Teachers are our heroes! They deserve to be celebrated — pampered even — for their hard work in the classroom. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your childhood mentor, your child’s favourite teacher, or your life-changing college professor, you’ve come to the right place. Amazon Canada has just what you need for the back-to-school season.
If you really want a gift that stands out from the rest, you’ll want to make sure to get something they can use daily or something that makes them laugh. We’ve put together a list of our favourite memorable (and affordable) finds from Amazon to help you get ahead of the game early. From sweet, personalized journals and funny mugs, to practical classroom buys and much-needed school supplies, these are the items teachers will love the most.
Every Teacher Needs a Mug Warmer
Do you ever get so busy at the office that you forget you made yourself a cup of coffee? On days like this, it’s good to have a desk gadget to help out. This temperature-adjustable mug warmer works with ceramic or glass containers, is manufactured by a small business, and will only cost you 17 CAD!
Help Restock Her Dry Erase Marker Collection
Anyone who’s been through the public school system knows these markers are notorious for disappearing or drying up at the least convenient time. This 16-pack ensures your science teacher has enough to get them through at least one semester without having to make a second trip to the store two months into the school year.
This Automatic Hand Sanitizer Dispenser is Perfect for the Classroom
Hands-free sanitizer dispensers are a must-have for the flu season (or arts and crafts day). This particular model is rechargeable, so you can place it wherever you need it and you won’t need to buy extra batteries to use it. It’s also waterproof, so it’s safe for sink-side use.
English Teachers Will Love This Makeup Bag
This one is a sure win with your pun-loving teachers and professors. We’re not saying you’ll get a guaranteed A for the course, but you’ll definitely leave an impression. Bonus points if you also gift them a fresh cinnamon bun from your local bakery!
A Personalized Gift Journal Will Make Them Smile
If you’re looking for a super sweet, heartfelt gift for your kindergartener or preschooler to give to their teacher this year, this is the one to buy. This little booklet is full of easy, adorable fill-in-the-blank style compliments like “You are the best _” or “The best thing about our classroom is_”. It’s guaranteed to make any teacher’s day!
A Foot Massager for After Work
For the spouses, bosses, and close friends of teachers, we have some next-level gift ideas in mind. We know this foot kneader is a bit on the pricey end, but it’s something that she will use every single day, guaranteed. After 8 hours on her feet (probably wearing flats), teach needs some self-care time!
She’ll Wear This Fuzzy Cardigan All Winter Long
Cardigans and teachers go together like peanut butter and jelly. If you want to bring home a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, grab this fuzzy fleece jacket! It offers that cardigan look, but with added warmth and coziness. It also makes a great layering item, so she can wear it underneath her coat.
These Self-Watering Planters Will Make Her Life SO Much Easier
The best way to give back to the person who taught you everything you know is to help make their life a little less hectic. Like moms, teachers often have to manage everyone else’s needs before they get to their own, including the needs of classroom pets and plants. Grab her these self-watering planters so she can sleep in for a few extra minutes every day!
Check out This Cute Insulated Travel Tumbler!
Custom tumblers are a solid go-to gift when it comes to teachers. They’re in need of lots of water and coffee during the day, so you can bet they’ll get good use out of this top-rated beverage container. Buy it in cute pink or trendy mint!
Say Goodbye to Stains with the Tide To Go Pen
Primary school teachers get to enjoy more arts and crafts days than the upper grades, but that also means more run-ins with things that stain. This stain remover stick is the perfect small gesture of appreciation she needs on her first day back to work! Buyer Scott swears by this product. “I can use the Tide pen and a little water and the stain always comes out,” he wrote in his review.
Help Him Stay Cool with This Desk Fan
Anyone who works with children or the public knows how difficult it can be to maintain a perfect appearance all day, broken air conditioners notwithstanding. When the heat waves hit, she’ll thank you for buying her this mini fan for the classroom or her sun-side office. It’s USB powered, so she can easily plug it into her laptop for power.
A Sage and Lavender Candle for Soothing Frayed Nerves
There’s a reason all of those bath gift sets are always lavender scented — lavender is just good at relaxing the body. Pair it with sage, and you’ve got one heck of a powerful aromatherapy candle, which is exactly what your teacher needs at the end of finals season. After grading all of those papers, it’s time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.
Dissolvable Hand Soap is a Great Find for Field Trips!
How cool are these little travel soap dispensers? Each tube contains a roll of soap sheets, so you can easily wash your hands anywhere there’s running water. There are five soap dispensers in total, so your teacher should have plenty to hand out to field trip chaperones too.
These Waterproof Airtag Holders Make a Practical Gift
If your professor loves all things Apple, it’s a good bet they also have a few Airtags lying around too. These 14 CAD waterproof Airtag holders are the perfect way to thank them for being awesome all school year long without breaking the bank. Now they also have a way to protect their Airtags on summer vacation too!
A Screen Cleaner Kit is a No-Brainer
This screen cleaner set is honestly so practical, you may need to buy one for yourself too. It comes with a mister, a tiny keyboard brush, a super soft cleaning cloth, and one free bottle of liquid cleaner. It’s something your instructor can easily toss in a desk drawer and forget about until the classroom iPads need cleaning again.
She’ll Love the Grown-up Play-Doh
This one will hit your millennial teacher right in the nostalgia, but it’s absolutely worth the look on their face. With fun scents like “spa day,” “overpriced latte,” and “lord of the lawn” on top of the much-loved classic Play-Doh smell, they can start the year off with a grin!
