This year you don’t have to scramble at the last minute to find something to send with your child when you have this list of 100 Free or Frugal Teacher Gift Ideas to use. Not only are all of these ideas super easy to grab for very little out of pocket expense, there are even some fun free items that only cost you a it of time. Teachers often love the fun things students bring as gifts, but this will be even better since it includes all the great things they need.
100 Free or Frugal Teacher Gift Ideas
- Parental volunteers in class for parties
- Kleenex (in pretty decorative packages)
- Hand sanitizer
- Cleaning supplies (sanitizing wipes, glass spray, paper towels)
- Air fresheners (check for student allergies first)
- First aid kits
- Candy for their desk
- Emergency supply kit (mini toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, hairspray, feminine hygiene supply, etc.)
- Scarves for winter days
- Customized tumbler or travel mug (Dollar Tree mug with vinyl cutouts)
- Candy jar for their desk
- Calendars
- Gum in various flavors (bubble gum to breath freshening spearmint)
- Their favorite grading pen (many teachers prefer specific pens)
- Homemade cookies
- Spiced tea mix (mix powdered orange drink and instant tea together and add to decorative jar)
- Hot cocoa mix
- Homemade body scrub
- Peppermints or breath mints
- Gift cards to local coffee shops, breakfast shops, donut shops for a cheap fast snack
- Beef jerky or other non perishable snacks for their desk
- Dry erase markers in fun colors
- Volunteer to help gather papers, make copies or other random daily tasks
- Chalk markers for less mess on their boards
- Homemade brownie mix
- Class picture scrapbook
- Homemade bath salts
- Cross stitch room sign
- Wreaths for their door (make for various holidays/seasons)
- Random bulletin board supplies (ribbon, construction paper, quotes, stickers, thumb tacks, etc.)
- Stickers for adding to students paperwork
- Stationary (purchased or use blank cards and paint or embellish to make unique)
- Hand stamped “Thank You” cards
- Volunteer to help clean classroom
- Unique picture frames (use scrapbook supplies and revamp a simple $1 frame)
- Fingerless gloves
- Earbuds
- Pocket phone charge (many are under $10)
- Gourmet coffee or tea (find out their preference)
- Homemade soup mix (bean soup is easy, inexpensive and delicious)
- Homemade body butter
- Lip balm (homemade or purchased)
- Hand lotions
- Batteries (teachers always need spare batteries in their classroom)
- A pretty journal
- Card games or board games for their classroom (ask ahead of time to see what they need/want)
- Books for their classroom library (ask ahead of time to see what they need/want)
- Volunteer for lunch duty
- Nail polish
- Manicure set (for male or female teachers under $2 at most stores)
- Volunteer for recess duty
- Volunteer to organize an educational field trip
- A beautiful quote printed and framed for their desk or classroom ($1 frame and card stock equals inexpensive yet personal)
- Craft supplies for the classroom (things like glue, glitter, paper and ribbon)
- Volunteer to organize needed areas of her room
- Homemade jams or jellies
- A homemade mix tape (motivational songs, fun or silly songs they can play in their classroom, classical or similar)
- Homemade play dough for classroom use (you can make multiple colors and scents)
- Homemade book marks
- Homemade book of science experiment ideas (or appropriate classroom ideas you have gathered, organized and printed)
- Jar of nice things your child has said about their teacher (print things on paper for the teacher to pull out on tough days
- Book of scripture for tough days (if your teacher is religious)
- A photo calendar of their students/school events
- Volunteer to babysit their kids (this usually only works if you have a good/close relationship with the teacher, but could work out to give them a break or date night that is much needed)
- Homemade t-shirt tote bag (old t-shirts can be washed, cut and tied together to make a cute and totally no-sew homemade tote bag)
- Custom printed apron (inexpensive apron, fabric paint and/or iron on graphics)
- Homemade tile coasters
- Homemade lotion bars (solid bars made with shea butter are so fun and easy!)
- Homemade candy
- Homemade bread mix
- Pencils, pens & erasers for the classroom
- Fun homemade magnets for their classroom or home
- Instant drink mixes (coffee, tea, juice, Kool Aid, etc. to go in water as they want)
- Personalized clock (buy an inexpensive wall clock, take apart and add fun embellishments to the inside to customize)
- Classroom shadowbox (use classic teacher things like scissors, apple items and rulers to create a fun teacher themed shadowbox)
- Homemade muffins
- Voucher for your business/skill (If you are a hair stylist, manicurist, etc. you can give a voucher for service)
- Crayon monogram (use broken crayons to create their monogram on card stock and frame)
- Potted plant for their classroom (Aloe, ferns and ivy are typically safe bets for classrooms since flowering plants can lead to allergy issues in students or a teacher)
- Custom key ring (homemade, embroidered, painted or laminated are fun)
- A hand written poem about the teacher
- A video recording of your child talking about what they love about their teacher
- Flash drives for digital storage
- Magazine subscription for them (ask for a list of magazines they would enjoy reading)
- Postage stamps (You can buy 10 for under $5 and add to a box of stationary)
- Custom stickers (print stickers on your home printer with a great saying like, “Mrs. Teacher’s Rock Star!” on them.)
- Handwritten notes from your child
- Personalized Christmas ornament (with teacher name & year)
- Crockpot Recipe Book (dig out your favorite easy meal recipes for a Crockpot and print them into a simple binder for them to use)
- Magazine subscription for their classroom (ask for a list of kids magazines they approve of and would like)
- Volunteer to read to the classroom, or share another skill with their class (for younger classes simply coming in to read is great, but older students maybe you can share a skill)
- Small bottles of essential oils for their room (some brands on Amazon are under $10 each!)
- Desk diffuser (some small brands on Amazon are under $10)
- Cute decorative makeup bag (embellish, make your own or find an inexpensive one and fill with things like lotion, lip balm and hand sanitizer)
- Baby wipes (they come in handy for spills, cleanup and multiple uses in the classroom)
- Homemade potpourri (dried flowers, herbs, with essential oils can be bagged for a refreshing smell they can put in their home or classroom)
- Fun lunch box (many upscale/adult lunch boxes are under $10 on Amazon)
- Folders, paper or binders for their classroom (ask before purchase)
- Personalized water bottle
- Bottle opener (if you know they drink alcohol – fun pretty ones are inexpensive)
This list of free or frugal teacher gift ideas will give you an excellent place to start thinking about how to celebrate your kids teachers on a budget.
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