End of year student gifts don’t have to be overly complicated or expensive to be meaningful. Kids love gifts and even the smallest ones can brighten up their day and maybe even their summer!
Whether you are a teacher saying goodbye to a bunch of fun five year olds or a parent trying to splurge on gifts for the entire class, these last day of school gifts for students are easy to pull together without breaking a sweat.
Here, I’ve organized the gifts by age group (preschool, K-2, and grades 3 to 5). So, there’s definitely something on here you’ll want to gift the kids.
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Why bother giving end of year gifts?
The last week of school can be bittersweet and emotional, especially as a teacher. Spending all that time teaching the kids, recognizing their voices, handwriting, and their emotions, it can be tough to say goodbye as they move out of your class.
A small gift probably won’t ease the transition, but the kids will still feel the love and appreciation when they hold a tangible gift that signifies your good intentions and hopes for them.
Deciding on student gifts
When it comes to deciding on the best end of year student gifts to get, think about the criteria:
- Budget: how much are you willing to spend in total or on each kid? Deciding the budget can help you choose which gifts to purchase.
- Bulk buying: what can you buy in bulk that the kids would enjoy? Can you personalize each one to fit their specific personalities? A bottle of bubbles can become special if you attach a sign saying “may your summer be bubbly and fun!“
- Theme: gifting with a theme can be such fun. You can lean into summer friendly treats or use inside jokes that happened in class.
- Fun versus practical: while fun gifts and toys are nice, they work well with practical ones too. So, fancy markers can be paired with a summer reading list or a water bottle can be matched with a pencil case.
End of the year student gifts for preschool
For your tiny kiddies, you want gifts that are sturdy, fun and don’t need much explanations on how to use them. Think sensory delights, coloring fun and gifts that don’t require much supervision during play time.
1. Crayola twistables
A box of twistables can travel with the kids on their summer adventures without making a mess or having broken crayon pieces everywhere. Clean tiny hands while coloring are always a good idea! Pair with some cheap copy paper for an instant summer art kit.
2. Play Doh
Small Play Doh tubs are great little gifts that encourage hand-to-eye-to-imagination coordination. Kids always love mixing, matching, shaping and molding the Play Doh into all sorts of fun shapes. Pair the tubs with small, cheap cookie cutters for a fun time.
Buy in bulk and each tub can come up to 40 cents for 1!
3. Reusable sticker pads
Reusable sticker pads can give the kids hours of fun. They’re perfect for passing the time in airports or when mom has to clock in a couple hours in her home office. Kids can stick, peel, re-stick and enjoy creating cute sceneries and storylines on the pads.
4. Sidewalk chalk
Pick up the anti-roll sidewalk chalk as a great summer-themed gift. The shape of the chalk prevents kids from running after any rolling chalk. Buy them in bulk, pop a couple in a small plastic bag and tie a tag on it that says something like “have a chalk-tastic summer!”
It’s that easy to create a simple gift that’s guaranteed to delight the students and costs less than $1!
5. Bubbles
The classic bubbles solution with small wands are enough to make any kid feel like the gift is already a party. Buy the mini ones and tag them with “May your summer be bubbly!” It’s sure to be an instant hit.
6. Board books
Board books are where fun meets education and reading skills. The books are usually sturdy, beautifully illustrated and have wonderful life lessons to teach the kids. My go-to is Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar ” The book is such fun!
7. Mini watering can with seeds
Okay, hear me out! A tiny watering can with a packet of seeds can make a great goodbye gift that turns into a delightful summer project. Sunflower seeds are ideal since they are super easy to grow and you don’t need a green thumb to do it. It’s a cheap, cute gift that could create lifelong hobby farmers.
8. Mess-free markers
Color Wonder mess-free markers only show up on Color Wonder paper, nothing else! So, it’s great for parents who want clean walls. There are lots of themed sets to choose from that are popular and would make great last day of school presents for kids.
Here’s the Bluey version!
9. Bath crayons
In keeping with the coloring gifts, you could also consider bath crayons. They can turn a Tuesday night bath into a fun, creative event. The good news is the crayons wipe right off the tub with a wet cloth so the young artists can create another masterpiece the next day. I would check in with parents before getting this just to be sure they’re okay with coloring during bath time.
10. Bouncy balls
How much fun would a small, handful of bouncy balls in a cellophane bag be with a tag saying “have a ball this summer?” I mean it’s adorable, cheap and immediately fun!
11. Sunglasses
Kids always have fun and look super cool with sunglasses. And, it’s a fitting summer gift for them to take to the pool or beach. Be sure to take a photo of the entire class with their sunglasses on. It’ll be a wonderful keepsake too!
12. Wikki stix
If you didn’t know Wikki Stix are bendy, waxy, yarn string toys that can stick to themselves, paper, glass and most surfaces. Students can enjoy creating random shapes with them throughout the summer while practicing their dexterity, hand-to-eye coordination and imaginative play.
13. Goldfish snacks
Here’s the image: a Goldfish snack with a stuck on tag that says “of-fish-ally done with school!” It’s fun, low effort, and sure to make the kids giggle a little. Head to Costco for a giant box of the snacks or order them online.
14. Beach pails and shovels
A small plastic pail can hold some of the gifts above and double as an actual gift too. It can hold bubbles, sunglasses, chalk and snacks. And, the kids can take them to the beach or on vacation!
15. Magnifying glasses
How much fun would a magnifying glass be for kids during backyard adventures? They can spot bugs in the garden and explore the leaves in the park. This is helpful to encourage a future generation of science fans.
16. Watercolor paint set
A basic, eight-paint watercolor set with a small brush is truly a classic gift for all students. Pair it with a couple folded sheets of copy paper and you now have a practical, creative gift for your students.
