As quickly as it arrived, summer vacation is coming to an end and the new school year is right around the corner. First-day jitters are a real thing for many students no matter how old they are, therefore a gift on the first day of school will be a great encouragement for further studies.
If you’re at a loss as to what you should gift the student in your life, we’ve collected the best gifts perfect for pupils returning to the classroom — virtual or otherwise. And we can’t forget about the hardworking teachers that help our students grow, so we have created a section dedicated to the best gifts for teachers.
Gifts for middle schoolers and high schoolers
Cute stationery
A beautiful new notebook, pencil case or fancy pen can give motivation and prepare for that back-to-school feeling. One of the reasons kids love adorable stationery so much is that it is an easy, affordable way to express their style and personality. Through their choice of colours, fonts, patterns and images, kids can express their moods and emotions.
New stationery also gives a sense of new beginnings, hope and infinite potential, which leads to new students being motivated and eager to write notes creatively. These items and other adorable stationery search on Kawaii Pen Shop website.
Personalised lunch box
This personalised lunch box will make a charming gift for a diligent little student. A healthy lunch box will give them the energy to concentrate and study at school while helping them to develop healthy eating habits for the future. It is essential that children have enough nutritious food to eat in their free time while at school.
These boxes make your child’s mealtimes fun and enjoyable and will keep food fresh and tasty throughout the day. The personalised design will prevent the box from being confused with others and will also make the child more careful not to lose it. Both the blue dinosaur box and the dog design box can be found on Etsy.
Water bottle
Water consumption throughout the day is crucial, especially for kids. Our youngest kids spend the majority of the day indoors. Therefore, make sure kids always have a refilled water bottle handy.
If your child likes the bottle, he will look after it more and drink more often. Before buying a bottle, ask him if he likes it. These and other water bottle options can be found on Ūdenspudele.lv website. If you still can’t decide, be sure to take a look at their article where you will find a useful guide to help you choose the perfect one.
Earphones and Spotify Premium
Give your child lasting fun with new headphones and Spotify Premium. It’ll keep them entertained on the way to school or after-school clubs. It’s also a great break-time activity to relax and take your mind off the hard work of studying.
Studies have shown that music can help reduce stress during learning tasks and that it can help improve memory and information processing during tasks. Spotify Premium subscriptions can be purchased on the Spotify website.
Disposable camera
Maybe you want to encourage your pupils to capture the best memories of their school years without spending so much money. Disposable cameras, like this Fujifilm camera, are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. They are relatively inexpensive, so there is no need to worry if one is accidentally lost or broken.
Developing a film is more satisfying, it allows you to focus more on the moment rather than feeling stuck in one place, taking countless shots and trying to get the ‘perfect’ photo. A wide variety of disposable cameras is available on the Pro-Mix website.
Gifts for university students
Asobu cold brew coffee maker
There may not be enough space for a modern coffee machine in your student dorms or apartment, but this small machine won’t take up much space. Make and serve rich coffee with this ultra-modern carafe. It’s a great gift that will help you save money and keep your caffeine levels up.
The instructions are simple: pour the coffee into the stainless steel filter, add water and let it brew. When the desired strength is reached, press the button to empty the coffee into the insulated carafe. The iced coffee will stay chilled for up to 24 hours. This iced coffee maker is available from Crate and Barrel.
Travel mug
Choosing the best gift for a university student can be particularly difficult. They already have the gadgets they need, the things they want and not much space to put anything else. Some additional characteristics of the typical university student are: they are unlikely to buy themselves anything fancy because they don’t have much money and they appreciate items that can be easily and carefree carried in a bag without fear of breaking because they have extremely busy lives.
As a result, I can see only one gift for a university student that can solve all of the above: a top-quality travel mug that would also go well with the gift suggested above. A large variety of travel mugs is available on the Waterbottle website.
