Looking for some inspiration to make a homemade gift for your child’s teacher? Here are dozens of different crafts to make and give that are not only nice to receive, several are quite useful too! If you’re crunched for time, many fit the bill as last-minute projects since they can be whipped up quickly. You’ll also find a selection of free printables listed at the bottom. Whether it’s for the end of the school year, back to school, Christmas and seasonal holidays or Teacher Appreciation Day, you’ll have it covered with this project sheet! I’ll be adding new ideas to this list over time so you may want to bookmark this page for future reference. Enjoy!
Decorative Clipboards: Cover a mini-clipboard with pretty scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. Also see this patchwork clipboard.
Crafty Hand Sanitizer: Peel off the label from a bottle of hand sanitizer and add a clever saying with vinyl letters.
Doily Treat Bags: Fill a treat bag with individually wrapped chocolates or candies (with tissue paper), add a doily topper and thank you tag (tags are a free pdf download).
Stripe-y Tote: Sew a sturdy bag roomy enough to hold plenty of books, lots of pockets and personalized with name stenciled on the bag front.
Post-It Notes Holder: Insert decorative paper inside a clear plastic photo frame, embellish the top with silk flowers, glass beads, whatever you like then glue on a stack of Post-It notes.
Back-To-School Vase: A plastic cup is fit inside a large glass jar then colorful alphabet magnets fill the space between the jar and the cup.
Starburst Mug Rug: Quilt a bright & cheery mat to hold drinks and treats (and protect a desk surface).
Patchwork Lanyard: Helpful project for keeping schoolroom keys at hand.
French Desk Pencil Cups: Sew a quilted wrap for a tin can (lined with fusible fleece) and embellish with ribbon and buttons.
Back To School Mini-Notebooks: Embellish 5″ x 8″ notepads with decorative paper and other crafty bits.
To Do List Holder: A clever holder for index cards made with fabric and a piece of chip board.
Triangle Treat Box: Fill with assorted goodies then tie closed with decorative ribbon. Includes apple cutouts download.
Pringles Can Make-Over (To Stuff With Treats): Cute idea, stuff little presents or treats. Made with an empty Pringles can, Mod Podge, glue and craft paper.
Post-It Notes Keychain: (video tutorial) Simple project using decorative paper to make a cover, ribbon to tie closed and a key ring.
One Smart Cookie: Stack homemade cookies in a mason jar and attach this cute tag.
Project Collections
Here are several free project collections that I’ve put together here on Tipnut, these would also make lovely gifts:
- Homemade Bookmarks: Over 40 different craft projects (some are free printables).
- Bookplates: Nice to label books on the inside cover, free downloads.
- Tote Bag Projects: Lots of ideas, great for toting around files.
- Covered Books, Notebooks & Journals: Make pretty composition books, notebooks and journals by covering them with fabric or decorative paper.
- Reusuable Lunch Bags & Accessories: You’ll also find reusable snack bags & accessories at the bottom of the page.
- Laptop Sleeves & Cases and iPad, Kindle & E-Reader Covers: An ideal present for tech lovers.
- Crafty Coasters To Make: Over two dozen crafty ways to protect a desk from hot coffee or tea mugs.
- Pencil Cases & Covers: To carry around in totes or organize supplies in desk drawers, nice bunch of ideas here.
Thank You Cards, Notes & Tags
Candy Bar Wrappers: Features “To” and “From” fields on the back and two different colors are available: Blue and Salmon.
Assorted Tags: Five designs available in teal, red and white colors (all circle tags). Downloads are image files (jpg).
Thank You Note & Envelope: Free template download (via pdf) that also includes two note card designs (on page 2).
Thank You (Apple Design): Apple design with spaces for To: and From:, prints 4 per page (via pdf download).
Vintage Style Tags: Prints 2 per page in shades of purple, features a young girl teaching letters to a doll.
End of School Year Set: Three different freebies to choose from “Thank You For Helping Me Grow” tags plus a card and tags for the bus driver.
School Note Cards: Six designs available in three sizes, these can be stacked together and tied in a ribbon.