DIY Christmas Teacher Gifts: 40+ Ideas Kids Can Help Make
A handmade gift tells a teacher you noticed how hard they worked this year, and it costs far less than something off a shelf. This guide gathers more than 40 DIY Christmas teacher gifts: things kids can make themselves, food gifts, pamper gifts, classroom and desk gifts, ornaments and keepsakes, and gift cards dressed up with a printable tag. Most are cheap, many can be made in bulk for a whole stack of teachers, and nearly all work just as well for grandparents, neighbours and friends. Our own tutorials come first in each section, and every other idea links back to the clever person who made it.
Jump to:
- Teacher gifts kids can make themselves
- Food gifts and sweet treats for teachers
- Homemade pamper gifts for teachers
- Classroom and desk gifts
- Ornaments and keepsakes
- Gift cards, tags and wrapping
- Gifts to buy
Teacher gifts kids can make themselves
These are the gifts to choose when you want your child to do the making. Younger children will need a hand with anything hot or sharp, but the finished gift is all theirs.
DIY Reindeer Gift Jar
Make this cute gift jar and fill it with your teacher’s favourite candy. A simple and affordable Christmas teacher gift. Full tutorial →
Heart Keychain
Show your teacher how much they are loved with one of these adorable heart keychains. See all 12 →
Heart Scribble Mug
These cute DIY mugs are easy enough for even the youngest of children to make! Fill them up with Christmas candy for the ultimate Christmas teacher gift. Head over to Messy Little Monster to find out how to make them.
Magnetic Clothespins
These magnetic clothespins are a great DIY gift choice for teachers. They can use them in the classroom or take them home to hold important notes or photos on the fridge. We love the scrabble tiles spelling Teacher, but they would be just as cute decorated with craft supplies or hand-painted by your child. Tutorial found over at My Craftily Ever After.
Tissue Holder
These tissue pocket pack pouches are a great gift for everyone anytime. They are so quick and easy to make so you can knock out a whole bunch in no time at all. Children can get involved making them too, they are that easy! Head over to Sum Of Their Stories to find out more.
Apple Grapevine Wreath
Involve your children in making this adorable apple wreath to make it extra special for the teacher. This would look lovely on any door! Head over to Confessions of an Overworked Mom to find out more.
DIY Happy Jar Gift
A jar full of happiness is an uplifting gift that is completely free! Use the happy note ideas over at A CENTSational Life and add your own about all of the great things you love and appreciate about your teacher.
Rudolph Hot Cocoa
These Rudolph Hot Cocoa gifts are so adorable that you can give them to everyone on your Christmas gift list! They are super easy to make with your children and are an ideal gift for teachers, friends, and relatives. They even come with an instruction tag that you can print and attach to the bag! More details are found over at Ottawa Mommy Club.
Food gifts and sweet treats for teachers
Something homemade and edible is always a good choice, and a refreshing change from a box of chocolates. Here are food gifts that travel well and keep for a few days.
Slow Cooker Fudge
For the most likely to succeed fudge you must try making it in the slow cooker. Add candy canes to make it Christmas themed and you are good to go with this easy and yummy teacher gift. Younger children will need supervision around the hot slow cooker and with pouring the fudge into the prepared dish, but they can help with adding the ingredients, stirring and decorating. Full tutorial →
Peppermint Candy Bowl
These DIY Peppermint Candy Bowls are the perfect DIY Christmas Gift. Made from peppermint candy and melted into a bowl, you can put delicious holiday candy in it and wrap it up for an adorable holiday gift perfect for your favourite teacher or anyone else! Princess Pinky Girl shows you how to make it.
Bean Soup Gift Jar
Friendship Bean Soup Mix in a Jar. Nothing says Mmmm Good like homemade soup! Make the Friendship Bean Soup mix ahead of time to give them out as gifts to all of your kid’s teachers. This is a great alternative to chocolate and candy based gifts! Head over to Salads 4 Lunch to find out more.
Maple Candied Walnuts
Sweet and crunchy, what’s not to like!? This super easy recipe for maple candied walnuts is ideal as an addition to salads, a dessert garnish, an occasional sweet treat, and makes a great Christmas teacher food gift. Recipe over at Earth Food And Fire.
Gingerbread Men
These cute gingerbread men are a great Christmas teacher gift that kids can help to make. Keep Calm And Eat Ice Cream has a great recipe and lots of tips so you can feel relaxed that your gingerbread men will be amazing!
