Seeking Ideas - Holiday Gifts for Pre-school/kindergarten Teachers

My boys' are both in 1/2 grades and they create their own gifts.. teachers just adore a nice portrait of the times they shared with that teacher. You can always add a lil somthing to that.. seems like everyone enjoys a good coffee... :) Good luck.

For Christmas, I like to give my sons' teachers living holiday greens. The local Boy Scout Troop sells them as a fundraiser: centerpieces, wreaths, door swags, garlands . . . each teacher that I have given them to has, in turn, become a customer of the boy scouts. I love this gift because it needs to be replaced each year, is always the right size and doesn't interfer with anyone's diet.

If you call your local Boy Scout Council, they should know who is selling the greens. You can get them delivered to your house. I give centerpieces; they cost $15 each.

Another gift idea is to buy a tub of popcorn (you can get them at most video stores) and fill it with movie-size candy plus a gift certificate for a movie. This one costs about $25.

A third idea -- one that I usually use during teacher's appreciation week -- is to give them a gift certificate for a home-cooked meal. I offer a few menus (always family favorites that are easy for me to double). Then we coordinate a day for me to drop off the meal to them at school or for them to swing by and pick it up. I can't tell you how popular this one is -- but I almost always get asked to become their personal chef. Since I am just doubling my family's dinner, it's not too hard on me. This one just costs me a little time -- plus maybe an additional $7 in ingredients?

My end-of-school idea is based on a silly rhyme I made up:

Thanks a latte
Thanks a lunch
You booked a great year
We're as pleased as punch

I attach four gift certificates to the rhyme: a coffee shop card (latte), gift certificate to a local resturant (lunch), gift certificate to a book store (that would be the book part) and a smoothie or juice bar gift certificate. I usually spend about $40 on this gift. ($5, $15, $15, $5 in that order).

HOpe this helps!

I homeschool now but when my son was in public school I would make a batch of chocolate and a batch of peanut butter fudge. I would buy a pair of $1 slipper socks. I would bag a 1/4 pound of each flavor seperately and put one in each sock. I use a ribbon to tie the two socks together, and always included a homemade Photo Greeting Card of our family.

Every holiday season I order Ink Jet Shrinky Dink Paper from the Shrinky Dink site. I crop a photo and add custom captions. I print a current cropped photo, using my ink jet printer, on each sheet. I cut it out then hole punch the top of it. I shrink it following included instructions. After it cools I spray a high gloss Krylon finish on it to preserve and protect the picture. I then string a ribbon or string through it. Everyone loves our homemade photo ornaments! It is fairly inexpensive to make.

T.
Founder of www.theparentpack.org

A scrap book...things they can collect throughout the year and save..you can make one very cheap and all the main ingredients are added by the students of that year

Hi A.,

If I give you some good ideas ... will you give me some free professional advice?!!! (LOL)

What we did was decorate cheap picture frames, with cool buttons, ribbon bows, shells, bottle caps (tho hard to find now), old empty spools of thread ... We put a pic that my daughter had drawn of her teacher and herself in the frame and the teacher loved it! If the child is too old to feel comfortable drawing the pic, a photo would be great. Just ask the teacher and your child to pose for a quick shot one day and then blow that puppy up and there you go!! Teachers get so much "junk" that they seem to appreciate something that THE CHILD makes for them. Also well received are gift certificates to local restaurants, everybody likes to eat!!

Hope this helps!

V. T.

Hi A.,
Not sure what your budget is, but the teachers at my daughter's school love to get gift certificates to Embody Wellness Spa. We offer special First Time Gift Certificates for teachers for Massage (Reg $89) for $69. It's a great way to thank them for their hard work by providing a little relaxation and rejuvenation.

Embody Wellness Spa
2495 Old Middlefield Way,
Mountain View CA 94043
Tel: ###-###-####
www.embodyspa.com

Hello...

I think a great little gift like a hat, scarf, or gloves is perfect especially with the cold weather comming. Also, gift cards to Starbucks, a music store, or even the itunes store if you know they have ipods. Even a great mug filled with a packet of hot cocoa or tea. One of my favorites is baked goods! Just a couple ideas- Hope it helps! D.

Starbucks? My hubby is a teacher and loves getting Starbucks gift cards. Gotta get that energy somewhere. :)

i was planning on doing a gift basket with a "movie night" theme - some microwave popcorn, juice or soda if you want and a gift certificate to blockbusters.

I used to give my teachers gifts they could use like school supplies for the classroom

Hello,
First of all I just loved Tina's ideas.
When my son was in Daycare a few years ago I bought two of his teachers a $5.00 small sun catcher that said #1 teacher. It was very sweet little gift. When I was at a thrift shop I found this wonderful book of poems about teachers. I have thought about choosing a poem and having it printed on nice paper and then frame it for the teacher this year. Now if I could get inspired I will try and write my own poem. :-) I bet if you went online you could find some great inexpensive gifts for teachers..( put in craft gift ideas) My son's teacher this year has a guide dog in the class so I might get her dog a little gift as well. When I do all this I'll have my son help it will be a nice together project. I hope this helps and good for you getting a jump on it.

I give them a massage set. The company I work with has a "Super Deluxe Smitten" that gives a wonderful massage with minimal effort. I pair that with our "Tingling Tootsies" which is an herbal, peppermint enhanced foot creme. Teachers are on their feet all day and it really helps to feel refreshed. I'd stear clear of the typical teacher gifts. Maybe even a gift certificate for a pedicure...for men or women.

Hi, photos are always nice, with a handwritten picture or note from your child. Just something short and sweet. Or personalized items are great too... but for a bunch of 5-7 teachers, that can be a budget buster and lots manage. Sometimes, getting school supplies or cute things for their classroom is good too, things they can use for the children. That's what I've done in the past, and the teacher's loved it. Or a book about appreciating the great things teachers do? I have some great products too, at my boutique store at: www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo in which I have had teachers and parents buy gifts from, especially the tote bags.
Or, get them a gift certificate to see a nice play? But that can be pricey. Also, "donating" some great series of books for the classroom can be great too, or craft supplies? My girl's teachers always loved that. Or, a Christmas ornament with your daughter's photo on it? You can get these at www.kodakgallery.com They have great things too.
Good luck!
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

Hi A.,
I work from home with a bunch of different companies. Maybe something I sell would fit. I have everything from food, gifts, jewelry and more. Check out my sites and see what you find :) Hope this helps.
Hugs,
B.
www.bethsbambooshop.com
www.mylatasia.com/Elegance
www.teatreewellness.org

A., I have been thinking about the comming holidays also. I have spent the year getting my photos organized. The company that I work for has made it very easy to put together great archival photo albums and products. I am doing a photo album for my daughters music teacher. She always organizes a wonderful Holiday Harp Concert, so I thought it would be great to give her an album with a started page. Over the years she can continue to add a page.She usually sends about 5 or 6 students to this event.There are so many applications for photo albums, hope this helps. If you are interested in exporing this further send my a e-mail, I would love to help out.
G. K

My mother-in-law teaches 1st grade and she always welcomes supplies to use in her class room like crayons, drawing paper, etc and she loves starbucks gift cards!