Classroom gift exchange rules to send home

The rules list, ready to copy

1. Budget: Spend no more than $5 (elementary) or $10 (middle school). Homemade gifts are welcome.
2. Date: The exchange is on the last school day before break, during the final hour.
3. Wrapping: Wrap the gift and tape a card with the receiving student's first name only. Do not write who it is from.
4. No food or drink: No candy, chocolate, baked goods, or gift cards for food stores, because of allergies.
5. No scents or small parts: No perfume, strong lotion, or items with small parts for grades K to 2.
6. Kind gifts only: No joke gifts about appearance, no weapons or toy guns, no gag items.
7. Bring on time: Gifts must reach the teacher by the day before. Late gifts are fine, just tell the teacher.
8. Opt out: Participation is voluntary. Tell the teacher privately if your child will not join.

The handout: what to write on the note home

Keep the note to one page. Start with the date, the budget and the child's drawn name written on a slip, then list the rules. End with the teacher's contact. The simplest way to hand out names is to run the draw on Hollyhush, write each name on a slip and fold it.

If your class has students whose families may not be able to buy a gift, add a line that says: "If a gift is a hardship, please contact me privately. We have supplies."

What if a student is absent on exchange day?

• Keep their gift on the teacher's desk and give it on their first day back.
• If they are away for a long time, ask the giver to send it home with a friend or hand it to the office.
• If the giver is absent, the teacher gives a spare gift in their name so the receiving student is not left out.
• If both are absent, wait until after the break and do a quick exchange together.

Keep a small box of spare gifts under $5 each. It solves the three most common problems: forgotten, broken and absent.

Rules for gift wrapping and labeling

Ask students to wrap in plain paper or a bag with the recipient's first name on the front. A cap on size helps: nothing larger than a shoebox. Bags can be reused and take less time for small hands.

A good habit is to ask students to hide the gift in a backpack, and place it in a basket at the teacher's desk the next morning. That prevents peeking.

How to run the exchange

1. Seat students in a circle and call names one by one.
2. Each student opens their gift and says thank you to the room, not to a person.
3. If you like, play a short guess who game. See gift exchange games.
4. Collect wrapping in a bag for the recycling bin before the final bell.

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Related

For the full teacher guide, see Secret Santa for the classroom. For ideas, see teacher gift ideas under $20. For general rules, read Secret Santa rules.