Is a Gift for Pre-school Teacher's Necessary?

Why not something simple and inexpensive? Maybe a batch of home baked cookies. A gift only requires forethought and care...not elegance and money.

No teacher ever expects you to give her/him a gift. If you chose to they will always be appreciative, but don't ever feel that you need to. A simple card with heart-felt sentiments would be enough. Even if you have been the parent who always does so, in times like we're having, every teacher is more than understanding.

I donated to the Children's Hospital in Oakland in my son's preschool teachers names. They give you a little card to give to the teachers but it doesn't reveal the amount...so it could be as little or as much as you want. The teachers loved it!

Even just a handmade card would be a thoughtful gift. Tell them all the things you appreciate about your experiences with them. Believe me, anyone would like that. =) And no, gifts are not required, just nice.

Hi K., No gift is necessary just a sweet note. We used to use a picture my girls had painted (you can cut one into four cards, at this age it's usually just a bunch of colors anyway) Then I'd write a sentence or two right from my daughters mouth about the school or teacher. It's always obvious I'm writing for the little one and they often come out hilarious or really touching. Your son will get the idea that it's important to show appreciation.

I agree with Helen. No gift is required, but a thoughtful note is a great idea. Perhaps ask your child what he liked best about each teacher and include it in the card.

The gifts are not necessary, but appreciated. As a teacher myself, some of the most appreciated gifts were $5 gift cards from Starbucks, a Thank You note that expressed how much I meant to a child (from the parent--I still have this note and will treasure it always), and a Target gift card in which all the classroom parents pooled together whatever they could afford to give me one gift card.

One last thought--for my son's preschool teachers, I bought gift coins for the hamburger joint next to the school. Cost me $25 and they could buy 5 hamburgers. One day for lunch they ordered hamburgers and had lunch on me.

I have been a preschool teacher for the last 10yrs. I can say that the best gift ever given is a card or a drawn picture from the child. There is no need to go all out on a gift, show your appreciation by telling the teacher what he/she has meant to you, your child and your family.

K.,

I work for a pre-school and my favorite gift is always when the child draws a picture, makes the card etc. That is the most special remembrance to me. No gift is needed.

Molly

When we left our preschool, we made a book including photos from my son's time at the school and drawings he made which we bound and gave to the school for all of the teachers.

I have two daughters who are preschool teachers. The best gift they could get would be a handmade card by your child and maybe a single daisy or sunflower to go with it. Simple, inexpensive but says so much to thank them for the time they have nurtured your child. It is definitely a two way street and I know they both tear up when one of their little one's move on.

How about separate home made cards (by you and your 5 year old) expressing your genuine and specific appreciation And maybe some homemade goodies for the staff. If you want to make a monetary contribution, you could get ONE from a book store (like that great one in Los Altos a private one not a chain) for the school itself. They could get a book or a musical CD or something to remember you and your boy. Nice of you to think of it.

It is not necessary to spend any money, however. Heartfelt words of appreciation are something they can take with them and it lasts longest!! I know the teachers are underpaid, but they do have jobs. And they like knowing they are loved and appreciated by the children and the parents.

(a grandmother and former early childhood educator) N.

I don't know what the norm is for gifts for preschool teachers, but I don't think you should go overboard with gifts given your current financial situation. The teachers would probably be delighted with a special note of thanks from you and a home-baked goodie like nut bread, cookies, etc. Most people are mindful about how careful we need to be with our spending, and would appreciate even a small gesture like this.

Hi K.. I think if you have the means to give a present it's nice but if not a thank card will mean just as much.. and it's really cute when your child signs it too. ( :

I'm with the hand made card, picture, art project line of thinking. (Another idea is to have your child decorate a picture frame. Check your local dollar store for frames and decorating supplies. The teacher will have a keepsake that they may actually use ;-) I think it's a wonderful opportunity to show your child how to express appreciation and gratitude and it's a good way to teach them to say goodbye. The teachers will really appreciate it. They deserve to be acknowledged.

Hi K.,

I did a gift for my daughter's 3 teachers. For 2 of them, I took a picture with her and her teacher and made 5x7 copies and put them in nice frames. For her first preschool teacher, who she loved dearly, I made her a 12x12 scrapbook page with pictures of them and the prayer my daughter would say for her and put that in a scrapbook picture frame. I spent a total of $15.00 for all three gifts and they looked great.

Hi K., As with so many other families money is tight right now. I usually go to Ross and buy some pretty paper ($5.00-$6.00) as EVERYONE can always use paper by the phone, for notes, etc.

No, a gift is not necessary. A plate of half a dozen cookies along with a note would be great. She proably has plenty of nic-nacs. Your show of appreciation is all she wants. There is no need to go in debt you can not afford to buy gift cards that have a decient amonunt on the. I am a high school teacher and appreciate the home made thank-yous and notes more that a gift.

J.
Mother of three - grandmother of 7 high - school teacher 26 years.

I'm a big believer in a heart felt thank you, and words of appreciation. Pull the teacher aside and tell her thank you for all that she has taught your son, and the care she has provided. But, if you want a inexpensive and easy gift idea as well, here's what my daughter and I gave her teacher last year. We got a small terra cotta pot and I let my daughter paint it, then we put dirt in it. I then glued a packet of Forget Me Nots onto sticks we gathered in our yard and and "planted" a packet of seeds in the dirt. I think the whole thing cost about $5.00, but it had a great impact. Her teacher loved it.

We gave a movie ticket to the teachers (Costco has discounted) and they loved the idea.

An appropriate gift is a card with a heartfelt message inside, including sincere compliments. Attach your best homemade cookies and the recipie if you'd like to give a little extra.

Personally, no matter what others are doing, I only buy for those closest to me. (husband and children.)Even then, I don't spend a lot of money.

