25 Unique End of School Year Teacher Gifts That Say “Thank You” for Everything They Do!
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These end of school year teacher gifts are a great way to say “thank you” for an amazing school year!
Hi friends,
Teachers put in so much work during the school year guiding, supporting and inspiring and overall nurturing our kids five days a week for months on end. And let’s be honest, often for far less than they should be paid or appreciated too.
As the school year comes to a close, I always find myself wanting to find a way to really show my appreciation for an entire year of learning and growing. But, I know as well as anyone that sometimes finding the perfect end of school year teacher gift can be tricky.
I mean, do we want to keep the gift practical? Sentimental? DIY? Cute and trendy? Luckily, a great teacher gift doesn’t have to be expensive or overly complicated. No matter what type of gift you’re looking for, this list has tons of ideas!
From practical teacher gifts they’ll actually use, to homemade keepsakes, these are the best end of school year teacher gifts that really say “thank you!” for all they do!
This post is all about end of school year teacher gifts!
End of School Year Teacher Gifts To Show Your Appreciation
Practical End of School Year Teacher Gifts
Let’s start with a few end of school year gift ideas that they actually need, want and will use! Teachers often spend their own money on supplies, so any time we can help them save a few bucks is great. Here are a few practical teacher gifts they’ll really appreciate!
1. Meal delivery gift cards
After a long school year, cooking is probably the last thing on their mind. A DoorDash, Uber Eats or even a meal kit delivery service like HelloFresh gift card is an extremely thoughtful gift idea!
2. Teacher Sticky Note Set
This is such a cute sticky note set designed specifically for teachers! It says “teaching is a work of heart” and folds up nicely into a mini sticky note booklet of sorts. A great variety of sticky notes for different uses are always needed for teachers!
3. Teacher Pay Teachers gift card
As mentioned, teachers far too often have to reach into their own pockets for lesson plans and classroom resources. A lesser known popular resource for teachers is a website called “Teachers Pay Teachers” where teacher sell classroom worksheets, lesson plans, decor and more for other teachers! It’s a great way to support not only your kids teachers, but other teachers as well.
4. Embossing Label Maker
Help them stay organized with a trendy, retro-style embossing label maker! These labels are so cute and aesthetically pleasing. Perfect for labeling classroom supplies, storage bins and even personal items!
5. Magnetic Reward Jar
How stinking cute is this reward jar? It’s magnetic so the teacher can slap it right on the white board where everyone can see it. This makes for a fun and interactive way to track class goals, behavior or achievements!
Personalized & Sentimental Teacher Gifts
I’m a huge sucker for meaningful gifts that feel extra special and that you can tell a lot of thought and consideration went into.
6. A personalized book stamp
I got this for my sons pre-k lead teacher and she raved about how cute it was and how excited she was to go stamp all of her classroom books. Many teachers build their own classroom libraries and a “from the library of (name)” stamp is nice to have so books don’t get mixed up, lost or stolen.
7. Teacher memory book
Okay, this is an extremely thoughtful and sentimental gift idea. This teacher memory book lets teachers capture their favorite moments from each school year. It has space for prompted questions, student quotes, photos, and more!
Free Teacher Questionnaire Printable!
Get the upper hand on teacher gifts next school year by sending this in on the first day of school! This free printable teacher questionnaire will help you get to know your kiddos teacher better and is basically a gift-giving cheat sheet! Def grab yours!
8. Teacher affirmation cards
It’s easy for teachers to lose sight of how important they actually are in the trenches of everyday teacher life. A set of uplifting and encouraging affirmation cards are a great pick me up when they need a little boost.
9. Personalized pencils
A practical yet fun gift! Have pencils engraved with the teacher’s name, a fun saying or a simple “property of (name)” so they never get stolen again!
10. Personalized Teacher Magnet
This is the perfect end of school year teacher gift! This sentimental keepsake is so stinkin’ sweet and the most perfect way to commemorate the end of a great school year! Would also make a great a “from the whole class” gift if you wanted to get other parents to chip in.
DIY & Handmade End of School Year Teacher Gifts
Did you know teachers often most rave about handmade gifts? Especially those that their students put time and effort into helping make!
11. Homemade beaded keychain
Have a crafty kiddo? Let them make a cute beaded keychain for their teacher. Use letter beads to spell out the teachers name or a cute saying like “best teacher”.
12. DIY teacher emergency kit
Grab a cute pencil pouch and fill it with small essentials like lip balm, hand sanitizer, Advil, mints and mini lotion – perfect for keeping in their desk or bag!
13. Gift card bouquet
How cute it something like this? You could even omit the gift cards and just write cute messages on each flower. Both are equally as sweet!
14. Painted flower pot
Let your kiddo decorate a small terracotta pot and fill it with cute plant or flower. You can even add a cute note card saying, “thanks for helping me grow!”
15. Thank you teacher note
Thoughtful and FREE? Heck yes! Let your kiddo fill out a “thank you teacher” note. It’s always pretty fun to read the answers they come up with!
Fun End of School Year Teacher Gifts
Here are a few fun and lighthearted teacher gift ideas that will make their day that much brighter!
16. Summer Basket
Schools out for summer and its finally time for some R&R for our hard working teachers. Help them kick back and relax with a basket full of goodies they can use all summer long!
17. Teacher shirt
I found this shirt on Amazon and it was too funny not to include! “I’ll just wait” is something every teacher can relate to and is a gift they wear both at school and at home!
18. Funny teacher coloring book
Here’s a funny and unique gift idea for your kiddos teacher. A teacher coloring book with tons of hilarious pages they can doodle on to unwind from the day!
19. Classroom door hanger
Classroom door signs are one of those gifts that teachers never complain about receiving. They can swap out their door signs as frequently as they’d like to keep things fresh!
20. Teachers last nerve candle
How hilarious is this?! A good laugh is the only way to push through the rough days sometimes.
Budget-Friendly & Last-Minute Teacher Gifts
Type B mom? Girl, same. Here are a few quick and affordable ideas for parents who are short on time and money!
21. Thank you note & cash
Teachers rave and rave about how much handwritten notes mean to them. From both students and parents! A few teachers even commented saying how cash feels more personal than gift cards which is a win for you, now you don’t even need to stop by the store or anything!
22. Gift card with printable tag
You can find almost any kind of cute printable tag on Pinterest to go with any kind of gift card, often for free too! Even a $5-$10 gift card shows appreciation and with a cute tag really makes it complete!
23. Flowers
Flowers are one of those gift ideas that often get overlooked as being overused but honestly, flowers are, were, and always will be a nice gesture. Plus, they really brighten up a classroom!
24. Breakfast/Lunch
If you sent in a teacher questionnaire towards the beginning of the school year, you already know what your teachers go-to orders are but if not, no worries! Shoot them a message letting them know you’d like to treat them and ask them for their order. It’s still a lovely and welcomed treat either way.
25. Scratch off lottery tickets
A fun super last minute gift idea that anyone loves receiving! Grab a scratch off at the gas station up the street, slap a tag that says something along the lines of “we hit the jackpot with you as our teacher this year!” and bam! A great, inexpensive and super last minute gift idea!
We hope this list of end of school year teacher gifts help you show your appreciation for those amazing teachers in your life – no matter your time nor budget! Between practical gifts they’ll use on the daily, handmade gifts they’ll treasure or a fun end of the school year gift that will make them smile, it’s super easy to say “thank you” for a great school year.
