13 Teacher Appreciation Gifts for $5 or Less

When you need to find gifts for dozens of school staff members for teacher appreciation or other occasions, it quickly becomes important to keep costs down. But don’t get discouraged if your budget is tight—there’s still plenty you can do with a budget of $5 or less per person.

Consider making these low-cost, easy teacher gifts part of your plans for Teacher Appreciation Week in the first full week of May, or use them to show appreciation at any point in the school year.

Teachers Like You Are the "Balm"

Pair lip balm with a cute gift tag that reads, "Teachers like you are the balm". Or, insert Chapstick into this adorable Chapstick holder key chain that looks like a pencil (Amazon).

School Supply Goody Bags

Fill goody bags with classroom supplies teachers always need, such as glue sticks, erasable markers, highlighters, sticky notes, and travel-size hand sanitizer. This printable goody bag tag can be customized to add teacher names and the name of your parent group, if you like.

Netflix and Grade

Add this “Netflix and grade” gift tag to a nice red pen or Flair pen that teachers can use for grading. If your budget allows, include an individual bag of microwave popcorn or snack mix, which can be purchased in bulk at warehouse clubs. It’s a thoughtful nod to the amount of time teachers spend at home grading.

Teacher Treat Trolley

Surprise teachers by rolling a cart loaded with snack items (also called a Treat Trolley) through the halls. If necessary, set a limit on how many items a staff member can take—for example, one drink and two snacks. Offer bottled water and pouches of powder that can be mixed in to make iced tea fruit drinks or energy drinks. Stock the cart with granola bars, individual packages of pretzels, cheese, or nuts, and fruit that doesn’t require preparation, like whole bananas, apples, or oranges.

Room Service

Allow teachers to choose their treats in advance with a "Sip, Sip, Hooray" room service menu (part of our free appreciation mega bundle). Teachers will enjoy picking their favorite items and not having to leave their classrooms. Another spin is to take custom orders for a popular drink spot, like a local coffee shop. Round up several volunteers to place the drink orders and make deliveries at school.

Mini Pies

Before Thanksgiving, stock up mini boxed pies, available at Walmart and local grocery stores. The P.H. Greene Elementary PTA in Webster, Texas, paid less than a dollar for each pie and bought one for each teacher and staff member. The group simply added a ribbon to each box and used a few fall decorations to display the pies, which were given out before the Thanksgiving break. Get our free pie-themed printable gift tags, part of our FREE holiday appreciation mega bundle. 

Coffee Cart

Buy large containers of to-go coffee, or make your own and pour it into a large coffee urn. Load up a cart with the coffee as well as cups, cream, sugar, and straws—bonus points for adding flavored creamer and a few other choices of sweetener. Volunteers with the Fairgrove Elementary PTO in Grover Beach, Calif., rolled their cart through school so staff members could make their cup of coffee to their own taste.

Coffee Gifts

Keep coffee gifts at $5 or less by giving staff members single-serve pouches of coffee, chai, or latte mix. Prices vary widely by brand, from about 50 cents to more than $1 per pouch. Search online and at warehouse clubs for lower prices on bulk purchases so you can give each staff member a variety of flavors, and affix this cute coffee gift tag with a special message. Another option is to choose a single coffee shop, like Starbucks or Dunkin', and ask school parents to donate $5 gift cards to the PTO to be given to staff members.

Popcorn and Movie

You might not be able to afford treating teachers to a night at the movies, but you could give them a few snacks (like a bag of microwave popcorn and a bag of M&Ms). Add this “For a very POPular teacher” gift tag for a nice themed gift.

Custom Drinking Glasses

Cups or mugs with the school logo make memorable teacher appreciation gifts. The Euclid Elementary PTC in Prospect, Ill., made school logo glasses part of a Hawaiian theme event and invited teachers to mix their own mocktails in the glasses. When ordered in a large quantity of several dozen or more, personalized coffee mugs and stemless wine glasses can be purchased online for around $2 or less per unit. If someone in your group has a die-cut machine, you can create your own vinyl transfers and apply them to lower-cost plain cups. We also love these plastic pencil coffee cups with lids (Amazon)!

