Around Christmas, many families ask their child’s teacher, What would you like? The honest answer is often not a mug or a candle, but things for the classroom: markers that actually work, tissues, books for the reading corner, headphones for the listening centre. A Classroom Wish List gives parents a clear, optional way to help, and lets teachers say thank you to everyone who contributes. This template dresses the list up as a festive chalkboard.
A Chalkboard Dressed for Christmas
The page is US Letter portrait, 8.5 x 11 inches. It is drawn as a classic green chalkboard inside a warm wooden frame, with a few faint chalk smudges for realism. Across the top of the board hangs a gold tinsel garland in four swags, with red and blue baubles dangling where the swags meet.
Our Classroom is written in chalk-white Fredericka the Great, a font that looks like hand-drawn chalk lettering, with Wish List below it in chalk yellow. The teacher’s name, grade, room, and school year follow, then a short note to families in a friendly handwritten font. The list itself is a table drawn in chalk colours, with columns for Item, Qty, Where to Find/Link, and Donated by. At the bottom of the board, a wooden chalk tray holds white, yellow, and pink chalk, an eraser, and a shiny red apple, beside the words Thank you for supporting our class! Our logo sits on the wooden frame below.
A Note to Send Home With the List
Parents appreciate a short, warm message that makes it clear contributions are welcome but never expected. You could adapt this:
Dear families,
Many of you have kindly asked what our class could use this holiday season. I’ve put together a short wish list of items our students use every day. Please don’t feel any pressure: this is entirely optional, and a kind note from your child is the best gift of all. If you would like to help, write your name next to an item on the attached list and send it in with your child, or let me know by email, so we don’t end up with duplicates.
Thank you for everything you do for our class.
Mrs. Alvarez
Classroom Wish List Ideas by Grade
| Grade level | Useful items |
|---|---|
| Pre-K and kindergarten | Crayons, glue sticks, play dough, picture books, wipes, tissues, spare clothes for accidents |
| Grades 1-3 | Dry-erase markers, pencils, card stock, early readers, headphones, sticker charts |
| Grades 4-6 | Highlighters, sticky notes, chapter books, calculators, board games for indoor recess |
| Middle and high school | Graph paper, pens, lab goggles, novels for the class library, tissues, hand sanitizer |
| Any class | A bookstore gift card, a classroom subscription, a plant, cushions for the reading corner |
Filling In the Chalkboard
- Click the teacher line and type your name, grade, room, and school year.
- Edit the note to families. Keep it to two or three short lines so it fits the board.
- Double-click the chalk table to open Edit Table Data. List each item, the quantity, and where it can be found. Leave the Donated by column empty for families to fill in by hand, or type names in as items are promised, like The Chen family in the sample.
- Add rows with + Row, or delete the extra blank rows if your list is short.
- Change the colours of the baubles and tinsel to your school colours; each swag and bauble is a simple shape.
The sample list includes glue sticks, dry-erase markers, tissues, disinfecting wipes, coloured card stock, headphones for the listening centre, animal picture books and modelling clay.
Keeping It Fair and Friendly
A few simple habits keep a classroom wish list comfortable for every family. Say clearly that it is optional. Include low-cost items (a box of tissues, a pack of pencils) as well as bigger ones. Accept contributions quietly, without public lists of who gave what if that might embarrass anyone; the Donated by column can stay on the teacher’s copy only. And thank every contributor, whether they sent a single glue stick or a set of headphones. Check your school’s policy on gifts and donations too, as some schools have their own guidelines.
Sharing the List With Families
Print a copy for each child’s folder, post a PDF on your class page or learning platform, or share a PNG in the class messaging app. Many teachers also print one large copy for the classroom door, and cross items off as they arrive so families can see what’s still needed.
Printing the Chalkboard
Print on US Letter at actual size, or fit to A4. The dark green board uses a lot of ink, so for take-home copies you may prefer to print in greyscale; the chalk-white text still reads clearly. For the classroom door, a colour print on card looks wonderful.
Thanking Families After the Holidays
A thank-you goes a long way. When donations arrive, a short note home, a class photo with the new books, or a thank-you card signed by the students shows families where their gifts went. Some teachers add a small sticker or bookplate inside donated books (Donated to Room 14 by the Chen family, 2026), which children love to find. If a family gave anonymously, a general thank-you in the class newsletter keeps their privacy. Following up this way builds goodwill for the rest of the year, and families are much more likely to help again when they can see the difference their contribution made.
Teacher Questions
Can I use it outside Christmas?
Yes. Remove the tinsel and baubles, and it becomes a year-round or back-to-school classroom wish list.
Can parent volunteers or PTAs use it?
Of course. It works for any class, club, library, or school program collecting supplies.
Supplies for the Whole Class
Share what your students will use every day, thank the families who help, and start the new term with a well-stocked classroom.
Your students will notice the new books and supplies, and so will their families.