Headphones
Investing in a good pair of headphones is a must for every student, whether they are studying for their final exams of the session or just preparing for their next lecture. A very good pair of noise-cancelling headphones is a great way to concentrate on studying or writing a term paper, as they can block out background noise and separate students from the outside world.
While great headphones can be really expensive, you can also find ones that have amazing audio quality and will not completely empty your wallet. Look for great noise-cancelling headphones on Amazon.
Laundry poster
Doing laundry can sometimes be a challenge for university students, but it’s usually easier than they think. Anyone can do it successfully. Just remember to read the tags and take your time sorting. In case you’re worried that your student has no idea what those little black and white icons mean, we’ve found the perfect gift.
The Society 6 online shop has designed and created the perfect guide that will make every student’s life much easier. Simply place this poster on the bathroom wall and in case they forget a symbol, they’ll just take a quick look at the guide. And thanks to this, the student will no longer have to worry about accidentally shrinking their favourite jumper. This laundry guide is on the Society 6 website.
Laptop stand
Work comfortably from anywhere with the LapGear home office portable desk. This lap desk is designed to make working easy. It has a built-in mouse pad, phone jack and double cushion to keep you cool and comfortable while you work. The flat top ensures proper ventilation of the laptop, as recommended by laptop manufacturers. The innovative double cushion adapts perfectly to your lap.
This will make a great gift for students who like to write assignments at home or in their dorms and a very useful item for online classes. This laptop stand can be found on Amazon.
Gifts for teachers
Tea selection set
It’s always so hard to find the perfect gift for a teacher. We have some perfect ideas for school tea breaks or simply relaxing after school is finished! Experience a variety of dessert tea infusions in one sample set.
This is a great way to expand and engage your palate on teas and beyond. Featuring a variety of tea types and a box of patented Art of Tea Filter Bags, each unique tea is packed in a convenient tin and bundled together in an attractive gift box. Both tea selection sets are available on the Art of Tea website.
Stenders body care
The process of learning is also a story of gratitude to the teachers who have tirelessly guided their students along the path of knowledge and helped them prepare for further life challenges. Give your teacher the best gift possible – time for peaceful togetherness and smiles, leaving sleepless nights and worries in the past.
The “Your time is gold” gift set will gild your knowledge giver. Includes 24-carat gold soap, body cream, shower gel and body scrub with pomegranate extract and colloidal gold for exquisite skincare rituals. This Stenders body care package you will find on their website.
Gift cards
The best way to thank your teachers is to buy them gift cards! Gift cards are convenient and practical and give teachers the freedom to spend them when and how they want.
A gift card for a restaurant in Riga is a versatile gift that allows you to enjoy a delicious meal and spend time with people you care about. The recipient of the gift card can use it at any of the following restaurant partners in Riga. It will be a chance to go to a favourite restaurant or discover a new place you have never visited before. It can be spent in instalments at different restaurants until the full value of the card is spent. The restaurant gift card is available for purchase on the Fromme.lv website.
Audiobook subscription
Audiobooks are a great way for everyone to get acquainted with books, especially busy people and those who do not have the physical time to read books. And if the recipient of your gift is already an audiobook lover, what better way to treat them?
An audiobook subscription would be a great gift for a teacher, as she can listen to the audiobook while marking tests or just relax during break time. It will also free up extra space in her handbag, replacing her many heavy books. Audiobook subscriptions can be purchased on the Audible website.
Sweets
Teaching is incredibly difficult and it is important to show gratitude to those teachers who have made a real impression. And what better way to say thank you than with something sweet? Chocolate is still an unbeatable gift for teachers, and when you buy from Nelleulla, it’s easy to see why!
Nelleulla is a top-quality chocolate company from Latvia. They create handmade sweets from Belgian chocolate and Nordic berries, inspired by the forest. You can order chocolates and truffles from Nelleulla on their website.
If you can’t choose any of these gifts, look for other good suggestions Last minute gift ideas and Mugs with fun texts.