Simple Back to School Teacher Gifts!

When I taught preschool, close to 9 years ago, it was the little ways parents showed their appreciation for us, that really touched my heart. I decided long ago that when my children went to school, the teachers would always know how much I appreciated the hard work and dedication they put into their field.

My little guy starts "real" preschool on Monday. Over the summer he attended their summer program, but tomorrow he's in a regular classroom with his regular teacher for the whole year. I always used to think that I couldn't wait for him to start preschool, meeting new friends, bring home art projects and ouch reports. Well, I changed my mind. I can wait. Really, I can!

The past few weeks, I've been up to my eyeballs in birthday party planning, so I knew I wouldn't have much time to get things ready for his first day.

I decided to put together a few little gifts for his teachers and the staff at his preschool. It's a small school, just 10 staff members.

Here's what I decided to do:

"Apples for the Teachers"

I just wanted to do something very simple for the whole staff. I decided to give them a little healthy snack, since I know how long those first few days of school can be.

I used google search to find a cute clipart apple and I created a simple notecard in publisher:

I also included a hand written note inside, wishing them all blessings on the first day of school and through the year.

For Cooper's teachers, and the director, I put some small bottles of hand sanitizer and a few chocolates in a small bag and tied it with the same little note card, including a personal note for each teacher.

The whole set of gifts cost me about $10, and I'm hoping it will make a big impact, and will help them all feel appreciated, even as the year is just getting underway. I plan to do things like this several times throughout the year, not just around the holidays.

How did you get ready for the first day of school?