Gifts for Teachers in Champaign-Urbana

Shopping for a teacher in Champaign-Urbana? We have some ideas

Classroom teachers. We know them, we love them. Our kids’ teachers play a huge role in their day to day lives and thinking of them during the holidays is always appreciated. (Well, doing something to let your teacher know you are thinking about them is always appreciated, no matter what the time of year.)

If you need to pick up some gifts for school staff, including teachers, here are our tips on getting started.

Who to buy for?

There are many people working at your child’s school making it a great place for your child, from the bus driver to the person that cooks her lunch. Chances are you can’t give to each person, and trying to do so might cause you undue holiday time stress (which no one wants!) A good strategy is to have the kids help guide for whom you should buy. They give a gift to their classroom teacher because that teacher is with them the majority of the day. If your child wants to give their speech teacher a gift, you can make that happen, even if it means they give a heartfelt card or piece of child-created artwork.

Friendly reminder: Being an active, engaged and supportive parent with a child that is ready for school each day is often the best present you can give anyone who works at your child’s school. Do not feel bad if your holiday gifting budget does not include buying a gift for everyone in the school.

How much to spend

That depends on your budget and resources. Some parents go big, but that certainly isn’t a requirement. Many gifts have more heart than money attached to them, and teachers will be grateful all the same. When we ask teachers, they reply resoundingly that you do not need to spend a lot of money on them.

Shop local when you can

Many small businesses in Champaign-Urbana offer gift card options. We’re going to include a list of places we know of that send gift cards electronically — it can’t get lost that way. If you’re looking for more ideas on what to buy in a local brick and mortar store, don’t forget to check our Shop Local guide for ideas.

A guarantee you’ll get exactly what they want

Teachers often have Amazon Wish Lists for their classrooms. The only way these items make it off the list is thanks to the generosity of families and community members. Many schools organize these lists into one place, but if you don’t know where to find your teacher’s list, you can simply ask. And if your teacher has not yet created one, perhaps your inquiry will be what encourages them to take a moment to do so.

Gift cards featuring digital delivery

Know of a local business that we should add to this list? Be sure to let us know so we can get it added!

Ancho & Agave, Bloomington
Benjamin & Co. Esthetique, Champaign
Big Grove Tavern, Champaign
BodyWork Associates, Champaign
Chophouse on Main, Mahomet
Columbia Street Roastery, Champaign
Common Ground Food Co-Op, Urbana
the CU Flower House, Champaign
CU Adventures in Time & Space, Urbana
Delight Flower Farm, Champaign
Espresso Royale, Champaign & Urbana
Fire Doll Studio, Champaign
Firefly Grill, Effingham
Industrial Donut, Savoy
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana
Monicals, various locations
Planted, Champaign
Seven Saints, Champaign
Ten Thousand Villages, Champaign
Yo-Yo’s, Mahomet

More on gift cards

Whether they come from bookstores, restaurants, box stores or local stores, gift cards are easy to purchase and always welcome by your classroom teacher. If you want to personalize the gift card, have your child make a card, tuck the gift card in, and you are all set. Local restaurant gift cards are always great because they can be used when a teacher is running late after a marathon session of meetings and needs to pick up dinner for his or her own family. A gift card to a coffee shop, no matter how small, can be used for an after school latte pick-me-up. And any teacher we know would welcome a Target gift card as a gift, any time of year.

Another idea — the coordinated class gift

Another way to give your child’s teacher a great gift is to go in with classroom parents to purchase a classroom gift card for that teacher. Everyone puts in what they want. A parent can organize a gift card for a classroom; logistics can be challenging, though, especially as schools do an excellent job of protecting student/parent contact info. Social media helps for connecting purposes, and if you can’t get everyone, perhaps six of you can pull together to make a team gift happen.

Remember this

Your child’s teacher isn’t keeping a running list of who gives gifts. They usually have their own family to shop for, and believe me — they get that there are only so many shopping days before winter break. If you didn’t get a gift for your child’s teacher in time for winter break, if you prefer not to give gifts at the holiday season, or if your budget doesn’t allow for it — don’t stress!

Looking for more? Subscribe to our Holiday Newsletter. Want more ideas for holiday (or everyday) fun? Check out our Events Calendar.