Teacher Gifts: To thank you for helping me shine

 #AD Spoiler alert - look away now if you are Natty's teacher!

It's time to start thinking about teacher gifts for the end of the Summer term

Not Home School Heaven

I'm not sure about you, but since the endless stretched-out days of home schooling during the Covid lockdowns, where time stood still, we all lived on banana bread, snacks and short walks, and where our calendars hung empty on the kitchen wall, I've found that we are cramming our lives full of more fun than ever now that the global pandemic has eased.

My home school teaching skills were a bit under par...

Summer's A-Coming

And as a consequence there only seems to be a blink of an eye between each school holiday and the half terms, and the sudden realisation that The Summer Holidays are just over the brow of the hill has hit me squarely between the eyes.

Cue, planning fun and inexpensive activities to entertain and delight Natty, meet ups with old friends, juggling childcare, custody and work commitments, all whilst keeping her interested in a bit of cleverly disguised school work.

Teacher Gifts: Thank you for helping me shine

But the end of term also means thanking Natty's teacher and classroom assistants. They have worked extra hard this year, having to devise new ways of working through a pandemic and then helping youngsters re-settle into school life whilst supporting their challenged mental health and guiding them through missed academic ground (I hate the term ''catching up').

And I think more than ever, I appreciate what teaching staff do, especially after having found home schooling so very, very difficult, despite having once been a 'real' teacher. (Although, in my defence, professional teachers aren't doing a second job whilst teaching 2 different year groups, rustling up lunch and whipping a hoover around the classroom in which they also live...)

Personalised teacher gifts with inspiring slogans from Gift Delivery UK

Great Teacher Gift Ideas

With pennies tight for most of us and the cost of living rising, showing your appreciation to your or your child's teacher needn't be expensive. As a former teacher myself, some of my most treasured end of year gifts were either homemade or inexpensive practical gifts. Try to keep them small and light if possible, just in case your teacher cycles or catches the bus to work! 

And remember, it's the thought that counts.

You could try giving them:

• a small packet of homemade shortbread, cookies or fudge
• a handcrafted thank you card or painting
• a personalised coffee mug, pencil case, coaster or tote bag teacher gift from Gift Delivery UK*
• a pack of useful stationary, such as coloured pens for marking, Sharpies, board markers or even post-it notes
• a DIY bathbomb
• a jar of nice coffee, hot chocolate or box of tea
• a homegrown plant or flowers. This could be something you have grown from seed or a cutting, a herb plant or a little tomato sapling. Even a pretty bunch of wild flowers tied with string make a colourful offering.

Natty chose a ceramic coffee mug for her teacher,
which reads 'thank you for making me shine'*

Time to Shine

*Natty was allowed to choose a teacher gift in exchange for writing a review. She loves this re-usable double wall ceramic travel mug with a soft silicone lid. She chose it because it's big enough to hold all the tea that her teacher drinks every morning. She was able to ask for his name on it and it reads 'thank you for helping me shine', because he has certainly done that this year.

We hope you also have fun finding ways to thank the teacher that has brought sunshine to your school world this year and helped you sparkle. It's time to shine!