Hot Cocoa Bombs
These are all the rage at the moment. These hot cocoa bombs are easy to make and impressive. Find out more over at The Kitchen Chalk Board.
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie Jar
Need an easy, last-minute, but thoughtful gift? Look no further, because these Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar are fun, festive, thoughtful and are so simple to make. Head over to Vegan Huggs to find out more.
Gingerbread Caramel Corn
Delicious Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe made with warming gingerbread spices and sweet buttery caramel sauce. A great Christmas teacher gift that they can enjoy over the holiday season. Get the recipe over at The Forked Spoon.
Rosemary, Thyme, Orange & Sea Salt
Learn how to make a simple citrus & herb-infused salt flavoured with fresh rosemary, orange & thyme. It’s perfect for seasoning & finishing foods like poultry, fish & vegetables and makes a wonderful homemade gift for your child’s foodie teacher. Head over to The Rising Spoon to get the recipe.
Smart Cookies
Bake some of your favourite cookies and attach a Thanks To You, We’re Smart Cookies label. These can be packaged in a variety of ways from in a jar, box or in cellophane. Find the label and more ideas at The Crafty Blog Stalker (formerly Food Crafts And Family).
Homemade pamper gifts for teachers
Teachers rarely get time to look after themselves, so a little pampering goes down well. These bath and body gifts are cheap, quick and easy to make in a batch.
Fizzy Bath Bombs
This is a bath bomb recipe that our girls love to make! Colour them red and green for Christmas or add some dried lavender to make them extra pretty. They would look gorgeous stacked and wrapped in cellophane with a personalised note. Full tutorial → Want another recipe? Red Ted Art has a bath bomb recipe that is lots of fun for kids to make too.
Homemade Bath Soaks
Homemade bath soaks are a great gift for a teacher who needs a destress after a long year. These homemade bath soaks are easy to make which makes it a great gift to bulk make if you have more than one teacher gift to sort. Confessions Of An Overworked Mom has all of the details on how to make them.
Sugar Scrub
This natural DIY Sugar Scrub is so easy to make, leaves the skin feeling amazingly soft and is extremely budget-friendly! What teacher wouldn’t love it? Visit The Wallet Moth to get the recipe.
Vanilla Sugar Scrub
Teachers need pampering this year more than ever before! Make this quick and easy (ready in 5 minutes!) Vanilla Sugar Scrub not only make that teacher in your life feel appreciated but also encourage some relaxation and pampering after a busy start of the year. Find out more over at Made In A Pinch.
Shower Steamers
Teachers need time for themselves and self-care and you can give them that with DIY shower steamers. They make every shower a relaxing experience. The Stress-Free Christmas has all of the directions on how to make these shower steamers.
Essential Oil Roll-Ons
Make these easy essential oil teacher gifts in your favourite blends all in a convenient roll-on bottle. A simple and useful teacher gift by Our Crafty Mom.
Peppermint Soap
Soap may seem way too complicated for a child to make but this 10-minute peppermint soap is very simple. Younger children will need help as the soap base gets melted in the microwave so will be very hot! This is one scrumptiously smelling simple gift that anyone would be lucky to receive. Head over to Happiness Is Homemade to read the full tutorial.
Labeled Soap
We love the transparent teacher label which was inserted into clear soap bottles. Simply create your own label design and print onto transparency paper. Alternatively, decorate the outside of a soap or body wash container, which looks fantastic and is perfect for involving the kids.
Self-Care Gift Basket
Do you have a teacher in your life who is going through a rough time or is extremely busy and not taking good care of themselves? Learn how to put together a simple self-care gift basket that will make them feel appreciated and encourage them to slow down, breathe, and take a moment to themselves. Visit The Rising Spoon to find out more.
Sleep Set
Encourage some rest over the holidays with this Sleep in Heavenly Peace gift! The printable tag is free too! A great and unique gift, if you have sewing skills you could even make the blanket. Visit Down Redbud Drive to get the free printable tag.
Classroom and desk gifts
Gifts that live on the desk or the classroom wall get used and seen all year, and they are a nice change from yet another mug.
Crochet Cup Sleeve
This crochet cup sleeve is a great beginner crochet pattern. Not only is it easy to make, it is great for anyone who loves hot drinks. More beginner crochet patterns →
Canvas Wall Art
Create a mixed medium canvas for the classroom wall. This is an inexpensive gift idea that will be one of a kind that any teacher is sure to love. Head over to Simplify Create Inspire to find out more.
