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Gifting your favorite teacher an apple is so 1712. No worries, you can bring your gift-giving into the 21st century with DIY gifts teachers will love. Whether you’re looking for Teacher Appreciation Week gift ideas or DIY teacher Christmas gifts, these ideas are easy to put together and cheap too! (Although they don’t look it.)

For more DIY projects and money-saving tips download the free KCL app and bookmark our Back-to-School deals page.

 

1. Say “Thanks a Latte” to your favorite teacher with a Starbucks gift card.

Two clear Starbucks cups with straws they have bows wrapped around the straw with a tag that says thanks a latte and a gift card inside the cup with shredded tissue paper.

via Just Add Confetti

Materials needed:

I mean, what teacher doesn’t want free coffee during Teacher Appreciation Week or as a teacher Christmas gift?

To recreate this easy gift, ask for an empty Starbucks cup with a straw when you buy the gift card.

Place some filler and the gift card inside the cup. Either create the gift tag or print a pre-made one and punch a hole through the top of it. Pull one end of the ribbon through the tag and tie in a bow around the straw.

 

2. Brighten your teacher’s desk with a bouquet of pencil flowers.

A flower pot with pencils stuck into it like flowers with paper cut out petals at the top of each pencil with a ribbon tied around the group where they go into the pot.

via My Mommy World

Such a great idea, and you can buy pretty much everything from the dollar store! For full instructions on this homemade teacher gift, visit MyMommyWorld.com.

 

3. Show your teacher appreciation with a teacher gift basket and poem.

A wire basket filled with gifts for the teacher sitting on top of a child's chair in a classroom.

Include the common stockpile items in the poem below, and attach the free printable to your teacher’s gift basket.

Materials needed:

a poem that says all the things a teacher taught the writer.

Instructions:

  1. Grab a basket.
  2. Line with tissue paper.
  3. Fill with all the items.
  4. Print out the poem above.
  5. Cut the poem out.
  6. Punch a hole in the upper corner of the poem.
  7. Pull ribbon through the hole and tie to the basket.

 

4. Buy “Best Teacher” hand sanitizer as a practical gift.

Now, more than ever, teachers will appreciate hand sanitizer as kids return back to school. Use KCL to find hand sanitizer deals and soap coupons, then add premade printable tags or make your own!

Psst…ever wondered how to make hand sanitizer? Make it yourself and save some cash!

 

5. Serve up a school-supply cake to your beloved teacher.

Another great reason to stock up on school supplies come late July when back-to-school sales are in full swing!

Materials needed:

The folks at HappyGoLuckyBlog.com have step-by-step instructions.

 

RELATED: 18 Clever Ways to Organize School Supplies

 

 

6. Create a framed crayon monogram as a sweet teacher appreciation gift.

This gift may be a little more time-consuming compared to the other DIY teacher gifts, but the whole thing will cost you less than $2!

Materials needed:

For detailed directions visit LifeWriteNow.com.

 

7. Dress up the teacher’s desk with a DIY pencil vase.

This homemade gift is sure to brighten any teacher’s day!

Materials needed:

For step-by-step instructions visit CatchMyParty.com.

 

8. Transform a terra-cotta pot into a teacher’s candy dish.

Person grabbing a small candy out of one if two small terra cotta pots painted red with a leaf and pencil end glued to the lids to resemble an apple.

This makes an adorable teacher gift, perfect for back to school or Teacher Appreciation Day!

Materials needed:

And of course, some kind of treat for inside (I used Hershey’s kisses).

Person painting and gluing a felt leaf and pencil piece to make the pots resemble apples.
  1. Paint your pot and saucer red.
  2. While that’s drying, cut the eraser end off your pencil with the knife.
  3. Cut your felt into a leaf shape with scissors.
  4. Add a small dot of hot glue to the center at one end of each “leaf” and pinch to make it more three dimensional.
  5. Use glue to attach the pencil and leaves to the saucer then fill with candy!
  6. Apply chalkboard paint to a terracotta pot, and you can write a message to your favorite teacher!

