Christmas Gifts for Students that Build Literacy Skills and Don’t Break the Bank

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Every year that I was in the classroom, I always gave my students a gift to take home for the holidays.  As teachers, we spend a lot of our own money on our classrooms, so when it came to Christmas gifts for students it was important to find something that didn’t break the bank and would build literacy skills.

I’ve rounded up some ideas that I’ve tried and/or found that I think you’ll find helpful too.

Christmas Gifts for Students

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Books

My favorite gift to give is a book to each student.  Thanks to book order flyers such as Scholastic Book Clubs, you can get a large number of books for a reasonable amount too.  Wrap each one in recycled newspaper to save on funds or in old artwork from the students.

Things You Can Pair With a Book

• You can even use your bonus points collected from class book orders to purchase books or other small items to add to your gifts such as pencils or erasers.
• You could also print and laminate a bookmark.  Here are some bookmark ideas from Natural Beach Learning.
• A package of hot chocolate and a candy cane are perfect for kids to prepare while they read.
• Put a SASE postcard inside the book so that students can write to you about the book they read while they are on holiday break.

Writing Kit

Create a fun writing kit for students from items at a dollar store.  Look for multiple packs of notepads and writing utensils such as pencils or pens.  I also have had luck finding packages of blank books in the Target dollar area or buy in bulk from Bare Books. Add in some stickers and erasers and you have a ready to go writing kit. Use resealable storage bags to hold your writing kits.

Fine Motor Fun

Build fine motor skills and hand strength with playdough. Make a big batch of playdough and divide it into small batches for students.  Place in resealable bags.  You could also add a few of fun accessories such as cut-up straws, buttons, letter beads, etc. to the bags for students to use.

If you need a playdough recipe, try this one from Homegrown Friends.—>Playdough recipe

Gingerbread Man Book and Cookie

Print a copy of the Gingerbread Man Emergent Reader from Growing Book by Book.  Assemble it and place it in a resealable bag with crayons and a gingerbread cookie.

I hope these ideas inspire you to provide a little Christmas gift for your students this year.

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