Wood Block Apples
Putting some leftover scrap wood to use, Sustain My Craft Habit shows you how to make adorable DIY apple decorations.
Homemade Bookmarks
These bookmarks will brighten any teacher’s day. Simple to make and useful for any avid book reader. Get the full tutorial at Skip To My Lou.
Personalised Note Pad
A personalised notepad will get plenty of use and will bring a smile to your teacher’s face. Get the full tutorial at 4 Crazy Kings.
Flowers With Tag
Buy or grow some flowers, add a cute pot and an adorable Thank You For Helping Me Bloom tag for a simple yet perfect teacher gift. Get the free printable at Skip To My Lou.
Succulent In A Jar
This succulent in a jar is super cute and simple to make. Your child’s teacher will love that they have spent the time to make such a thoughtful gift! The tutorial comes from Tatertots And Jello.
Ornaments and keepsakes
A Christmas ornament is a gift a teacher can hang on the tree every year and remember your child by. Most of these are simple enough for children to make.
Plant Pot Angel
Made from a biodegradable plant pot, this low-cost angel looks lovely as part of any Christmas display or as a homemade gift. We shared it after our daughter came home from school with one she had made in class. Full tutorial →
Christmas Tree Ornaments Kids Can Make
There is something really lovely about receiving a Christmas ornament for the tree. These ornaments are fun for kids to make and can fit into a Christmas card. See 11 ornaments for children to make →
Salt Dough Ornaments
There are so many great ornament tutorials around, many of which are perfect for kids to make. We have always loved these salt dough ornaments from Wholefully. They are perfect for making up a batch: make one for each teacher, one for your tree and give the others to loved ones.
Beeswax Ornaments
Gift beautiful handmade beeswax ornaments to your teachers. You can mix cinnamon and orange oil for the ultimate Christmas smell. Visit Hungarican Journey to learn more.
Pipecleaner Ornaments
Easy ornaments made from pipecleaners that can be given as gifts to teachers or added on to a store-bought gift for an extra personal touch. Visit Whimsy Roo to find out how to make these fun designs.
DIY Snow Globe
Nothing says it’s Christmas more than a snow globe. Get crafty with these fun, cheap, and easy to make DIY snow globes. The best part is customising them specifically for what your teacher likes. Head over to Swanky Den to find out more.
Gift cards, tags and wrapping
A gift card is always welcome, and a little effort in how you present it makes it feel like a proper gift.
Washi Tape Christmas Tree Gift Tags
Needing gift tags in a hurry? These tags can be put together in a matter of minutes, are made from an old breakfast cereal box and come with a free printable. Full tutorial →
Gift Card Bouquet
This fun Gift Card Bouquet idea makes a great class gift idea! Plus it is super easy to put together! Glitter On A Dime explains how to make it.
Target Gift Card Printable
You can’t go wrong with a gift card as a teacher gift. This adorable printable makes a gift card from Target even more fun! Get the printable from Bitz n Giggles.
Gift Slippers
This DIY slipper gift idea makes an awesome Christmas teacher gift. Nothing is better than receiving some comfy slippers filled with goodies. See all of the gift slipper ideas over at Savvy Home.
Gifts to buy
Looking for more Christmas teacher gift inspiration? Have a look at these ideas below. A store-bought gift with a special homemade card can be just as nice.
These are affiliate links that add no cost to you but we earn a commission through linked sales. Thank you for your support!
- Amazon gift card- Print at home.
- Kate Spade New York Canvas Tote Bag with Interior Pocket.
- Metal Teacher Bookmarks.
- Burt’s Bees Essential Gift Set, 5 Travel Size Products.
- Reusable Glass Water Bottle – a reusable glass bottle with a lovely message.
- Heart Pendant Teacher Keychain Set – a keychain with the message, It Takes A Big Heart To Help Shape Little Minds.
- Because I Had a Teacher Book – a heartwarming book as a thank you gift for great teachers.
- Notebook – a notebook with a special message.
- Stemless Wine Glass – It’s 3:30 Somewhere. The funny wine glass that teachers will love.
More Christmas guides
Other articles and projects
You may also enjoy these other great articles and DIY craft projects.
- DIY Christmas Movie Night
- How To Make A DIY Activity Advent Calendar
- DIY Paper Scrap Christmas Tree Cards
- 5 Free Christmas Learning Printables
Thank you for stopping by. We hope you found your ultimate DIY Christmas teacher gift in this guide today!