End-of-Year Teacher Gifts in the Time of COVID-19

This school year has been anything but normal. Kids have been home from school for the last 3 months, and we’ve all been doing our best to ensure they get the most out of their virtual classrooms.

But do you know who else has been struggling through online learning? Our kids’ teachers. And man, have they ever stepped up. With little to no notice, they have put together online curriculums to help our kids finish off the 2019-2020 school year strong.

The school year is almost at a close—now is a great time to show your kids’ teachers just how much you appreciate all their hard work. Normally it’s as easy as sending a gift along with the kids to school. But now that we need to be able to deliver our gifts via email, we need to get a little more creative.

Here are 5 gifts that every teacher would love.

Gift Cards

Gift cards were popular teacher’s gifts pre-coronavirus, so it’s no surprise that they still make wonderful gifts. They can be bought online and sent directly to an email address, meaning you don’t have to leave your house to get it and you can guarantee that it will arrive to your teacher.

When it comes to what kind of gift card to send, there are a few different routes you can go.

Generic Gift Cards

Now, we don’t mean generic as a bad thing, but there are some stores and businesses that you can buy from and pretty much ensure a person will be able to use them without any issues. We’re talking about Amazon, Walmart, LCBO, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Chapters. These all make great gifts for teachers and they are pretty much foolproof.

Local Gift Cards

In the COVID-19 aware world, it is always a great idea to support local businesses whenever possible. Try to find a local store that does delivery or contactless pickup that is near your kids’ school. Think bookstores, local bakeries, and stores that have a little bit of everything.

You can also use this as an opportunity to support Black-owned businesses. Head to @blackowned.to on Instagram to find great Black-owned businesses in Toronto and the GTA.

Handmade Cards

There’s something so special about a card or picture drawn for you by a little one. So arm your kid with a piece of paper and some crayons—or if they are older, pencil crayons or markers—and let them draw a picture for their teacher.

You can take a picture of it or scan it and send it via email to your kid’s teacher. You’ll be surprised how a thoughtful gesture like this can make someone’s day.

eCards

If homemade isn’t your cup of tea, there are tons of great eCards that you can personalize and send via email. Ask your kids what their favourite part of virtual school was and include their message in the card.

And be sure to add a note about what their support during this time meant for you—because let’s be real, we couldn’t have got through this without them.

Donations

With everything going on in the world, there has never been a better time to donate to a charity. If you know of a cause or a charity that is close to your kid’s teacher’s heart, donate in their name to make a difference and let them know you care.

If you don’t know what charities they support, choose a local charity supporting a cause that is near and dear to your heart and donate in their name. Be sure to let them know why this charity matters to you and your family—for example, Sick Kids because it helps children and families in some of their most vulnerable times.

A Sweet Video Message

Grab your smartphone and let your kid thank their teacher as close to in-person as we’re going to get at this point!

Let them sing a song, read a note, or even recite a poem they learned in class. Film it and email it to their teacher. If you’ve got the time, you can even organize all the kids in the class to say thank you on video and put together an end-of-year thank you compilation for their teacher.