19 Unique Male Teacher Gift Ideas: A Gift For Every Occasion

Whether it is the beginning of a new school year, teacher appreciation week, the holidays, or the end of the year, I try to find thoughtful gifts for the teachers in our lives. I tend to have an easier time finding the perfect gift for female teachers, but teaching isn’t a female only occupation.

If you are looking for male teacher gift ideas for your child’s educator, I’ll share with you my top picks to share your appreciation in a meaningful way.

This post may contain affiliate links.

This post has been updated in 2023.

19 Unique Male Teacher Gift Ideas: A Gift For Every Occasion

Buying gifts for your loved ones can be difficult, but buying gifts for your kid’s teacher is even harder. If you have male teachers in your children’s lives, then the gift buying becomes even more challenging.  

I always want to show my appreciation for all of the hard work that our teachers do everyday.  Whether it is teacher appreciation week, the holiday season, or the end of the school year, a nice gift can really brighten their day.  At the same time, I want to make sure it is a useful gift or the kind of gift that actual teachers would want. 

If you are like me and struggle to find presents for the men in your life, then chances are you’ll be looking for a great gift option.  I talked to some of my teacher friends and they gave me the inside scoop on some great gifts for teachers. 

What Do Male Teachers Want?

What exactly makes for a great gift idea for your favorite teacher? After speaking to some of my friends in education, I can tell you what they have said NOT to get any teacher.  Keep in mind, teachers never expect to receive any gift. However, if you plan on picking out a unique gift, steer clear from these ideas.

Gifts to Avoid Giving Teachers

• Anything School Themed
• Coffee Mug
• Ornaments
• Knick Knacks or Other Small Trinkets
• Craft Projects (Think Pinterest Inspired)

Let’s break this list down.  Teachers have anywhere from 10-30 kids in their class in a given year.  This includes daycare teachers all the way to high school teachers. They simply tend to get a lot of the same exact gifts that while are thoughtful, and may have a personal touch, aren’t necessarily practical. There are only so many apple and ruler themed coffee mugs that one can possibly possess. 

While teachers love coffee, not all do, and for those that do, a coffee mug with their name on it isn’t going to be their go-to mug when they have ten just like it. Similarly, a teacher name plate sounds like a unique gift, but this is another commonly gifted item. 

Ornaments, knick-knacks, and Pinterest inspired projects are super common during the holiday season or last day of school.  Again, there are only so many ornaments a teacher can receive before they simply run out of tree space.  

Classrooms are small and don’t really lend itself to a great place for storage.  All those knick-knacks and art projects aren’t going to store well and by the following year a new class will come and the list of names will be new. Sad to say, but chances are your hard work will eventually end up in the trash or a box.

Whether you have a male or female educator, the whole goal of gifting is to show how grateful you are to them for their role in your child’s life.  At the end of the day, you want to give something that will be used and also appreciated. 

Gift Guide Central

Before I go over awesome gift ideas for your favorite male teacher, I want to let you know that I have gift guides for all of the special people in your life.  You can check it out at my gift guide hub if you are needing inspiration for anyone else on your list. You’ll even find a teacher inspired gift guide there too! 

 I try to keep a mix of practical and fun gifts for your family members, friends, and others in your life.  At the same time, you can also find some unique ideas to make your home holiday ready on my Instagram (@arinsolange) and Tik Tok (@arinsolange).

 The Top 19 Best Male Teacher Gifts

I’ve broken down the best male teacher gift ideas to 19 top gifts.  Keep in mind that while these are geared towards male teachers, these can work for anyone. 

The relationship you and your child have with your teacher may help you narrow down your favorite gift.  If you have a close relationship with a favorite educator, you may know their hobbies outside of the classroom. You should also consider the subject matter or grade level being taught. Remember to consider why you are giving in the first place while you make your decision.

I’ve also tried to do a good mix of price points throughout this list.  If you’d like to give something in particular for teacher appreciation day or the holidays that may be out of your price range,  a good idea would be to poll the whole class to see if you could come up with a class gift.  This is a great way to meet other families and take the stress out of giving. The best part is your teacher wouldn’t have duplicates for the year!

Gift Card Ideas

Gift cards are always a great option.  You can give as little or as much as you want.  While you may think that gift cards are the best teacher gifts, you do need to be mindful of where you choose to get the gift card from.  For example, if you get a gift card to a specialized store, you’ll want to make sure the person receiving that card actually likes that store.

 Additionally, if you give a lower amount of money on a gift card to a higher-end store, you may be wasting your money.  Once, I received a gift card from a jewelry store for $50.  It sounds like a great gift, but the store didn’t sell anything under $500.  In the end I didn’t use the card.

To personalize the gift card, you can always make a “Pinterest” inspired printable gift card holder or gift tag.  There are a lot of Cricut projects that can be found online to help you make a personalized gift card holder for each different type of teacher in your child’s life.

Practical Gift Ideas

Lots of people prefer to give something other than gift cards. If that is the case, you may opt to give a practical gift, one that can be used in the classroom or their everyday life. I like to check in to see if there is a classroom wish list.  Generally, you can pick something from this wish list, and you’ll be guaranteed to have a useful gift. 

Fun-Filled Presents

Some of the best male teacher gift ideas don’t have anything to do with your teacher’s subject matter, lesson plans, or the classroom.  Some of the best gift giving comes from a place of fun.

This category is one that you should really know and have a good relationship with your child’s teacher.  If you have a friendship outside of the classroom, or perhaps this is the last year your family will have this educator, then you may know much more about their likes and dislikes. 

In this case, you can get creative with these great ideas that will make them smile. 

Thoughtful Gifts

In the end, I think all teachers appreciate a thoughtful gift.  It doesn’t have to be anything you spend any money on. It can be as simple as a handwritten note, explaining why you are thankful for having them as an educator. 

Shop The 19 Best Male Teacher Gift Ideas

This post has been updated in 2023 for the latest links and products. Only current products will be linked. Please refer to the 2023 Gift Guide below.

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Pin This Photo Below For Later

While shopping for guys can be challenging, shopping for your male teacher can be overwhelming.  I hope this list of the 19 best male teacher gift ideas was helpful.

Whether you decide to buy something in a store or write your own handwritten note, your teacher will be so grateful to receive something special. Be sure to pin the photo below for later, and if you don’t already – follow me on Instagram (@arinsolange) and Tik Tok (@arinsolange) for more helpful hints. If you have any questions leave them in the comments below, and I will get back to you!