I think it’s safe to say that there are two types of teacher gifts that are always popular: food and gift cards (not necessarily in that order). This year, you can add a personal touch to either with one of these cool—and free—printable teacher cards. Each of these brilliant ideas ties into a simple culinary theme and is nothing that can’t be pulled off last minute or with a little help from the kids.
Okay, well, maybe a couple of them require a little planning. But teachers really are the best, and after a long year with our “high-spirited” kids, they deserve all the extra love we can give.
Related: 14 of the cutest printable teacher cards to make thoughtful food gifts more fun.
The Smart Cookies printable at Make Bake Celebrate (top) might be one of the simplest, sweetest ways to show your teacher appreciation. If you or your kids like to bake, make a batch of cookies together. It’s a great way to connect the act of giving to someone who has given to them all year long.
Clearly I can’t resist a cookie gift, especially when paired with the simple design of these quick and easy teacher appreciation printables at Sports Mom Survival Guide. Check out the site to see more cheeky messages like “you were mint to teach,” which are suited for easy, lighthearted gifts that would be perfect for teachers, school staff members, or coaches.
You can get pretty creative with the citrus colored “Thank you for making our year so bright” cards at My Frugal Adventures. Charlene has some good non-food ideas like lemon scented body scrub, but to keep with the food theme, put together a basket with lemons and oranges, lemonade, citrus candies, or even fresh lemon bars with a recipe attached.
Related: Printables for teachers that make thoughtful last-minute cards.
This “Thankful For You” teacher printable at Eat Sleep Make is perfect if you’re looking for a simple, yet sincere message—and are sick of the puns. Wrap a loaf cake, like this Zucchini Bread, with pretty colored or brown paper and attach the note. Voila, a simple, stand-out gift for a stand-out teacher.
What better way to send your favorite teacher into summer than with this lovely end-of-year teacher gift idea at Skip To My Lou. Keep it food-focused by packing a reusable grocery tote with your favorite food magazines (or cookbook!), a summer thermos, and bags of trail mix or other fun beach or lake snacks.
Don’t worry: I’m not getting too crafty here. The free end-of-year teacher printable at Anders Ruff does include instructions on how to decorate an inexpensive terra cotta pot, but I simply love the sophisticated garden tag and “thank you for helping me grow” message. Skip the craft part and tie around a pot of basil, thyme, rosemary or any fresh herb that you like.
What’s cool about these modern “Baked with Love” gift tags at The Little Umbrella is that you can customize the colors and text right in the site and preview before you download. Although they were designed for the holidays, you can easily turn these gift tags into a cute teacher gift by tying around a jar of granola or some other special treat.
Related: We’re out of control… even more printable teacher cards!
Have a teacher who’s not a coffee fan? The charming Iced Tea Cup teacher appreciation gift printable at Everyday Savvy is such a clever, easy idea. Download the card and tie it around a reusable cup with his or her favorite tea. I think that this idea is perfect on its own, but you can also tuck in a gift card to the local cafe for a little something extra.
We’ve highlighted the free printable gift card holders at hip2save before, but I couldn’t help include them again this year. What can I say? The silly but sweet puns, like “Thanks a latte!” get me every time. Designed by a mom, there are four colorful printables for the most popular type of cards: Target, Starbucks, Amazon, and movie tickets. Because I know a few of us will be putting these together last minute, I figure why not make those easiest-to-grab gift cards as cute and meaningful as possible.
