Get Simple
If you’ve got multiple teachers to buy for make this is as easy as possible for yourself. 
Gift Cards. ALWAYS a favorite with teachers. Don’t worry about the amount. $5, $25, whatever you can afford will greatly be appreciated by teachers. 

• $5 or $10 Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts (or whichever coffee place is closest to the school) in a cute mug.
• $10 to Barnes and Noble or Amazon stuck in a kid-made card.
• $10 to Godiva — Seriously, one of the favorite gift cards I’ve EVER received from a parent. I got $25 and it took me months to use up. It was awesome.
• $25 to $50 to a teacher store such as Lakeshore. (That stuff is expensive, but great.)

Get Specific
Think about the special relationship your child had with their teacher. Did they connect over a favorite book, are they both art lovers, or math people? Do they both love dogs or the color pink? One year I helped a child deal with the death of a beloved pet. Later that year her parents gave me a plush dog.

Get Creative
Some of the best gifts are homemade!
Think about having your child make a card, a small gift or ornament. Check out these cute ideas:

• Candy Cane Bath Salts
• Jar Mixes
• Homemade Teacher Gifts from Hamilton Hams
• School Supply Cake by 
• Teacher themed coffee cup sleeve at Tip Junkie.

Go With the Theme
Lots of Classrooms have a decorative theme. My classroom theme alternates from Moose to Superheroes. I’ve gotten several cute plush moose or moose figurines from students. I’ve also gotten a few wonderful superhero storybooks. *Be careful with this one. I had a friend who had WAYYYY too many frogs. 

• If the theme is an animal, such as bears, rabbits, frogs, etc give a gift card to Build-A-Bear so they can make their own mascot for the class.
• Instead of stuffed animals or figurines, look for books that go with the theme. 

Create Your Own Theme
I love theme gifts! So fun. 

• Coffee Theme: a gift card, a mug, a bag of flavored coffee, a bottle of Torani Syrup, biscotti
• Pet Theme: (if you know how big their pet is) A new leash and collar, a box of treats or specialty dog cookies, toys, books, etc.
• Pampering Theme: bubble bath, loofah, pedicure set, body cream, Burt’s Bees Tips and Toes, 
• Date Night Theme: Popcorn, popcorn seasoning, gift card to Red Box or a movie theater, large boxes of candy, cute popcorn containers.
• Sports Theme: Local sports team memorabilia, such as a hat or T-shirt. Mini balls, a pack of sports cards, etc. If it’s baseball, add a box of Cracker Jacks. 
• Cooking Theme: wooden spoons, mixing bowls, dish towels, specialty mixes such as pancake and waffle mix, dip mix or soup mix, 
• Gardening Theme: a gardening gift basket filled with things such as gloves, tools, gardening tool caddy, seeds, bulbs or live plants. (We moved into a house with tons of hydrangeas all over the yard. The previous owner was a kindergarten teacher and the hydrangeas were all gifts from her students. years later they were a beautiful reminder to her of those students, and now we get to enjoy them!)

Give to the Whole Class
Books! Books! Books!
A nice box set or a beautiful hardback picture book is something the whole class will enjoy. Don’t worry if it’s a book the class already has. Books wear out. Multiple copies mean more than one kid can look at it at a time. Some great books as gift ideas:

• Frog and Toad Box Set
• Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball
• The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant
• Junie B. Jones Box Set
• Oliver Jeffers books: Stuck, How to Catch a Star, This Moose Belongs to Me, Up and Down
• A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley
• Curious George Box Set
• Amazing Machines: Truckload of Fun
• Kevin Henkes Box Set: Five Books About Lilly and Her Friends

Get Office Supplies
My favorite pens ever were a gift a received from a parent (who was also a teacher). The sharpie retractable pens. I love those things, but probably wouldn’t have spent the money on them myself. Here are some office supply ideas:

• Cute, colorful paper clips, thumb tacks, etc.
• A fancy stapler or tape dispenser
• Colorful pens
• Nice, black pens
• A set of Expo markers in multiple colors
• Stickers