What Teachers Really Want for Teacher Appreciation

I’ve recently been looking at teacher appreciation ideas, and the consensus when you ask teachers what they really want as a teacher appreciation gift, they say gift cards.

It makes sense, because any teacher who has been teaching for very long probably has more than their fill of teacher related art and gifts, and gifts of junk food aren’t always appreciated (and with dietary restrictions might not even be something the teacher can eat).

If you can find out their favorite coffee shop or even just give them a gift card to Target or Wal-mart so they can choose to buy something special for themselves where they are already shopping, it’s sure to be appreciated.

That said, you don’t have to just hand them a gift card. You can make it a little more fun with a creative presentation, such as making an origami envelope (here’s a tutorial from Origami Spirit) or another kind of gift card holder like these from Make and Takes. Add some drama by putting it in an origami gift box; find instructions at The Spruce.

You could also have your child make some art to present to the teacher related to something they did in class or just a thank you for being a great teacher.

Another great thing you can do is not just give a gift card but include a note of thanks, sharing what it has meant for your child to have that teacher. A written note is great, but it’s also wonderful to send an email and copy their direct supervisor, especially if you have specific praise about how that teacher went above and beyond for your kid.

These are easy things to do last-minute for teacher appreciation or the last day of school, which is great because who needs more to do this time of year?

[Photo: Make and Takes.]

Lacing is a great fine motor activity, and most kids go through a phase where they enjoy working with lacing cards. It helps promote focus and is a great quiet activity for kids to do in the car or to fill time in the classroom. And of course knowing how to lace is the beginning of knowing how to sew, which is great for all kids to learn (more on teaching kids to sew here).

There are lots of ways to make your own lacing cards. This one is just a pin but it’s easy to make lacing cards with any shape a child is into using cardboard and a nail to poke the holes. This could be fun for letter and number recognition or spelling the child’s name. Or try this version from Hey Azka, which uses a hole punch to make bigger holes so you can lace with shoe laces.

You can also just do lacing cards with paper, but it’s a great idea to print them on card stock and/or laminate them to make them sturdier for little hands. Homeschool Share has a set of alphabet lacing cards, which are free with email signup. Deceptively Educational has a set of number lacing cards with numbers 0 to 10.

Picklebums has some basic shape lacing cards, too.

Living Life and Learning has a bunch of cute printable lacing cards, including back to school designs, shoes kids can lace and learn to tie and ocean themed lacing cards. She also has tips for making your own lacing cards.

A Rose Tinted World made their lacing cards with craft foam, which makes them a little more durable than paper and you can cut it more easily than cardboard. They used a die cutting machine but you can also cut shapes by hand.

I also love the cat and mouse cards from Seam Whisperer. They also have some spring themed designs. So cute!

If you want to make lacing cards that are more open ended, check out this tutorial form Pretty Life Girls to make lacing cards that are more like geo boards. Theirs are made with wood but you can also do this with cardboard, craft foam or card stock.

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