Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions out there, but it can also be very demanding with lots of unexpected ups and downs. This Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs through May 10, giving a thoughtful gift can be a great way to show the educators in your life that you appreciate the long hours and endless patience they put into their work every day. Whether you’re shopping for gifts for your own teacher, your child’s or a loved one who works in the field, these highly rated products are both practical and personal for anyone on your list.
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Best gifts for teachers in 2024
The items on this list are practical or personal gifts that will delight your teacher and upgrade their lives in and out of the classroom. The products we chose are either highly rated, expert-recommended or an NBC Select staff pick (some of whom used to be teachers).
La Chatelaine Hand Cream Trio Tin Gift Set
This tin with a trio of hand creams can easily fit in a teacher’s desk drawer. The rich formula has shea butter, vitamin A and argan oil to moisturize their skin and the set comes with three different scents: cinnamon orange, gardenia and rose acacia. Plus, they can reuse the tin to hold odds and ends, like rubber bands, pencils or other school supplies. This hand cream trio has a 4.7-star average from over 3,000 reviews on Amazon.
Ultimate Aromatherapy Diffuser & Essential Oil Set
This highly rated diffuser — which has a 4.5-star average from more than 63,000 reviews on Amazon — can fill any classroom with peaceful, invigorating and refreshing scents. The diffuser has seven ambient light modes and four timer settings, plus there’s an auto shutoff feature when water levels are low. This set comes with 10 essential oils.
Blue Dragon Stationery Set
An elegant stationery set can turn a simple note into a work of art. This set includes 30 sheets of ivory paper that are flecked with gold foil and have blue and amethyst dragonflies printed on them. There are also 24 matching envelopes with dragonflies printed on the back. The set, which has a 4.8-star average from over 1,300 reviews on Amazon, comes packed in a tasteful gift box, making it great for gift-giving.
Slip Silk Eye Mask
Give the gift of rest with this luxurious eye mask from Slip, which is an NBC Select Wellness Awards winner. Made of pure silk, it’s gentle on the delicate skin around the eyes and has a silk-covered band that doesn't tug at hair, according to our reviewers. It also comes in more than 25 shades and patterns.
Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler
The popular Stanley Quencher, which is one of our favorite reusable water bottles, comes in sizes ranging from 14 ounces to 64 ounces, is dishwasher-safe and has a stainless steel, double-walled construction that keeps your teacher’s beverages cold for hours, according to the brand. Tumblers 30 ounces and above have a built-in carry handle, which makes it easy to take from class-to-class. You can purchase several Stanley Quencher accessories, too.
Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Throw
Your favorite teacher can drape this cozy throw blanket over themselves when the classroom gets cold or snuggle up with it at home after a long day. The fabric is soft and won’t shrink, pill or wrinkle when they wash it, according to the brand. As a bonus, the blanket, which is also one of our favorite self-care gifts, comes wrapped in a silky ribbon.
Tea Forté Petite Presentation Box Tea-Tasting Assortment
A sampler set like this one from Tea Forté is a great gift if you know your teacher prefers tea over coffee. In fact, certain teas can help boost their mental and physical health, experts previously told us in our guide to healthy teas. This assorted collection includes 10 popular blends like Earl Grey, chamomile citron and ginger lemongrass, with aromatic fruits, spices and herbs.
Keurig K-Mini
If they are a coffee drinker, the Keurig K-Mini can brew anywhere between 6 and 12 ounces of their favorite cup. NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin says she bought the K-Mini because of its affordable price point and its compact size for a coffee maker. The brewer measures less than 5 inches wide, which is helpful if you have limited counter space — or for the teacher who wants to tuck it on a shelf or desk in their classroom. It comes with a removable drip tray, so you can fit travel mugs up to 7 inches tall, according to the brand. The coffee maker also automatically turns off 90 seconds after your last brew, according to Keurig.
Levoit LV-H132 Air Purifier
One of our favorite air purifiers, the Levoit LV-H132 is compact enough to fit comfortably on a teacher’s desk and filters out dust and allergens in the classroom using a three-stage filtration system, according to the brand. The device circulates air in the room more than four times an hour and automatically reminds you when it’s time to replace the filter.
