Are you looking for the best teacher appreciation gift to celebrate your kid’s teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week? Look no further!
Teacher Appreciation Day is coming up – it’s May 6th in the U.S. this year. And if you have kids in school, you know that this is a day that is meant to be celebrated. Our kids’ teachers are saints, superheroes, and gifts all rolled into one. That means that they deserve recognition and maybe a little bit of pampering when Teacher Appreciation Day comes around.
But how, exactly, should we recognize our kids’ teachers? I think we’ve all heard by now that they don’t want mugs or Christmas ornaments and would prefer a gift card. If you’re like me, though, you want to give them a little something to go with the gift card, but what?
My solution: a teacher tackle box! Grab a box and fill it with a mix of useful and fun items to show your kids’ teachers just how much you appreciate them. Come on, let’s build the best teacher appreciation gift together!
The Best Teacher Appreciation Gift
Box
Now, I’m calling what I think is the best teacher appreciation gift a teacher tackle box, but you don’t literally have to go out and buy a tackle box. You can buy a conventional tackle box if you want to, though. This traditional model tackle box is a good size if you want to go that route. You could also choose something a little simpler (and smaller), or just go to your local Home Goods or Dollar Tree and see what options they have. Truth be told, that’s the route I usually take. Heck, you can even grab a shoe box you have lying around and stuff it with goodies. It’s the stuff inside that’s the real gift, not the box itself.
Useful items
Now, what should you fill your teacher tackle box with to make it the best teacher appreciation gift for your kids’ teacher? I like to set the foundation of a great teacher tackle box with useful items. Here are some recommendations for items you may want to include. Pick one or two or go crazy and buy them all. How much you want to include depends on the size of your box and your budget for a teacher appreciation gift.
Writing implements
What teacher doesn’t love fresh writing implements? None that I know! That’s why I strongly suggest that you add some new writing implements to your teacher tackle boxes. Some good options here are multicolored pens, pre-sharpened Ticonderoga pencils (every teacher’s favorite), pretty pastel highlighters, and/or dry erase markers.
Post It notes
Another item that teachers can never have enough of is Post It notes. Thus, Post It notes are another great inclusion in your tackle box to make the best teacher appreciation gift you can give. Post It notes come in all shapes and sizes nowadays, and in every color of the rainbow. I’m a Post It purist, though, so I would recommend sticking to the regular old square yellow Post Its. Everyone loves the OG.
Hand sanitizer
Look, we are just starting to ease out of the cold and flu season, but that doesn’t mean your kid’s teacher wouldn’t appreciate some hand sanitizer. There is no such thing as too much hand sanitizer when you spend your days with children.
Because we’re aiming for small items that come together to make one big teacher appreciation gift, I would recommend opting for a little pocket-sized hand sanitizer spray to add to the teacher tackle box. I like the Honest Company hand sanitizer spray that smells like grapefruit, but that’s probably just my Floridian bias.
Clorox wipes
You know what, you should also probably add in a travel pack of Clorox wipes for maximum germ killing.
Hand lotion
Because they’re using so much hand sanitizer every day in an effort to stay healthy, teachers could also use some hand lotion to stash in their desks. Now, this is not an invitation to go to Bath & Body Works and grab the smelliest lotion you can find. Unless you know his or her preferred scent, I highly recommend sticking to an unscented lotion. My favorites are from Vanicream and Neutrogena.
Tissues
And just in case your hand sanitizer doesn’t work, throw a travel pack of tissues in your teacher tackle box too.
Lip balm
Schools are dry places. They give hospitals, motel rooms, and the Sahara desert a run for their money. That means your child’s teacher probably needs lip balm. Again, unless you know exactly what smell or shade of lip balm your kid’s teacher prefers, stick to something utilitarian here like Aquaphor or Carmex.
Fun items
Now that you’ve chosen some useful items to include in your teacher tackle box, you need some fun items too to make this the best teacher appreciation gift. I’m providing some suggestions on fun things to include, but don’t be afraid to get creative. Amp up the fun!
Gift card
I like to slip a gift card into teacher tackle boxes so that the teacher can get something for himself or herself. I would recommend that you ask the teacher for his or her preference (or ask a colleague) so you know that the gift card will go to good use. Some ideas for gift cards are:
Restaurant
Coffee
Groceries
Clothing
General (like Amazon or Target)
Snack
Teaching is hard work, y’all. Help your child’s teacher regain some energy by adding a favorite snack to the teacher tackle box. Savory or sweet, whatever your child’s teacher prefers. Bonus points for homemade snacks, but store bought snacks are also great.
Stickers
Teachers give out stickers all day long. Why not add some stickers to the teacher tackle box for the teacher? Grown-ups like stickers too!
Note from your child
And finally, for the piece de resistance of the teacher tackle box and what truly makes it the best teacher appreciation gift: a note from your child. Y’all, teachers aren’t in education for wealth or fame. They’re in it for the kids. So, the best thing you can do to show these angels on earth how much you appreciate them is to have your children tell them how much they mean to them. Even if your kid is little and doesn’t write yet, have them trace their hand or draw a heart. But please don’t skip including something your child makes for his or her teacher in your teacher tackle box. It’s free and easily the best thing you can include.
Other posts
Need more tips? I’ve got some posts you might want to check out:
I hope this helps you shower your kids’ teachers with the best teacher appreciation gift this Spring. What is your go-to teacher appreciation gift? Share below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.