 

9. Tell your teacher they stand out with a chalkboard crayon wreath.

It may look complicated but with a few items, you can easily make this pretty, thoughtful gift!

Materials needed:

Visit PumpkinAndPrincess.com for complete instructions.

 

10. Show your teacher appreciation with an apple and caramel sauce.

 

Giving a teacher a regular apple = boring.

Giving a teacher an apple with caramel sauce wrapped with a bow = an irresistible (and inexpensive) throwback gift! For full instructions and free printables visit GirlCreative.com.

 

RELATED: The 32 Best Discounts for Teachers (and freebies too!)

 

 

11. Create a “thank you” jar with small gifts from Target’s Dollar Spot.

Two images; one with a jar and pencils, small notepad and dinosaur erasers, the second image has a person holding the jar with all of the items inside with a ribbon tied around the top of the jar with a tag.

To keep this cute teacher gift idea cheap grab your materials at Target’s Dollar Spot or dollar store.

Materials needed:

Instructions:

  1. Fill the jar with items.
  2. Cut the ribbon long enough to go around the jar and pull one end through the hole in the tag.
  3. Tie around the jar.
  4. Curl ribbon with the edge of the scissors.

 

12. Tell your teacher they are Tea-rific with a tea appreciation gift.

Hit up Target’s Dollar Spot (the discount-bin area in the front of the store) for cheap double-wall straw cups and add some filler, tea bags, bow, and tag!

 

13. Say “thank you” to your teacher or teacher’s aide with lemonade cups.

Here’s another awesome cup idea. Fill it with some lemonade packets and a thank you note. Attach a “thank you” message to the straw for your teacher or teacher’s aide.

 

RELATED: Back-to-School Hacks to Keep Your Family Organized

 

14. Remind your teacher how important they are with a DIY succulent garden.

Two images side by side; one a person spray painting an upside down mason jar in a box and the second image is a person holding a painted mason jar with a succulent planted in it.

This might be one of the easiest things to make your teacher.

Materials needed:

Instructions:

  1. Turn the jar upside and spray paint a couple of coats (follow spray can directions).
  2. Let dry.
  3. Sand areas around the jar like the words to give it a distressed look.
  4. Add rocks or gravel to the bottom of your jar for drainage or filler.
  5. Plant succulents (or use fake ones).
  6. Add a gift tag saying, “Thank you for helping me grow.”

 

15. Create a practical gift with a teacher emergency kit.

A box with a Tide pen to-go, lip balm, hand sanitizer, gum, band-aids, mints, candy, and a gift card.

via The 36th Avenue

You can put just about anything in a teacher emergency kit. Grab a small box and fill it up.

Materials (suggested) needed:

Or, you can select other various items.

 

 

16. Make DIY Bath and Body Works soap.

A person pushing down on a soap dispenser with one hand while it dispenses foaming soap into the person's hand.

Need a quick, easy gift? Make your teacher a bottle of Bath & Body Works foaming soap with these easy-to-follow directions.

Materials needed:

 

17. Tell your teacher they are “one smart cookie” with your favorite cookie recipe.

A mixing bowl with a jard of dry cookie ingredients in it, hot pads, a spatula, cookie recipe on a card and a thank you card in the front.

via Building Our Story

Share one of your favorite recipes with a teacher, and include all the dry ingredients in a mason jar. Don’t forget the sweet message!

 

18. Surprise your teacher with a homemade crayon holder.

A person placing crayons into a small cut log that has holes in it to hold crayons.

Here’s a clever crayon or pencil holder for your teacher’s classroom. Look at hardware stores or craft stores for small decorative log pieces. You may be able to pick them up for free if you live near a wooded area or know someone who does.

Materials needed:

Instructions:

  1. Measure how deep you want your crayons to sit, then mark your drill bit with tape.
  2. Drill into the log, stopping when you reach the tape.
  3. Blow out sawdust and fill with crayons.
  4. Repeat for however many crayons you want in each log.

 

UP NEXT: School Supply Savings and Back-to-School Deals

Back-to-School shopping at Walmart.

 

Top 18 DIY Gifts Teachers Will Love