4 Back to School Teacher Gifts to Craft, Knit and Crochet

August 17, 2011 - Margaret

Back to school season is the perfect time to thank the teachers in your life with notes or tokens of appreciation. My mom, a teacher herself, taught me just how much small gifts and thank-you notes mean to teachers everywhere. Yarncrafting for teachers is a wonderful way to make your gifts all the more personal, useful and long-lasting. Unlike regular apples, for example, a crocheted Amigurumi Apple for the teacher like the one to the right can be enjoyed for years to come!

These four projects make excellent gifts for teachers and are great to work on with the kids heading back to school. Young children can help by picking out colors and details to make each gift special for their teacher, while older children can help with trickier tasks like sewing, knitting or crochet.

	Gifts for Hobbies Giving a gift that appeals to a teacher’s hobby is especially thoughtful, and many teachers love to read in their spare time. With this Beaded Bookmark pattern, you can enlist the help of young children in selecting beads and colors, while older kids can help with the beading and knotting of the yarn. They may even want to make a set for themselves!
	Gifts to Use Every Day Useful gifts are treasured by teachers because they are thoughtful tokens for them to look at and use everyday. Eyeglass cases make it easy to protect reading or sunglasses, and on Lionbrand.com there are many patterns for knit, crochet and even woven eyeglass cases. Make them in beautiful colors to match each teacher’s taste.
	Gifts for the Desk and Classroom Help the teachers in your life manage their desk space by making these Desk Organizers. They are great projects to make with kids, and require no knitting or crochet skills at all. Let kids going into each teacher’s class pick out favorite colors or specialty yarns like sparkling Vanna’s Glamour or fluffy Fun Fur for added details.
	Gifts to Pamper Teachers have plenty to focus on, so help them relax with spa-style gifts like this Aromatherapy Eye Pillow in knit or crochet. Younger kids can help by selecting the lavender and picking out the colors, while older kids could sew or help knit or crochet the pillow itself. Teachers often have little time to spend on themselves; the gift of a hand made spa set or washcloth with a scented soap will help them rejuvenate after long days in the classroom.

Pair your gift with a short thank-you note, and your handmade teacher gift is ready to go! If you have leftover yarn, consider donating it to a school crafting group or the art teacher. Schools are almost always in need of supplies, and when you donate your extra materials you are directly helping teachers and giving kids access to the arts.

Have you made gifts for teachers before? Are you planning to make any this year? Leave a comment to share your ideas and stories.

18 Comments

Anne

17 Aug 2011

I made a couple cotton spa cloths for my son’s teacher last year.Â She told my son they were the best thing she ever had for wiping the classroom white boards – not exactly what they were originally meant to do but hey, she used them every day!Â Can’t say that about too many teacher gifts 🙂

Nancy Storms

20 Aug 2011

I admit my children have been out of school for a long time, but..never did I make or give gifts to the teachers when school started.Â What about the parents who have 2 or 3 children, are working to feed and clothe the children and cannot afford the time or money to send gifts.Â Then the teacher is put in the position of being embarrased for the other children.Â Donate supplies for the children to use and don’t tell who sent it.