With the end of the school year quickly approaching, it’s already time to start thinking about teacher appreciation gifts and this year we’ll include this ‘Thank you for being my teacher’ print-out with a purchased gift. We’ll probably mount it on coloured card stock or put it into a pretty frame of some sort, but wouldn’t it be amazing if every child in the class made one and we had it bound into a book?! Oh my heart! A full class book would make for such a beautiful, meaningful gift.
We’re officially into the last week of school and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Miss G had another absolutely fantastic teacher this year and for that, I’m incredibly grateful. In our experience, the teacher really does make {or break} the school year, and her teacher this year certainly made her {our!!} year a positive, happy one. Despite being new to the school this year, Grae made loads of friends, was happy to go to school each day, and got to take part in all kinds of really cool process-based, collaborative, and creative projects.
While we’re still working on putting together a little gift, Grae’s had this sweet little thank-you-for-being-my-teacher printable ready to go for weeks now and I just think it’s so simple and sweet.
First, let’s start with the draft. How much or how little you support your child through the process of completing the bullet-point lists and sentences will depend on their reading and writing skills, as well as how ‘kid-made’ you want the finished project to be. In my opinion, invented spelling is awesome and perfection is overrated, but either way, the one thing I would suggest is having your little one complete the project in pencil first. This way mistakes can easily be fixed and changes can be made. You know your little one best, so sit down and work on this together, or let them do it completely independently — or a little bit of both — it’s up to you!
Once you and your little one have reviewed the draft, invite them to trace their pencil lines with a black fine liner. While this step is optional, I do think it makes kid-printing pop and the overall project look super polished.
Now that the words and drawings have been traced in black fine liner, give it few minutes to set (so it dries completely dry), then allow your child to gently erase the extra pencil marks.
Lastly, invite your little one to add some colour to their project. Of course the drawing of your child and their teacher can be coloured in, but encourage them to also colour the banners, the little arrows and even the page border.
Once it’s coloured, that’s it! Your beautiful ‘Thank you for being my teacher’ poster is ready for gifting.
And if your school principal is leaving like ours is {don’t even get me started – I don’t think I’ve fully accepted it just yet}, check out this ‘Thank You for Being My Principal’ printable Miss G has also been working on.
If you know me well, you know that my love of gift giving runs deep. Like REAAL deep. {Embarrassing but true? One year in university I took out an additional – *ahem* unnecessary – student line of credit and I’m pretty sure my motivation was largely not wanting to ‘skimp’ on Christmas presents that year. Sooo irresponsible and silly, but that’s how much I loved giving gifts even as a newly minted 20 year old.}
Fast forward a few years and I seem to have passed my love of gift giving on to Miss G {though no silly Christmas shopping loans in her future – hah!} Over the years we’ve put together some really fun and unique gifts for the people she loves and while none of them have been fancy or expensive, they’ve been from the heart and super sweet, which I love.
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Here’s several of them – creative gifts kids can make for adults {or at least make with help}…
Hand Shaped Ring Dish – One of my most prized possessions and definitely something I’ll cherish forever. That’s Miss G’s little four year old hand turned into a ring dish and to this day it sits out on my vanity. It’s been through three moves {one of which was from the Middle East to Canada} and a power cleaning mishap {notice the scuffed fingertips and the glue on middle finger} and I still think it’s just beautiful. {This package of clay (CAN) is enough to make at least 3 hands, though you’ll probably get more out of it.}
‘I Love You’ Pillowcase – The simplest gift ever, but I’ve always wanted one for myself. I think it’s especially precious when kiddos are just first starting to print, but special no matter what. {We really like these markers (CAN) for this project.}
Creamsicle Sugar Scrub – Mmmmm… Citrus and vanilla? Yes please! Truly the easiest homemade bath product out there and while you most likely have everything you need to make it already in the house, it still feels luxurious. {This non-alcoholic vanilla (CAN) is our go-to at the moment – smells SO GOOD.}
Family Portrait Embroidery Hoop – Isn’t this the sweetest thing? Definitely kid made, but combination of the white fabric and the natural wood makes it totally hangable, even in the most put together of homes. {In addition to being the best for general kitchen use, dishtowels like these (CAN) are perfection for this project.}
Footprint Butterfly Pot Is there anything cuter than little feet? Nope. Definitely not. Fill this post with a beautiful plant or with soil and a packet of seeds and you’ve got a lovely gift. {This paint set (CAN) looks gorgeous and would be perfect for this project.}
Coconut Oat Milk Bath – Ahhhh… Skin soothing relaxation in a jar. We LOVE this stuff and use it nightly. It’s 2 ingredients and is naturally soothing, moisturizing, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory among other things, which makes it a perfect for treating skin irritations and eczema. {How perfect are these jars (CAN) for gifting it in?}
