There's no denying that teachers work incredibly hard, so they really do deserve the best gifts for teachers.
Teachers spend all year supporting our children, a small gesture of thanks will mean a lot to them. But by popping to your local store to pick up a generic 'thank you teacher gift', you risk buying a something other parents have bought.
Here at Mother&Baby, we've found the best gifts for teachers that are not only meaningful and thoughtful gifts for staff, but what your child's teacher will actually find helpful!
Our favourite gifts for teachers shortlist 2023:
• Our favourite personalised gifts for teachers: Teacher Gift Box of Biscuits
• Our favourite practical gifts for teachers: Chilly's Coffee Cup
• Our favourite unusual gifts for teachers: Thanks For Helping Me Grow Gift
A thought out gift is the best way to say thank you to the staff at nursery for your childs care or your older childs teacher. Whatever gift you choose though, their teacher will appreciate the thought.
So let's swap out the 'best teacher' mugs for delicious biscuit selections, practical stationary, or even gift cards to treat themselves.
Best gifts for teachers 2023
Best personalised tin gift for teachers
www.notonthehighstreet.com
Perfect for storing their keys and phone in at school, or even for their lunch, the Teacher Gift Tin can be personalised and makes a wonderful gift.
Pros
- Personalised wording
- Perfect to store all teachers belongings
Cons
- Can't change the tin colour
Best practical gift for teachers
There's nothing worse than a cup of tea or coffee going cold, but with the Chilly's Coffee Cup, not only is teachers drink safe from being accidentally knocked over and spilled, but their drink can stay hot and safe even in a busy classroom!
One review said: "Bought this for my husband as he drives for a living. He raves about his cup . It keeps his coffee hot for hours. Easy to clean too."
Pros
- Keeps hot drinks hot for up to 4 hours
- Innovative leakproof lock
Cons
- Lock can be difficult to turn
Best gifts for teacher caddy organiser
www.learningresources.co.uk
The easy to see Create A Space See-Through Caddy will help your child's teacher to keep an organised desk while also being able to move it around the classroom with them. It has four storage compartments that are different sizes. They can be used with or without the caddy base too.
Pros
- Keeps everything organised
- Carry handle
Cons
- No onsite reviews
Best personalised gift for teachers
www.etsy.com
A delicious selection of luxury biscuits, this Teacher Gift Box of Biscuits can be personalised with the school or nursery name and even your childs name in a thank you message. You can also choose between a box of 4, 8 or 16.
One review said: "The cookies not only looked perfect but tasted perfect. I also ordered for the wrong date and the lady made them and sent them out and they arrived the next date so I still had them in time for when I needed and she was so kind and helpful about it. I highly recommend and I will definitely be using again!"
Pros
- Personalise with names
- Delicious thank you gift
Cons
- More suited to younger children's teachers
Best gifts for teacher travel mug
thermos.co.uk
The Guardian Collection Travel Mug can hold up to 530ml and will help keep drinks hot for up to five hours or cold up to 14 hours. It's a great gift for teachers who have to be up and out the house early, and might not have time for a hot drink. It's cool to touch with hot liquids too and has a handle to make carrying easier.
Pros
- Fits most vehicle cup holders
- Integrated mug handle with soft grip
Cons
- No onsite reviews
Best stationary gift for teachers
With the Paper Mate & Sharpie Pens Set, your childs teacher won't need to worry about doing their supply shop until at least the next term break! The set comes with different coloured pens with different ballpoint sizes, so they have a pen for everything they do.
One review said: "Really lovely, varied collection of pens and pencils and the bonus of correction tape. Everything arrived in working order and very pleased with the quality and quantity of items in this collection."
Pros
- Multiple pen choices to choose from
- Different coloured pens
Cons
- Some mentioned the Paper Mate corrector wasn't always reliable to use
Best shortbread gift for teachers
www.cartwrightandbutler.co.uk
You can't go wrong with shortbread! This Cartwright & Butler Shortbread Selection Box uses a family recipe and includes well-loved flavours such as your classic butter shortbreads, salted caramel and chocolate drop.
Our writer said: "Not only does the box look lovely, but the shortbreads are absolutely delicious! There's three different flavours that come in both circle and rectangular sizes and there's an even amount of each. The only downside to this treat is it's so good they won't last long! A great gift for teachers to relax with a cup of tea at the start of their summer holiday."
Pros
- Incredibly delicious
- Selection of flavours
Cons
- Not allergen free
Best teacher gift for teachers
The Clever Fox Teacher Planner makes a wonderful gift for any teacher! It's completely customisable to suit their planning, with weekly and monthly planning spreads and over 650 stickers for organisation.
One review said: "I bought this planner as an alternative to the one I normally buy. I’m delighted with it has everything that I need to plan for the upcoming school year. Would definitely recommend!"
Pros
- Customisable planning
- Undated pages
Cons
- Some mentioned that July is at the start of the calendar
Best gifts for teacher patterned flask
thermos.co.uk
How gorgeous is this Jungle Day Direct Drink Flask? The beautiful pattern flask has vacuum insulation for maximum temperature retention. It's made from stainless steel and is light to carry too. We love the beautiful pattern as well, that's inspired by Spanish gardens.
Pros
- Keeps hot drinks hot for up to 10 hours
- Keeps cold drinks cool for up to 24 hours
- Beautiful design
Cons
- No onsite reviews
Best fruit gift for teachers
www.marksandspencer.com
Arriving in a beautiful little wicker basket with hooped handle, this Medium Fresh Fruit Basket is filled with a delicious selection of fruit that's beautifully arranged. It's the perfect gift for teachers, especially if you're not certain of any dietary requirements.
