30 DIY Teacher Christmas Gifts to Express Your Gratitude in More Than Just Words
Updated on December 14, 2022
DIY Christmas gifts are a wonderful way to show your gratitude and admiration for the hard work that your teachers put in during the year. To get the ball rolling, this article lists some of the best homemade presents you can get your teacher for Christmas.
Crafting teacher Christmas gifts is a rewarding experience since you get to put your creative skills to good use and customize something to the teacher’s style and preference. Additionally, the DIY route is more affordable and appreciated than gifting generic store-bought items. Here is a list of the DIY Christmas gifts for teachers that you will find in this article:
- Thanks a Latte greeting card
- DIY twine-wrapped bottle
- DIY painted ceramic mug
- DIY colorful concrete coasters
- DIY cup cozy
- DIY monogrammed clay keychain
- DIY hexagon-embellished journal
- DIY polar bear corner bookmark
- DIY dry-erase to-do list
- DIY pencil holder
- DIY coffee bean art
- DIY seasonal air freshener with essential oils
- DIY peppermint sugar scrub
- DIY sewing kit in a jar
- Personalized diploma
- DIY Christmas pot
- DIY Poinsettia pots
- DIY terracotta apple pot
- A box of DIY Christmas ornaments
- DIY paper star ornament
- DIY Christmas bow ornament
- DIY Christmas candy jar
- DIY iced gingerbread cookies
- DIY gift basket
- DIY back-to-school emergency kit
- DIY snow day survival kit
- DIY s’mores kit
- DIY caramel apple kits
- DIY reusable cup of goodies
- DIY lunch sacks
1. Thanks a Latte greeting card
This Thanks a Latte Christmas card proves that you don’t need an overcomplicated crafting project to gift your teacher something nice. A greeting card with funny text will mean a lot to your teacher, especially if they are known for their sense of humor. The folks at Mandie Starkey Blogspot have a guide on making this DIY greeting card and included a downloadable printable card template.
2. DIY twine-wrapped bottle
A DIY twine-wrapped bottle is a thoughtful Christmas gift for teachers who love rustic décor. For this DIY project, you need an empty bottle, colored jute twine, glue, scissors, and pearls. Check out our full guide for crafting a twine-wrapped bottle.
3. DIY painted ceramic mug
A DIY painted ceramic mug is a simple and lovely Christmas present for teachers since you can write anything on the mug, such as Thanks for a great year! Merry Christmas! This DIY project is from our own repertoire and calls for a white ceramic mug and acrylic paint pens for porcelain. Check out our complete instructions for making a painted ceramic mug.
4. DIY colorful concrete coasters
DIY colorful concrete coasters would make a charming and functional Christmas gift for teachers since they are durable and customizable. This DIY project is from our own collection and requires fine particle cement mix, water, a plate, a spoon, a paintbrush, acrylic paint, and a plastic lid. Check out the full guide for designing colorful concrete coasters.
5. DIY cup cozy
A DIY cup cozy would be a charming and functional Christmas gift for your teacher since it will protect their hand while drinking hot coffee or tea. This crafting project is from our website and shows how to make a cozy using craft twine to add a rustic appeal. Get the step-by-step instructions for making a roped cup cozy.
6. DIY monogrammed clay keychain
A DIY monogrammed clay keychain is a customizable Christmas gift idea for teachers since you can engrave their initials. The idea for this DIY project is from our website and uses polymer or sculpting clay, a letter embossing set, a craft knife or small cookie cutters, wax paper, jump rings, and key chain rings. To make the keychain Christmasy, borrow one of your mom’s cookie cutters in the shape of a Christmas tree, gingerbread man, star, or another festive shape. Get the full details for making monogrammed clay keychains.
7. DIY hexagon-embellished journal
A DIY hexagon embellished journal would make a practical and fashionable Christmas present for teachers since they can jot down ideas in style. This crafting project comes from our repertoire and requires a plain journal, gold metallic paper, a hexagon punch, Mod Podge, scissors, a paintbrush, and alphabetical stickers. Since this will be a Christmas present, use festive colors, like a green journal with red hexagons, and write something like Merry Christmas, teach! on the cover. Find out more details about making this hexagon-embellished journal.
