8th Grade graduation is approaching. Some celebrate with a gift while others do not. For me personally, I see it as a milestone as the high school years are so different than elementary and middle school. We enjoy celebrating milestones for our family – birthdays, graduations, weddings, new babies, new jobs, and retirements.
(updated for 2023)
I was a bit stumped at first on gift ideas for Middle School graduation. I wanted it to be something my son liked but also something that had meaning or that would be useful as he gets older. Something that might not have been fit for him when he was younger but meets his needs now that he’s a high school student. This post was originally written as gift ideas for boys and has been updated to include both gifts for girls and boys as we should be moving away from the outdated concept of ‘boy gifts’ and ‘girl gifts’ – find the gift that fits your child and their interests.
So what did I decide on? For 8th grade graduation, I got my son an Apple Watch. To me a watch represents responsibility and with a smartwatch, you can track the time, tasks, and reminders. Also, as teenagers can typically become lazy and want to spend all their time watching shows or playing video games, I loved that it’s also an activity tracker. It was a win in my son’s eye – he also loves it because he can control his music with it and there are a few games (he better not get in trouble playing games on it during class next year…)
Do you also have a senior graduating? We put together a gift list for the college-bound seniors:
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20+ 8th Grade Graduation or Middle School Gift Ideas
One: money – always a win. Cash, gift card, or be creative such as gifting a graduation money lei.
Two: Chromebook or laptop
Three: Tablet
Four: School gear for their new high school. Many schools have online stores where you can order sweatshirts, hats, and other gear with school logos.
Five: Class of 2027 tee or sweatshirt
Six: new phone
Seven: watch
Eight: jewelry – simple gold chain, silver cuff bracelet, necklace with pendant or birthstone
Nine: engraved keychain
Ten: bedroom refresh – do they still have a twin bed (and they’re 6 ft tall) with train bedsheets? time to upgrade to a more grownup decor that fits their teen style and a bigger bed that fits them
Eleven: desk – do they have a full-sized desk with an adult-sized chair? Our kids are growing so fast that sometimes we don’t notice they’ve also outgrown their furniture.
Twelve: a nice pen such as a MontBlanc ballpoint pen or a calligraphy pen
Thirteen: leather-bound journal
Fourteen: Google’s Nest Home or Alexa – smart speakers can be used a daily alarm, timer for when they need to focus on a task, checking the weather when getting dressed and of course, music.
Fifteen: Are your kids taking an interest in a hobby that has the potential for a future career? A great gift would be tools or supplies that they can use for this interest.
- Art supplies for a future artist.
- Do they have an interest in coding? An upgraded computer for a future programmer
- DLSR camera or new lens if they have an interest in photography
- Are they showing an interest in a career in finance? Gift them a few shares of stock
- An upgraded musical instrument if they play in the band
- Vogue magazine subscription or a sewing machine if they want to go into the fashion industry
Sixteen: family vacation and they choose the destination. I’ve heard some families with multiple kids make it a tradition where the 8th-grade graduate gets to pick the destination for a vacation with mom or dad (without the siblings tagging along).
Seventeen: Disneyland! or a local theme park or water park. After a year of hard work, the kids want to play!
Eighteen: A scrapbook of their elementary and middle school years
Nineteen: bike (especially if they’re outgrowing their old one and they will use a bike to get to school). E-bikes and electric scooters are really popular with GenZ kids
Twenty: gift card for things to do with their friends (movies, Starbucks, trampoline place, Top Golf, etc)
Twenty-one: flower bouquet (or a candy bouquet, money bouquet….)
Twenty-two: backpack for high school – JanSport backpacks are one of the most popular brands with teens and well made to last
Twenty-three: Success books for teens
- The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens, Sean Covey
- How to be a High School Superstar, Cal Newport
check out our list of books for kids entering high school for more ideas
Twenty-four: a scientific calculator for high school – Texas Instruments TI30 (this one is approved for use during ACT and SAT testing) or graphing calculator
Twenty-five: wallet
Need some ideas for celebrating the big day? We’ve got lots of tips for 8th Grade Graduation celebrations.
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out our Ultimate Gift Guide for Teens
