We love teachers! And at Christmas time, we want to share just how much gratitude we have in our hearts by not only giving gifts, but giving good gifts that are both practical and affordable. That’s why I’m teaming up with Jennifer Brinker, principal at Greenwood Middle School to share our favorite Teacher Christmas Gift Ideas to bless the special educators in your life during the holiday season.
Try to Get to Know Your Teacher
The key to giving good gifts to your teachers this time of the year (or anytime for that matter) is knowing what they love! There’s a couple of ways to be intentional about this. You could have your favorite educators fill out a wishlist at the beginning of the year (you can print our favorite one here). Ask about favorite restaurants, snacks, classroom needs, and more.
You can also go to the gatekeeper – the treasured school secretary to get a sneaky inside track on who loves what, sizes, and more.
Download a FREE Printable Teacher Favorite PDF here.
Defining Your Budget
Before you hit the aisles, you always need to know how much money you have to spend. Set an overall dollar amount AND jot down a list of how many teachers you will buy for. This gets trickier as your kids get older and have more than just one or two teachers.
Thank You Cards/Kid Creations
There are plenty of great ways to show your gratitude without spending a dime. Most teachers LOVE to know they’re making a difference more than anything else. Take some time to handwrite a card with why you are thankful for their role. Have your child draw a picture or create something special.
If you choose to give a gift like food, be sure to consider a teacher’s dietary needs or allergies. And rather than homemade goodies, choose something with a long shelf life that they can keep in their classroom.
Gift Cards
You can never go wrong with a gift card! After all the recipient can choose exactly what they want. Even a card for $5-10 can make a big difference. Teachers in our lives have shared they love gift cards like these to places like Target where they can get a number of necessities and luxuries. Or you may consider Half Priced Books or Barnes & Noble.
You may also want to consider what restaurants are located near the school and may even deliver there. Finally, if you’re last minute like I can be sometimes, Amazon is a WONDERFUL gift card pick up since educators can purchase just about everything, from books to music to movies and more. You can even print holiday themed gift cards straight from the website and send them that day!
Check with the Teacher About Needs
Many teachers use their own money to supplement classroom needs. Check in with your teacher to see if they’re running low! Perhaps your teacher needs new books for their classroom. Or maybe crucial supplies are lacking. Lastly, think about a gift card to a place like Teachers Pay Teachers where you’ll both support an educator and provide key classroom materials. What a win, win!
Donors Choose
My sweet teacher friends, we want to help you do amazing things in your classroom! Use a website like Donors Choose to set up a specific passion project and then e-mail it to your parents! This is the perfect time of the year to take advantage of crowdsourcing a greater goal. The majority of parents will be THRILLED to give online immediately instead of hustling for a gift somewhere in the crazy days of December.
WOW Gifts
Last but not least, consider shopping for WOW gifts – something really special throughout the entire year. Use outlet shopping and special sales to really pamper teachers. You can easily build a collection of special gifts without overspending. And then when you need the gift, those items will be right there for you.
Take the time to celebrate the special people in the lives of your kids. They do so much and need to know you care. It doesn’t take a huge budget or fancy gifts, plus with these ideas, you can give something your teacher really loves, too!
Our new book Your Money, Your Marriage is now available! Be sure to check out videos on managing money together on Facebook.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out The Debt Free Devotional
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