The end of term is nearly upon us and I for one, can’t believe that my two older children will be moving up a year and my youngest will be starting school in September. The years just seem to fly by when they are at school but one thing is consistent – my desire to get a useful and memorable present for their teachers to thank them for all their hard work. However, it has been reported that a thread on Netmums featured a mum complaining that she had been asked to contribute £40 towards a teachers present, in my opinion this is both ludicrous and entirely unnecessary – here are some more suitable (and cheaper) ideas –

Something sentimental

I know it sounds like rubbish but I have a disproportionate number of friends who are teachers, and it’s absolutely true – you cannot go wrong with a homemade keepsake or a hand drawn card. When my children were in preschool I wrote direct quotes from the children in the nursery staff’s cards – I’d prompt my child e.g. ‘I like Jacqui because…’ and then they’d complete the sentence. They come out with the sweetest (‘because she makes me feel happy when I’m feeling sad’) and most random (‘because she has nice shoes’) things but regardless of which they are always memorable.

Something personalised

You can get loads of things which you can personalise with the teachers name, we have bought a pencil case saying ‘Mrs Smith’s pencils’ on it. But you can also get something relevant and personal to their hobbies and interests. My daughter had a teacher one year who had a dog with the same name as her so we bought her teacher a dog bowl with the dog/my daughters name on it, useful and it shows that my daughter has paid attention to her! Or if you know that your teacher is going on holiday somewhere specific then you could get a present relevant to that place.

Something original

Teachers appreciate any gesture I’m sure – but there is only so many mugs one person can have and multiple bunches of flowers might make them feel famous for the day but they don’t last and 30 bunches of flowers are just impractical on so many levels. Try seeking out something which is more of a one off like this personalised tote bag or these personalised pencils (£3.49).

And if all else fails I’m sure they would certainly appreciate a nice bottle of wine or a few beers to celebrate the school holidays with!

Are you getting your teacher an end of term gift? Let us know what you are getting if you are!