Christmas Gift Ideas for Preschool Teachers?

Listen, listen, listen to Melissa and Julie! I'm a teacher too and I can not possibly agree more with them when they say:

NO MORE CANDLES! NO MORE ORNAMENTS! NO MORE MUGS!

Your idea of a $10 gift card is perfect. Yes, that is definitely enough. Try to think of places that have lots of options like Target, Borders or B&N, a mall gift card, Corner Bakery/Panera or Starbucks.

Gift giving isn't a competition - I've gotten $5 gift cards and $100 gift cards. I know some families are able to give more but that doesn't mean that the family who presents the $5 gift card is less appreciative. It's nice just to be acknowledged.

And...just as a helpful hint to the other gift-givers out there: if you can't afford a gift, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a hand-written note from your child (or you, if the child is too young to write it) thanking the teacher for his or her hard work.

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I completely agree with the other post. I also taught and my favorite gifts were gift cards. I received LOTS of candles and ornaments over the years, and it got to be too much. Last year I gave each of my daughters preschool teachers a $10 Panera gift card, and I could tell that it was really appreciated!

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My sister is a 7th grade teacher and each year she gets an overload of bath stuff (lotions,sprays),candlles, and tons of ornaments--She does appreciate them greatly but the gift cards are t he best becasue she can use them for the classroom ect--Target and borders are great places to get gift cards from--Fannie mae candy is also a good idea because most like chocolate and if they dont, they can put it out on the holidays and share.

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Thanks for asking the question I needed an answer too
!! Thanks to those teachers!

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I know this is late, but I noticed not a single mama suggested a gas card. Gas prices are going up, and preschool teachers don't make very much money. I know I'd certainly appreciate a gas card!! Wouldn't you? Just something to consider.

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L.,

It is so thoughtful of you to get your child's teacher a gift. As a teacher myself, I always appreciate a kind gesture like this.

Gift cards are the PERFECT gift. Ten dollars is enough, and any of the following places are great: Target, Panera Bread, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, or Starbucks. Last year I had parents give me gift cards to restaurants, like Chili's and Applebees. I think they knew I needed a night out!

Please do not give candles or body wash. We got tons of it each year, and unfortunately it always ends up piling up!

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Definitely gift cards, and $10 seems like a good amount. That is what I would spend. In our preschool, each teacher has an "about me" posted in the hall. It just tells about their experience, family and interests. If your school does this it may help you choose a good place to get the gift card based on their interests. If your school doesn't do this you may want to suggest it :)

I was thinking the same thing and decided on a half pound of Fannie May Mint Meltaways or Pixies. They are right around $10. Good Luck!

Gift cards are great.

I always give lotions, aromatherapy items, ... from Arbonne International. The products are wonderful and botanically based.I work for Arbonne if you want to check into this. I have always gotten compliments on the gifts. Good luck!

K.
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My best friend is a teacher. No candles, mugs, best teacher trinkets, ornaments, etc. Real gifts, they are with your child teaching them. A gift card to a restaurant or Kohls, Macys, etc. I always gave $25.00 and felt like that was not enough.

sometimes the room moms decide to gather donations to go in on a group gift or gift card from all or any of the parents that want to contribute. if you class is not doing this and you really want to get something you know they personally like you can ask another one of the teachers if they have a favorite store, or hobby then that can give you some ideas. otherwise i think you are always fairly safe with starbucks gcard (preschool teachers are tired!) or really most gift cards are a good bet. teachers get thousands of the typical teacher gfts over the years and although they are appreciated there are only so many #1 teacher mugs, tree ornaments and key chains one can handle.

Panera Bread, Starbucks, or get a few moms together to get a $25 gift card to Target.

Visa gift cards are good because they can be used anywhere. I personally like to give my kids teachers a handcrafted project my kids made though. My favorite was a tissue box cover from Oriental Trading that Meg did (with my assistance) digital scrapbook pictures of events that happened throughout the year.

I often give Borders cards because we have a local store, and they have a coffee shop and CDs and movies in addition to books. I have also given gift cards for a local coffee/lunch spot (which is just a few blocks from the school). The coffee shop has also sponsored school events, so it's a good choice, I think.

You can also check your local visitor's bureau or shopping area. I know here in Oak Park there is a gift certificate you can get that is good for many different downtown stores and restaurants, which is also nice because it supports local taxpaying businesses.

I want to share a little story.. my baby is attending a great day care and the teachers are amazing!! Those women work many hours (plus they have kids and families to attend) and they work with the most precious thing in our world that are our kids. Last June (before vacation) we wanted to give something and my husband decided to give $50 dollars Target cards to each one (3 in total). For me it was a lot! but he said that they spend more hours that us with our little boy that they deserve more than that. We bought three different thank you cards, we choose each one depends on their personalities and we all wrote something (me, my husband and my little one some lines..).

After the weekend one of the teachers came to me and thanks me a lot. I asked her what she did with the card and I was joking saying that I hoped she bought something really nice to treat herself. She started crying and told me that her son was really sick that she had to use the money to buy medicine and thank me so much for those 50 dollars.

Thank you teachers for your hard work!! Even if we give you a 5 dollars card, we all believe you deserve more and any gift/amount will never be enough!.

As a teacher, I can tell you that the best gifts are gift cards! I don't need anymore mugs, ornaments, notepads, or knickknacks.

My friend is a grade school teacher and she would tell you "gift card, gift card, gift card" :O) She has been given so many mugs, note pads, etc. over the years and there's only so many of those you can actually use. Alternatively, she also enjoys when a mom gives her a homemade treat, but that can be tricky to find the time for, I know.