Scrapbooks provide the teacher with a handmade book of memories produced by the child. Ask your child to think of a theme for his scrapbook gift. Suggest topics such as a specific school event, a holiday, or even a general class scrapbook. Include photographs from the event and embellish the pages with stickers and cutouts. Encourage the child to write captions for the pictures. This might include who the people are, or the child's favorite memory associated with the picture. This creative gift provides the teacher with a unique present because she can view the event through the child's eyes.
Take a picture of your child with his teacher. Try to take multiple photographs so that your child has a number of pictures to select for the frame. If you prefer, take a picture of the entire class, and use this photograph. Purchase an inexpensive plastic frame at your local craft store and allow the child to decorate it to his liking. Ideas might include painting, stickers or pre-made embellishments sold at the craft store. If the chosen photo for the frame is a specific holiday, the child may want to choose colors and stickers that relate to this theme. Use any materials to decorate the picture frame that you have around the house if you prefer not to purchase additional supplies. Have the child write a personalized message to his teacher on the back of the frame and include the date you give the teacher the gift.
If you think of a typical teacher gift, apples may come to mind. However, there are ways to turn this theme into a more creative gift. Construct a container full of apple-themed products. Your child can participate as much as she is able. Encourage her to create handmade products for the apple basket. Use any type of container for the base. This might include a basket or a pail. Reuse kitchen jars if you do not want to purchase a container. Fill the container with items such as baked apple goods or handmade apple-themed artwork made by your child. Personalize the container with the teacher's name, and encourage your child to contribute to the contents as much as possible. The more items you use that are created by the child, the more personal the gift will be.
Ask your child to write poems on school-related topics throughout the year. Let the child be creative, but encourage him to include thoughts and feelings about a special school event or his relationship with classmates. Collect these poems and make a book to give the teacher at the end of the year. You can help your child type out the poems on a computer, or ask the child to re-print them on regular paper. Include photographs or illustrations on each page as they relate to the child's poem. Encourage your child to write a special poem for his teacher to include at the end of the book. Decorate the cover of the poetry book using craft materials around the house. Bind the poems together using a three-ring binder or take the poems and cover page to a printer to create a spiral-bound poetry book.