Gifts Elementary Teachers Can Use

This adorable little bear was given to me by a seven-year-old student a decade ago. It's a petite critter: five inches or so. It came in a little basket with a handmade wardrobe: cut, not sewn. Yes, it had hand cut items like a scarf and a sleeveless vest.

That little bear did something few teacher gifts did. It traveled with me cross country. Here it is still -- photo taken today!

An absolutely adorable handmade token, be it gift or card -- what could be better? Well... not much.

But I've received some other cool things. I say they were cool even though most are no longer with me. This doesn't mean they weren't appreciated. In many cases, they were used. In fact, often they were eaten.

Two things to keep in mind when looking for something a teacher will use as well as appreciate:

1) All teachers eat (and often in a big hurry). The line of work effects how people eat, and sometimes teaching means skipping a meal.

2) Most elementary teachers spend their own money on things for the classroom. Sometimes it goes to big things: curriculum materials, books, and games from the teaching supply store. But a lot of it goes to little things: stickers, bookmarks, gel pens, prize bucket trinkets. You can find these things all around you. Chances are, a primary grade teacher can make use of them, even if they're discards.

If it's fun for kids, it can also be fun for teachers. Some kindergarten and primary teachers like to give out those little incentives.

If the kids like digging into the prize bucket, it might be time to replenish!

Some teachers will relish having their stock replenished as it's one less thing they have to do. For others... well, these little doo dads are fun. Children like getting a new trinket. Teachers like getting a whole new stash!

Image by the author

My favorite prize box goodies: school supplies that are colorful, glittery, or look like characters. I especially like domed pencil sharpeners because they make management easier. Those Bic mechanical pencils are extremely popular with middle and upper elementary students.

The items here I picked on the basis of value, taking into account quality and price.

Teachers can use just about anything -- especially if they work with little ones. Take a good long look at the kindergarten art center. Paper rolls and wallpaper samples, seashells and buttons! Doesn't some of it look like... well, your trash? Yes, you may find teaching treasures in your own stuff, and spending some time sifting through it all... that's a gift. But you don't want to haul your trash in on Teacher Appreciation Day or at the holiday party

You can make anything look like a gift if you dress it up. One of the first steps is giving it some height...

Is there a microwave in the classroom? Chances are good that that teacher is eating lunch at her desk while pouring over Houghton Mifflin curriculum and reading student journals. She could also be working into the evenings.

What's good when the days are gray and short but the work days are long? When there's a microwave but not necessarily a fridge? Cocoa! Tea! Instant soups! With rice cakes or perhaps a sugary little treat.

Take a look around. Is there a coffee pot? Hmmm...

Yes, some teachers have a coffee maker right there in the classroom. If that's yours, you know you don't have to go the cocoa/ tea route.

When I was writing the tip about looking to see what appliances are in the classroom before purchasing a cocoa/ tea/ coffee basket, I thought of this book, about a child who thinks his teacher actually lives at school. (That is, he holds this belief firmly... until the teacher moves into his own apartment building).

The illustrations are hilarious. In the child's imagined world, there are rows of bunk beds in the teacher's lounge. (It's not like children are allowed in the teacher's lounge. They may suspect teachers eat there. Or...)

I wasn't necessarily thinking of folks giving the book as a gift, at least not at first -- more of letting it serve as a reminder that teachers have lives outside of school.

But if you know a kindergarten or primary grade teacher who likes to do read-alouds... you know, you might think about this gem..

Exert caution when giving a mug to teachers. You may envision that mug occupying a prime spot on the teacher's desk. It may instead live a communal lifestyle in the teachers' lounge. In many schools, you will find a cabinet in the teachers' lounge with a couple shelves of mugs. I think of these cabinets as mug dormitories.

The mugs do get used: by teachers, substitutes, student teachers. A mug-less teacher's lounge can be a less homey place -- it's true! More is not always better, however. (And sometimes, believe it or not, teachers leave dirty dishes in the sink.)

Image: ewen and donabel, Flickr Creative Commons

Those plastic cards with the coffee mug on the front: They're easy. They're often appreciated -- by tea drinkers and sandwiches eaters as well as coffee aficionados. They can be tucked into a handmade card. What's more, they're flexible, budget-wise. On Amazon, single cards start at $25. You can also get 4-packs of $10 cards. I think you can get single cards in small denominations if you actually go in to Starbucks (or another local establishment).

There was a year I got three Starbucks cards. I didn't feel that any had to be taken back because I already had one.