One review said: "Brought as a gift and they loved it, fruit was very fresh and arrived in excellent condition."
Another review said: "Lovely basket. Well packed with variety of fruits. Recipient was very happy."
Pros
- Beautifully presented
- Filled with delicious household favourite fruits
Cons
- Can't tell how long the fruit will stay at its freshest
Best mug gift for teachers
www.my1styears.com
A little different to the usual best teacher mugs, this Personalised Bee-lieving Mug can be personalised with the teachers name and class. It's a thoughtful gift with an incredibly sweet message on the front of the mug.
Pros
- Personalised gift
- Sweet message print onto the mug
Cons
- No onsite reviews
Best plant based gift for teachers
www.notonthehighstreet.com
If your little ones teacher loves plants, then this Personalised Planter For Teacher is perfect for them! It has two secure handles to make carrying it easier, and you can even add a packet of mixed flowers to the order for them to grow their own flowers.
One review said: "Absolutely beautiful. Love love love it. We purchased as teacher presents and both teachers loved them. The quality is excellent and looks really nice. Would highly recommend."
Pros
- Engrave with a name of your choice
- Available in two sizes
Cons
- There are no drainage holes in the planter
Best unique gift for teachers
www.notonthehighstreet.com
With the option to personalise two leaves for your childs teacher, the Thanks For Helping Me Grow Gift features an additional oak leaf which can be planted, so the teacher can grow their own wildflowers. The top of the acorn is also hollowed so you can even add in a little chocolate treat!
Pros
- Gift wrap options
- Personalised leaves
Cons
- There are no onsite reviews
Best jute bag gift for teachers
www.notonthehighstreet.com
Practical for carrying schoolwork, the Personalised Teacher Thank You Jute Bag features a classic bay tree illustration and can also feature your teachers name.
Pros
- Practical
- Personalised with teachers name
Cons
- No onsite reviews
Best reward stickers gift for teachers
This 1008 Reward Stickers for Teachers is an incredibly practical gift. There's an array of different designs from dinosaurs to unicorns, each with different encouraging phrases. There's 63 stickers per sheet and 16 sheets in total, so they should last your teacher quite awhile.
One review said: "We went practical this year with teacher gifts these stickers being one of them. My daughters teacher was delighted with them and all the children had one on the last day of term which made them all very happy as usually they are rewarded for different things in class."
Pros
- Practical
- Over 1000 stickers to use
Cons
- Cannot be folded to fit a standard card envelope
Best coffee gift card holder gift for teachers
www.notonthehighstreet.com
If you're planning to get your childs teacher a gift card for their favourite coffee shop, then this Teachers Personalised Coffee Gift Holder is a lovely way to send it to them! With the option to personalise it with your own message at the bottom, you don't need to worry about a card.
Pros
- Personalised thank you message
- Unique gift
Cons
- No onsite reviews
Best water bottle gift for teachers
This Chilly's Water Bottle makes a great gift for teachers! They're always so busy that they probably don't have much time to have a drink, but at least when they do get chance they'll have a nice cold drink still.
One review said: "How excited can you get over a water bottle? Well, this one is pretty good. It looks really nice and has an obviously different coloured cap which is really useful! My son uses this every day and provided he doesn’t drop it like the last one should last a really well. It looks and feels good in your hand and keeps his water nice and cool for school."
Pros
- Keeps drinks cold for up to 24 hours
- Leakproof
Cons
- Screw top lid might not be ideal for quick drinks
Best fudge gift for teachers
www.cartwrightandbutler.co.uk
This Teatime Fudge Assortment in a Tin gift selection contains four of the Cartwright & Butler's best selling fudge flavours; sea salted caramel, classic butter, Belgian chocolate and strawberry clotted cream. It arrives presented in a lovely tin too, so it's ready to gift.
Pros
- Delicious
- Selection of flavours
Cons
- They'll not want to put the tin down!
Best gift card gift for teachers
One review said: "Perfect ideal gift when sending a gift card. Plenty of ways to spend this rather than just buying a gift card for one retailer. Makes it a more flexible gift to give."
Pros
- Choose the amount you want to add on
- Teacher can spend it wherever they choose
- Choose the delivery date
Cons
- Have to redeem the amount at the chosen store before spending
Best gift for teachers treat box
www.cartwrightandbutler.co.uk
Arriving with a greetings card to write in and gift too, the Teacher Tasty Treat Box is full of indulgent treats that your little ones teacher will love. From hot chocolate to tea, and a delicious selection of treats.
Our writer said: "there's a great selection of treats in this box that are guaranteed not to disappoint. They'd be perfect for enjoying at home, or even to take into school on training days to indulge in a tasty treat with a nice hot drink."
Pros
- Great selection of treats
- Tea and hot chocolate option
- Comes with a card
Cons
- Not suitable for teachers who might have allergies
When should I buy the best gifts?
We all think that there is plenty of time before the end of term, but it flies by! By shopping now, you can avoid missing out on a gift that you know your childs teacher will really love!
Who should I buy for?
It can be tricky to know who to buy for, especially if your child has a few support workers in their class. While all will have helped your child, you can either choose to buy the same gift for all their teachers, or you can choose to buy one for their main teacher, and a box of biscuits for all the staff in the classroom.
Samantha Ball is a Product & Lifestyle Writer for Mother&Baby and freelanced for the website for two years before joining the team full time. She's a mum of two and loves browsing for the best products and cute outfits.