You Can Never Have Too Many Lint Rollers
Pet hair has a way of migrating from your home to your car, into your office, and around to share with everyone else. Not a great time for your co-worker with cat allergies. Help your teach keep an allergy-free classroom with one of these 60-sheet lint rollers!
A Waterproof Laptop Bag is a Back to School Necessity
Secondary school teachers and professors are the best recipients of this laptop protector. It’s designed with Macbook Air laptops in mind but can fit pretty much anything up to 14 inches long. When the rainy season hits, they’ll be glad someone thought to get them this!
A Funny Wine Tumbler for After Hours
When Teach is off duty, make sure to leave her be. She’s had a long day of dealing with teenagers, and she doesn’t have any more energy left for anyone else. Better yet, bring her a bottle of rosé and this wine tumbler to take the edge off. It’s double insulated, made with food grade stainless steel, and can keep her “juice” cold for up to nine hours!
The Big Boss Gets Her Own Special Rotating Desk Organizer
It’s under-desk cubbies and binders for the kids, but the boss lady should really have something more sophisticated to keep her desk clutter-free. This classy little rotating pen organizer is so chic! It will instantly elevate her classroom decor and leave her with more space to grade papers — all for less than 22 CAD!
Keep the Germs at Bay with a Self-Cleaning Water Bottle
Cleaning with UV light became super popular during the pandemic, and why shouldn’t we keep the trend going? We love the idea of this water bottle being self-cleaning — no more dishwasher soap residue, scum, or germ-filled water to deal with! Sounds like every educator across the country should have one, just to be safe.
You Can’t Go Wrong with an Essential Oil Diffuser
This is a safe gift option for everyone, educators included. Who doesn’t love an aromatherapy device that works as an air purifier, a humidifier, and a night light? Buyers rated it five stars for being easy to clean, stylish, and generally easy to use. Bonus: this one is rated to run extra quietly, so she doesn’t have to deal with an annoying buzzing in her ear while she’s trying to relax.
A Snarky Cat Mug for Your Lit Teacher
If you secretly want to tell your professor they’re a huge language nerd, there’s no better way to do it than by gifting them this cat mug. The way we see it, it’s a win-win! You get to get your jab in there, and they get to keep a mug that makes them smile.
Every Primary School Teacher Needs a Bottle of Goo Gone
Goo Gone has to be the most practical gift on this list. It’s essentially a miracle cleaning product. From chewing gum to old, dry stickers, this stuff can loosen pretty much anything. Buyers say it’s even safe to use on stained wood: “Both Goo Gone and its lifter tool did not give any harm or damage to the wood. They both even did not change the colour of the wood. I am very impressed.”
Make Fun Memories in Class with the Portable Photo Printer
td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}This is a great find for a really tight-knit school community or classroom. Both teachers and their students will love using this portable printer after show-and-tell. Enjoy all the fun of classic Fujifilm camera print-outs with anyone’s phone! Just connect up to it with Bluetooth, edit, and print — it’s as easy as that!
Show Your Appreciation by Gifting a Few Beaded Bracelets
These beaded bracelets make a nice gift for teachers who became your child’s mentor, or awesome teachers that are about to retire. Each bracelet comes with a sweet, heartfelt message and a beautiful arrangement of natural stones. Grab this pack for 45% off!
This Journal is Perfect for Your Childhood Mentor
Teachers around the world had a tough time during the pandemic. Anyone who pushed through to make sure kids were getting the knowledge they needed during lockdowns deserves a little extra recognition. Though this journal is definitely intended to be a retirement gift, we think it makes a worthy gift for any teacher in 2023.
Timers are the Best Time Management Tool
If nothing on this list really speaks to you, we recommend grabbing this little digital timer. A donation of supplies is exactly what your teacher probably needs most during the back-to-school season. It’s magnetic, perfect for use on the whiteboard. Buyers also say the clock is easy to read, thanks to the large font.
A Dry-Erase Calendar is a Classroom Must-Have
Level up your classroom with this colourful magnetic calendar! No more drawing a monthly calendar on the big whiteboard, only to have the ink stain and make that corner unusable for the rest of the year. This calendar comes with ink-stain resistance of its own, ensuring you can leave writing on it for months at a time without ruining it.
Car Cup Coasters for the Queen of the Classroom
Make Mrs. Stevenson’s daily commute a little brighter with some car coasters! The main appeal of these (aside from the cute colour options) is how grippy they are; they help stabilize tall tumblers and soak up anything that spills so it doesn’t spread. These coaster inserts are heat-safe, waterproof, quick-drying, and made to fit standard-size cup holders.
This Insulated Lunch Box Will Keep Her Food Cool
Wow, we can’t believe this lunch box has over 40,000 glowing reviews! It comes with four layers of breathable insulation, perfect for keeping perishables cool until the lunch hour, and a waterproof, food-safe interior. Grab it in black, grey, leopard print, or paisley!
A Cute Tote for Carrying School Supplies
This is another super popular teacher gift we found on Amazon! And who doesn’t love a fun tote? Kasie’s review sums up what buyers loved about it: “Purchased this as a gift for teacher. Had another gift to put inside of it and used the tote as a “gift bag”. It wasn’t too big or too small. It looks just as pictured. I loved the quote and the font. I would definitely purchase this again in the future!”
Don’t Forget the TA! Grab Her This Sunflower Fidget Ring
This has to be the most stunning fidget toy we’ve ever seen! And we know just who needs it: your teacher’s assistant or substitute teacher. It’s also a great find for professors who need something to do with their hands while they lecture — those three-hour lectures aren’t for the faint of heart!