Inexpensive Holiday Gift Ideas

For Students and Teachers

This year gift buying is stressful because of inflation. Everything is super expensive. It’s a challenge to go into the grocery store and get two days’ worth of groceries for under $50. I know it’s stressful, so I want to share some inexpensive holiday gift ideas for students and teachers. They’re so good!

If you’re an administrator or parent, you’ve got to see the ones I recommend for teachers too! These inexpensive holiday gift ideas are primarily DIY and won’t break the bank.

Let’s start with some fun inexpensive gift ideas for students.

The first gift idea is a bookmark. This one is super easy to create and takes zero talent, but it does take some time.

You’ll need the following:

• Colored Paper
• Lamination Pouches
• Hole Punch
• Sharpie
• Ribbon
• Scissors or table chopper

Here’s how you make the bookmark:

Hole punch the colored paper and collect all the dots. If you’re using different colored paper, mix the dots. Then place them inside the lamination pouch. Laminate the pouch with the dots inside.

Afterward, trim any negative space around the edges.

Next, place a hole punch at the top of the bookmark, and tie a cute ribbon through the hole.

At last, you’ll write your students’ names on the bookmark using a sharpie.

I recommend printing the students’ names on paper so you can trace them onto the bookmark.

Tip: I used a landscape PowerPoint presentation and added a five-column table. I changed the text direction to stacked and used a chunky font so you could see the letters.

You could also print their names and paste them onto the bookmarks if you have a Cricut. Doing this will have better longevity but may be more expensive.

This next idea is a Christmas or Winter Math Game. These are not only fun but also educational!

For this gift idea, you’ll need the following:

• Craft Keeper Boxes
• Lamination Pouches
• Christmas Math Games Download (from my website or my TPT shop)
• Christmas Labels (from my TPT shop)
• Hot glue gun

Here’s how to prep this:

Print the game and select the game cards you’ll use. Cut the game cards along the solid line and place them inside the craft keeper.

Personalize the labels with your students’ names (they’re editable). Then, laminate the labels and hot glue them onto the craft keeper boxes.

These games are great because they create conversations about math during winter break. Students love these games!

Inexpensive Gift Ideas for Teachers

Now, if you are a parent or administrator looking for gift ideas for your teachers, you’ve got to check these out!

If you’re like me, your kids have more than one teacher, which gets expensive!

Gift-giving is a blessing, and I want my kids’ teachers to feel appreciated! After all, they spend more time with my kids than I do. That’s why I’m committed to giving them gifts. This next gift idea is so cute, inexpensive, and so much fun to create!

You’ll need the following:

• Soap
• Labels (download the freebie here)
• Ribbon
• Hole Puncher

For this, I purchased my favorite bars of soap in bulk. They were a bit more expensive than your average soap, but they only cost me about $15.

I printed the labels and placed a hole punch in the corner. Next, I tied the ribbon around the soap and put the label on it.

These were so cute, and the teachers loved them! I got scents like eucalyptus and lavender, so they were a bit more relaxing.

Inexpensive Holiday Gift Ideas Under $20

Perhaps you’re short on time and would rather buy something. The following gift ideas are from Erin Condren, an American-based female business. These are all under $20, and I’m totally obsessed!

Teacher Dual-Tip List Markers $16.50

I love these teacher dual-tip markers because they have a pen point on one end and a stamp on the other. Teachers create a million lists daily, and these little stamps make it less of a chore and more exciting.

There are stamps with circles, checkmarks, crosses, etc. The feel of these markers is similar to that of Flair Pens.

Learn Inspire Teach Teacher Record Book $16

I love this record book because it has everything you need in a compact journal! There are three different sections in this journal.

The first section is everything! It includes a place for usernames and passwords, events and volunteers, and a communication log.

Teachers must keep track of who they’ve communicated with because administrators sometimes ask. Having this record makes it convenient to have with them at all times.

The following section is for graphing. Teachers use graphing almost every single day. When doing interventions with students, we have to chart their progress. Again, this makes it convenient to grab one thing to take to a meeting. The teacher will have it all in one place!

The third section is for student checklists. Teachers can use this section for grades, checking off permission slips, attendance, etc. This information helps teachers work more efficiently when creating report cards or preparing conference notes.

Finally, the last section is for notes. Teachers are constantly taking notes on students’ behaviors and notes at meetings and workshops.

Shop the entire Erin Condren Gift Guide here!

These inexpensive gift ideas for students and teachers are easy to do and so cute! Don’t stress about the cost of things this year. Give something thoughtful like one of these gifts!