Showing Teachers You Care: What Makes a Good Holiday Gift?

by PTO Today Editors

02/07/2016

Befo

ore

ore I joined PTO Today, I taught preschool for several years. Each holiday break, I would receive many gifts from parents, and I would be touched by their generosity. But some parents went overboard and, honestly, it made me uncomfortable.

It is sometimes difficult to know what is an appropriate teacher gift. We want it to be special and memorable, but often just a simple expression of appreciation is what’s valued most. To get a few ideas, I went to the experts and asked our Facebook community of PTO and PTA leaders what they think makes a good teacher holiday gift. So if you are struggling for a gift idea for your parent group to give to teachers, here are a few suggestions:

  • Cookies and cocoa bar. Teachers enjoy a hot drink and collect a plate of cookies to bring home.



  • Cash (or gift cards) with handmade cards from children



  • Gift cards for a massage, coffee, movie tickets, or other special treat



  • A collection of gift cards assembled as a holiday wreath



  • Classroom and seasonal supplies like tissues and hand sanitizer



  • Homemade Christmas ornaments



  • Homemade cookies



  • Coffeemaker for the teachers lounge



  • Scratch tickets



  • Children’s books for the classroom



  • Chocolates



  • A goody bag full of mixed candies


Also, we found many inexpensive gift ideas on Pinterest this year. We gathered them onto our Teacher Holiday Gift board. This easy-to-make cinnamon ornament from completelydelicious.com (right) is a particularly big hit, based on the re-pinning that's underway! Other popular items: mixes for cookies, muffins, and fudge in mason jars and decorated hand sanitizers.

We hope these ideas help make the teacher gift decision a little less stressful. And good luck!