17. Pip Squeaks washable markers
If you have the budget for it, get some pip-squeaks markers! They are short, washable, and fit a four-year-old’s grip so well. These are sure to delight the kids without creating as much mess as the paints. Ha!
18. Squishy sensory toys
Mini squish balls and animal squishes are great end of year student gifts. They’re adorable, fun to play with and budget friendly, when there really isn’t a budget. Let the kids pick their favorites to take home.
Last day of school gifts for kindergarten students to 2nd graders
By the time kindergarten comes around, kids start having opinions. They know what they like, which character is on their sticker and what colors they are not a fan of. Lean into that with these end of year student gifts.
19. Card games
Card games help with visual matching and encourages play time with the whole family. It’s great for slow July afternoons, long road trips and passing the time in the airport. This set comes with Old Maid, Go Fish and Hearts.
20. Cute highlighters
A great way to encourage reading over the summer is by gifting the kids adorable bookmarks and highlighters. And, what’s cuter than these sweet highlighters?
21. Friendship bracelets
Friendship bracelets can say so much from “I love you” to “I will miss you” and more. You can make the bracelets yourself or get these super simple ones online.
22. Slap bracelets
To add a bit more fun and silliness to the friendship bracelet idea, you can always opt for slap bracelets. They are sure to make the kids laugh as they play with them. The bracelets are a great little token to end the year.
23. Hot Wheels
For car loving kids, get them some Hot Wheels. They can go everywhere, fit in pockets, survive the laundry and are fun to play with. Paired with sidewalk chalk, the kids can create mini driveway race tracks and have a great time.
24. Pokémon sticker pack
If you have a class of kids who appreciate Pokémon, get them some sticker sheets. They are silly, screen-free fun time.
25. Building blocks
There are individually wrapped building block sets that are adorable, budget-friendly and easy-to-build. They would definitely entertain the kids for a summer afternoon or two.
26. Inflatable beach balls
Okay, you’re thinking an inflatable beach ball per kid might be too expensive, but I promise you it isn’t. And, it gives you the perfect opportunity to add a tag saying “have a ball this summer!” I mean it’ll certainly be a memorable gift!
27. Hidden Pictures book
Highlights Hidden Pictures books have been entertaining bored kids for a long, long time. And, it’s still relevant today. If you have the budget for it, opt for getting the “Best Hidden Pictures Puzzles Ever” for each student.
28. UNO
I know card games are already on this list but I had to give the original UNO card game its own feature. UNO is certainly a family game you can teach in minutes to a young kid and, by second grade, most kids can play independently.
29. Mini tic tac toe
A small, lightweight tic tac toe game can be perfect for the kids to pass the time. They can play with their siblings or parents and learn a thing or two about strategy.
30. Mini Squishmallow plushies
Mini Squishmallow plushies are pretty economical and something the students would absolutely enjoy. Pick ones that fit each student’s personality or give them an option to choose their favorite.
31. Reusable water balls
Forget water balloons, get your students these reusable water balls for summer. They’re made with polyester and are perfect for playing in their backyard or at the pool. Package a couple together and attach a cute tag.
32. Scratch art cards
Scratch art cards are fun to doodle on. Buy them in bulk and gift a stack to each student. You can even doodle on one of them, wishing the student all the best in the future. It’s simple, sweet and thoughtful!
33. Fun bookmarks
Much like the highlighters earlier, bookmarks also encourage summer reading. Choose scratch and sniff ones for extra whimsy or classic funny ones.
Student gifts for older kids
As students get older, they are less excited for crayons and more interested in what’s trending. Here are a couple ideas to get them as end of year gifts.
34. Fidget keychains
Okay, fidget gizmos aren’t trending anymore but they sure are fun to press and fidget with. These are simple gifts that can help when they’re bored or trying to stay focused on something.
35. Waterproof stickers
Stickers are easy favorites for students. Opt for waterproof ones they can use on their water bottle, bags, laptop and more. They are so many adorable sticker sets that can appeal to every student.
36. Fun pens
Silly pens are sure to get some giggles while being practical and functional. Attach a tag to the pens encouraging the kids to journal about their holidays. Pair the pens with mini notebooks to keep the journal theme going.
37. Capsule toys
Keeping the cute, kawaii theme, consider adding capsule toys to your student’s last day of school package. These are adorable, tiny toys that come in their own individual capsule, which make them easy to gift.
38. Slime
Slime is still sensory and enjoyable, though not as trendy as it used to be. Consider getting these glittery, scented slime for your students. There are other options too like Squishmallow.
39. Fingerboards
Fingerboards are also one of those silly, ridiculous gifts that make the kids laugh. There are many options with some unique designs but I like these light-up ones. The lights add a little extra something to the gift!
40. Egg shakers
Egg shakers are such unique musical instruments that are similar to tiny maracas, just without the handles. They’re cute and make great sounds.
41. Notebooks
Notebooks are great gifts that the students can use for anything. Doodles, sketches, song writing, poems, habit tracking, there are so many things the notebooks can be used for.
42. More Squishmallows
I know Squishmallows are already on the list for younger kids, but they make great gifts for older kids and preteens too. They’re so soft and squishy.
43. Mini coloring books
Coloring books are fun for all ages and these come with individually packaged. That makes them easy to personalize and gift.
44. 3D printed dragons and eggs
Here’s an incredibly unique student gift idea! Each egg is made of plastic but look iridescent and inside there’s a cool, reticulating dragon. This will certainly be a gift to remember and the kids will have a durable keepsake for their desk for years to come.
You really don’t have to do anything fancy for gift wrapping. Kraft paper bags, twine and a handmade tag are simple and more than enough.
Hope you found some great ideas here and feel free to check out these: Snoopy gifts.
