These meet the teacher gifts for students aren’t fancy but they’re sweet enough to calm nervous kids and get them excited to be your student. Kids love gifts and, hopefully, you can find some great ideas here!
Most ideas can be done for under two dollars per kid so they’re all pretty budget-friendly. And, they’re all for younger students.
If you love putting mini gifts together for students, be sure to check out my ideas for back to school gifts for kids and these birthday ones from teachers. They’re all economical, bulk options too!
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Why get meet the teacher gifts?
Whether you call it meet the teacher night or open house before school, it’s all about students meeting their teachers before the first day and making them feel more comfortable and less nervous.
Gifts are a great gesture that can calm the kids while they explore their new classroom, meet their new educator, and play with their new classmates. The gifts direct their attention to something cute while being something to cling to and hold close like a security blanket.
Planning meet the teacher gifts
When planning the gifts for students, it’s important to think about:
- budget: overall budget plays a crucial role on what you get for the students. Buying in bulk really helps to bring the cost down, but you may need to wrap the gifts individually versus leaving everything in the box. Packaging may also have a cost associated with it and should be factored in.
- siblings: Some kids may have siblings attending the meet the teacher event so you may need extra mini treats, just in case.
- customization: how much do you want to customize the gifts? Adding a note with the student’s name and a warm message is a beautiful way to welcome him or her to your class. But, that takes time and effort. Would you rather print your own tags or pick up ready made ones?
Okay, let’s get into those meet the teacher gift ideas now.
Meet the teacher gifts for students
1. Play-Doh
This is one of my favorite ideas for student gifts. It’s such fun for playtime! And, the kids can practice their motor skills and creativity while staying off screens. This set comes with over 40 1-ounce containers that work up to be about 40 cents for one.
Pop the Play-Doh in a small bag, add a sweet welcome note and you have an easy, peasy gift for your new students.
2. Squishies
Squishies are always a hit with kids. They are adorable, easy to squeeze and can act like a little stress ball too. This container comes with 30, so each one roughly costs about 30 cents. Add a nice tag to each one with the message like ‘squish your nerves away!’
3. Welcome back to school set
For a simple welcome back to school set, this one is lovely. It comes with themed pens, keychains and bookmarks that celebrate the occasion for back to school. Each set works up to be about 70 cents, which is awesome.
4. Plush toys
Mini stuffed animals are very much like squishies. They’re soft, easy to grab, squeeze and play with. The kids can play with them while teachers chat with parents. Each toy roughly works up to be about 70 cents.
5. Pull back cars
Here’s another sweet idea that’s especially great for boys and are less than 20 cents for one. Pull back cars are fun to play with, sure to keep them busy and maybe a little less nervous.
Creative gifts for students
6. Crayons
Do you know any kid that wouldn’t like new crayons? I mean, they are sure to get the kids excited! Pair crayons with a “Welcome to our class” coloring page for a quick and easy gift that costs less than $1.20 per kid. You can even set up a mini activity time where the kids color together while the parents chat with you.
7. Scratch notebooks
For a unique creative gift, get these rainbow scratch art notebooks. They come with 24 mini notebooks, styluses, stencils and party bags. So, all you have to do is assemble them together and you’re done! Of course, you can pop a welcome note in there too. This works up to be less than $1.20 per student.
8. Watercolor books
These watercolor books are magical for 4-year olds and up. They come with paint cards, brushes, coloring books and gift bags. So, they’re easy to assemble and all the kids need is a little water to activate the paint and they’re ready to start paining.
9. Watercolor paints
For a take-home creative gift, these watercolor paints are a true classic. This set is under $2 and can likely last the student an entire year. It’s simple, sweet and perfect as a meet the teacher gift.
10. Coloring pencils
For the older grades, coloring pencils are definitely a step up from crayons. Add some coloring pages to the gift so the kids can color during the meet-up, while you have a chat with the parents.
11. Multi-color pens
One pen, four colors, cute toppers, yes please! The students would surely get excited about this gift and it’s pretty budget friendly coming in at less than 50 cents for one. This batch actually comes with 60 pens, so you can have extras for the siblings and birthday gifts for the students later on in the year.
12. Smencils
Pencils aren’t the most creative gifts, but these are still pretty easy to love! Smencils literally smell so yummy and students are sure to enjoy them as gifts. They’re a little bit more costly than the other presents on this list but still are worth the intrigue and excitement from the kids.
13. Stationery pack
Here is one of the cheapest student gifts on this list and it’s awesome! At less than 30 cents for one, you can get cute 4-in-1 pens, sticky notes, a sticker sheet and a party bag to put everything in. It’s such great value and the kids are sure to love everything.
More meet the teacher gifts
14. Tangram puzzles
This tangram puzzle sure brings in fun while still being educational, problem-solving and encouraging imagination. It comes with a small set of geometric pieces and a puzzle card with different shapes to make. Watch the students reassemble the puzzle back together too! This gift is under $1 per kid.
15. Writing tablets
Oh, this is sure to make your new students extra excited! Writing tablets are great gifts to encourage drawing, doodling and even practicing homework. There’s no paper, backlight or blue light, just a simple device that erases everything forever once you delete it. Each gift costs about $2.25 and is absolutely worth it!
16. Blank mini puzzle
Okay, hear me out! If you love customizing gifts for kids, then get these mini blank puzzles. They have 100 pieces and you can draw, paint and add stickers to them. Add a sweet message like “Welcome to my class, I’m looking forward to being your teacher,” include the student’s name, and add mini stickers. Break the puzzle up and add the pieces to a small party bag.
It’s such a personal gift and the kids can have fun assembling them in the class or at home.
Those are my ideas for meet the teacher gifts for students. They’re all pretty budget-friendly and sure to get the kids excited to be in your class.
If you love splurging on students, check out all my ideas for student birthday gifts, back to school kids gifts and end of year gifts for students. You can also explore these kindergarten graduation gift options too.
