With schools closing and graduation ceremonies being cancelled across the country, it’s time to get creative with how you honor your graduate this year. Below are six ways you can celebrate all their hard work and achievements from the safety of home.
Host a Video Chat Party
Even if they can’t be physically close to all of their friends and family, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring everyone together. By hosting a video chat party using apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Houseparty, you can bring all of your grad’s friends and classmates together to celebrate their big day. They can play virtual games, share memories and photos from their time in school, and just enjoy each other’s company. Just download the app of your choice to your smartphone or tablet to get started!
Invite Guests to a Drive-By Celebration
Make some fun signs, set up some lawn chairs, and have a blast! Invite your grad’s friends and extended family to drive by your house to celebrate their big day. They can drop off gifts, take photos, and just show they care, all from a safe distance. You can even set up your JBL Flip 5 speaker and have your own little block party.
Hold a Family Commencement Ceremony
Since you can’t (lovingly) embarrass your graduate in front of their classmates this year, just throw your own commencement ceremony at home. You can create a stage for them to walk down, give a cheesy commencement speech, and make it whatever your grad wants it to be. And don’t forget to set the self-timer on your smartphone when it’s time for family photos.
Have a Socially Distant Graduation Photoshoot
Even though graduation may look different than expected, capturing memories is still important. Most family photographers have been hosting socially distant photoshoots for special occasions, capturing graduates’ special days while maintaining a safe distance. Some photographers have even started doing FaceTime photoshoots, which have actually yielded some pretty creative results.
Help Them Decorate Their Cap… and Mask
One of the most fun parts of graduation is decorating your graduation cap. Even if they aren’t able to show it off in person, decorating their cap is still a great way to celebrate their accomplishments and have some fun. While you’re at it, they can even decorate a face mask to match! Lots of graduates have been making the most of these circumstances by sharing their decked-out masks on social media. These times have been difficult to say the least, but this is an easy way to have a little fun and commemorate your grad’s big day.
Create a Shadow Box
Help your graduate reserve all their graduation mementos in a fun shadow box! They can include their graduation cap and tassle, photos, their original ceremony invitations, and more. You can even include their decorated face mask and newspaper clippings from this year to look back on.
Even during these unprecedented times, you can still have some fun with the graduate in your life and celebrate this huge achievement.
We would love to see how you chose to celebrate your graduate this year. Send us your photos on Facebook and Twitter so we can share them!
