[Graduation Keepsakes] Gifts for Teachers and Children: A Collection of Heartfelt, Memorable Present Ideas

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

Are you wondering what gifts to give the children and teachers for the graduation ceremony or thank-you party? Because it’s a keepsake that will last in their memories, you want to deliver something truly special.

Here, we’ve gathered ideas perfect for graduation mementos from nursery and kindergarten.

From original goods featuring drawings by the children to practical items that can be personalized with names, there are plenty of heartfelt gift options.

Find a one-of-a-kind keepsake that captures the children’s growth!

[Graduation Commemoration Gifts] Presents You’ll Want to Give to Teachers and Children! A Collection of Memorable Gift Ideas (31–40)

knapsack

A personalized drawstring bag with a name would be practical and likely very popular for field trips or as a PE clothes bag.

Nylon fabric is resistant to dirt and rain, making it perfect for PE bags and drawstring sacks.

Considering use in elementary school, A4 size might be a good choice.

There are various options for adding the name—embroidery, printing, patches—but it’s recommended to choose a method that’s durable through washing so it can be kept as a memento.

It might be even more appreciated if you give it together with a message card or a portrait drawing.

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mayumi

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perpetual calendar

A perpetual calendar you can use every year makes a perfect gift! This idea uses wood as the material and adds personality through the fonts and colors for the days and numbers.

Making it from wood conveys warmth and provides stable durability, so it’s recommended when you want it to be used for a long time.

If you can’t get wood or don’t have tools, you can also make it with thick paper or similar materials.

There are also many DIY kits for wooden perpetual calendars available, so if your budget allows, be sure to check those out too.

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sasashina

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Personalized keychain

When children start elementary school, they have more belongings to keep track of.

How about making personalized keychains as a graduation gift? You can go with classic designs like vehicles or animals, or even use memorable photos.

You can find all the materials for handmade keychains at 100-yen shops, so it’s easy to try at a low cost.

Come up with a design that will delight the kids and become a keepsake of their graduation, and give it a try!

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sasashina

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personalized pencils

Personalized pencils with children’s names are perfect for kids who are graduating from kindergarten and about to become first graders.

Receiving them as a graduation gift might make them even more excited about starting elementary school.

Having their own name engraved on their first pencils will feel very special.

It’s recommended to choose a gentle, friendly typeface.

Make sure to carefully double-check the spelling of each name against the class list to avoid mistakes.

If you pair the pencils with an eraser and a red pencil, and add a handmade message card, they’ll likely be even more delighted.

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mayumi

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paint set

Races on the playground, singing songs, finger plays—during their time at preschool they probably drew just as many pictures.

Some children may even have held crayons or colored pencils at least once every single day.

It would be lovely to give paints as a gift along with those memories of drawing.

Unlike crayons or colored pencils, the great thing about paints is that you can mix your favorite colors.

We hope they’ll create lots of vibrant—and sometimes wonderfully mysterious—colors as they head toward the yet-unseen future.

If you make the paint box white, you can even leave a message on it!

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Taki no namida pin ku

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Graduation Commemorative Gifts: Heartwarming Present Ideas (41–50) to Give to Teachers and Children

Easy! Handmade bookmark

http://www.lemon8-app.com

Let me show you how to make a bookmark using self-adhesive laminate sheets.

It’s really easy: sketch roughly the size of a bookmark on the laminate sheet, stick on decorative stickers, then seal it with the laminate sheet.

Punch a hole at the top and thread a ribbon through, and round the corners with scissors to finish.

When sealing the laminate sheets, press with a ruler or similar tool as you go to avoid trapping air bubbles.

By varying the types of stickers and ribbon colors, you can create many bookmarks with different looks.

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sasashina

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Milk carton accessory tray

@buchiko_hoiku
🐶 @buchiko_hoiku ◂◂◂◂ Check out my other posts too 🌼 Graduation gift idea #2 🌸 Can you really make this with a milk carton?! A super customizable trinket box 🌟 It was my first try at swipe art—ran out of paint so I added a bit more 😇 The finger stamping turned out even cuter than I imagined 🌼 This time I used swipe art and finger stamps, but tearing and pasting tissue paper, scribbling, or adding stickers could be cute too 🤭 Changing the ribbon would be adorable as well 🤍 Please give it a try 🌈 ⋱⋰ Thank you for reading to the end 🐶 I share ideas that are easy to copy from the introduction to the making process ♬︎ I’d be over the moon if you like ♥, save 𖤘, and follow 𖤐—I’d literally cry with joy 😂 lol Comments are also very welcome 🤍🤍 ⋱⋰Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher Childcare student #Milk carton #Graduation from kindergarten #GraduationGiftFromKindergarten
♬ Takaramono – wacci

Easy to make with a milk carton! Here’s a cute trinket box idea.

First, decide the size of the box and cut out the template from a milk carton.

Next, glue construction paper with your favorite pattern to the inside of the carton.

Once the paper is attached, make mountain folds at the four corners and crease them firmly.

Punch holes in the four corners, thread a ribbon through, and tie it.

That’s all it takes to complete your trinket box! You can draw the patterns with pens or crayons, or use different art techniques.

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sasashina

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