Merokeety Fuzzy Oversized Cardigan
This oversized cardigan — which has a 4.4-star average rating from over 5,000 reviews on Amazon — is light enough for year-round wear and has pockets to hold teacher essentials like tissues, hand sanitizer and pencils. The cardigan comes in over 20 colors and is available in sizes ranging from small to XXL.
Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card
A Teachers Pay Teachers gift card allows your favorite educator to redeem valuable classroom resources created by other teachers, which can serve as a huge time saver. The online platform is packed with more than 5 million pieces of educator-created content, 85% of which is curated by elementary school, middle school and high school teachers, according to the brand. It’s also a great resource for tutors, early learning specialists, speech language pathologists and school administrators.
Capri Blue Volcano Candle
This 19-ounce candle smells like a mix of tropical fruit and sugared citrus. Made of a soy-wax blend, the candle burns for up to 85 hours, according to the brand. I previously taught middle school students and used this candle to relax and unwind after long days at school — in fact, it's the candle I've repurchased the most out of all the ones I've tried.
Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer
This mug warmer will keep your teacher’s drink warm for hours. It has an on/off switch with an indicator light to let them know when it’s ready to use, and it comes with an extended cord for portability around the classroom. Former NBC Select writer Gabriella DePinho says the mug warmer is one of her favorite gifts to give since it’s an affordable present for avid coffee lovers.
Kindle Paperwhite
If they're an avid reader, the Kindle Paperwhite has a large 6.8-inch screen, dark mode and up to 10 weeks of battery life, according to the brand. Your teacher can connect the e-reader to their Amazon account to automatically fill their digital libraries with books they purchase, and they can even transfer e-books from local libraries to their device. It also has an adjustable warm light to shift the screen's shade from white to amber to be easier on their eyes.
Jerry & Maggie Desktop Organizer Free Rotation Display Shelf
Teachers’ desks are often overrun with papers, stationery and school supplies. Organizational tools like these storage shelves can help reduce the clutter. They can stack, adjust and rotate them to fit their workspace. Made from natural wood, the two included shelves have five separate units and flat surfaces to store books, mail, pencil holders, Post-it Notes and more. These storage racks have a 4.4-star average from more than 11,300 reviews on Amazon.
Mount Lai The Amethyst Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool
They can pair this gua sha tool with a serum in their daily skin care routine to help relieve muscle tension and reduce facial puffiness, according to the brand. Made of crystal amethyst, the tool from Mount Lai, which is one of our favorite AAPI-owned businesses, has different-sized edges for gliding across larger and smaller areas of the face, and it can be kept in the fridge to cool and depuff their skin in the morning before school.
Bulletkeeper The Perfect Planner by BK
This highly rated planner comes in seven colors and helps teachers effectively manage their busy schedules. It comes undated, which means teachers can tailor the 12 monthly spreads to their school’s academic year. There are five weekly pages between each monthly calendar, and the end of the notebook has 68 blank pages for jotting down notes, reminders and more.
L.L.Bean Wicked Good Moccasins
One of our favorite slippers, these from L.L.Bean can offer relief to teachers who spend the majority of their day on their feet. Available in both women’s and men’s sizes and in multiple colors, the Wicked Good Moccasins are soft and durable and include a warm shearling lining that draws moisture away from the feet, according to the brand.
Loop Quiet
After being with kids all day, teachers need a good night’s rest. These silicone, washable Loop Quiet earplugs earned an NBC Select Wellness Award thanks to their ability to improve sleep. They come with different sized ear tips and block noise so well, NBC Select managing editor Leah Ginsberg says she thought she was sleeping in a different apartment when she wore them.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
For under $30 dollars, you can give the gift of a pampering product like this expert-recommended lip mask. It has antioxidants and hyaluronic acid to hydrate their lips, and it comes in a variety of scents like vanilla and berry. Each tub is also packaged with a tiny applicator so their fingers never have to touch their lips.
