I’m pretty sure my 15-year-old ninth grader is not interested in me throwing confetti all over her to celebrate the straight A's she earned in her first year of high school — while learning online in a pandemic. Because she’s not graduating high school yet and is just moving up to the next grade, a party might be “weird and inappropriate, mom,” she says. But as hard as this past year has been for adults, it’s been just as hard for our children. As the school year comes to a close and COVID-19 is still looming, some graduation plans are up in the air whereas others have already been canceled. It’s totally understandable that students may be very disappointed about not being able to have a traditional graduation ceremony with their teachers and classmates. Virtual graduations are very likely to be the order of the day for the next few months.
We’ve got to give it up to all of the school kids: They deserve a round of applause for all of their hard work. Let your kids know that no matter what grade they’re stepping into next, celebrating these moments together is what matters. And maybe I can convince my daughter to have a ninth grade graduation party, confetti and all. Check out these graduation celebration inspirations — separated by grade level from preschool to college — so you can adhere to social distancing mandates while honoring your children.
Whether you hold the event in your home and invite people in your coronavirus social bubble or you let family and friends join the festivities via FaceTime or Zoom, set a date, send out some invites, and host a virtual graduation they’ll never forget!
Plan preschool, pre-K and kindergarten graduation celebrations.
Treat your preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten graduates to a sweet treats party. We love the idea blogger Diana shared on her website, The Gray Ruby, for her daughters who graduated from kindergarten and preschool.
The theme was “My Future is Bright,” and it featured sunglasses and included some of their favorite desserts and candies. You can tell the girls were just as proud of themselves as their mom!
Up the ante for elementary, middle, and high school graduation celebrations.
Kids in elementary, middle, and high school are more apt to understand the graduation concept, so they’re probably looking for more of a full-on graduation ceremony experience. If you’re hosting it online, give invited friends and family exact directions on how to connect to your chosen platform. Also ask them to prepare something nice to say about your graduate.
Here are more ideas you can use to inspire the events you’ll include in your virtual graduation. Customize the event to best fit your graduate’s personality:
- Make a playlist of the graduate's favorite songs to accompany a special graduation walk or dance. If you don’t have an aisle or staircase to walk down, clear the furniture in an area where they can “work the room” while the playlist blares.
- Plan ahead and order a cap and gown if the school hasn’t already provided one (or if you’re having a stepping up in grade celebration).
- Honor your graduate with awesome awards and honors. You can get custom award pins online or stores such as Party City.
- Have your graduate prepare a speech about their experiences and dreams to share with the guests.
- Take pictures with fun accessories and props! This is where you’ll likely have the most fun, so go all out: Order a backdrop, a banner, selfie photo frame, and balloons. Capture a screenshot of guests wearing graduation celebration props too! You can share those pictures with everyone later or add them to a photo album to commemorate the day.
- Plan a great spread of food for the day. Go with a theme such as “school lunch” or just pick the graduate's favorite snacks.
- Decorate the front door or windows with items that are distinctive and personal for your graduate that celebrates their time in school. If your student was the lead in a school play, display the script or a part of the costume. If your student was a math whiz, hang up some big numbers. Have fun with it.
- If it’s warm enough outside, make signs for your yard to celebrate the occasion. Similar to the baby shower drive-bys that became poular last year, ask friends and family in the neighborhood to have a drive-by parade to end the virtual graduation celebration with a bang.
Get creative with college graduation ideas.
If you’ve got a soon-to-be college graduate in your family, big congratulations! All of the earlier suggestions for a virtual graduation still apply, but here are some additional ideas for a more mature celebration.
Host a virtual dinner party.
Social Studies is a service that sends dinner party kits, including fancy plates and flatware, right to your door. You can choose place setting themes such as Moroccan Nights, Guac’s Extra, and Provence. Prices for these fancy place settings range from $22 to $52 per person. You just add the food! Send a friend or family member a kit as well, and then you can set up a Google Duo or FactTime call, eat dinner together, and toast your graduate's accomplishments. Afterward, use the Netflix Party plug-in to binge-watch a favorite show with everyone.
Set up a fund for your graduate.
Instead of family members and friends sending random gifts to your graduate, set up a fund where they can donate to something big that would mean the most to your college grad. Has she always wanted to travel to Spain? Does she really need some repairs on her car? Is he looking to start saving for an apartment or home? Whatever the situation, college grads will definitely appreciate the gift of this fund that will really help them in the future.
Make their day with a celebrity congrats.
This one is worth planning ahead for: a chance for your graduate to get a congratulatory video message from a favorite celebrity. Cameo makes it all happen. Go to the website and search for a celebrity from the worlds of music, movies, TV, comedy, and sports. Some of the celebrities on Cameo include actress Mandy Moore, singer Leann Rimes, actor Don Johnson, comedian and host Steve Harvey, and “Shark Tank” investors Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful. These are priced at $500 for the video message, but there are thousands of celebs to choose from to fit your budget.
