As the holiday break approaches, many families are looking for gifts for their child’s teacher. If you’re looking to avoid adding another “#1 Teacher” mug to their collection, the folks at Edutopia have got you covered. They asked teachers what they most wanted for the holidays this year. These are the seven most popular responses:

  1. Notes of Appreciation: Teachers do a lot for our kids, and a simple thank you note from you (and your child) expressing your appreciation for all that they do can mean so much.
  2. Gift Cards: A gift card so they can have a dinner out when they’re too busy with schoolwork to cook or an office supply store to get things for their classroom (teachers spend an average of $750 on supplies out of their own pockets) can make a difference for your child’s teacher.
  3. Tasty Beverages: Whether it’s a fancy coffee, soothing tea, or comfy cocoa (or perhaps something else if your child has been that kid in class this year), a nice beverage to curl up with over the holidays would be appreciated.
  4. Volunteer Time: Reading to the class, helping on a field trip, or just running copies of worksheets can help your child’s teacher. Remember to follow whatever volunteer requirements your school has in place.
  5. Handmade Treats: Between teaching, lesson planning, grading, and their own family holiday needs, your child’s teacher might not have the time to do any holiday baking. If you are already doing baking for your family, making some extras to share is an easy gift.
  6. Pampering Goodies: From hours on their feet to working late into the evening grading papers, teaching is a hard job made even more so by the pandemic. Gifts to help relax, unwind, and pamper themselves can help deal with that.
  7. Respect: It’s telling that this was one of the top responses from teachers. It’s also a good reminder that whenever we communicate with our child’s teacher, we need to ensure we do so with respect.

Photo © 2001 by Joanne Johnson under Creative Commons license.