Teacher & assistant gifts

[Cravingindiantakeaway]

Planning to get Dds teacher and four assistants small Christmas gifts, any ideas? Can’t afford to spend lots but would like to appreciate their efforts 🤔

Please ignore any suggestions (and there will be some incoming!) for things like a personalised mug, a smellies set, a pair of fluffy socks etc. absolutely no to any home baked crafts. 100% no to fb tat like a personalised glittery wine glass or tree decoration.

The best gift is a lovely homemade card / letter with words on how the teacher has helped the child. A bottle of wine if they drink, chocolates if they eat. Consumables I always think are pretty safe bet and can be regifted if needed.

This! Honestly, the thing we appreciate more than anything at all is that personal message.

Chocolates, wine etc are a lovely gesture, but it's the cards, drawings and messages that I keep!

Chocolates or nice biscuit tin always goes down well.

I’m an ex teacher and got a bit 😬with too many chocolates, I’d also like to make it a bit more personalised. I was thinking maybe a homemade card for each one, a little gift bag with maybe a nice candle and small chocolate sort of thing? With something larger for the teacher?

I always go down the consumables route. Not necessarily chocolates. This year the nursery teacher will get a little something edible but I have also bought some classroom supplies, craft bits etc. Which they are, seemingly, thrilled by.

We have bought some hand creams from the body shop for DDs teachers in reception as i guess they will be bombarded with chocolate /wine

Absolutely no candles!! No smellies or handcreams or lipbalms or handmade edible gifts either. However many times a parent or carer says "my child had nothing to do with baking/cooking this!" I will still not trust it. Not all teachers/TAs drink or consume chocolate either so don't assume.

I'd be delighted with glue sticks. Pritt Sticks, preferably, but any would do.

(that is to add - a handmade card is perfect by itself but if you still want to give something small, glue stick...)

@Margo34 Aww I used to like receiving candles 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

Just send a card. In these times of rocketing costs, I'm sure teachers don't expect presents.👍

My mother was a teacher and I still have fond memories of her coming home with boxes of chocolates at Christmas. We used to go into the room where they were kept till the proper eating time to marvel at the quantity and variety of chocolate that we were going to enjoy.

So chocolate. Their families will remember it fondly many years later!

Brings back horrible memories of gift competitive teachers! I worked with two who displayed gifts on a table at the entrance to linked classroom. It was an annual event. Deeply sad but also highly amusing.
A homemade card is a lovely gift. The more glitter the better!

@Cravingindiantakeaway perfect example then of no two teachers/TAs liking the same things 😂

Papier have lots of Diaries/journals/planners/notebooks/stationary options that can be personalised with name/initials. If you follow this link it will give you £12 off £30 PAPIER . Pocket diaries are £16 for example.

My sister is a teacher and adores the hand written cards from her children. My friends are teachers and always end up with so much wine and chocolate although you can’t go wrong with edibles they used to get so much of them. My sister gets £5 Costa or Starbucks vouchers from some kids which she loves getting.

A local garden centre is doing gift vouchers to use from January for 80% cost, so I have bought 5 x £10 vouchers for £40. Free money!
Hopefully each teacher will appreciate buying a plant or buying a cuppa or, failing that, can pass them on as gifts.

Write down how they have helped your child. That will be appreciated so much and teachers get alot of verbal. A blank notebook and nice pen or small easy to look after plant for the classroom. A book to read to their class they can get alot of use from.

Speaking as a teacher, I honestly don't expect anything but the best gift I've had in recent years was a Costa gift card! 👍

Another vote for a homemade card, and if you want to go with something useful, think vouchers, gift cards, or some custom planner at most. Might be a handmade ornament, something like in here