Montessori Parenting & Learning
Father's Day is right around the corner. Do you have a gift yet? Check out these amazing and thoughtful gifts for dad.
This customized platter is just too adorable.
I just ordered one of these for my husband. Yeti is a fantastic brand and this travel tumbler is super high quality.
These socks say it all.
My son's 4th-grade teacher is a serious book lover and I love that about her. For example, she reads one book a day out loud to the kids, prints out the cover, and places it on a board displayed in a calendar format. So, as you can probably imagine, this board alone gets the kids excited and engaged because it is visual and ignites a spark in the kids' competitive natures. Not to mention my son has told me every day for the past 100 days or so (haha!) how many days are left in the school year, which brings me to this point. I get to identify teacher gifts for the book lover! How lucky am I?
The school year ends in a few days! I always have mixed feelings about the end of the school year. For instance, I romanticize spending all this amazing time with my kids but there is a layer of anxiety about my kids growing up so darn fast, appropriate activity planning, avoiding the summer slide, and dealing with sibling rivalry. In the end, though, this time of year is filled with positive emotions and excitement.
One of my favorite parts of the end of the school year is gathering ideas both from my kids and from my stealth conversations with their teachers about meaningful year-end gifts. I don't want to hand them a Starbucks gift card and a pat on the back.
Related Read: 10 Unique Teacher Gifts that Montessorians Love
My sons like to make their teachers cards and work hard on them. In addition, we put together a basket of appropriately priced goodies to help them celebrate the end of the school year.
I was particularly excited this year because (see above) my son's 4th-grade teacher is a book lover. So, we get to put together fun gifts for book lovers. I had such a blast searching for and identifying gifts for this particular teacher that I decided I just had to share my research with you!
My family and I recently visited Legoland California and HAD a blast. Building with legos ignites my boy's imagination. As a mom, I have a warm and fuzzy feeling towards Lego and would appreciate any and all efforts to make a DIY Lego gift for Mother's Day. So, I scoured the world wide web and discovered ten unique DIY Lego gifts that any mom would appreciate!
This Etsy shop will put together this adorable family portrait made up of mini-figures. An easy DIY Lego gift that won't take a ton of time or money.
This simple mother duck DIY Lego creation is perfect for even the littlest builders. Read Make Way for Ducklings and let the warm and fuzzies begin!
This clever gift is ideal for preschool and elementary aged kids. Use Mayka Tape to create a DIY lego picture frame any mom or grandmother will adore.
This Mother's Day gift comes from a child creative juices with printing art! Make a card using a DIY Lego stamp and paint.
Now, this is a Mother's Day gift I can definitely find room for! How fun are these Lego Minifigure wine charms?
Sweet and simple – allow the child space to create his own flower for mom.
Another version of a Lego flower with a base and a scene added to it. Encourage the child to be bold and embellish the flower for mom.
Along the same lines as the Minifigure family portrait above, this frame has a special spot in mom's heart for sure.
Make the Mother's Day gift functional for mom with this DIY Lego pen and pencil holder with a picture embedded in it!
Most mom's like functional gifts and this business card holder is perfect. Mom can work at her desk and think warm thoughts as she glances down to her DIY Lego business card holder.
Whether you're wanting a unique DIY Mother's Day Gift from your kids, a Mother's Day gift from your toddler, or a lovely easy Mother's Day Gift for grandma, this comprehensive hand-picked list should have you covered! In addition, the gift ideas in this article include personalized DIY to functional DIY gifts for mom this Mother's Day season! Finally, enjoy and having fun making these DIY gifts for the moms in your life!
Your kids will have tons of fun making these cupcake bath bombs. Mix a bit of baking with gift giving (and bathing!) makes for engaged kids. Furthermore, you can make many variations of these cupcake bath bombs based on favorite scents and colors.
I love the simplicity of this activity because, let's be honest, it isn't always doing crafts with kids! Add a little personalized artwork that any mom would truly adore.
Can you sense a theme here? I should send this Mother's Day post to my husband as a hint. I love baths and this sugar scrub would be a perfect addition. Plus, like the DIY bath bomb cupcakes, kids will have a lot of fun making this gift. Above all, you could make the sugar scrub a customized Mother's Day gift by adding favorite colors and scents.
How sweet is this ring holder? This DIY is the perfect first mother's day gift. There are a few steps involved but this dish is actually quite easy to make. Plus it has a baby's footprints to make it truly personal.
I can't get enough of these DIY bath bombs. So, I am guessing that the mothers in your life will enjoy them, too. Impressive to make by hand, these bath bombs are the perfect homemade Mother's Day gifts from kids!
Check out this fun and easy to put together DIY Mother's Day gift. Most of all, your artsy kids will adore making this hand-painted vase!
Yes, please. How adorable are these pressed flower bookmarks? Combine nature and crafting to create these stunning bookmarks for the moms in your life.
This roundup of nature-themed DIY Mother's Day gift has got you covered for the occasion because it contains loads of creative crafting & outdoor learning fun!
Another craft gem from Buggy & Buddy! In other words, work fine motor skills by creating a tissue paper flower and beaded bracelet.