Yard Sign

In many communities, you can rent large yard signs for teacher appreciation or other occasions. Instead of renting signs they’d need to return, volunteers at Beechview Elementary PTA in Farmington Hills, Mich., made their own version for less than $10 using poster board, duct tape, and campaign sign brackets.

Brown Bag Treats

Have students decorate plain brown lunch bags, then fill them with a few breakfast items and give them to teachers before school. Teachers at Clovis Grove Elementary in Menasha, Wisc., received bags containing a banana and a muffin. The PTO didn't forget the school's therapy dog, a police K-9 officer who makes regular visits to Clovis Grove. The dog's bag included several dog treats.

Disinfecting Wipes

Cleaning supplies are always appreciated, especially in the spring when classroom supplies start to dwindle. For a practical-yet-pretty gift, the Hewitt Elementary PTA in Waco, Texas, attached tags that read “We're coming clean, you are the best!” to 80-count cannisters of disinfecting wipes for each of their teachers.

Gift of Time (Teacher Coupon Book)

Get our FREE downloadable teacher coupon book and give each teacher a fun set of coupons that your PTO can customize according to your budget. Our booklet includes coupons for "free" experiences, like the gift of time (classroom or recess duty coverage) and a Jeans Day pass. 

Teacher Card Share Station 

Sahuaro PTA in Phoenix, Arizona, set up a teacher appreciation card share station for the school's 116 staff members for less than $120. Teachers were invited to choose blank cards and write notes of appreciation to their fellow teachers. 

Fun Seasonal Treats for Teacher Mailboxes

There's nothing like getting an unexpected pick-me-up in your mailbox! We love the idea of Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes or moon pies the day of a full moon.

Simmer Pot DIY Potpourri

Purchase the supplies needed for teachers and staff to make their own simmer pot potpourri. Use clear baggies and tie with twine or ribbon.

• Whole cloves
• Rosemary
• Star anise
• Cinnamon sticks
• Fresh cranberries
• Dehydrated sliced oranges
• Clear baggies

Add a gift tag with instructions: "Add all ingredients to 2 cups water in a pot or saucepan. Simmer on stove and enjoy!"

Cookie Bar

Invite parents to bake or purchase and donate a variety of cookies. Set cookies up in the teachers' lounge and provide to-go boxes for teachers and staff.

Drink Bar

Try a dirty soda bar, or a flavored water bar featuring water and a variety of flavorings for teachers to mix up their own custom drinks.

More inexpensive teacher gift ideas we love:

• Rechargeable hand warmers for recess duty (Amazon)
• Portable turbo fan...great for recess and carline duty in the hot weather! (Amazon)
• Portable charger power banks (Amazon)
• Cooling towels (Amazon)
• Oversized beach towels (Amazon)
• Insulated lunchboxes (Amazon)
• Reusable insulated coffee cup sleeves
• Popcorn bar: set out popcorn + various toppings and candies 
• Teacher hand pointer (Target)
• Sharpie pocket highlighters (Amazon)
• Pencils (teachers always need more)
• Expo dry erase markers 
• Set up a teacher book lending library or blind date with a book (used books and donated books)
• "That's a wrap": invite teachers to help themselves to a few rolls of holiday wrapping paper (you can also add Scotch tape) ahead of holiday break
• Offer to wrap teacher gifts for them at a gift wrapping station 
• Bath and Body Works soaps and lotions (watch for their sales!)
• Potted succulents 
• Teacher wristlet wallet (Amazon)
• Gloves
• Fuzzy socks
• Make your own flower bouquet
• Have your teachers complete a "favorite things" form at the start of the year (their favorite snacks, drinks, supplies, etc.). They just might prefer a 12-pack of Diet Coke to a coffee gift card! 
• Handwritten cards and notes from students 
• Goodr Crayola themed sunglasses (great for summer break!) 

Originally posted in 2019 and updated regularly.