One.
In four years of teaching.
Now, up until that one student brought me anything, I never expected anyone to do so. I never even really thought about it. When I was a child, we always gave our teachers a Christmas gift and an End of the Year gift. Of course, with Pinterest becoming such a driving force in our society these days, I'm guessing that more and more teachers are receiving at least a little bit more love for the first day of school.
The thing is this, good or bad, I remember that child to this day...7 years later. I even remember the gift she gave me. It wasn't anything glamorous or expensive. Just sayin'. It does set up a rapport and the teacher will remember you and your child because you went out of your way to send a little something for the beginning of a new year. It doesn't have to be big, cute, or expensive. Most of the things I send with my kids for the first day of school cost less than 3 dollars. It's worth it to me. I never try to reinvent the wheel, I've never really been that great at creating something from air. I'm a stay at home mom. My brain isn't always in the creative mindset. Okay, maybe it rarely to never is anymore. I have done the searching for you though. Here is a roundup of my favorite {cheap} back to school teacher gifts.
2. Washi Tape Teacher Gift - So I am a new convert to Washi tape, and, it's AMAZING! Pretty cheap too, only 3 dollars a roll at Target. Look in the school supplies by the regular tape.
3. Meet the Remark{er}able Teacher - Who doesn't need markers for the new school year? You could even break up a package of markers and give 2 or 3 to the teacher instead of the whole package.
4. Back to School Lotion - Looks like this printable has been changed. Go and check it out. Lotion for back to school is great because teacher's are constantly washing their hands to prevent illness.
6. Happy New School Year - How easy and cute are these?? Just a package of pencils, a notepad, and a clipboard.
7. My Future is Looking Sharp Gift - Again, you can't go wrong with markers. You can decide how many markers to give. If you have 2 teachers you could just split a package between the two of them. Easy peasy.
8. {Take Note} Apple Post-it Note Gift - I have seen these apple post-it note dispensers at Target and Walmart. Very cute and fun for a teacher.
10. Happy First Day - The thing I love about this one, is you can really put this tag on just about anything. (i.e. donuts, apples, candy, school supplies, anything you want) Also, this one has alternative printables for other occasions as well.
11. Happy New School Year - Cute, practical, fun. I love the pencils with the name flags. This ensures those pencils make it back to your teacher.
12. If Teachers Were Flowers, I'd Pick You - Now this one could be more on the expensive side if you choose to make it that way. You could just buy a single stemmed flower or small bunch of flowers for around 4 dollars. It's up to you how big you go. I will tell you that flowers on the first day are wonderful. Though my students never brought me any as a teacher, my husband brought me some on the very first day of school my very first year. It's a symbol of a fresh start.
14. Edible School Glue Gift - This one is a little more labor intensive, but oh so cute! I especially love this printable and think it would look just as cute tied to a package of glue sticks. That would be much easier for busy mommies. Just make sure you don't use the edible school glue tag for real glue...no brainer.
15. Can't Wait to Have Mounds of Fun - As I said before, chocolate is always a winner in my book! So cute and delicious.
16. You Were 'Mint' to Be My Teacher - How sweet! A surefire way to start the year off right. Proclaiming we were meant to be together. What teacher wouldn't love that?
18. So Happy I Got the Most 'Pop'ular Teacher - Ok, so flattery will get you
19. I'm Looking Forward to a 'Souper' Year - Yummy! I love these soup mixes and since school is the mark of Fall, we could all use a little warming up. I think this might be my BTS teacher gift this year!
20. I'm Totally Bananas about Being in Your Class - You could make banana muffins, like the picture, or make it easier on yourself. Give the teacher a bunch of bananas. Or banana runts. Or banana taffy. You decide.
22. Apple Teacher Gift - An apple for the teacher. This goes way back. Easy, and with a cute poem, you can't lose. It's also a perfect healthy addition to their teacher's lunch, or if the teacher gets enough of them, a yummy pie. :)
23. I'm 'Soda'-Lighted You Are My Teacher - I've used a version of this for the end of year and the teacher's LOVED it. I amped it up a bit and gave a six pack of soda. However, if you want to keep down cost, go for the single soda. Any kind will do. Most teachers adore soda. I never was one to have a soda a day, however, if I got one, I would drink it as a special treat.
24. I'm Going to be One Smart Cookie - If you don't want to get cookies in a mason jar, and if you don't own any mason jars, then tie this tag to a box of cookies from your local bakery. Or a package of cookies off the grocery shelf. Either way, it will be cute and yummy!
26. To Do List for First Day of School - NUTELLA!!!! The star of Pinterest. Now, I love Nutella, however, I've heard rumors that there are people out there that don't like it as much. Lucky for you, this printable could be used with any chocolate.
27. So Happy to Have a Berry Special Teacher - Although the paper strawberries are adorable, they are a bit labor intensive. If you are in a hurry, just pop that tag on a carton of strawberries, or a strawberry hand soap or lotion.
28. I am Jumping for 'Joy' to be in Your Class - More chocolate. You cannot go wrong with chocolate and coconut in my opinion. This printable is so cute!
30. There's No 'Mistake' About it - I like this idea. There is no link, because my computer is warning against going to the website I found this from. I don't want all of you to get scammed or have malicious software transmitted. You're welcome. So just go from the picture. You can get these small containers of pencil top erasers at Target, Walmart, and I've even seen them at the Dollar Tree. Type up your own tag and you are ready to go.
Another bonus to the back to school teacher gift is your child will just LOVE giving their new teacher a gift. Let them write out a card or draw a picture as well. They can introduce themselves in that picture. The child will love it, the teacher will love it. One caution...try not to overgift your teachers. It's important to appreciate them, however, if you go out and buy a 50 dollar gift card to HomeGoods the teacher may feel guilty or awkward. It's best to keep things simple and thoughtful. Now, if you know that teacher loves HomeGoods, maybe a 10 dollar gift card would work better. :)
Happy Gifting!!
Valerie
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