Everyone loves summer, but new classes and opportunities as well as the chance to reconnect with people or meet new people excite kids and teachers alike! Start this school year off right with meaningful and practical back-to-school gift ideas. Now may be the perfect time to show appreciation or encouragement or to celebrate the upcoming year with friends and colleagues. It’s also a great time to make sure your 1st grader or your husband, the 1st grade teacher, is prepared for the coming year.
For kids, teens, and teachers, back-to-school gift ideas abound, and trying to find one that sets the right tone for their year can be a daunting task. The curated list below provides gift ideas that can be personalized and those that can help them with daily necessities and anticipated goals. The students and educators in your life will be truly touched by your thoughtful back-to-school gift selections!
Back-to-School Gift Ideas for Kids
Kids often appreciate gifts that add a little fun to their functionality. Explore these back-to-school gift ideas for kids!
For a refreshing fruit treat after the first day, your little star will enjoy the ripe pineapple, watermelon, and kiwi in this creative bouquet. In addition to the new people they met at school, they’ll love finding a new friend at home – Octavia the Octopus! Now that fall is here, they can also use the colourful reusable mug for the apple cider or hot chocolate that may accompany their afternoon snack!
Every school year is a special one, and it can be memorialized with this meaningful gift. Kids will love completing these boards prior to their first days and the last days of each year. You might even turn your photo collection of your kids and their boards into sentimental graduation gifts when the time comes.
A personalized lunch box can be a big help to anyone but especially to younger kids who may get easily excited and distracted. Since their name or initials can be put on the bag in their favourite colour, it will be easier for them to find their lunch and (hopefully) remember to bring their bag to and from school each day!
Another school year also marks the transition to fall. Give them a fresh look and keep them warm with this back-to-school gift idea!
It can be hard for toddlers to watch their older siblings head off to school with their exciting tools and accessories, like crayons, notebooks, pencils, and backpacks. With a gift like these crayon rocks, they can have their own fun and strengthen their grip in preparation for writing their own stories in a few years.
Help them stay hydrated throughout their classes, recess, lunch time, and bus rides with this stainless steel and vacuum insulated bottle. Take inspiration from their favourite characters like Baby Shark or Batman or just opt for a container in their favourite colour.
First days or any days can sometimes be a little stressful at school. This bubble fidget notebook provides a way to release some worry and nervousness, but it is also durable and filled with paper for kids to use in class.
Do your kids love science or enjoy the challenge of secret missions? This kit is fun and helps them learn about computer science/coding, ecosystems, how vision works, and more!
This practical and meaningful gift can be used by your kids throughout their pre-kindergarten and primary school years. Made of natural bamboo, both chair and desk can be adjusted as a child grows and provides places for books that they are reading, school supplies, lighting, and more.
Kids are often so proud of the new pens, pencils, and markers that they choose for a new school year. This customizable case will help them keep track of their belongings and show their pride in their choices. Choose the font and materials for this back-to-school gift idea or let your kids make their own selections!
For kids who are still enjoying the last weeks of summer or who learn best while being active, this back-to-school gift idea seamlessly blends outdoor or indoor fun with world exploration. With countries, capital cities, oceans, and continents, this globe helps kids study geography and entertains them at the same time!
This is a gift that you can give to kids on the first day of school and in many lunches throughout the year ahead. Motivational sayings and humorous encouragement can be hard to brainstorm in the early morning hours, but this set provides those messages and includes them on cards for you!
Turn their after school snack and homework time into an adventure with this assortment of 45 delicious snacks. For their first month of school and beyond, they’ll get to choose a different snack to try, as they celebrate their efforts at the end of each day!
For a customizable back-to-school gift idea that encourages them to be excited about their potential, this book is perfect for kids ages 3-8. With choices of cover type and character design and the option to include a special dedication to your child, this colourful book integrates your child’s name as part of every illustration.
School, like life, sometimes requires courage. With friendly reinforcements on their feet, empower them to take on any challenge like speaking in front of the class, taking that hard test, or saying hi to someone new!
Back-to-School Gift Ideas for Teens
When the teenage years arrive, life often becomes even busier than before. Even though their independence may be growing with each passing year, they will continue to appreciate any celebrations of their first day of school.
For secondary school students and those going to university, the return to school may be accompanied by summer assignments, team tryouts, and more. Whether you are celebrating the completion of their first week or of these challenging endeavors or both, your teens will appreciate this fun gift that recognizes their achievements and provides festive and mouth-watering cupcakes and cheesecakes to enjoy with family and friends.
This practical gift idea lets them work comfortably on their homework and then relax with their current TV show while connecting with friends. After all, teenagers love to multi-task, so let them do so from a comfortable seat with this helpful lap desk.
Does your teen always comment on how much they love the massage portion of a manicure? Does their sport require hand and arm strength or do they simply have a lot of writing or computer work ahead? Give the gift of relaxation with this soothing and heated massager. Resources for self-care make great back-to-school gift ideas!
This calendar can be personalized with your choice of cover and starting month. Busy teens will appreciate another way to stay organized when it comes to balancing friends, family, school, work, and any other activities in their lives.
An Apple AirTag or similar tracker is another practical gift idea to help teenagers keep track of backpacks, sports bags, and more, as they run from activity to activity. Attach one to the new driver’s keys to help make mornings just a bit less hectic!
A simple, yet practical gift, this sleep mask can help ensure that teens get the rest that they need to recuperate and be energized for their busy schedules. Add a blanket with their school logo or a sound machine as further rest supports!
