At the end of an academic year, people thank teachers everywhere by bringing them small gifts and flowers. Parents and students go into a panic trying to think about these gifts and end up buying whatever they find with a teacher or teaching logo written on it.
At the same time, teachers start thinking about what they will do with 5 similar Thank you teacher plaques, 5 teddy bears all looking the same, 10 similar pens and so on.
Teachers enjoy heartfelt simple gifts and love to display them into the classroom sharing them with others.
Getting the best teacher gift doesn’t need to be a chore. If you decide on buying handmade gifts, with or without any teacher inscription on them, you will find that there are a multitude of uniquely designed items that won’t be hard on your pocket. Handmade gifts will certainly be appreciated by everyone, especially by teachers.

Unique teacher gift ideas:
- A fun collectible item – this would be great for teachers that are known for their likes of Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Harry Potter or even Lego Movies.
- Car models – For teachers that are passionate about cars: a miniature metal car (maybe even the make they are driving) or a handmade wooden toy car.
- A handmade memory poster – You could design a print with thank you notes for those moments when the teacher made a difference in the child’s learning journey.
- Handmade mugs are a hit with teachers. They will use these during their breaks for their coffee or tea. A colorful nice touch could be Polish pottery mugs with beautiful designs and a touch of childhood memories.
- Personalized items – this could be a T-shirt, a towel, a pillowcase, a wall clock, canvas, plaque or even a phone case.
- Plant your own flower pot – These are long-lasting gifts that can brighten the classroom. The kit contains the plant seeds, planting instructions and a ceramic pot.
- Mandala doodling pad – A great gift that can be used to relax during breaktime.
- A framed classroom piece of work – If there is a piece of work the pupil is proud of, with the teacher’s notes added, this makes for a beautiful keepsake that can be placed either in the classroom or at home.
- Window hanging sun-catcher – A colorful hanging sun-catcher would be a nice touch for the classroom. The sun-catcher can be homemade with crystal, glass or plastic beads and lots of vividly colored ribbons.
- Paper flowers made from book pages – A great idea for English teachers. These can be handmade at home or ordered online.
- A string art gift – that can represent an apple, an initial or whatever you would like to. It can be easily made at home from low-cost materials: wood, small nails, colorful string and a hammer.
- A mason jar filled with goodies – The jar could be filled with retro sweets or dried flowers. It could be filled with colorful marbles and small inspirational quote tags. For tea lovers, there could be a selection of teabags.
- Chocolate – Chocolates are the best gifts for teachers. They can be personalized, or shaped in various forms or just any odd box of chocolates will do.

Our handmade teacher gift ideas are easy to find and won’t cost a lot. A small token of gratitude is better received than an expensive gift. Remember that teachers don’t want to add extra pressure on parents and their children and don’t expect lavish gifts. A heartfelt Thank you letter will always be well received.