Great gifts don’t have to be expensive (or even cost money!) to warm the heart of the receiver. ‘Tis the season for giving—and your favorite homeschool mom is no exception. I’ve pulled together a handy guide with gift ideas for your homeschool teacher of the year!
Gifts You Can Make (or Do!)
1. Coupon Book
Make a book with a bunch of coupons for chores or fun treats. Here are some ideas for coupons to include:
- Free dinner
- Free bathroom clean
- Free car wash
- Free vacuum of the house
- One free chore of your choice
- Game night together
- A foot massage
- A family walk
The possibilities are endless! This gift is not only a blessing to the recipient but can be exciting for kids when they have an idea they want to use.
2. House Cleaning
Send mom off to her favorite coffee shop or spa so she can enjoy the afternoon to herself. Then, surprise her by having the house completely clean when she comes home! This is such a huge blessing for a busy mama!
3. Sugar Hand Scrub
Mom’s hands are routinely exposed to harsh elements, from cold weather to washing dishes to doing laundry. This super easy cinnamon sugar hand scrub has four simple household ingredients and will be a great exfoliant at the end of a long day! (Bonus: did you know that cinnamon is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial? Even better!) You could also make a salt scrub if that’s what mom prefers!
4. Memorize a Favorite Text
When I was eight, my mom’s request was that my siblings and I memorize Psalm 119 as her only birthday gift. Admittedly, it took a couple years for us to complete 176 verses, but we still recite it for her birthday, Mother’s Day, and Christmas every year. If your mom has a favorite poem, book passage, or Scripture, surprise her by memorizing it and then reciting it for her! This is a wonderful way to show your mom you care about what she loves.
5. Homemade Hot Chocolate
If mom loves warm drinks, homemade hot chocolate is super easy and delicious to make! Combine ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder with 1 cup of your preferred sugar and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of your mix to 8 oz of milk for a delicious winter drink! (Bonus: you can even replicate mini marshmallows if you want! Simply dehydrate them by putting them in your oven on a cookie sheet for 2 hours at 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Crunchy and delicious!)
6. Salt Dough Ornaments
Sentimental keepsakes are always a hit. Use these instructions to make the ornaments. Shape them into a favorite shape or trace all the kids’ hands and write the year into the dough before baking. The possibilities are endless!
7. Personalized Gifts
Create a personalized calendar, coffee mug, or other gift with pictures and memories that are special. Depending on your craftiness level, you can either DIY this or do it through a program like Shutterfly or Sam’s Club. This gift keeps on giving!
8. Make Dinner for a Week
Coming up with meal ideas every day and doing all the cooking can be stressful! Do the meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking for a week to give mom a break.
9. Handmade Scrapbook
Compile pictures from all your favorite memories of the year and make a homemade memory book! You could also include little mementos and keepsakes. This is a gift that is sure to be treasured.
Gifts You Can Buy
1. Drink Warmer
An everyday struggle for homeschool moms is making a warm drink and then having to microwave it five times before having time to finish it! This gift is perfect for keeping your drink warm for hours while teaching and loving on little ones.
2. Gift Basket
Create a gift basket! You can come up with a fun theme based on what she enjoys. You could make a spa basket complete with bath salts, a candle, tea, and a face mask. Or you could make an emergency school supply basket with extra pens, pencils, stickers, dry erase markers, and chocolate. (Other ideas: date night basket, movie night basket, or a craft supply basket!)
3. Foldable Picnic Blanket
Whether you’re doing a park day, having a picnic, or going on a field trip, this foldable and waterproof picnic blanket is the perfect gift for outdoor adventures.
4. Visual Timers
Keeping kids on track and your school hours running smoothly can be invaluable. If your teacher loves using timers, grab this pack of visual timers so that everyone can stay on schedule!
5. Books
A long booklist seems to be a common theme among homeschool moms! Does she have a favorite author or series? Purchase some of those books she’s has been wanting to read—bonus points if the gift includes some special time carved out to read the book (maybe with a warm cup of tea and bowl of popcorn!). If you need ideas, one of my favorites is Lamplighter Publishing books, which reprints children’s books from the 15th–19th centuries in beautiful hardcover bound editions. The Literary Book Club is also an amazing quarterly book gift subscription!
6. Laminator
I don’t know a single homeschool teacher that has ever regretted buying a laminator. From laminating counting cards for your kindergartener to worksheets for your elementary schooler to science projects for your high schooler, this gift is handy for all stages of life!
7. Hobby Supplies
Is the teacher in your life an avid cake decorator, embroidery enthusiast, or devoted gardener? Purchase the supplies they’ve been eyeing!
8. A Fun Mug
What better way to fuel (possible) caffeine addiction than a homeschool mom mug? Some of my favorites include this Not All Classrooms Have Four Walls mug, this Homeschool Fuel mug, and this Home Sweet Homeschool one.
9. Coffee Shop Gift Card
Purchase a gift card to their favorite local coffee shop! A little treat almost never fails to make mom’s day.
10. Magnet Tape
This fun little extra comes in handy when decorating the classroom, hanging artwork on the fridge, and more!
11. A Fun 2024 Calendar
Whether it’s an “On This Day in History” calendar, a “New Word of the Day” calendar, or something else, your teacher is sure to appreciate the fun way to keep track of each day of the year.
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That’s a wrap, kids (or dad!). Hopefully one of these inspires you as you select a gift for your favorite teacher. Which do you think she would love the most?