Add a stress reliever to their study space with this beach-inspired zen garden. Especially in the colder months, they’ll be able to rake and breathe their worries away while dreaming of their perfect beach set-up.
Whether they just need to tune out the world or enjoy their favourite artists, these noise cancelling headphones are a multipurpose back-to-school gift idea. With up to 22 hours of battery life and rapid charging capabilities, not to mention the acoustics and noise cancelling capabilities, this gift is both a fun and practical gift for the new year.
Available in the colour of your choice, teens will love this compact meal carrier. Stylish and sleek, as well as microwave and dishwasher safe, this back-to-school gift idea can be customized to their design preferences and provides an easy way for them to keep nutritious meals and snacks on hand.
From the gym to school to work to hangouts with friends, each day often requires multiple outfits and accessories. This back-to-school gift idea is perfect for teens who are on-the-go. It is made of water-repellent fabric and includes a zippered exterior shoe pocket in addition to other interior and exterior pockets for other essentials.
Like sleep and stress relief, hydration is essential for keeping your teens healthy and ready for each day. Available in a variety of sizes and colours, the double-wall insulation on this reusable bottle will keep their water cold for up to 24 hours.
For their upcoming sleepover or weekend hangout, enhance their snack game with an interactive gift like this Chocolate Strawberry Dipping Kit. They’ll enjoy dipping their delicious fresh strawberries into their preferred amount of gourmet chocolate and then customizing their treats with toppings like mini sequin sprinkles and crushed almonds.
To outfit this year’s dorm room or refresh their bedroom at home, this ultra soft memory foam bean bag chair is sure to be a hit! With multiple colour options and a machine washable cover, this seating addition will be greatly appreciated by your favourite teenager!
With ten different lighting modes, this functional and vibrant gift can help teens stay organized and create the atmosphere that they desire. It also includes a built-in mobile phone stand and a small drawer for pens or other supplies.
For teens headed to campus or those looking to create their own entertainment spaces, this back-to-school gift idea lets them stream their favourite shows whenever and wherever they choose.
Back-to-School Gift Ideas for Teachers
Teachers try their best to help students with not only their content skill development but also their own personal growth. Thank them for their efforts and support them this year with a thoughtful back-to-school gift idea!
Did she write you a letter of recommendation for a special summer program or a position in a school club? Thank your teacher with a thoughtful gift of gourmet chocolate covered strawberries with sweet ribbons. In addition to the “Thank You” gift packaging, be sure to add a personalized card with your words of gratitude or best wishes for the new year.
Exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time, the first day of school is a day unlike any other throughout the school year. With this back-to-school gift idea, teachers can display the positivity and encouragement with which they will welcome and support their kids throughout the year.
There are back-to-school essentials and then there are back-to-school survival gift ideas, like a coffee gift subscription. Keep those bags of locally-roasted beans coming to help keep your favourite hard-working teacher energized in the days and weeks ahead!
This practical back-to-school gift idea can help them stay organized at home or at school. From planning long-term projects and units to keeping track of scheduling needs for the entire family, this white board calendar is a useful resource and tool.
Now, your teacher friends can find their mugs with ease amidst the sea of their colleagues’ coffee and tea containers. Seeing a pet’s portrait each day will make both your friend and their students happy!
This back-to-school gift idea can offer them relaxation and pain relief wherever they go. Buy one for your colleagues to share or for yourself, so you can enjoy even a few minutes of tension relief with this heated, portable massager.
To recognize a student’s effort, to show appreciation to a colleague, or to offer words of encouragement, teachers have many reasons to use a bright and practical gift like this mini card set. Don’t forget to add your own individual card with any back-to-school gift idea to offer well wishes for the new year!
This back-to-school gift idea is an all-in-one humidifier, purifier, light, and aromatherapy device. Teachers can unwind from the day with soothing colours and scents and enjoy some much needed time to themselves.
This handmade and customizable wood gift will be so special to the teacher in your life and helpful to many students both this year and in the years ahead.
Whether they always forget to charge their phones at home or can never find a charger when they need one, having a charger on hand at school can be a huge help to your recipient and probably many others in the building!
Teachers have a lot to keep track of, and this messenger bag ensures that all of their essential items stay organized, especially the ones that they carry back and forth to school each day. With multiple interior and exterior pockets, as well as space for a laptop, they can transport papers, electronics, and more with ease.
Available in 150 cities across Canada, they’ll love opening their email to find that cooking dinner has been removed from their daily to-do list.
For any teacher who has meant so much to you, they’ll love this meaningful expression of appreciation and useful way to keep all of their school keys together. Personalize this gift by adding your teacher’s name. Then, include your own message or simply say “Thank you for helping me grow.”
This sleek lamp with charging ports is the perfect addition to a home workspace, classroom, or office desk. With three different light levels, they can adjust the brightness as needed to support their at-home grading or create a calming atmosphere in any space.
Including a sweet little succulent, candle, and bath salts in addition to options like mouth-watering truffles and other thoughtful gifts, this care package offers a variety of treats for your favourite teacher. Whether you present them with a prepared gift collection like this one or customize one just for them, the teacher in your life will appreciate this kind gesture and your expression of gratitude.
The return to school is a momentous occasion for everyone. Celebrate it with one of these back-to-school gift ideas or any other thoughtful gift selection! For inexpensive back-to-school gift ideas, there are many fantastic options in the under $50 gift collection at Edible Arrangements®. Make the new school year even more joyous with a useful or meaningful back-to-school gift!
