A new school year is just around the corner. While you and your child have been busy packing backpacks and planning lunches, her teacher has been busily setting the stage for a fabulous fresh start. Why not show your child's teacher you appreciate her from the get-go with a simple, thoughtful back-to-school gift?
Katie Hurley, child and adolescent psychotherapist, says, "Children are in school for more than six hours per day, five days a week. Their teachers are often more than just the people who teach them. They're the port in a storm, the safety net and the person who loves them anyway. Nurturing the parent-teacher relationship is vital. It shows your child that you're invested in her education, and it shows the teacher that you trust her with your most precious cargo."
Our sweet and simple back-to-school teacher gift ideas will be fun to make, meaningful to give and appreciated without a doubt! Pair them with a simple note, "We're excited to start the school year with you!" and start everyone's year on the right foot!
Extra supplies
Every teacher touts the merits of a well-supplied classroom. Save her a trip to the store with a few extra supplies for kids or for cleaning. What she doesn't have, she'll buy. Show her you realize that and appreciate it!
Play to her sweet tooth
Most teachers love sweets and appreciate a go-to treat to beat the afternoon slump or to sweeten their days. A Mason jar filled with chocolate is sure to put a smile on her face!
Back-to-school mix
What makes this a back-to-school mix? Is it the unbeatable salty-sweet combination reminiscent of how bittersweet a new school year is? Or is it the addition of M&Ms in primary colors that remind everyone of their school days? Or maybe anything can be called back to school, and things as delicious as this shouldn't be questioned! A simple combination of popcorn, pretzels and Cheerios covered with melted white chocolate baking squares, M&Ms and colorful sprinkles, our back-to-school mix in a pretty container is sure to please!
Flowers in a perfect teacher vase
Everyone melts at the sight of fresh flowers just for them, but placed in this perfect teacher vase, this gift is such a win! Simply wrap a rubber band around a can and slide sharpened colored pencils beneath it. The rubber band will hold the pencils in place and can be covered with a pretty ribbon!
A bouquet of sharpened pencils
There's something about neat stacks of colorful notebooks, new crayons and sharpened pencils that bring out the perfect blend of nostalgia and hopefulness in all of us — teachers included. A pretty jar filled with sharpened pencils is a perfect back-to-school teacher gift!
A cup of coffee
When I was teaching, a parent sent me an email the week before school started saying she was excited to meet me and asking what my favorite Starbucks coffee was. She brought me the coffee on the first — and last — days of school, making each one a little bit sweeter. That was over a decade ago, and I'm still talking about how thoughtful it was! A hot cup of coffee just the way you like it starts everyone's day on the right foot!
More on school days
Archiving school art: Keep the papers or go digital?
Emotions of sending a child with disabilities to school
Must-read books for school-age girls
