How to find the perfect teacher gift

I never know what to get my kids’ teachers as thank you gifts at the end of the school year.

With school ending in mere weeks, my mind is once again turning to the same dilemma.

Parenting magazines always feature cute homemade gifts—picture frames and cards made by your kids, mason jars filled with cookie ingredients and an accompanying recipe.

In the past I’ve bought the teachers soaps, gift cards and books. I’ve made sure to be inclusive of all their main teachers, so anyone they see on a daily basis. This would include their core teacher, a reading specialist and teaching assistant.

This year I’m a class parent, which means I help communicate information to parents in one of my son’s classes. It’s also my job, along with my co-parent’s, to help organize a gift for the teacher at this time of year.

I was excited to hear my co-class parent’s idea. In addition to collecting donations for a class gift certificate, we are asking students to make a picture or write a card for their teacher. We will compile all the artwork into a scrapbook and present it to the teacher at the end of the year. This way the teacher gets a gift card from the class and a heartfelt keepsake.

If you’re not part of a group gift and are planning to get something for your teacher on your own, it can be hard to know what to do and how much to spend.

How much do you spend on a teacher gift? Do you have any original creative gifts or a great go-to gift? Let us know!