If you have a child graduating this year, chances are that you will be attending a lot of their friends’ parties as well as hosting your own. As a mom who has been there, I know it’s tough to make your graduation party stand out. You will likely use the same caterers, bakeries and entertainment as the other graduates, causing an undesirable deja vu.
It’s important to remember that even though your child may graduate from the same school and participate in the same activities as their friends, they are still individuals. If you want to make their story stand out, try some of these ideas.
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A memory jar
Purchase a clear jar or decorate an empty canister. Leave blank papers, colorful markers and a note saying, “Please share a memory of Caitlin”. Give people ideas like where the friends met, memories from overnight trips or team events. Another idea is to provide pictures in a scrapbook and let the friends add their memories to each page.
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Letters to the graduate
I did this for my daughter’s high school graduation. She was attending a school out of state in the fall and I wanted her to have something to open if she was feeling homesick. Her friends wrote notes on provided stationery and sealed them in envelopes. I gathered them up and handed them to her on move-in day.
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Photo booth
There are two ways you can do this. The easy, but more expensive way is to hire a photographer who comes with props. The more budget-friendly option is to get a large frame from a thrift store and decorate it with the school colors. Hang the frame from a tree or in front of a nice backdrop. You can also provide inexpensive props like a graduation cap, colorful sunglasses or graduation photo booth printables.
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Cardholder
Graduates, like brides, always have an awkward reaction when they receive cards from their guests. Are they supposed to hold them all night? Of course not. Make it easier for your graduate by creating a gift table. Provide a decorated mailbox or vintage suitcase for guests to drop the cards off. You might want to put this table next to the memory jar table.
Trivia cards are a great way to share the graduate’s story. Create questions and answers about your graduate. For example, what instrument did John play in middle school or what wing was Allie’s locker in at school? Write the questions on the outside of an 8 ½-by-11 sheet and fold over. Guests will have to lift for the answers. Place the cards where guests will see them. We put ours on the wall next to the drink table.
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Photos of the graduate
A photo display is a great way to show how much your graduate has grown. You can arrange the photos on a wall or poster or make a photo slideshow to display on your TV. Set it up on a loop and guests can stop to view it as they come through the party area. (Warning to parents: When selecting the photos, be sure to have a lot of tissues.)
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They earned it
Let’s face it. Your child worked hard to receive her awards, trophies, scholarships and other honors. It’s okay to show them off a little. Add to the display by filling dishes with Smarties, NERDS, gummy worms (for bookworms) and cookies (because he is one smart cookie). You can also find sports-themed chocolate candy online for your athletic graduate.
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A unique dining experience
Your child and their friends are going to attend a lot of graduation parties. Make yours stand out by doing something beyond chicken and pasta. If you are having a large crowd, a pig roast might be fun. If you don’t want to have the mess inside, try contracting with a food truck vendor where guests can dine on street tacos. For dessert, go beyond the rectangle cake with their name on it and try a s’mores or sundae bar.
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Games and entertainment
Get your guests moving and mingling with backyard games like cornhole and volleyball. Look for graduation-themed games online like Jeopardy, Family Feud or Pictionary. Hire a DJ to play music and rent a dance floor to put over the grass. You can also capture the moment with a caricaturist or predict their future with a fortune teller.
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Hashtags and sharing
No party is complete without social media posts. Provide signs on the tables for your guests so they know what hashtag to use when posting pictures of your child’s graduation. Make it unique to your party like #MattsgradNVHS2024. To capture all the fun photos taken that day, provide QR codes to your Google Photos, Dropbox or Flickr accounts.
