While it’s not a must to give your child’s teacher a gift at the end of the year, many parents have been doing this for years to show their appreciation.
But, as we all know, the festive season is usually quite expensive – especially if you have a big family you need to buy gifts for, and if you’re going away on holiday.
You don’t need to buy a lavish gift – something simple that comes from the heart is usually the best gift to give.
Here are some cute ideas you can put together yourself that we’re sure your kids’ teachers will really appreciate.
Mason jar filled with sweets
Buy a glass bottle, fill it with your child’s teacher’s favourite sweets (if you know what she likes) or choose any sweets you think she’ll like. Jelly beans, chocolate coated candies and even small chocolates. Tie a pretty ribbon around the bottle with a card.

Image: thehankfulhouse.com
Personalised lunchbox filled with treats
A cute lunchbox filled with treats will make any teacher’s day. Personalised4u.co.za prints everything from mugs and T-shirts to cushion covers and wine labels – basically anything you own they can print on.

Image: Facebook Bianca Willemse
Mug with a cute message
Personalised4u.co.za offers a great service where you can upload an image to design your mug.

Image: Facebook Roelien Swart
Highlighters in a jar
Teachers always need pens, pencils, highlighters and other stationary. Put a couple of items you know she uses regularly in a jar with a nice message stuck to the jar.

Image: Facebook Smiles 4 Miles online gift shop
A plant for her class
You can either buy a plant that has already been potted, or put together your own. You just need a planter with a message on and cut a succulent from your own garden to replant. If you don’t have succulents at home, you can get one from a Nursery.

Image: Pinterest
A holiday basket
Fill a beautiful beach bag with some fun goodies for her December holiday. You’ll find lots of items at the China mall or Crazy store that won’t break your budget.

Image: Pinterest
Cookie hamper
We love this cute idea of an oven mitt filled with a cookie mixture and whisk. The message is super cute and your little one’s teacher will definitely love it.

Image: Pinterest
Xanet is an award-winning journalist and Living and Loving’s digital editor. She has won numerous awards for her health and wellness articles and was a finalist for the Discovery Journalist of the Year in 2009 and again in 2011 for the Discovery Best Health Consumer Reporting and Feature Writing category. She is responsible for our online presence across social media channels and makes sure our moms have fresh and interesting articles to read every day. Learn more about Xanet Scheepers.