Finding the perfect little gifts for teachers and my son’s friends at the start of the school year was always a struggle. Meaningful and useful is a tough balancing act. My solution? These free printable back to school gift card holders for teachers and students. Let’s start the back-to-school season on a positive note with thoughtful gestures!
A gift card is basically a universal ‘I appreciate you’ in any language but let’s face it: presentation-wise, it’s pretty bland!
Keeping in mind that presentation matters, I made two designs for these free printable back to school gift card holders: a cute pencil for the teachers who deserve a medal (or at least a latte), and a fun notebook for the students. Everyone deserves treats for bravely facing another school year!
👩🏫 Teacher Appreciation Pencil Gift Card Holder
I feel like teachers are often underappreciated. It’s the kind of job that’s tougher than it looks! They certainly deserve our appreciation, and this pencil-shaped gift card holder is the perfect way to deliver a little ‘thank you’ with a side of cuteness.
Your child can write their name in the “From” field so the teacher knows who it came from.
Pencils go hand in hand with teaching, and this design is a fun twist on that. I also added the ‘Thank you for sharpening our wit!’ message to keep it positive and punny!
🎁 Gift Card Ideas for Teachers
A gift card can be a great token of appreciation if it’s the right one for the recipient. It always helps if you know a little bit about the teacher – they’re wants, needs, and favorite things.
But we still have a ton of options so I’m sharing some gift card ideas for teachers to inspire you. Let’s face it, we want these gifts to be helpful, not just another thing to clutter up their desks!
⭐School Supply Stores – Teachers often dip into their own pockets for things like paper, markers, and those ever-elusive glue sticks so this idea is always a winner. Trust me, they’ll do a happy dance!
⭐Coffee Shops – Teaching is a marathon, not a sprint, and caffeine is a teacher’s best friend to fuel those early mornings. Just make sure they are a coffee drinker because not everyone is.
⭐Bookstores – Teachers are readers at heart! A gift card to a bookstore lets them add to their classroom library or treat themselves to a new novel.
⭐Restaurants – Nothing beats a nice meal after a long day of wrangling… I mean, educating, young minds. A gift card to a local restaurant is a great way to encourage some well-deserved relaxation.
⭐Self-Care Treats – Everyone deserves some pampering, and teachers are no exception! A gift card to a spa, a nail salon, or even a movie theater is a lovely, heartfelt idea.
💡Tip: If you’re giving a gift card to a teacher, consider pooling together with other parents to get a larger amount. Teachers often spend their own money on classroom supplies, so a little extra help can go a long way.
🙋🏻♂️ Back-to-School Notebook Gift Card Holder For Students
Teachers aren’t the only ones who deserve a little love at the start of the school year! This adorable notebook-shaped gift card holder is perfect for parents wanting to treat their kids or for friends wanting to give a fun gift to their classmates.
Of course, this one also has a “From” section where the kids can write their name and a punny message to go with the gift: “Here’s to a note-worthy school year!”.
🎁 Gift Card Ideas for Students
Gift card ideas are pretty easy for our own kids. We know them best, right?
If you’ll also be sharing some gift cards with their friends, be sure to ask your children for some information to help you pick meaningful ones. Here are some general gift card ideas for students you can consider:
⭐Movie Theaters – Who doesn’t love a trip to the movies?
⭐Music Stores/Streaming Services – This is great for any music lover. Most streaming services cover enough music genres and styles to let them jam out to their favorite tunes.
⭐Game Stores/Online Games: For the gamers, a gift card to their favorite game store or online gaming platform is a total win!
⭐Fast Food/Snack Places – Let’s be real, teenagers are always hungry!
⭐Clothing Stores – A gift card to their favorite clothing store is always appreciated. Nothing like a bit of retail therapy to start the new school year in style!
🖨️ Grab It Now
- Enter your name and email in the form below then hit the “Grab It Now” button.
- We’ll send you an email with the download link for the PDF in just a few moments. Open it, click the link, and save the PDF to your device.
- Use the free Adobe Reader (or the PDF reader of your choice) to open the file. Go to File->Print.
- If printing on regular U.S. Letter paper, there is no need to change any settings. For other paper sizes, you can change the paper to be printed on, or adjust the design using the Scale setting.
- Then, hit the “Print” button and enjoy!
🔍 How to Use These Printable Gift Card Holders
Some gift card holders require a bit of crafting. Well, not these!
You’ll have your pretty little holders ready in no time.
👉Use the trim marks as your guides when cutting. These gift card holders are rectangular shaped, so the easiest way to cut them is using a paper cutter and a ruler. However, a pair of scissors will do if that’s what you have on hand.
👉Now you simply need to glue the gift cards to the card shape on each holder. You can also use double-sided sticky tape.
👉And last but not least, don’t forget to write your child’s name in the “from:” area so the recipient knows who the gift is from.
That’s it! Your super cute and thoughtful gift is ready to go.
🎒 More Free Back To School Printables
If there’s ever a good time to pull out a serious printable arsenal, it’s definitely the back-to-school season. Being through this busy time of year repeatedly as my son was growing up, I am well equipped and sharing it with you!
📌To capture those precious first-day memories, be sure to check out my free printable first day of school interview, it’s such a sweet keepsake!
📌And for those adorable first-day photos, don’t forget my free printable first day of school signs for 2025-2026 (but remember, I post updated signs every year so you’ll always have the latest!).
📌You can also get your space looking festive in a flash with my free printable back-to-school banner. The whole alphabet, numbers, symbols, and dividers are in there, so you can create a custom banner for home or classroom decor.
📌To keep everyone on track, my free printable back to school checklist is a lifesaver, and for the ultimate school organization, you can’t go wrong with my printable school binder.
📌Last, but not least, turn those school lunches from a hassle to a breeze, with this free printable lunchbox planner and builder! With a little bit of planning and a dash of fun, we can make this school year the best one yet!
Do you have any go-to back-to-school gifts? Or maybe you have a funny first-day story to share? Let’s chat in the comments!
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
Leave a Reply