Tag: teachers

Teacher Gifts to Show Your Thanks

With the end of the school year in sight, it’s time to think about teacher gifts for your children’s tireless educators. Teachers have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Each September, families hand over their children, and entrust teachers to nurture, enrich and fill their minds with knowledge and responsibility to help prepare for the world.

How do you show your appreciation and gratitude? Whether you’d like to give a homemade gift or something practical, or you’re charged with buying or creating a gift from the whole class, we have thoughtful gift ideas that will go easy on your time and budget.

Group Teacher Gifts from the Class

If you’re the lucky parent charged with collecting contributions and choosing a class gift for the teacher, choose a collectively built gift that’s simple and sure to be loved. Choose a theme and assemble a gift basket or package that everyone in the class can contribute to fill.

To avoid the flurry of email communication that can flood your inbox when coordinating for a large group, rely on services such as Sign Up Genius, which will handle a lot of the coordination and help avoid duplicate purchases. To hold all the loot, use a cute bag or tote, which you or another family in the class can contribute.

Here are cute ideas for the class-contributed contents for a summer-themed package:

Beach towel
Gift certificate for Mani/pedi
Magazine
Paperback book
Journal
Small photo album
Insulated tumbler and drink mix
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Summery nail polish
Gift card to department store, a sunglasses or sport store
Monogrammed Frisbee
Cute drinking straws or drink stirs
Cocktail napkins
Reusable ice cubes in a fun summer shape
Outdoor tumblers and a pitcher
Deck of cards or a game

Quick and Easy “Homemade” Teacher Gifts

Looking to go beyond a store bought gift, but have less time than inspiration? Rather than tackle a big DIY project, you can add an extra, homemade touch to a store-bought (or homegrown) gift of flowers or a potted plant. Personalizing an always appreciated gift of green shows you’ve gone the extra mile to show you care. Here are three sweet and simple ways to embellish a potted plant or bouquet of flowers.

1. Chalkboard Pot from The Idea Room on Skip to My Lou you can customize with a personal note to your child’s teacher.

2. Handmade Container from Love of Family and Home.

3. DIY Succulent Terrarium from That’s Quirky.

Picking Up a Practical Teacher Gift and Packaging It Just Right

Save yourself the agonizing and shopping for the perfect gift. Nothing is more useful to a hardworking teacher on a limited salary than a gift card to a favorite store, café or restaurant. A gift card allows him or her to splurge or spend as they like. These fun, free gift card holders to print will personalize a gift that may seem a bit impersonal. There’s one for coffee, a book store, the movies and good ole Target.

No matter how you choose to thank your child’s teacher, remember that a personal note of thanks from you and your child is often the most important gift of all. Find the perfect babysitter for summer break at UrbanSitter.

5 Special Back-to-School Traditions to Start this Year

Even if you are sad to see the summer go, there’s no denying the excitement a new school year brings. You can get your kids motivated for a fresh start and build lasting memories by starting back-to-school traditions you can repeat each year. These fun, memorable traditions will have everyone raring to go!

To help you create traditions that are just right for your family, we’ve pinned loads of great back-to-school ideas, tips and products to our Back-to-School Pinterest Board and included links below. We hope they are helpful!

Start a New Back-to-School Tradition:

1. Super Star Shopping Date

Remember the thrill of picking out new school clothes when you were a kid? Maybe you got a new backpack, lunchbox or some fresh kicks. No matter how much or how little was on the shopping list or what’s on your list for your own kids, everyone loves starting the year with something new.

Take advantage of pre-fall sales and hit the stores with your child. Make him or her the center of attention by arranging to send siblings on a playdate or hiring a sitter to take over while the two of you are on a date.
Stock up on school supplies, gear and clothes for the new year.
Keep budgets in check by first doing a closet and drawer assessment with your child, deciding together what’s needed. Organized Home posts helpful strategies for Back-to-School Shopping.
Make shopping a fun event by including a stop for lunch and using the time with your child to talk about highlights of the summer, and plans and goals for the new year.

2. Meet a New Teacher and Host a New Friend

For a child, walking into a new classroom can be a scary thing. Seeing a familiar face in the room always makes it a bit a easier. Take advantage of opportunities to meet the new teacher and visit the classroom to build familiarity and calm first-day anxieties. It’s also helpful, if you have a class roster or know of a child who will be in the same class, to schedule a playdate with a classmate who happens to be an old friend you haven’t seen in awhile or make an introduction to a new friend.

Turn it into a fun tradition by making it an annual project to find a new or long-lost friend to meet up with after orientation day. You can make it extra special by meeting at a local park and bringing a treat to share or at a local ice cream shop for Back-to-School cones.

3. Tweak your Routine and Refresh your Homework Station or Quiet Time Spot

morning routine — Photo: IHeart Organizing

Being organized feels fantastic and gives everyone in the family a sense of control and preparedness. Have a tradition of holding a family meeting to discuss with older kids what could be improved from last year and to share with everyone what the routine will be once school starts.