I love my DIY essential oil car diffuser. Most importantly, not difficult to make, this diffuser packs a punch with making a car smell lovely & for crafting with kids.
This bottle cap keychain combines a bit of crafting with artwork created by a child. Moreover, this keychain is a wonderful personalized Mother's Day gift from a child.
I like the gardening idea behind this craft stick flower pot. For instance, you can deliver this post with a planted seed or flower in the soil. Furthermore, this craft stick flower pot could also serve as a functional pencil and pen holder in a mom's home office or the kitchen's command central.
There was a year when I failed…I know, I know…it is the thought that counts, but I took the easy path.
You know what “they” say about the easy path? It'll make you week over time. Truth.
I will admit that I was pregnant with our third son and completely overwhelmed with “stuff” going on with out second son…but I take full ownership of the pathetic attempt at thanking my sons teachers for being nothing short of amazing (says the daughter of a teacher).
Are you ready for what I gave?
I am so embarassed…
…but I want to be honest.
Starbucks gift cards {lots of whimpering}.
Yup. I gave each teacher the envelop, my head bowed a bit, hugged each teacher, and bolted out of the school with my kids.
Every year since that time, I have made it a personal goal to involve my sons and to truly make time for giving a thoughtful, a meaningful gift to my sons teachers because, let's be honest, teachers are amazing human beings who not only educate our kids but they take care of our kids.
Boom.
With that off my chest, I am here to offer you the top picks for holiday gifts for school teachers.
Get to know your child's teacher by engaging him or her in conversation or asking your child about his teacher's specific interests (which is a great exercise!), then head on over to Minted, design, and order personalized stationary to his or her liking. The process takes ten minutes or less. I promise.
Forget about Starbucks, think hard about the teacher's habits. My mom was a teacher for nearly 4 decades and she was always buying supplies out of her own pocket. I know it isn't exciting but if it is all about the teacher and not because you're taking a short cut like I did 4 years ago, the you're good. Consider Amazon, Micheals, Montessori Services, or my printables shop!
Minted offers personalized journals and planners that are nothing short of gorgeous!
I like to include a tin of a baked item that reflects a family tradition. In our case, we could bake my grandmother's cowboy cookies and include the recipe (the original copy is a nice touch).
If I am feeling particularly reflective, I write a short letter to my sons' teachers. I like to include a note from my sons', too. The letters are handwritten.
This gift is so much fun! Interview your child about his or her teacher! The answers will make you laugh and make you cry! Present in a nice format to your teacher in card or small book and watch your child's teacher light up. I created these interview questions as a starting point for you.
Who doesn't love a little pampering around the house? Give your child's teacher the gift of a clean home! If you don't have a housecleaner in mind, ask around and you will be sure to get a great reference!
However, your child's teacher likes to relax and chill out after a long day with a classroom full of kids, a wine of the month or tea of the month club works wonders. There are several “Wine of the Month” clubs including the cleverly named Wine of the Month Club. Cellars Club is another option. Teabox and PlumDeluxe are a great gift option for tea drinkers!
My husband and I really make an effort to have fresh flowers in our home. There is something about the smell and the oxygen the flowers delivered to the interior of the home that makes a huge difference in mood and ambiance. ProFlowers offers a monthly flower club. Check it out here!
I love museum memberships! Such a blessing and a motivation to be able to visit a museum with all the conveniences of a membership. Challenge yourself and your child to consider a museum his or her teacher may appreciate the most.
We love Snake River Farms and these guys have loads of holiday gift ideas!
Flirty Aprons is so much fun. I got lost on their site checking out all the cool aprons for adults and kids. You can even customize an apron! What a great gift idea for teachers!
On a final note…
I challenge you to get to know your child's teacher. Ask your child questions about favorite colors, what he or she likes to do during free time, engage in a conversation with your child's teacher about his or her LIFE.
I hope you enjoyed this list of holiday gifts for teachers!
Have fun!
Marnie
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Long gone are the days of the Starbucks gift card. Don't get me wrong, I welcome a free coffee with open arms, but there was the time I forgot to get teacher's gifts (I was in my first trimester of my third pregnancy so I had an excuse.) and the time I saw the stack of Starbucks cards a colleague of mine pulled out from her desk.
Defining moments, friends.
[clickToTweet tweet=”It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. ~ Albert Einstein” quote=”It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. ~ Albert Einstein”]
So, from here on out, I'm determined to be relevant and useful to a teacher's life. I commit to getting to know that teacher and truly exploring offerings that might be of interest to them. Truth be told, most teachers spend a lot of their own money on their classroom so a good old Michael's gift certificate, or in our case, a Montessori Services gift certificate is always a good idea. Wouldn't it, though, be wonderful if teachers took a moment to honor themselves? Yes!
Before you peruse this list, close your eyes and imagine your child's teacher. What are his passions? What does she like to do outside the classroom? Maybe you know? Maybe you should ask? Get to know the teachers in your child's life, then spoil the heck out of them. You won't regret it for a second.
Before I go, check out these teacher gifts for book lovers! Let me know how the teacher gifts go for you!
Marnie