Gift Ideas for Holidays & End of Year

Gifts for the end of the year are generally more personal in nature than the holiday gifts to teachers given the children have spent the entire year with teachers and assistants/aides.  Here are some ideas for you.

Photobooks

For the younger grades where you are in the classroom frequently, a photo book of the year is a wonderful gift. You can ask parents to upload pictures to a photosharing site such as Picasa or Shutterfly and have someone put the book together. Websites such as Shutterfly, Picaboo, Blurb and Walgreens Photo allow you to create photo books online.

Teachers always appreciate writing from the students, so feel free to have the parents submit the children’s favorite memory for the year, what they loved most about the teacher, etc.

You can create a fun and special book with the following prompts:

  • I will always remember Teacher X….
  • Teacher X will always remember me….
  • The best part of this year was….
  • I loved learning…

To create the book, consider an online form (see example) to collect the information needed from busy parents. The PTO has access to a secure online forms solution that is great for this sort of thing. Contact the website committee to request your form. Alternatively, you could make a template in PowerPoint or Word and ask each parent to add a photo of their child to the template.  Email the template and directions a few weeks before you need it back and don’t forget to send reminder emails to parents.

Favorite book
Families could send in a favorite book from the child for the classroom library.

Gift basket
Give teachers a stress relief/spa themed basket.

Other Gift Ideas For Teachers, Assistants/Aides, Specialists, Other Staff, etc.

  • Gift cards to a coffee shop, book store, or Lexington Chamber of Commerce (valid in over 100 local shops/restaurants)
  • Favorite snacks, magazines
  • Ice cream or fro-yo gift card
  • Plants
  • Tea or coffee in a mug
  • Lunch
  • Prepared dinner
  • Fruit basket
  • Guilty pleasures day – parents brought/sent in items like chocolates, popcorn, magazines, etc.
  • A book or two for the classroom connected to the curriculum
  • Basket with home baked goods for the teacher – muffins, biscotti, cookies, etc.
  • Ask parents to send in a small item related to the teacher’s interests – cooking items like a spatula, hot mitt, towel, crossword puzzle book, etc. Fill a basket with the items.
  • If your teacher likes to cook, have families send in a favorite recipe.

 

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