5 Simple Gifts to Celebrate Children’s Ministry Volunteers

When working in children’s ministry, one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season was deciding what little gifts to put together for my volunteers. I usually focused on finding something simple that I thought they would use, and I loved finding a fun gift tag I could attach. Here are five of my favorite volunteer gifts:

1. Chocolate: Delicious fair trade chocolate was my go-to Christmas gift for volunteers, as it’s easy to buy in bulk and something that is likely to be enjoyed. It’s a little fancier than something they would buy for themselves and easy to dress up with various printable wrappers. I used these wrappers last year, which were easy to print and tape on and turned out so cute. Another favorite was dressing the bars up as snowmen!
2. Gift card: I’m sure this seems impersonal, but one of the best gifts you can get a volunteer is something they’ll use. If you pick the right place, a gift card is very likely to be used. It can also be a great way to promote and support a favorite local business. If you want to give more than just a gift card, purchase a nice mug and put the gift card inside. There are a ton of printable gift tags for mugs, but I love this one that reads “Warm Hearts Shape Little Minds.”
3. Hand soap: Dwell leaders come in contact with a lot of germs each week. Some fancy hand soap is the perfect gift to keep them healthy this winter. Attach fun printable cards and you’re set!
4. Markers: Some fun felt-tip pens, highlighters, or dry-erase markers (if they use a dry-erase board in their Dwell room) are great gifts for Dwell leaders. There are tons of free printable cards to put with pens, but I especially like the ones with little puns like, “Hope you have a re“mark”able Christmas!”
5. Candle: In my experience almost anyone can use a candle, and even if they can’t, they can pass it on to someone who will. Just be mindful of those who are sensitive to scented things by picking a candle with a milder scent. I made these simple tags a few years ago that you can print onto these labels, and easily attach to the front of your candles.

Not interested in printing and cutting catchy tags to go with them? Skip it! Any of these gifts are fine on their own—the tags just add an extra element of fun. If you decide to include the tags, embrace the process! Print everything out, cozy up with a blanket and a favorite Christmas movie, and you’ll be done in no time. 

Most of these ideas were the result of a quick Pinterest search, so if none of these are what you’re looking for, do a quick search for “teacher Christmas gifts,” to find countless other ideas. 

Volunteer gifts aren’t required or expected, but they’re a great way to show your appreciation to those who donate their time each week to share God’s Big Story with your children.