This is the time to roll out new calendars, introduce new sitters and make sure kids know what to expect. There are lots of free printables that will help you organize expectations, including chore charts, weekly planners, lunchbox planners you can create with your child, and even simple This is Our Morning Routine and This is Our After-School Routine printable charts that will help kids stay focused and limit the number of times you’ll be barking orders, such as “Put your shoes on!”

If you have school-age kids, now is the time to refresh supplies for homework and organize them in a location that’s easy for kids to access. For younger kids, you can perk up the quiet time area, maybe adding a few new books to the collection or making a space more inviting by seeing that it has a comfy spot to rest and plenty of light for reading.

4. Share a Story and a Craft

Get kids excited about school and address concerns and worries by sharing a book about starting school. Picture books can help to reassure kids about starting school or going to a new school, and they also serve as catalysts for better communication at home. Check this handy list of top children’s books about starting school, including books that talk about first day jitters, how to make new friends and simply what to expect so the day is not so scary.

If you have a crafty crew, get them excited for the big day by spending time together on a Back-to-School project. Red Ted Art has a popular round-up of back to school craft ideas that are sure to get school spirit soaring.

5. Make the First Day Extra Special

first day of school sign — Photo: Just Imagine

Create a tradition of great fanfare on the first day of school! This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours planning menus and creating DIY decorations. It just means putting a little extra TLC into the day to turn it exciting and memorable. Here are some simple ideas you can do each year:

Get up earlier to set a pretty breakfast table with fresh flowers and a favorite breakfast that you don’t typically serve on a week-day morning, such as these French Toast Roll-ups that are so easy, they could easily become a week-day staple.
Have each child pose for a First Day photo you can save in special photo album. Take it up a notch by having your child hold a small sign or chalkboard marked with the date and a personal note, such as his favorite activity or what he wants to be when he grows up.
Pack a special lunchbox treat with a note reminding the recipient that you are thinking of him all day long.
Pick up a special after-school snack, such as these Chocolate Coconut Graham Crackers that take good’ole graham crackers to a new level, or a all the fixings for First Day sundaes. Take time out of your day to either sit with your child or call them to hear the highlights of the big day.

One more tradition to start (just for mom and dad): The occasional night out! Find a trusted babysitter at UrbanSitter.com.

Autumn back to school diy elementary Fall family activities family time preschoolers school teachers

Handy DIY Printables for Personalized Teacher Appreciation Gifts

The end up the school year means it’s time to thank your children’s teachers for their tireless dedication, patience and nurturing. Thanks to downloadable printables provided by some of the most talented and generous bloggers out there, you can give a gift that’s a little more special and a little more personal. These cute gift ideas and free printables are just what you need to leave a smile on any teacher’s face.

Movie Day On Me

Who wouldn’t appreciate a gift certificate to see a movie and a bunch of sweet treats to take along? Tater Tots and Jello is providing a free downable striped fry box template and gift tags to insert on the front of the box that say “Thanks for Making Me Feel Like a STAR.” She’s even provided two color options. Simply print the box template on card stock, and assemble by folding on the dotted lines. Once assembled, fill with a gift card and your teacher’s favorite candy.

Reusable Tumbler

A plastic cup with a lid and a straw makes for a practical gift and a sturdy receptacle for handmade thank you notes and kid drawings you can roll and insert inside. Make it an even better gift by inserting individual serving-size drink mixes, teas or instant coffee, or even a gift certicate to a coffee or smoothie shop. Top it off with an eye-catching flag to hang from the straw. Free flag printables with thank you note by Lisa Storms.

Succulent Garden

Here’s a DIY project that doesn’t take (too) much work and produces impressive results. The Idea Room tells you how to create a succulent garden in a customized, galvanized pot. The pot is mod-podged with pages from old dictionaries that include teacher-related words, such as guidance, grow and nurture. You’ll need the following supplies:

Pot, container or bucket

Old Dictionary Pages

Mod Podge

Paint Brush

Potting Soil

Succulents

For a little more guidance and a printable label that reads “Teachers Plant Seeds of Knowledge that will Last Forever” click here. (Be forewarned, The Idea Room requires that you Like them on their Facebook page before they provide the printable.)

Extra-ordinary Teacher Treats Bags

If you have multiple kids and/or multiple teachers to thank (don’t forget music teachers, art teachers, aides, and bus drivers), a mini treat bag topped with a cute label that reads “You Are One EXTRAordinary Teacher!” is easy and affordable, and just as thoughtful as a bigger gift. Sweet Metel Moments created the free printable as a fold-over tag for 3 x4 inch plastic treat bags filled with Extra gum. Simply print the labels, and staple them to the tops of the filled bags. If you aren’t a fan of the gum, there’s another label that reads “Thanks for a Being Such a Sweet Teacher.” It’d be just right for a bag filled with any candy… and is just as cute.

Summer is coming! Find a summer babysitter at UrbanSitter.

crafts for kids diy free printables school teachers