Welcome to Maycember, the end of the school year when we all try to cram a year's worth of events into a few short weeks and mothers everywhere are exhausted. Thank goodness for sunshine and warmer days to keep us moving.
As if the summer camp registrations and graduations, field days and field trips, talent shows and birthday parties weren't enough to keep you busy, it's time to pack up those last minute Teacher's gifts before school is out for good.
So, as the kids and teachers are counting down the minutes until the final bell, we are counting the 10 Best (and Worst) gifts for Teachers straight from the source.
We asked some of our favorite teachers for their list of favorites (and not-so-favorites), happy shopping.
1. Meaningful, simple jewelry (though diamonds are happily accepted if in your price range 😜)
2. Gift cards are the favorite but make sure the store/theme resonates with the receiver! One teacher told us she’s drowning in Starbucks & Dunkin’ gift cards and she doesn’t drink coffee. 😬 Target, Homegoods, Amazon, but especially, Grace & Haven are the favorites. The key is choosing places with variety. 🛍️
3. Planted herbs or a sweet bouquet of flowers. Extra points for having them delivered through the office so it becomes an “event” and they get to guess who sent them. Include a card from your sweet kiddo. 🪴💐🌻
4. Something to emphasize summer fun - an awesome beach bag, sunscreen, beach towel, lemonade packets. Help your favorite teacher bask in the summer sun. ☀️🏖️
5. Consumables - wine, liquor, you know, the good stuff. But make sure you know your audience and confirm they are drinkers before showing up with a bucket of booze. 🙃
6. Anything with a smell is suspect. Some teachers will love them, others not so much. 🙊 Unless you are sure of their taste in candles or lotion, you may want to stick to a gift card or something else on the list.
7. Please, no more coffee mugs. Direct quote from multiple sources. Take it from us, skip the mugs for Teach, she’s got 15,000 of them. Buy yourself one instead. 😉☕️
8. Did we mention wine?! 🍷
9. Take time to say thank you and make your gifts personal. Gratitude mail is a great way to get your kids involved. They can color the card and write a special note or sign their names.
10. Edibles are always a go to (no, not that kind 😝) and while a nice gesture, 20 plates of homemade cookies might get to be a lot. Maybe save those for a random Tuesday during the year when anyone could use a pick me up. 🍪
There you have 10 of your teacher's favorite (and least favorite) things to receive as end of year gifts. Amounts don't matter, they truly appreciate being recognized for the work that they do. Make it personal and involve your kids to teach them the power of kindness and gratitude. Happy (almost) Summer! 😎