A Unique, Sustainable, & Thoughtful take on the Classroom Valentines Day Card & Gift Exchange

The Gift Guide Go-To’s new approach: Useful gifts you can buy in bulk and turn into Valentine’s Day gifts for kids with the application of a themed gift label

The classroom card and gift exchange is a fun opportunity for children to engage with their peers and feel the satisfaction that comes with the act of giving. That said, too often children come home from school with lots of tiny plastic toys and sugar-laden sweets that end up in the trash within weeks if not days. Or hours.

Here at the Gift Guide Go-To, we’re happy to offer some alternative kids’ Valentine’s Day gift ideas that won’t end up trashed before March rolls in and that won’t rot teeth, either. Instead, we’re sharing some unique, thoughtful, and more eco-friendly ways to approach Valentine’s Day gifting in the classroom.

(And of course some people prefer to stick to a simple card, which can be read, enjoyed, and recycled — we aren’t covering these options here because they are indeed easy to find everywhere from Amazon to Target to your local convenience store.)

Now, to be clear this isn’t the most economical way to have a child participate in a Valentine’s Day card exchange in the classroom, but it is a more sustainable (and fun) way to ensure the gift will spark creativity and open-ended play, will be truly appreciated, and will be used and enjoyed for weeks to come. We have you covered with Valentine’s Day gift suggestions for kids as young as toddlers up through middle school. Then check out our suggestions for easy stickers to personalize these items into Valentine’s Day gifts.