.

And you know what? Our needs are super simple!!! Here are the general areas of need for us educators:

• Relaxation
• Retail Therapy
• Cute & Practical
• Luxury Items
• Time & Appreciation

Here are some of my top teacher gift choices–scroll down for more ideas!

1. Cute Lanyard | 2. Barnes & Noble Gift Card | 3. Initial Notebook | 4. Lululemon Belt Bag | 5. Sol de Janerio Set | 6. Cute pens | 7. Classroom Sign | 8. Cute Tumblers | 9. Starbucks Gift Card | 10. Personalized Wine Tumbler | 11. Restaurant Gift Card | 12. Yeti Cup | 13. Stanley Cup | 14. Personalized Note Cards | 15. Wine | 16. Cute Notebooks | 17. Simple earrings | 18. Mini Fridge | 19. Keychain

The Gift of Relaxation

1. Spa day

There is nothing that says R&R like a good spa day! This can be anything from a massage, facial, or mani/pedi. It’s all appreciated and an excuse for teachers to unwind for a bit.

2. Date Night/Movie Night

A gift card to a nice restaurant or a “dinner + movie” type package is a great idea. Ask around and find their favorite spots! I even know teachers who love DoorDash or Uber Eats cards when they are too crazed and tired to cook dinner!

3. Wine & Spirits

This one can be tricky, but with a little asking around, you can find out if this is appropriate or not for your specific teacher. I, for one, ALWAYS appreciate a nice bottle of white!

4. Round of Golf

We have a few male teachers on staff and they all agreed they would love a round of golf at a nice course! Of course, do your homework and ask around before you buy!

Retail therapy

5. Gift cards

When I polled my 30+ coworkers, overwhelmingly the answer to what they wanted were GIFT CARDS! I asked which type, and here are the most popular answers:

• Amazon
• Target
• Starbucks/Peets/Local Coffee House
• Barnes & Noble

Hey, we like to shop and drink coffee in our free time, what can I say?!

Cute & Practical

6. Personalized stuff

Classy, personalized items make a teacher feel kinda “boogie!” This can be items like notepads, pens, sparkly tumblers, wine glasses, or a classy classroom sign!

7. Cute office supplies (pens, notebooks, desk items)

This is one of my faves in the “inexpensive” department! Cute and colorful pens, notepads, journals, and desk items are all appreciated!

8. Cute lanyard or keychain

I get so many compliments on my beaded lanyard I bought from Amazon! So many teachers followed suit and bought themselves one!

Cute and classy keychains or a personalized keychain would also be a perfect gift.

9. Notecards

Good quality notecards are a great gift…maybe pair it with some fun pens or desk items mentioned in #7 above??

10. Mini fridge

Ok, this one came from our 2nd-grade teacher as the “best gift she ever got!” She uses it for her Diet co*kes and small lunch items! Such a great idea! Find out if the school allows them first 🙂

11. Mini Laminator

I don’t know many elementary school teachers who wouldn’t appreciate this! It’s a pain in the butt to laminate in the office all the time. Just do some research and make sure it’s a good one!

“Luxury” Items

12. Cozy throws

I don’t know one teacher who wouldn’t appreciate a cozy throw in the cooler months! Norstrom has fantastic ones like this or you can find great ones at TJ Maxx or Home Goods, too!

13. Stanley/Yeti/Hydro Flask Cups and Tumblers

These are all the rage and I know so many teachers who LOVE LOVE LOVE these! Perfect for coffee drinks and sipping water as we teach!

14. Leather card holder

This has personally been one of my favorite gifts! I probably wouldn’t buy a Coach card holder on my own but when a parent gifted me one, I was ecstatic! I use it every single day.

15. High-end hair products

This came from a few beauty-forward teachers at my school. They love high-end hair products like DryBar and Living Proof, but just can’t spend that much money!

16. Simple “luxury” brand earrings

You can’t go wrong with simple stud earrings from a “luxury” brand like Coach or Tory Burch. Again, these are things teachers like, but won’t buy for themselves!

17. “High-end” purse or belt bag

Of course, always keep your teacher’s personality and preferences in mind, but a small, neutral purse or an ever-popular belt bag are two great ideas to spoil your teacher!

Gifts of Time & Appreciation

18. Volunteer your time

Find out tasks that you could take off of a teacher’s plate. It could be things like spending a few hours organizing their class library, helping run small reading groups, or helping set up bulletin boards. You can give them a cute little “gift card” with the task you’ll do, or for a certain number of volunteer hours.

19. Volunteer your expertise

Are you a great artist? Medical professional? Musician? Volunteer to come and share your knowledge. The kids will LOVE IT and your teacher will get one less subject to plan that day!

20. Handwritten cards/letters/notes

I keep so many sweet notes from parents and students and I LOVE looking back on them! At a loss for what to say? I got you covered. Check out this post: 52 Quick Thank You Messages for Teachers. That will help get you started!

Tips for buying teacher gifts

• Always have the teacher in mind. Generic gift cards are 100% fine, but if you know your teacher is a bookworm, maybe go for a Barnes and Noble gift card and a cute bookmark to go along with it.
• I LOVE pooling money for a large “class” gift or even going in with another family to buy something more impactful.
• Ask around! Ask other teachers or parents (or your kid!) what your teacher loves and truly enjoys!
• Avoid cheap, overly generic gifts. Don’t get me wrong–your gift doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be a $5 hand cream, but attach a sweet note or make it personal in some way.
• Cool it with the “best teacher ever” stuff. We have a lot of it, trust me.

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