15 DIY Teacher Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make

Ask a teacher about the best Christmas gift they ever got, and it’s almost never the fancy one. It’s the wobbly drawing of them with enormous hair. The card that spelled their name wrong. The tea towel signed by twenty-six small hands. I’ve heard the same answer from enough teachers to believe it: the gifts they keep are the ones a child actually made.

So these DIY teacher Christmas gifts are all things kids can make themselves, with a grown-up helping where the scissors or the oven come in. Most cost very little, and a few cost nothing at all. There’s a free printable pack too, with teacher gift tags, a thank-you card, an “All About My Teacher” page and a classroom helper coupon book.

What’s in the Free Printable Pack

Gifts Made from Kids’ Drawings

1. A Portrait of the Teacher

Hand your child our thank-you card and ask them to draw their teacher in the frame. Don’t help. Seriously, don’t. The enormous earrings, the stick arms and the slightly alarming smile are exactly what makes it great. Add a short message inside, in their own spelling.

2. All About My Teacher

This is the one teachers pin up in the staff room. Kids fill in our page with their best guesses: how old my teacher is, what she eats for dinner, what he does on the weekend, her favorite thing to say. The answers are usually wildly wrong and completely wonderful, and I’ve seen a teacher laugh until she cried reading that her favorite food was “coffee and pencils.” Nobody’s ever been offended by being guessed at ninety-two.

3. A Class Book

If you’re a room parent, this is the easiest class gift there is. Every child fills in one class book page with a drawing and a sentence about their favorite thing from the year so far. Collect the pages, punch holes and tie them with ribbon. It costs almost nothing, and it’s the kind of gift that ends up in a memory box.

4. Colored Bookmarks

Kids color our bookmark templates, write a short message on the back and cover them with clear packing tape to make them last. Teachers go through a lot of books. These get used.

Gifts Kids Can Make with Their Hands

5. A Class Tea Towel or Tote Bag

Get a plain cotton tea towel or tote bag and some fabric markers, and have each child sign their name or draw a tiny picture. Iron it (a grown-up job) to set the ink, following the marker instructions. It’s useful, it’s washable, and every time your child’s teacher dries a mug at home over the holidays, there’s the whole class looking back at them in wobbly marker.

6. A Painted Plant Pot

Kids paint a small terra-cotta pot, let it dry and plant a herb or a little succulent in it. Add one of our tags that says “Thanks for helping me grow.” Every teacher I know has a windowsill that could use one, even the ones who swear they can’t keep anything alive, because a plant from a seven-year-old somehow survives out of sheer guilt.

7. A Painted Rock Paperweight

Find a smooth, flat rock, wash it, and let your child paint a snowman, a star or the teacher’s name on it. Seal it with clear sealant. It’s small, it’s sweet, and it’ll hold down a pile of worksheets for years.

8. A Pencil Cup

Clean out a tin can (check for sharp edges first) or use a small jar. Kids wrap it in paper they’ve decorated, or cover it in washi tape, and fill it with a few new pencils. It’s practical. Teachers don’t get enough practical.

9. A Craft Stick Photo Frame

Glue four craft sticks into a square, let kids paint and decorate it, then add a class photo or a drawing. Stick a magnet on the back so it can go on the whiteboard.

10. A Handprint Ornament

Salt dough handprints are a classic for a reason. Press your child’s hand into the dough, bake it low and slow, then paint and date it. Our Christmas ornaments for kids post has more ornaments kids can make.

Gifts from the Kitchen

11. A Hot Cocoa Jar

Layer cocoa powder, sugar and mini marshmallows in a clean jar, tie a ribbon around it and add one of our tags. Kids love the layering. It’s cozy. Write the ingredients on the tag, so nobody has to guess about allergies.

12. Homemade Cookies with a Recipe Card

If your child bakes with you, wrap a few cookies in a cellophane bag and include our recipe card, written out by your child. The recipe card often outlives the cookies by a long way.

13. A Family Recipe Card on Its Own

Not much time? Skip the baking. It’s fine. Ask your child to write their favorite family recipe on our recipe card, in their own words. “Put the potatoes in the oven until they’re done” is a perfectly good instruction, and teachers love reading them.

Gifts That Cost Nothing

14. A Helper Coupon Book

Our coupon book has eight promises kids can actually keep: tidying the book corner, handing out papers for a week, a quiet reading day, a joke on demand. Kids color them, cut them out and staple them together. Teachers find this one hilarious, and they’ll actually cash in the coupons, so make sure your child’s ready to tidy that book corner in January.

15. A Thank-You Letter

Sometimes the best gift is just a letter. Ask your child to write three things: something they learned, something funny that happened and why they like being in this class. A teacher can’t put a price on that, and they’ll often keep it for years.

Tips for Teacher Gifts

• Check the school’s policy first. Some schools have rules or a limit on gifts.
• Avoid scented things. Candles, lotions and perfumes are a gamble, and lots of people can’t use them.
• Think about the whole team. Teaching assistants, the librarian and the office staff love a homemade card too.
• Let it look homemade. Resist fixing the wonky bits. That’s the bit they’ll remember. Always.

Download the Free Teacher Gift Printables

The free PDF has the gift tags, thank-you card, All About My Teacher page, helper coupon book, class book page, bookmarks and recipe card. It’s everything you’ll need to finish off these DIY teacher Christmas gifts, and it prints on US Letter and A4.

More Christmas Gift Ideas

• Printable Christmas gift tags
• Christmas ornaments for kids to make
• DIY Christmas gifts
• Personalized Christmas gifts
• Christmas crafts for kids

FAQs

What are good DIY teacher Christmas gifts?

The best DIY teacher Christmas gifts are ones the child really makes, like a drawing, a painted plant pot or a class tea towel. A handwritten letter or an All About My Teacher page is always a hit. Small, useful things like bookmarks and pencil cups get used every day. Our free printables help you finish them off.

What can a class give a teacher for Christmas?

A class book, where every child makes one page, is easy to organize and costs almost nothing. A tea towel or tote bag signed by the whole class is another favorite. Room parents can collect pages or signatures in the week before the break. Both make a lovely keepsake.

What should you not give a teacher for Christmas?

Scented gifts like candles and lotions are risky, because lots of people can’t use them. Too many mugs and generic trinkets tend to pile up. Check the school’s gift policy, since some schools set limits. A homemade card or letter is never the wrong choice.

Do teachers like homemade gifts?

Many teachers say the handmade gifts and notes from their students are the ones they keep. A drawing, a letter or a funny All About My Teacher page often ends up on a staff room wall or in a memory box. The effort means more than the cost. Let the gift look like a child made it.

How can kids make a teacher gift for free?

A thank-you letter, a portrait of the teacher or our helper coupon book costs nothing at all. Kids can also write a family recipe on our recipe card or fill in the All About My Teacher page. Print the free pack, grab some crayons, and you’re done.

When should you give teacher Christmas gifts?

Most families give teacher gifts on the last school day or two before the winter break. Bring them in a day or two early if you can, because the last day is often busy. Check with your class’s room parent if a group gift is planned. That way nobody doubles up.