End-Of-The-Year Teacher Gifts That Don't Suck

I have three children. The oldest is in fifth grade, my middle is in third grade, and my youngest is in first grade. If we count the preschool years, and their piano teacher, the the class EAs (Education Assistants)(My kids don't need them, but they're sweet to kids they aren't assisting, so I include them) that means we've given...carry the one...thirty-two end-of-year teacher gifts to date. We'll have six more to hand out within the next couple of weeks, which will bring us up to thirty-eight.

In addition to the many years of giving gifts to teachers, I have a number of close friends who happen to be teachers, so I get the inside scoop. While they really do love handmade gifts — just as we all do — if all twenty of their students give them a handmade trinket that's a lot of stuff. I'm overwhelmed with the stuff my own three kids bring home — I'm pretty sure my head would melt if I received seven times that amount (I rounded up, for you math nerds).

Here are gifts that we've given over the years, that have always been a hit.

1. A gift certificate to a local coffee shop. Even if they don't drink coffee, they can treat themselves to another beverage or a quick lunch.

2. A potted flower. Who doesn't like flowers? Fresh flowers are great, but they die quickly.

3. A bottle of wine. Now, I haven't done this (yet) because I don't know if my kids' teachers drink wine, but if yours does? Get them a good bottle of wine.

4. An iTunes gift card. Two of my kids' teachers are quite active and sporty, so I love to give them the gift of new music.

5. A Staples (or equivalent) gift card. Teachers often spend their own money on class supplies for fun projects, and this helps them with their costs.

Pro tip: Don't wait until the last day of school to give your gift. Give it a few days earlier do that your kid's teacher isn't spending her or his last day of work making twenty trips to their car to bring everything home.

Do you have any teachers' gifts that are always much-appreciated?

Looking for more ideas? Here are 5 teacher gifts that don't suck.