Whether or not restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic allow your graduates to attend commencement and graduation parties at a later date, you can still help them feel celebrated, honored, and loved.
By Christine McParland
Even in the best of times, graduation is often a bittersweet experience. The joy of finishing school mingles with the sadness of leaving behind friends, teachers, and classmates. For the class of 2020, this milestone will be more bitter than sweet as most graduates miss out on the final memories of the school year—including their own graduation ceremony—due to the coronavirus pandemic. But you can still make this milestone special and memorable for your graduate! Here’s how to celebrate graduation during quarantine.
Create a personalized scrapbook or photo album for your graduate.
Choose photos highlighting special memories, milestones, and noteworthy achievements from your student’s school days. Whether you choose to hand-craft a scrapbook (also makes a great quarantine project!) or design a custom photo book through a website, your graduate will enjoy reliving the memories captured on each page for years to come.
Make a special video celebrating your graduate.
Invite friends, classmates, and favorite teachers to send short video greetings for your graduate, and compile into a mashup video. If you are especially skilled in this area, you can add photos or other video memories from school as well as background music and captions.
Have a social distancing “open house” party—outside!
Decorate your front yard with custom yard signs, streamers, and balloons, and invite friends and loved ones to stop by and wish your graduate well. Though you may not be able to serve refreshments or take pictures with your guests, you can play some party tunes and enjoy each other’s company from a socially safe distance.
Have a quarantined graduation party.
Just because your graduate can’t celebrate with his or her friends and classmates doesn’t mean you can’t throw a party at home. Decorate the house and prepare a special meal or order takeout from your graduate’s favorite restaurant. You can even invite friends and family to join virtually through a video call. Don’t forget to take photos of your graduate in his or her cap and gown!
Give a special graduation gift.
Thankfully, quarantine doesn’t have to get in the way of gift-giving! Celebrate your graduate with a special gift to honor their accomplishment. A Bible is a perfect gift for any milestone—you can even create a custom cover for a personalized Bible for your graduate. Books make excellent gifts too, especially devotionals such as TouchPoints for Students or college-prep books like Make the Most of It and Thriving at College.
Whether or not restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic allow your graduates to attend commencement and graduation parties at a later date, you can still help them feel celebrated, honored, and loved. Let’s give the class of 2020 something positive to remember from this milestone in their lives.
How are you celebrating graduation this year? Share your ideas in the comments below!
