End-of-school-year gifts can be small. Unlike the goodbye after the fourth or tenth year, most people will see each other again after the holidays; it's about saying thank you for a year that is over. Whether the teacher gives her pupils something to take home, the class thanks its teacher or the parents' council thanks the whole staff, here are ideas for every direction that work again every year.
End-of-school-year gifts for pupils
If you are a teacher and want to give your class an end-of-term gift, three rules help: the same for everyone, small, and with a personal word. These ideas suit every year group:
An envelope for the first day back
Every child gets a sealed envelope that is only opened on the first day after the holidays. Inside are two sentences: what you noticed in them this year and what you wish them for the next one.
A bingo card for the summer holidays
A sheet with squares like “finished a book”, “swam in a lake”, “helped someone”. Anyone with a full row after the holidays tells the class about it in the first lesson.
Ice cream for everyone
On the last day of school after the reports are handed out, for the whole class. Ask about allergies and intolerances first.
Sunflower seeds to sow
A little packet for every child. After the holidays, everyone brings a photo of how far their plant has got.
Pavement chalk and bubbles
For primary school children, so the holidays start outdoors. Cheap, colourful and straight into use.
End-of-school-year gifts for the teacher
If the teacher is staying next year, a small thank-you from the class is enough. Families don't need to give individual gifts; one shared gift that all the children help with is nicer. There are rules on gifts for teachers, and they differ from one German state to the next. If in doubt, ask the head teacher; this is not legal advice. More on this, and bigger ideas, in our guide Teacher leaving gift.
A thank-you card from the whole class
Every child writes a sentence or draws a small picture in one big card. Costs almost nothing and hangs in the classroom afterwards.
A bouquet from many gardens
On the last morning, every child brings one flower from their garden or balcony, and together they make a bouquet. More personal than any shop-bought one.
The saying of the year
The phrase the teacher said most often this year, printed large on a poster with the class photo. Good for a laugh on the last day of school.
A thank-you for the whole staff
At the end of the school year, it isn't only class teachers who deserve a thank-you. Think of subject teachers, the school office, the caretaker, classroom assistants, the after-school team and the canteen staff. The parents' council can thank them all together, with a breakfast buffet in the staff room, cake on the last day or a basket of fruit and coffee. And anyone running a school can thank the staff with a barbecue together.
A last-day-of-school gift that lasts
A book about this school year
Not just for leavers: in a Flashbook, every child gets a double-page spread with two photos and their answers about the school year, for example “What was your best moment this year?” or “What are you looking forward to in your next class?”. Add a class photo, awards and pages for signatures. Every family can order a book, and the minimum order is 10 books. What a book about the school year can look like is shown in our school yearbook.
One book costs €24.90 including design, printing and shipping, €22.90 with 3 or more classes from your school in one order and €19.90 with 5 or more. Each family pays via a payment link, or one person pays for everyone by invoice within 14 days. You'll find all our books for classes and nurseries under school leavers' books and yearbooks.
Plan before report day
The last day of school is short: reports, tidying up, off into the holidays. So hand over gifts in the first lesson or the day before. The summer holidays do not start in the same week in all German states, and in Austria not everywhere at the same time either; check the holiday calendar and plan backwards. Anything ordered or printed needs time; with a Flashbook, 5 to 7 working days after the last answers and payments.