Christmas Gift-Giving in the Classroom

Favorite Ideas From Student Another Student

One of my all-time favorite gift ideas is for a special gift exchange that doubles as an easy class party. My students love to exchange gifts, but we have all been in classrooms where, (gasp) someone gets the worst gift ever. One year I hosted a totally open gift exchange and one kid brought deodorant. I wasn't sure what I was going to do when another student chose that gift, but thankfully, the kid was super-excited...it was apparently a rite of passage moment. He had graduated into the deodorant-wearing realm and so all ended well....but...it could have ended quite poorly.      

Last year was the year of my favorite gift exchange. I had student bring a new, wrapped board game. It was great for many reasons. 

• It doubled as the perfect classroom party. After presents, we played board games for probably about an hour. Students were laughing and having a great time with friends.
• It gets students off of devices. It is my hope that they will have so much fun with their game that they will play at home with friends and family too.
• It is highly interactive. Board games require interacting with others. It is a great way to foster relationships in and out of the classroom, a skill that devices have greatly hindered.

Favorite Ideas From Teachers to Students

I have done many different gifts over the years for the students in my classroom, but one of the easiest and most budget-friendly is a small gift bag. I purchase an item like a set of Uno cards from Dollar Tree, add a Christmas Pencil, eraser, and some candy. The kids are thrilled with that. 

This year I am doing a spin on this idea, except I am changing out the cards for a can of putty. I was at Target the other day and found these great cans of putty marked down from six dollars to just $2.50. I could not leave them behind. I selected several different kinds, enough for each child in my class. I created a little tag that says, "You're Putty Awesome! Merry Christmas," and I am adding some other small items like pencils and candy. I know my students will be excited about the putty. It was super easy to put together, and it was within the budget that I wanted to spend.

Favorite Ideas From Students to Teachers

My all-time favorite teacher gift was given to two team teachers in my building and put together by their room parents. It was absolutely amazing! I have never personally received this, but it would be perfect. It was a gift card wreath. The room parents asked all the parents to donate gift cards. I am not sure how they did this, but I think it would be even more perfect if they had created a form for the teacher to fill out about favorite stores, restaurants, etc. Then parents could purchase from their list of favorites. 

As a teacher, I love to save my gift cards to do fun outings during summer vacation with my kids. It means a lot that I don't have to spend the money, and it is a gift that keeps on giving.