8. DIY polar bear corner bookmark
A DIY polar bear corner bookmark is a cute Christmas present idea for daycare teachers who love reading. It is appropriately themed, too, since the polar bear symbolizes the cold season and strength, power, and leadership. This crafting project idea is from our website and uses white paper, a glue stick, scissors, googly eyes, and colored markers. Get the full instructions for making a polar bear corner bookmark.
9. DIY dry-erase to-do list
A DIY dry-erase to-do list is the ideal Christmas gift for teachers who love organizing their day as efficiently as possible. It’s small, reusable, and has a hanging mechanism with a dry-erase marker. The folks at Creative Green Living have assembled a guide on making this project and the template for cutting out all the pieces you’ll need. Consider making it in festive Christmas colors and adding bells and stars for extra charm.
10. DIY pencil holder
A customized DIY pencil holder is a practical Christmas gift that would look stunning on your teacher’s desk for organizing pens and pencils. Create this project with ordinary materials like tin cans, wine corks, and paint. Check out our guide for making a wine cork pencil holder to get the full instructions.
11. DIY coffee bean art
DIY coffee bean art would be a neat Christmas gift idea for teachers who love their daily cup of coffee. This simple project is easy to make and customizable. For example, spell out your teacher’s name or design a Christmas tree out of coffee beans. Check out our guide if you’re interested in making this coffee bean art piece.
12. DIY seasonal air freshener with essential oils
A DIY Christmas air freshener is a great gift for teachers who like using essential oils to put them in a festive mood. Fragrances like peppermint, cinnamon, apples, oranges, or chocolate are all holiday favorites, and you’re free to mix them however you please. For example, the folks at Loving Essential Oils made a guide on how to make a DIY air freshener, including 10 mixes to make your classroom smell like Christmas.
13. DIY peppermint sugar scrub
A DIY peppermint sugar scrub jar is a thoughtful gift for teachers who like taking care of their skin. This type of scrub has a pleasant fragrance and exfoliates the skin, leaving it feeling smooth and invigorated. Check out the guide from Mommy Musings, which uses sugar, coconut oil, and peppermint oil.
14. DIY sewing kit in a jar
A DIY sewing kit in a jar is a lovely Christmas gift for teachers with sewing skills. To put together such a kit, you need basic sewing supplies, such as thread, bobbins, small scissors, tape measure, eyelets, buttons, pins, and needles. Fit all items snuggly inside a glass jar and cover it with a cap converted into a pin cushion. Refer to this guide from Bless This Mess Please for step-by-step instructions.
15. Personalized diploma
Gifting a teacher a personalized diploma for Christmas is a bit cliché, but it’s still a way to relay your appreciation. Mention their excellent teaching skills or understanding when you were going through a rough patch. Regardless of what you choose to write, your teacher will surely be touched by this unique and thoughtful gift. There are many free downloadable templates on Adobe for those who don’t know how to make a diploma, so use them as a starting point.
16. DIY Christmas pot
A DIY Christmas pot is a charming Christmas present for a teacher since they are useful for holding plants, candies, pencils, small ornaments, and other objects. This DIY project is from our own repertoire and requires a plain terracotta pot, red acrylic paint, a paintbrush, a hot glue gun, scissors, fake fur, black felt, gold cardboard, a pencil, and paper. Find out how to make a Christmas pot from our website.
17. DIY Poinsettia pots
A poinsettia is a great Christmas gift for any plant-loving teacher since they can put it on their desk or take it home. Poinsettia is the ideal plant for Christmas since it is also known as the Christmas star in certain cultures. For an extra touch, use a couple of potted poinsettia plants and decorate the flower pots to make them look like Santa’s pants. Get the full instructions from Chica Circle.
18. DIY terracotta apple pot
A DIY terracotta apple pot is a charming Christmas gift for teachers who love plants and wish to spruce up their classrooms. The idea behind this crafting project is to make the pot look like a bright red apple and fill it with all treats. The list of supplies includes a terracotta pot, paint, glue, and decorations like fake leaves. Get the detailed instructions from Inspiration Made Simple.
19. A box of DIY Christmas ornaments
A box of homemade Christmas ornaments shows class, sophistication, and thoughtfulness put into your teacher’s gift. Personalizing ornaments is easy since you need plain glass ornaments, acrylic paint, and a small paintbrush. Craft an entire box of 6-12 ornaments for your teacher to hang on their Christmas tree. Check out our guide for crafting painted glass Christmas ornaments.
