Originally published in TEACH Magazine, March/April 2025 Issue
By Sara Shabir
We often hear about students surprising their teachers with end-of-year gifts, but we recently spoke with a U.K. educator whose creativity gave that tradition a delightful twist. She decided to share her hidden talent for crocheting by creating unique handmade gifts for all of her students.
Each one was personalized, reflecting her dedication to making her students feel special as they wrapped up the school year. Curious as to her inspiration, we asked her to share some more details about the process.
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I am a primary school teacher from East Oxford, and last year I crocheted a “mini-me” of each child in my class as an end-of-year gift. The idea started on a whim. I taught myself to crochet during the COVID lockdown and have been finding ways to push myself further and build my skills ever since. But once I actually got to work, it turned into a bit of a passion project. I adored my class and really wanted to do something exciting and special for them.
There were 30 children in my class, and each doll took about 8 hours to make. My little passion project ended up taking me around 240 hours in total, but it was worth every second to see the children’s reactions. They were over the moon when they received their dolls! All of them were very thankful and appreciative, and they actually walked around the school with their dolls for the rest of the day!
Looking to make a craft or small gift for your own students? Here are some tips:
- Utilise your skills and hobbies. Pottery, sewing, origami, woodwork, etc.
- Start creating early in the year to make sure that you’ll have enough time.
- Consider how the child might use the item. Will it be something they can keep for a long time? Is it purposeful?
- Make them feel special and show how well you know them by personalising the item.
- Handwrite any cards/messages and add a specific memory you have of that child. This will make them feel valued.
Sara Shabir is a primary school teacher in Oxford. She taught herself to crochet during the COVID lockdown.
