Let me be clear: teacher gifts are never expected or required, but this time of year I know there are some parents looking for ideas.
I wrote a magazine article a while back about Gifts For Teachers, and most of those ideas still apply – though it was Christmas-themed, and the ornament might be a bit out of place in June!
As I always say, the nicest thing to receive is a sincere compliment, whether from the child or the parents. SavvyMom.ca ran a great post recently with tips to help your child write a thank you note to the teacher, and I loved it so much that I turned the prompts into a simple fill-in-the-blanks template that my primary grade daughters have used to write to their teachers. They printed their answers by hand (much cuter than typed responses) and then decorated the sheets. (I’m sharing it here; feel free to use it!)
For those who are looking to spend a little bit of money to show appreciation, charitable gifts are a great idea, and can be any dollar value.
What about a SickKids Get Better gift for your child’s teacher? Here’s what SickKids suggests:
School is wrapping up for another year and summer is around the corner. What better way to thank your child’s teacher and caregiver, who help and support your child throughout the year, than with something from the SickKids Get Better Gifts program.
These meaningful gifts provide an alternative to traditional gift-giving and recognize many of the special ways these teachers and friends help children learn and grow, similar to the way the staff at SickKids seek to motivate, inspire and teach the patients in their care.
When you give a Get Better Gift, you are not only showing your appreciation, but also helping to brighten the lives of sick children and their families.
Gift ideas include:
· Arts and Craft Supplies: This gift provides therapeutic opportunities for special arts and crafts programs that can help children cope with hospital stays and make sure they get to do some of the school activities they’re missing.
· Books for the Children’s Library at the Family Centre: Story-time and book delivery service, where books are delivered right to the children in their hospital bed, are just a couple of the children’s favourite services you can help support.
· An Opportunity to Clown Around: Happiness and laughter are important for the mind and body. At SickKids, specially-trained therapeutic clowns help to ease tension and offer relief by using spontaneous humour and gentle play to minimize stress during treatments and hospital stays.
I can tell you for sure I would love to have any of these gifts made in my name…though if your child absolutely positively wants to give me a material item all wrapped up, you’ll never go wrong with a Kit Kat.
