This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’ve got 7 thoughtful last-minute gift ideas to show the teachers in your life that you care!
Tell a Teacher you care with a thoughtful gift for Teacher Appreciation Week. This week, we’re saying Thank You to the hard-working teachers in our lives. To the molders of young minds who build up the foundation of our society, we appreciate you! We have all been impacted by a Teacher, and that’s why it’s essential to recognize their hard work. Make an effort to say ‘Thank You’ to a teacher in your life this week. Show a token of your appreciation with a thoughtful gift this year. We did extensive research and asked Teachers which gifts they appreciate most.
1. Hand Written Thank You Note
A hand-written Thank You note is a personal and meaningful gift for Teacher appreciation week. Express gratitude for your Teacher’s hard work. Let them know how thankful you are for everything that they do. Try to be specific about what you appreciate to show your teacher that their efforts don’t go unnoticed. If you are writing the Thank You note as a parent, express that you recognize the vital role they play in shaping your child into the beautiful person they are! If you’re struggling with what to write, then check out these Thank-You Note Sample for Awesome Teachers from Write Thank You Notes.
2. Dinner off Their Plate
Take something off a teacher’s plate by having dinner ready to cook and delivered to their door. For teachers, the job doesn’t end after the school bell rings. It can be hard to find free between grading homework and tests, creating lessons, and more. Teachers often come into school early, leave late, and continue their hard work at home. Show a teacher you care by taking dinner off their plate, giving them more time to themselves. They deserve it! Purchase a Dream Dinners gift card and bring it to class this week. Or, send a care package to their door that includes one complete meal through Dream Dinners Delivered.
3. Coffee for the Week
Coffee is a wonderful gift for Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers deserve all the free coffee they can get! There are several ways you can gift coffee to a teacher to brighten up their day. Bring your teacher’s favorite coffee with the kids to school this week. If you’re unsure what kind of coffee your teacher loves, send them a Starbucks gift card. Another excellent coffee gift for Teacher Appreciation Week is a Gourmet Coffee Gift Set. Send a coffee sample box from Atlas Coffee Club’s Coffee World Tour. In the box, you will find 4 different bags of specialty coffee from 4 different countries. The cute coffee gift box also includes picturesque postcards from each country and tasting note cards for each roast.
4. Books
Ellen G., an elementary school teacher in Illinois, gave us this unique gift idea for Teacher Appreciation Week. The great thing about this gift is you can bring it from your home! It’s an easy, thoughtful, and unique gift idea to help teachers make a difference in the classroom.
“Books for the classroom are always good too because we never know what their kids like so if they bring in their kids favorite books it is super helpful for us!” – Ellen, Elementary School Teacher
5. Hand Made Gift
Having your children create something by hand is a heart-felt gift their Teacher will cherish forever! It’s also an opportunity to show the Teacher some of the skills they bestow upon their students. If you’re looking for handmade gift ideas, check out this article by Fun Loving Families that includes 15 DIY Teacher Gifts Anyone Can Make.
6. Gift Card
Gift Cards are a great gift for Teachers because they can purchase exactly what they need for the class. They’re also great because the teacher you’re buying for will be able to decide if they want to use their gift for the class or as a reward to themselves for all of their hard work. We asked several Teachers which gift cards they appreciate most to compile a list of the best gift cards to buy teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week for you.
Best Gift Cards to buy Teachers
- Amazon Gift Card
- Visa Gift Card
- Starbucks Gift Card
- Meal Kit Gift Card
- Target Gift Card
- Gift Card for a Local Massage
- Gif Card for a Local Restaurant
- DoorDash Gift Card
7. School Supplies
Did you know that most teachers have to buy their own school supplies? On average, teachers spend between $500-and $1,000 on supplies for their classrooms! For this reason, school supplies are an excellent gift for Teacher Appreciation Week. We researched and asked several teachers which supplies they would appreciate the most to compile this list of school supply ideas for you! Bring in a school supply gift set for your teacher this week, or pick one or more items from the list to send with your kiddos to school.
School Supplies to gift a Teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week
Pre-Sharpened Pencils
One of our teachers gave us the low down on this school supply gift idea. The most important aspect of this gift is that the pencils are pre-sharpened!
“Sharpening Pencils can take a lot of time, so we always appreciate it when we are gifted with pre-sharpened pencils. It saves us the hassle of having to sharpen every pencil before the kids are able to use them!” -Mysti, Middle School Teacher
Pencil Top Erasers
Pencil top erasers are a valuable and inexpensive gift you can give for Teacher Appreciation Week. For just $5.99, you can buy a pack of 120 high-quality colorful pencil top erasers.
Colored Pencils
Send a pack of colored pencils with your kids this week to show appreciation for their Teacher’s hard work. The Color Swell Colored Pencil Packs are teacher-approved for unleashing creativity in students! They are also highly budget-friendly.
Permanent Markers
For just $12.99, gift a Teacher a pack of multi-colored permanent markers from Shuttle Art. This set included 30 fine tip multi-colored markers perfect for the classroom. These versatile markers can be used for detailed marks, writing, grading paper, plastic, metal, and most other surfaces!
Dry Erase Markers
Dry erase markers are a necessity in the classroom. Bring some dry erase markers in for a Teacher this week as a token of appreciation. Grab a bulk pack for the class to really help a teacher out! This pack from Arteza includes 52 dry erase markers, including 12 assorted colors with low-odor and non-toxic inc.
Dry Erasers
Just like Teachers need dry erase markers, they need dry erasers, too! We love this Magnetic Dry Eraser that will cling right to the whiteboard for easy access. Bonus points for including a free 3.4 oz whiteboard cleaner!
Highlighters
Highlighters are another classroom essential. We’ve been informed that yellow highlighters are extra great. Send a pack of highlighters with your kids to school this week to put a smile on their Teacher’s faces.
Individual Dry Erase Boards
This gift idea for Teacher Appreciation week was an insider tip. Double-sided whiteboards are great for daily use in the classroom. Teachers can confidently hand these over to the kids in class without any worries with rounded corners and smooth edges!
Paper Clips
Colorful paper clips are a valuable addition to any classroom. This set is fantastic because it includes 300 assorted colored binder clips, paper clips, and rubber bands to easily meet various needs in the classroom.
Glue Sticks
Glue sticks are a great school supply gift for Teacher Appreciation Week. This is especially true if the Teacher you are buying for is an elementary educator. Kids often use glue sticks for arts and crafts in the class, so grab a pack and bring it in to assist classroom creativity!
Most Importantly, Give Thanks
Most importantly, make sure you say Thank You to all of the Teachers in your life during Teacher Appreciation Week. It’s nice to be recognized for all of your hard work, and that is precisely what National Teacher Appreciation Week is all about. No matter what you decide to gift a teacher this week, we know they will greatly appreciate your token of thanks.
Dream Dinners will be doing Teacher shoutouts all week on social! Give us a follow on Facebook and Instagram @dreamdinners and tag a teacher you’d love to see recognized. Are you a teacher with great gift ideas? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to share more helpful tips with our Dream Dinners families. Running out of ideas on what to pack the kids for lunch as Summer inches Closer? We’ve got an article to help!