Homemade Beef Jerky – Anyone else have a meat lover in a meat-free home? That’s my husband’s situation, so we try to make an exception come his birthday and Father’s Day. Last year we made him this incredibly easy beef jerky and it was gone in no time at all. {These racks (CAN) are perfect for making beef jerky at home.}
Coffee Sugar Scrub – The scent of warm coffee and vanilla filling the air while having a shower? YES PLEASE. This sugar scrub is incredibly easy to make and believe it or not, it’s a great way to put used coffee grounds to good use. {I’m obsessed with these squat little jars (CAN)… Wouldn’t they be perfect for gifting sugar scrubs?}
‘I Love You’ Teacup – If there’s a reoccurring theme here, it has to be simple gifts that people will actually enjoy and use. And this little teacup is just that. How lovely would it be to be reminded that you’re loved with each sip of your evening tea? {We used these markers (CAN) for this project and I’m anxious to see how they hold up as it’s our first time using them.}
Potted Salad Garden – The perfect gift for a gardener or someone who just loves salad {me! me! me!} and it truly keeps on giving! {The style of pot we used for this project wasn’t easy to find, but check your local garden centre.}
Ombre Wooden Beaded Necklace – A kiddo-made necklace that anyone in their right mind would proudly sport while out and about! In fact, I’ll take one in each colour of the rainbow, pretty please. {This set of beads (CAN) includes assorted sizes and will make many necklaces!}
Handprint Memory Box – You know all of the sweet little notes and drawings kids give you that you just can’t bear to recycle? A little memory box like this is perfect place to keep them. {This box (CAN) is affordable and perfect!}
Handprint Baking Soda Clay Keepsakes – Another one of my favourite projects ever. Clearly I have a thing for handprints {and I absolutely love that the clay allows the little hand creases to be seen}, but wouldn’t this make such a special gift for a grandparent? {We made ours around Christmastime and went for golden glitter, but I’ve had my eye on this glitter set (CAN) for ages and would happily take a handprint keepsake in each colour.}
Family Portrait Mug – I mean how sweet is this?! A kiddo-drawn family portrait on your mug?? Plus, kid-drawn people are the very best. Miss G made this as Brad’s work mug and that little family portrait lasted for just over 3 years until we finally put it into the dishwasher not long ago. {Back then we used these special Sharpies (CAN).}
Painted Wooden Bead Necklace with DIY T-Shirt Cord – I truly adore these necklaces and the best part is that kiddos can fully customize the colours, patterns, and t-shirt cord to what they think their special adult will like best. {This bead set (CAN) is great for this project.}
Potted Flower Pens – Wouldn’t this be the best gift for a teacher or someone who works in an office?! Not only are flower pens the prettiest, but no one is going to walk off with your pen without being noticed when your collection looks like this! {We picked up our faux flowers from the dollar store.}
Fingerprinted Love Tokens – Little heart-shaped tokens with your loved ones fingerprints on them? The sweetest! We actually made this set for Miss G when she was going through a bit of a tough transition (one has Brad’s fingerprints, one has mine, and the other has hers), but wouldn’t a his make a sweet gift for a parent or grandparent? Each child or grandchild could make one heart and the recipient could keep all of the little ones he/she loves most on his/her bedside table or in his/her bag. {This is the clay we used for this project.}
Kid-Drawn Phone Case – For the tech lover! Or anyone who uses a cell phone really. I find sentimental Father’s Day gifts especially tricky for Brad, but this was something that he actually used {at least for several months before switching back to his other case} and I think the little drawing Grae did is the sweetest! {You can find all kinds of clear phone case here (CAN).}
Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Cashews – For the person who is tricky to buy for and loves spicy snacks! These are incredibly easy to make and kiddos can totally help make them. They’re delicious too! {I love baker’s twine and little tags like these (CAN) for homemade gifts.}
Hand-Drawn Tea Towels – Such a sweet and easy gift. Go in with a plan or let your little one’s imagination run wild – you really can’t go wrong here. Plus, who doesn’t need tea towels. {These towels (CAN) are my favourite because not only do they dry really well and not leave little fibres behind, but the fact that they don’t have any stretch makes them much easier to draw on.
Well that’s it… All kinds of gifts that kids can make for adults. What would you add to the list?
Last year, Miss G’s very first year of school, was a doozy. Beyond having just left her home, friends, and most of her possessions in the Middle East to start over here in Canada, Miss G was also becoming a big sister after 5 years of being an only child and starting school for the very first time. When we got settled in Vancouver, we decided that we’d give traditional public school a try, despite the fact that we’d long decided that we’d homeschool if we were to stay in Kuwait. I had gotten excited about the possibility of homeschooling and wasn’t 100% sure about the decision, but after meeting what quite possibly might have been the greatest principal / office administrator combo EVER, we were hopeful it would be a great year. Our cautious and sensitive girl was even excited about Kindergarten!
