Christmas is right around the corner and im needing cheap or free gifts for teachers. I have made treats inthe past but it gets expensive fast. I would love to find some free gifts but im not sure where to start...thanks!
How many teachers to you give gifts to? I'll assume 4. Could you afford to give them each a $5 gift card to Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts--that would be $20 total? It may not seem like much, but that will treat them to 1 or 2 drinks over Christmas Break.
I'm not sure how old your kid(s) are, but a handwritten card telling the teacher what she or he did that was special, fun, or memorable up to this point is always appreciated. Teachers constantly get complaints and criticism (a lot of it comes from this very site!!!) and we love positive reinforcement; it keeps us going during the rough days. Even a little thank you is always nice. Other than that, if you're baking for the holidays, give a few cookies to the teacher. Have your child decorate an ornament, even covering up an old one you have and making it "new" is free and original. It truly is the thought that counts for us teachers... we don't expect or want expensive gifts, just a little appreciation for all we do.
Wow, Cheryl B., I've been teaching for 15 years and have seldom come across such resolute harshness! Of course it's fine when families can't give gifts to teachers, or choose not to, but to not even entertain the idea in the first place??
A nice Christmas ornament will do.
Skip the gift. That's free. I have never felt the need to give a xmas gift to a teacher.
what do you mean free gifts?
have your kids write letters to their teachers. that's free
Even a $5 or $10 gift card to Target, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, etc., or a homemade treat is better than a cheap trinket that will end up in a bin in a teacher's basement.
Really, a nice card with a note about how much you appreciate him or her and a small gift card is a really nice thing for a teacher. (I have a good friend who is a teacher, and she could start a flea market in her basement with all the stuff she's been given over the years and packed away in bins.) But the cards with nice notes in them are in a scrapbook in her den. She loves looking at them occasionally and enjoys the memories.
Last year for Christmas I bought each of my children's teachers a pair of scissors (on sale for $2 apiece) and tied a piece of paper to the handle with some yarn that said "You're a cut above the rest!" I got the idea from my cousin; I don't know where she got it from. Then at the end of the school year I found a cool idea for a cheap gift, I bought flower pots, a chunk of floral foam, and soap roses (very pretty fake roses made of scented soap) all at Dollar Tree. I stuck the foam in the pots and hot glued the roses onto it, it was pretty, smelled nice, and was only $3-$4 per gift, not counting the hot glue sticks which were, I don't know, maybe a few cents each. Another idea I want to try making is a "pencil" made from Rollo’s candy with a Hershey's kiss glued to one end and wrapped in colored paper. I don't know of any "free" gifts that you could possibly give other than pictures that your children have drawn, but honestly I think that spending at least a couple of dollars on a gift is the least we can do, teachers work so hard for too little pay! I realize that many other professions are similar in that regard, but teachers also do a great service for our children and deserve our thanks!
I have been on both sides of this issue-as mama and as a teacher. Parents, a cheap gift costs you very little but goes a long way. As bad as it sounds, a teacher recalls who gives gifts....
Check out Oriental Trading Company. Look at the Christmas Ornaments.
This is what I'm doing...
There are several lovely ornaments...and for some, you can get a dozen of them for about $14. Some come with nice little cards/stories attached. You can also get a dozen very nice gift bags for about $7. That's about $2.25 per teacher...and you'll probably have some leftovers to share with acquaintances, church friends, etc.
I also got a bag of 100 assorted flavor/color mini candy canes for about $9. A very good deal since NONE of them are nasty peppermint.
Have your children make them a card using paper, stickers, markers, crayons you already have. Your 6 year old can come up with something she likes about her teacher and put that in a card. I'm sure the teacher will be so pleased to hear her sentiment and to see her write it and decorate it herself!
A homemade card from your child and a "gift certificate" for a certain amt of hours of your help??? That would be free..........