20. DIY paper star ornament
This DIY paper star ornament would look splendid hanging on your teacher’s Christmas tree, so consider it a viable gift option. It’s more complex and beautiful than the typical paper decorations you make during Arts and Crafts class, so your teacher will surely be impressed. However, you must make precise measurements and cuts to get this project right, so carefully check out our guide for making a paper star ornament.
21. DIY Christmas bow ornament
This DIY Christmas bow ornament is a simple gift idea for school teachers that will be amazed by the almost professional-looking finish. They can hang this bow ornament on their Christmas tree, on their walls, or even on the mantelpiece. To make this bow, you’ll need ribbons, felt, foam paper, glue, and scissors. Check out our tutorial for making a Christmas bow ornament.
22. DIY Christmas candy jar
Gifting this DIY Christmas candy jar is a great idea, especially if your teacher is known for having a sweet tooth. Although you’ll make this project from scratch using a terracotta pot and a glass jar, it will look exactly like something bought from the candy store. Be sure to fill the jar with your teacher’s favorite candies before giving it away, such as chocolates, cookies, or jelly beans. Check out our DIY Guide for making a candy jar.
23. DIY iced gingerbread cookies
DIY iced gingerbread cookies are a Christmas gift idea that your teacher will love. Even if they’re not fans of gingerbread cookies, they can share them with their family. To make gingerbread cookies, you need butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, treacle, orange zest, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, baking soda, and all-purpose flour. For the royal icing, use powdered sugar with lemon juice and an egg white. Check out the complete cooking directions for baking iced gingerbread cookies.
24. DIY gift basket
A DIY Christmas gift basket is always a good option when you don’t know your teachers like or prefer a more formal approach to gift-giving. Since a gift basket means a bundle of several smaller gifts, it would be impossible for your teacher not to like at least one thing. Besides, the gift basket is fully customizable. For example, fill the gift basket with all sorts of Christmas goodies, such as homemade cookies, festive decorations, cured meats, fancy cheeses, or mulled wine. For more inspiration, check out these DIY gift basket ideas.
25. DIY back-to-school emergency kit
A DIY back-to-school emergency kit is the gift all teachers need for Christmas, especially if they want to prepare for the following semester. This present is a basket full of treats, where the packaging looks like a first-aid kit, so your teacher can enjoy snacks while planning their next lesson. Check out the full instructions at The 36th Avenue, including a free printable template for the first-aid box graphics.
26. DIY snow day survival kit
A DIY snow day survival kit is a funny and practical Christmas gift for teachers who must wake up early for work and brave the cold weather on winter mornings. The kit is a compact box filled with sweet and savory treats to make long hours at work bearable. Get the full instructions from The DIY Mommy.
27. DIY s’mores kit
A DIY s’mores kit is a delicious Christmas gift idea for teachers, where marshmallows are the main ingredient. The kit is a packet filled with marshmallows, biscuits, and chocolate – a heavenly combination. Add a tag to write something like meaningful or funny, and you’re all done. Check out My Crazy Blessed Life for the full instructions and printable tag.
28. DIY caramel apple kits
These DIY caramel apple kits are a great gift to surprise your teacher with something special and make them feel appreciated for Christmas. The kits contain a bright red apple and a jar filled with homemade caramel sauce, both of which are classic Christmas ingredients. Get the step-by-step instructions and homemade caramel sauce recipe from The Wilson World.
29. DIY reusable cup of goodies
This DIY reusable cup of goodies demonstrates that the packaging is often more important than the Christmas gift, and your teacher would love it. To put together a gift like the one illustrated above, you need tumblers, small packets of candy, and a printable tag to attach to the cup. Check out this guide from Stretching a Buck Blog and get the free printables to get started.
30. DIY lunch sacks
These DIY lunch sacks will be helpful to all teachers throughout the school year, making them a great Christmas gift. The sacks are made from fabric to carry lunch easily. Choose the fabric you like and personalize it according to the teacher’s taste. Or take the Christmasy route and make the lunch sacks red, white, and green. Get the sewing instructions from Silo & Sage.
Conclusion
No matter how creative or simple your gift is, it will put a smile on your teacher’s face and show them how much you appreciate their dedication and hard work in the past year. Add a special touch by including a handwritten letter expressing gratitude for all they do. For more inspiration, check out these charming gift ideas for teachers.