We live in a spend-happy society that is crumbling under debt- and in the midst of the BEGINNING of a depression. We have 5-10 more years of pain ahead of us. The dollar is losing it's value and it's going to get worse.

Save your money- your are going to need it.

It's not necessary as you mentioned but it is nice if you are happy with their interaction with your child the past school year. Some inexpensive options would be as follows:

- Gift teachers with something homemade (i.e. muffins, bread, cookies, flower bouquets from your garden)

- Gift the classroom (i.e. a new game or supplies)

if you are still wanting to go the giftcard route, you can always get small amount $5-10 starbuck/jama juice giftcards

But again, this isn't necessary. Just a nice thank you.

Hi K.,

I would go to the Dollar Store. They always have Teacher stuff there. They even have "Thank you Cards" to Teachers. You can get a whole small pack of 8 for $1.00. It's what you WRITE inside that makes the difference!

But, if you want to "do more", then you can always buy Teacher Materials there, and create a small Gift Basket to Thank all of the Teachers at the same time. You can even put homemade cookies or brownies in the basket :O)

Having kids for a long time, I've done "thank you's" in many ways, but I usually just do the card now, they seem to appreciate my words more :O) When it's Teacher Appreciation Day, I will try to buy a small gift to the teacher from my child. But at the end of the year, I buy a card, and sometimes flowers.

~N. :O)

Have your child make a nice card for each teacher. If you want to give something bring donuts.

we did a gift card from everyone that wanted to donate.

I love some of the responses and advices given to you already. It's always nice to make a homemade card or note from your kids for each of the 4 teachers. Make and bring a breakfast, snack or lunch for all of them to enjoy to show your appreciation. They will love it, and it is not expensive for you.

I was a teacher and currently have 3 kids. It would be very appreciated to even get a card or note expressing your gratitude for the care and education your teacher has given each child. No gift is necessary. Some of my most memorable "gifts" were notes saying how much I meant to their child. Being a teacher is wonderful but exhausting- it is nice to know someone notices and appreciates it. Take care.

Hi K.:

I usually try to give a little something to the teachers at the end of the year - maybe just a homemade card and some cookies or other baked goods might do the trick (not too expensive). My daughter and I live near a river, so we went and found smooth river rocks and painted/decorated one for each of her four teachers with acrylic paint - then put the teachers' names on the top and my daughter's name and year on the bottom. (i.e. like paper weights) The rocks were free, and I had the acrylic paint at home already.

Hope that helps, A.

You have lots of good responses. I do little things like bring cut up fruit (refreshing in summer and healthier than choc and cookies) for the teachers. They have always said how much they appreciate the snack for the day.

My family is always trying to limit our spending, but I still like to show our appreciation to the teachers who do so much for our children. This past year we gave my grade school children's teachers flowers and a card.
Sounds simple, but we used perennials that we bought in six packs and placed three different types of plants in a cup. The flowers/plants were all in pink hues and the cup was a pink "solo type" drinking cup leftover from a birthday party. We put a heart-shaped lollipop (also a leftover from Valentine's Day)with a thank you note in each cup.
They all loved the idea that they could plant them where they pleased, since we left them in their natural square shape, and the whole gift cost was $1 per teacher! We will definitely do this again!

I've gone to the dollar store in the past and had my kids make something for their teachers. They've done bird houses($1 each and paint $1) and paint them, I've made foam picture frames (they sell the foam in a 16 pack and I cut out the middle to make picture frames) and my kids decorated them with the foam stickers, all sorts of ideas for only a dollar a piece. You could keep it the total to about $5 with 4 teachers. Fake flowers and you could arrange a bouquet and wrap a bow around. Lots of different ideas to do.

Or you could get them coffee gift cards or target gift cards fro school supplies at $5 a piece = $20.

It's the thought that counts and not how much money you spend,and as teachers I'm sure that they will appreciate something your son made even more than something bought.

Have you thought about having your son make cards or bookmarks for the teachers? This would be very inexpensive, yet show your--and your child's--appreciation.

Necessary, no, but as a teacher, appreciated for sure. A small token gift is nice, maybe $5 GC at Starbucks or a local ice cream or coffee shop is nice. But if not, a handmade card or something of that nature is another option that is not too expensive. Homemade goodies are also nice.

Sometimes parents go in on gift cards/certificates together, but honestly a lovely card and a homemade gift (cookies, jam, etc.) are really nice and appreciated. I work as a 1st grade classroom assistant and I really enjoy getting those kinds of "thank yous" at the end of the year :)

Hi K.,

My 4 yr old daughter had 2 preschool teachers and I was wondering what to give them as well. I asked my sister in law, who is a teacher, what she liked to receive from her students. And she said gift cards were great even $5 for Starbucks or Target but she really appreciated cards from the parents thanking her for her hard work teaching their child. I wrote a thank you note out to both of her teachers and included a bakery decorated flower cookie for both. They were both quite appreciative.

-E.

When my boys were in preschool we did a small gift at Christmas and at the end of the year. Honestly they were either a home made card or a gift the kids made. These teachers get a lot of "stuff" and really appreciate things the kids make. My oldest made his teacher a paper mache bowl his teacher still uses on her vanity to collect her pocket change. My youngest and I planted a marigold in the beginning of the year and then gave the blooming plant with a poem about how his skills grew with the plant. So when that gift time comes, think of a way that isn't costly. There are a lot of craft/gift ideas on line, the time with your kids is priceless, the pride when they present their gift that they made to their teacher is contagious!

Go to bath and bath and get a nice shower wash then go to the dollar store and get a loaf sponge for a buck!! Bath and body usually has a sale and with the dollar store loaf you have a nice gift for around $5.

No. You don't need to give a gift.