Dagne Dover Dakota Neoprene Backpack
This Dagne Dover backpack can help your favorite teacher carry their papers, books and other supplies. Since it’s on the pricier side, it can also make a great group-gift option. The neoprene backpack is water-resistant, shock-absorbent and can double as a useful travel backpack. It’s available in three sizes (small, medium and large) and comes in several colors, including onyx, heather grey and dark moss. It has a 4.8-star average rating from over 3,100 reviews on the brand’s website.
Thirteen Chefs Villa Acacia Marble Cutting Board
Help the teacher in your life create their own charcuterie spread with this marble cutting board. This option, which made our list of best charcuterie boards, doesn’t absorb odors or colors, so they can serve colorful fruits or veggies (like beets) without worrying about stains, says Malin. Bakers will also love it because the marble stays cool to the touch when you’re kneading or shaping dough, and the board has non-slip rubber feet, which means it won’t move around while you work.
iWalk Mini Portable Charger
This portable charger is a favorite tech travel gadget among NBC Select staffers. It is roughly the size of a tube of lipstick, making it compact enough to fit in a purse, pocket or desk drawer. It has a built-in lightning connector for iPhones, eliminating the need for a charging cable, and it can charge most iPhone models one full time, according to the brand. However, it can’t be used with Android phones — so you’ll need to know what type of phone your teacher has before gifting it.
Wahl Deep Tissue Therapeutic Massager
After spending hours on their feet, your teacher may enjoy an easy at-home massage to ease some muscle tension. This massager from Wahl, an expert-recommended, budget-friendly massage gun, comes with four attachment heads and a 9-foot power cable to help them move around freely. It has two speeds and two vibration settings, which experts told us can be powerful enough for smaller regions of the body like the calves and forearms.
Anker Soundcore 2
This is one of our NBC Select staffers’ favorite bluetooth speakers for its portability and sound quality. It lets your favorite teacher play music between classes or for their students. I’ve brought it to outdoor picnics and parties, and the music is always audible and crisp even when there’s a number of other competing noises. It’s built to boost low-end frequencies (bass) and deliver little to no distortion at all volumes, according to the brand. It’s water-resistant and has physical touch controls up top to help them seamlessly play or pause their music.
Bentgo All-In-One Stackable Bento Lunch Box
Make packing lunch a little chicer with Bentgo’s bento box, which is composed of a top container with a lid and a bottom container. The two containers are separated by a divider that stores an included set of utensils. The top container is split into two compartments that each hold 3/4 cup of food, and the bottom container holds 2 cups of food. Both containers are dishwasher- and microwave-safe, according to the brand, and for compact storage, they nest inside each other. The bento box comes with a sealing strap to hold the containers together, or they can use the containers individually. It comes in a variety of colors like khaki green, slate and purple, and has a 4.4-star average rating from more than 47,000 reviews on Amazon.
Hugimals Charlie the Puppy Weighted Stuffed Animal
Like a weighted blanket, the benefits of a weighted stuffed animal center around deep pressure stimulation, which uses gentle pressure to induce feeling safe, cozy and calm. Hugimals’ puppy is weighted with a removable pouch of nontoxic glass beads, so the plush cover is machine-washable. Beyond Charlie the Puppy, Hugimals sells three other weighted stuffed animals: Emory the Elephant, Frankie the Cat and Sam the Sloth.
Cricut Joy
If crafting is your teacher’s go-to hobby, a Cricut Joy can help them have fun with some new projects both in and out of the classroom. This smart cutting and writing machine, which has a 4.7-star average rating from over 600 reviews at Michaels, can customize everyday products like water bottles and personalized cards. The device can draw a variety of shapes, write in multiple fonts and cut over 50 materials, including vinyl and cardstock. They can control the Cricut Joy from their smartphone using the Design Space app. If your teacher already has a Cricut Joy, you can give them additional device accessories instead.
Why trust NBC Select?
Mili Godio is an updates editor at NBC Select. She's written gift guides for years, including the best gifts for music lovers, the best gifts for sisters and more. To round up the best gifts for teachers, Godio chose items she thinks recipients will appreciate, including products NBC Select staff members have tried and highly rated options. She also highlighted products she loved during her time as a teacher.
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