My best friend is a teacher and she keeps me updated every year on the gifts that she receives from her students for holidays and the end of the year.  Some of the gifts that she receives end up donated or re-gifted because they just don’t fit with her needs/wants or it’s just “someone else’s junk.”  So today I’m sharing these Free Printable Teacher Appreciation Gift Note Cards.
Let’s be real here – your kid’s teacher does not want a puppy calendar, a dish towel with a stain on it, or questionable baked goods (my friend has told me about receiving worse things, lol).  We’ve always kept it safe by including a gift card (maybe to a place with happy hour, haha) and a small sentimental gift. We realize how hard these teachers work and having to put up with my kid alone all day deserves a thoughtful thank you gift.
With all things above considered, I was able to put together a thoughtful, useful (and won’t get thrown away) teacher gift for under $5.  My favorite stores for finding gifts ideas for under $5 are The Dollar Store and Target’s One Spot.  You may have already seen my post for how to make a Frugal Gift Basket using Target’s One-Spot stationary, well this is the same idea AND we have included amazing FREE printables that you can download, print and cut to give as a great gift!
Store Bought Items for under $5
I found the below items in Target’s One Spot and was thinking I would use them for a female gift of some sort (baby or bridal shower prize, Mother’s Day gift, thinking of you gift) but ultimately decided they would make great teacher’s gifts for the end of the year.
Teachers go through so much stationary and need to stay organized so you can’t go wrong with a personal stationary set. Â The diffuser can be used in their classroom or home and is a bit different than a candle (which teachers receive a ton of!). Â I love how pretty and feminine these are!
Handmade Gifts
One of the items pictured is a small canvas bag that was $1 from Target’s One Spot *you can grab similar ones here). Â I personalized the bag with an apple and made apple note cards to place inside! Â Below is a quick step process for stenciling. Â Get the kids to help with this so they can say they helped make this gift!
Products used:
I used thick cardstock to cut my stencil. Â You can use our free apple stencil template (see below) Â Make sure you place a piece of cardboard or thick paper in the bag so the paint doesn’t bleed through to the back side. Â Dab the paint colors with your brush and immediately remove your stencil and let dry.
Here’s a tip:  Personalize the bag!  Write the teacher’s name or year on the apple with a fabric pen, sharpie marker or stencil!
I also made some personalized teachers cards (which I give to all teachers at the end of the year) and placed a set inside the personalized bag.
You can print the non-personalized note cards at home using white card stock and our FREE printable!  I recommend using a portable paper trimmer or paper cutter so your edges are perfectly straight.
The best-sized envelopes for these cards are these. Â I stock up on these envelopes since many of my greeting cards and note cards are this size.
We also included a gift card inside the bag – which is probably the best part of the gift, but you can leave this out if you need frugal teacher gifts.
We wrapped the handmade gifts with the other goodies from Target in a cellophane bag and tied with ribbon to create a completed gift (for under $5!).
I asked my teacher friend if she approved of this gift and she loved the idea!  I give these personalized note cards to our kid’s teachers at the end of every school year as the perfect teacher gifts  They love them since they write notes frequently and we’ve even received one back from a teacher when she wrote our family a heartfelt note since she was moving schools.
Grab your free printable Apple Note Cards and Apple stencil below!
Here are more ideas for handmade teachers gifts from:
- Live, Love, Teach Apple Ornament with Gift Card Holder – Download the PDF HERE
- EOS Lip Balm Cards (Love Tag, Lady Bug or Flower) – Download the PDF –Â LOVE TAG, LADY BUG, FLOWER
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Grab the Free Printable Teacher Note Cards!
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