Being a teacher is always tough but 2020 has been many teachers most challenging year ever. Whether you want to show your appreciation to your child’s teacher or treat the special teacher in your life, check out Becky Cranham’s pick of the top ten best gifts for teachers to say thanks with something they will actually like!

Becky is a former primary school teacher and runs learning resources site PlanBee

Tasty Treats

Wine (or any other tipple), chocolate and biscuits are always welcomed by teachers, whether they are to share with other staff or take home to enjoy in peace and quiet! After a busy term, a little indulgence is most definitely deserved. Better yet, why not get your child to make a treat, like gingerbread men, to give to their teacher, or filling a hand-decorated cube or Christmas cracker with your teacher’s favourite sweets?

Stationery

Most teachers have a strange obsession with all things stationery. Personalised pencils, pretty packs of sticky notes, a new set of coloured pens, a fresh new notebook...any and all of these will most likely go down a treat with the special teacher in your life.

Thermal Mug

Anyone who has experience inside a classroom will know how challenging it can be to get to a cup of coffee while it is still hot. A thermal mug is one of the best gifts for teachers whose tea or coffee dependency is thrown into jeopardy by a busy classroom. This way, they can have a hot cup of caffeine on the go all day long!

Vouchers

It can be difficult to know what your teacher may want or need, especially if you’ve only known them for a term. If you want to ensure that they get something they really want, a voucher can be a good option. Instead of a voucher for a particular shop, why not treat them to a massage or beauty treatment instead? Or for their favourite takeaway so they can have a night off from cooking. Any opportunity to relax will be greatly received by your teacher.

Lesson Planning

Speaking of vouchers, giving your teacher a PlanBee gift card will allow them to purchase ready-made lesson planning which will save them both time and stress. Imagine how much easier it would be for your teacher to relax over the holidays if they knew their lesson planning had all been taken care of! Just a £10 voucher can get a teacher a whole term’s worth of planning for a particular subject.

A Lanyard

Many teachers wear a lanyard to hold their ID, keys, etc. during the day. A personalised lanyard or one themed around something you know your teacher likes would be a great gift that they can enjoy every day while they are teaching.

A Handmade Keepsake

Most teachers will tell you that the gifts that mean the most are the ones children create themselves. Why not frame a picture your child has drawn showing something they love about their teacher, create a clay pot for the teacher to keep bits and bobs in or even make a hand warmer to keep their teacher warm during cold break duties.

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