You have a graduate! Congrats! You should be so proud of your child and all the hard work they did to reach this moment. So, how do you go about celebrating them and all their accomplishments properly? Well, we have some ideas for you.
Get a Jump Start
Decorate the house so they wake up in the celebratory spirit. You don’t have to break the bank and go crazy. A few balloons and streamers in the school colors will bring on the festive spirit. You could also make their favorite breakfast and include a note about how proud you are of all their hard work.
Reflect
Take some time to help them process the past year. What was the best part of the school year? What was the most interesting thing learned? Which new friends were made?
Look Ahead
Discuss what they have in mind for the future. What are they looking forward to? What might they learn? Who do they want to stay in contact with? What do they plan to accomplish next?
Make a Memory Board
Based on your child’s reflection, write, or type up some key points. Print some pictures and combine them with these thoughts for a personalized memory board gift. You can choose to only use pictures from the past year or pictures throughout the years. Either way it will be fun for the graduate to see and a great keepsake to look back on.
Celebrate with the Family
Do something fun with the immediate family soon after the ceremony. Go out to eat at the grad’s restaurant of choice, grab some ice cream, play mini golf, whatever the grad chooses. While celebrating try to keep the convo focused on the grad so they feel special on their day.
Host a Party
Invite family and friends over for a graduation party. You already have the house decorated so why not grab some food and drinks and invite people over to celebrate your child? If the weather is nice, you can set up some lawn games to keep everyone entertained. You could even set out a wisdom jar with pens and paper so guests can write some advice for the grad. Make sure to take lots of photos to commemorate the occasion. You can even place some photos of your child throughout the years all around the party as an added nice touch.
Don’t forget to take some time to recognize that you played a part in all this. A big part. Your guidance throughout the years was integral to your child’s success in reaching this milestone event so don’t forget to take some time to celebrate yourself too!
Wishing you well,
Sarah