They care for our kids, read to them, answer their endless questions, work with them when they’re struggling, and show up for our kids every day from August to May and often in the summer as well. In other words, we owe teachers everything plus a little more on top. Except, “everything” is a smidge over budget. Heck, even a $50 Target gift card is pushing it for many of us, especially for those of us who have multiple kids with multiple teachers. So, how do we pamper our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week without going broke?
You know we’ve got you.
Cheap Gift Ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week
Spend time, not money
Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 6 – 10 this year, which offers you a few opportunities to bless your teacher. This creates the opportunity for a fabulous hack for the budget-conscious. Rather than getting them one gift worth $30 or so, give them a little something every day. Who wouldn’t feel loved by receiving a small expression of gratitude every morning for a week from the same person? This says, “We love and appreciate you” more than a single gift card, and it will save your bank account.
Read on for ideas for what those little gestures might look like.
Bring in breakfast
Buy this muffin mix for $1.12, add milk, bake the muffins in the oven, and voila—you have a basket of muffins to give your teacher for breakfast.
Twinkle Lights and Cool Lamps
As a substitute teacher myself, I’m in a lot of classrooms, and I’m here to tell you the biggest teacher trend right now is mood lighting.
The studies on the effects of fluorescent lighting aren’t positive, and with the increased diagnoses of Sensory Processing Disorders and more literacy on how to navigate the constant overstimulation of the modern world, many teachers have begun turning off the overhead lights and turning on lamps, twinkle lights, and some even use their projector for lighting.
But here’s the thing — you can get these twinkle lights on Amazon for only $5.99. If you want to make them more than just a bundle of lights, repurpose your next empty pickle jar and fill it with the lights to create a little jar of magic. To do this, all you will need to do is fill your sink with hot, soapy water and let your pickle jar soak awhile. After you’ve let it soak for a couple of hours, the label will fall right off, and all you’ll need to get the rest of the adhesive off is a good scrubber and whatever cooking oil you have handy. I drizzle olive oil on mine, scrub it with steel wool (or any other abrasive scrubbing tool), and then wash the jar again with hot, soapy water. The jar is ready to become a lamp.
You can make this jar of light even more special by labeling it with puffer paint or lining the inside with festive tissue paper cutouts.
Or, if you’re into this mood-lighting idea but not keen on twinkle jars, head to the thrift store. There are always good, cheap lamp options, and with a few puffs of spray paint, you can make your lamp look however you want.
Send the Principal A Note
A heartfelt letter is always nice to receive, but sending their boss a glowing celebration of the teacher’s talent? That could help them further in their career and positively impact their status at work. Also, this gift idea is totally free.
However, I know letters can be intimidating to write, so here is a simple template:
Dear [Principal’s Name],
My child has had the great fortune to be in [teacher’s name] class this year, and I wanted to share with you the many ways this has positively impacted the course of my child’s life.
[Bullet point list of ways your child has grown this school year. Ex.: My daughter used to hate reading because she wasn’t good at it, but now she spends every spare minute with her nose in a book.]
[Teacher’s name] has accomplished these things by [list of three or four things you know your teacher has been doing to serve her students. Ex.: giving their students daily one-on-one time.]
I can’t imagine my child having a better teacher than [teacher’s name]. I know we will be reminiscing around the dinner table about their warmth and wisdom for years to come, and I wanted you to know how lucky the entire school community is to have them at [school’s name].
Thank you so much for all the hard work you do as well. Have a great week!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Snack Time
We all know that the cost of food can sneak up on you, so rather than filling up your cart with every snack that looks good, try running to the dollar store and buying a preset number of treats. The key to making sure this still looks cute without breaking the bank is finding the correctly sized receptacle to set them in. A cute dollar-store mug filled with a candy bar, a bag of pretzels, one or two tea bags, and a handwritten note from your kid will look like the thoughtful gift that it is, whereas putting these same items in a too-large basket may look like you raided your cupboards and found a few leftovers to give.
A Lanyard for their Badge and Keys
Teachers love a good lanyard, and they aren’t hard (or expensive) to make.
You’ll need:
Leather crafting cord – $4.99
Wooden beads – $2.59
Lanyard Clip – $3.98
Letter Beads – $3.39
All you’ll need to do is cut the length of the leather cord the size of a lanyard (if you have one handy for reference, great! If not, about 37 inches), string the beads however you think looks best (remember, we’re using leather so you don’t have to fill up the entire string with beads and it will still look good), use the letter beads to personalize the lanyard with their last name or an inspirational word or phrase and tie the cord off with the lanyard clip.
And there you go! You have created a stylish lanyard that will be the envy of every teacher in the school.
Give them their favorite drink to sip on
Who doesn’t love a good drink to sip on? But lattes can get pricey and difficult to keep hot on your kid’s ride to school. Instead, pick your teacher up a bottled drink at the convenience store. The price will be no more than $4 (and probably much less), but it will be a nice little treat for your child’s teacher to reach for at any point throughout the day. The only hold-up, of course, is knowing what your teacher would want. There are a few ways you could go about learning this information.
If your teacher included a bio page during your meet the teacher night at the beginning of the year, you may be able to dig that up. There’s a great chance they listed their favorite things on it for just such an occasion. If you can’t find this bio or they never gave you one, check in with the PTA. They often have lists of all the teachers’ favorite things compiled. Or, ask your child if they’ve observed their teacher drinking anything regularly or mentioning their favorite beverage.
But also, don’t be shy about emailing the teacher to get this information directly. Sure, this will detract from the surprise of it all, but not from the delight.
You can also always take the chance of guessing. There are always classic beverages as well as trending ones. You aren’t likely to go wrong with a classic flavored green tea, and I’m sure your child’s teacher will appreciate being able to try out the Olipop or Celsius crazes for free.
Write a Note
But whatever you do for your teacher — handmade or a little treat, every morning of Teacher Appreciation Week, or just once — make sure you include a heartfelt note thanking your child’s teacher for all their hard work. The work they do is as exhausting as it is profound. Our teachers are shaping the future, and while we often have to put a monetary price tag on it, we can’t put an emotional price tag on our gratitude. So express your appreciation from the bottom of your heart. Even better — have your kid write a letter expressing their gratitude as well.
We’d be lost without our teachers, and we simply don’t tell them this enough.
