A gift for a teacher is a way to thank someone who puts heart and energy into children every day. Teachers are usually congratulated on Teachers' Day, at the last bell, at the end of the school year and on their birthday. The gift should be sincere and appropriate and never put the teacher in an awkward position. Here are gift ideas from the class and from individual families, for form tutors and first teachers, plus flowers, words of thanks and what to avoid. Ideas for the graduates themselves are in graduation gift ideas. For kindergartens, see gifts for a kindergarten teacher. For more ideas, see gifts for a coach.
Best of all: a joint class gift and a heartfelt card from the children.
How to choose a gift for a teacher
The best option is a joint class gift: parents chip in for one useful item and flowers, and the children sign a card. The teacher gets something truly useful and no family feels obliged. Keep it modest: in state schools, expensive gifts may conflict with anti-corruption rules and embarrass the teacher.
Find out what the teacher cares about: their subject, hobbies, favourite tea or coffee, a wish for the classroom. A physics teacher may love a science kit for lessons, a literature teacher a beautiful book edition, and a form tutor something to make the classroom cosier.
Ideas from the class and individually
From the class: classroom tech (a speaker, laminator or desk lamp), houseplants, a wall clock, a bookshop or homeware voucher, a photo book of the class year, a video of the children's wishes, theatre or concert tickets. Individually: a nice mug with tea or coffee, a card made by the child or a small bouquet.
A first teacher especially treasures keepsakes: a class photo album, a handprint panel or letters from every pupil. For a form tutor at graduation, choose something that will remind them of the class, plus a big joint bouquet.
Flowers for a teacher
Flowers are an essential part of the greeting. In autumn, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, roses and asters in warm autumn tones look lovely; in spring, tulips and peonies. A class bouquet can be larger, while one from a single child should be compact enough for small hands. More in flowers for a teacher.
Words of thanks
What teachers value most are sincere words from children and parents. Ask each child to write or draw what they are grateful for and collect it all in an album. Ready-made texts are in our collection of words of thanks to a teacher, and gift ideas for other occasions in our gift ideas section.
Flowers for teachers delivered in Kyiv
Congratulate a teacher on behalf of the whole class: we deliver a bouquet or arrangement to school or home across Kyiv at a convenient time.
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
Birthday
Hydrangeas