By Vicki Little
Our classroom teachers have been nurturing, molding, comforting, disciplining, and helping our children for almost nine months now. With the end of the year creeping up, it’s time to thank our fearless leaders for all they have done. Forget the small gifts that might end up in the closet. Instead, gather the class together to come up with a meaningful group gift. All of these ideas require a bit of time and effort since you’ll need to coordinate with the parents. Keep it simple and email everyone or, if a class email is not an option, put letters explaining what you are doing in envelopes and give them to the teacher to distribute in the kids’s backpacks, just as they do for party invitations. You will spread the word AND keep it a surprise!
1) Replenish The Supply. The erasers are chewed off all the pencils, the glue sticks are gone, there is only one box of disinfectant wipes left, and the poor kids with allergies are going through the tissue boxes like crazy. Many teachers are dipping into their own wallets to keep the supplies going until the end of the year. Help them out for next year by replenishing what the kids have used! You can put an item from each family into a large basket and wrap it with cellophane or simply put it all into a gift bag!
2) Book Of Letters. Have all the kids write a special letter to the teacher, bind them together in a nice notebook or presentation folder. This will provide so many memories, and probably a lot of laughs for the teacher!
3) Advice Poster. The kids don’t even look the same as they did when they started last fall. They have grown and changed and are much more wise to the ways of their grade. Have them write a word of advice for the next incoming class. Then frame this poster and give it to the teacher to display in her room next year. It will definitely be something that can follow her for years to come.
4) Class Book. Most classrooms have a small library of books the kids can choose from during reading time. Buy an age-appropriate book, or possibly one in a couple of different levels for that grade, and have the kids sign their name in the book. Your teacher will definitely appreciate the new reading material!
Is your child’s class planning a group goodbye gift for the teacher? Join us on Facebook for more ideas!
Vicki Little is a work-at-home mom with two young kids. A Colorado native, she is the Publisher and Editor of Macaroni Kid Aurora and Downtown Denver. When she isn’t writing or trying to keep up with her kids she can be found volunteering, reading, or enjoying a bottle of wine with friends.
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