Gifts for Sunday School Teachers and Volunteers at the End of the Year
A teacher stacks the last of the small chairs against the wall of a classroom in the church basement, glue stick in her pocket and a drawing of a donkey stuck to her sleeve. Nobody is watching. Nobody ever does.
Short answer: a good gift for a Sunday school teacher is small, personal and says out loud that someone noticed, such as a print with their name and a verse, a mug, or a card the class signed.
Sunday school teachers do some of the quietest work in a church. They show up early, buy the crayons, learn a hundred names and, if they're good, answer one hard question a year from a seven-year-old. Most of it goes unthanked, because the children can't say it and the parents are in the next room with their coffee.
The end of the school year, when the classes close for the summer, is a natural time to say it. The gift doesn't have to be big. It has to be specific.
The eight ideas below are in two groups. Three are ours, and I've said what each is and isn't. Five cost little. Our prices were checked on 24 Oct, in Canadian dollars.
Three from our shop
Your Labour Is Not in Vain Print, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). 1 Corinthians 15:58 on a typographic print, with the name and your church beneath. It's designed with a pastor's study or a church office in mind, and it works just as well for a teacher who gives up a Sunday morning every week. You choose from three sizes, the frame isn't included, and we print it to order with our production partner and ship it to you or straight to the teacher. You see exactly how it will print before you pay. Best for: a teacher or volunteer who has served for years. Not for: a short-term helper who just started.
Names of Christ Mug, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). The names given to the promised child in Isaiah 9:6 stacked around a mug in graded type, with the option of adding a name at the base, so you can put the teacher's name on it. Best for: a teacher who drinks coffee or tea and likes plain type. Not for: anyone who expects a mug with a cartoon lamb on it.
Pastor Appreciation Mug, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). A mug with a name, the church and Paul's words in Philippians 1:3, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." It's meant for a pastor, but it fits a children's ministry director or a head of Christian education just as well. Best for: the person who leads the whole Sunday school team. Not for: a teacher who would rather be thanked without the title.
Five that cost little
A card the whole class signs. Ask each child to draw something or write one line. Teachers often keep these for years. Make sure every child gets a turn, including the shy ones.
A gift for the supply closet. Many teachers buy their own markers, stickers and paper. A small bag of good supplies, with a note that says "for your class," is practical and kind.
A coffee or bookstore card. It's not romantic, but it works. Write a line about one thing you saw them do.
A Sunday off. Offer to cover one week in the fall so the teacher can sit in the service. Some teachers haven't heard a whole sermon in a year.
A thank-you in front of the church. Name the teachers, say what they did this year and ask the congregation to clap. Keep it short, and ask first, because some people dislike being named.
For churches thanking a whole team
A church with ten or twenty teachers and helpers can give everyone the same small gift, so no one is missed. We take church orders from 10 to 200 pieces through the quote form on our church page. Tell us which print or mug you want and how many people you're thanking, and we'll tell you what's possible and what a proof looks like before anyone pays.
What the Scripture says
Paul closed his long chapter on the resurrection with an instruction that fits the people who tape paper to church walls.
Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV)
A teacher may never see what a child remembers from their classroom. The gift can say that someone else believes it matters.
How we chose
Three of these are ours, and I've said that two of them were designed with pastors and households in mind rather than teachers. The other five are ideas, not products, because the best thing for a tired volunteer is sometimes a Sunday off. We haven't named other shops, and we haven't ranked anything.
Questions people ask
- What is a good gift for a Sunday school teacher? Something small and personal: a print with their name and a verse, a mug, a signed class card, or supplies for the classroom.
- When should we give it? At the end of the school year, or at a Christmas gathering. Pick one moment and make it clear who it's from.
- Should the gift come from the children, the parents or the church? Any of them. A class card from the children plus a small gift from the church covers all three.
- Can the teacher's name be added? Yes, on the print and on the mugs. Check the preview before you pay.
- How much should I spend? Our pieces start at $25, and a signed card costs nothing. Spend what feels right, and write a line about what you saw.
Browse our pastor and church team gifts.