As the school year almost comes to a close, that means graduation is fast approaching. Whether it’s your son or daughter, grandchild, a close relative, or family friend this gift guide should be helpful in getting ideas for this really special occasion. A child’s high school graduation is a really special time in their life. A huge milestone after 12 years of school and they’re entering into their independent adult lives.
The end of an era and a new beginning to embrace. You want to find them the perfect gift to congratulate them on graduating, one of the biggest milestones they’ve reached in their lifetime. Something that will be meaningful or useful once they go off to college.
We’ve got you covered with this list of High School graduation gifts for college-bound kids.
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20 Gifts for the College-Bound High School Senior
• One: Money – cash or gift cards. There are so many ways you can get creative with how you gift the money – money leis, money bouquets, money cake, and more (just search on Pinterest for endless ideas).
Gift cards to Amazon, Target or Walmart are perfect to help them set up their dorm room or first apartment. Gift cards to restaurants near their college will be a welcome treat. Grocery gift cards to help them keep their fridge stocked.
• Two: College sweatshirt – If they’re college-bound, I”m sure they’re pretty excited about the school they’ve chosen. What better way to show it off than by sporting a college sweatshirt or hoodie. Check out the school’s bookstore to order some gear (many are online).
• Three: Put together a basket of Dorm room essentials. Even better, use a laundry basket. hamper, or milk crate as your gift basket and they’ll even be able to put that to use.
- laundry supplies
- earplugs
- hand-held clothing steamer
- power strip
- bathroom caddy
- command-strips
- first-aid kit
- small toolkit
- flashlight
• Four: Experience gift – Trip to Disneyland, Cruise, or an all-inclusive in Mexico. This is definitely more of a gift from a parent or grandparent and not a neighbor gift. Some choose to include the entire family as the last chance for everyone to spend some time together. Or you may gift them a trip to go traveling in Europe with friends. This is one of those higher budget gifts
• Five: Portable battery backup for cell phones. Great for keeping their electronics going for late-night study sessions. I prefer Anker portable chargers for their reliability. They’re an investment over some of the cheap brands but worth it with their ability to charge devices and keep working (I’ve had to toss so many of those cheap ones). The model I have will charge an iPhone over 5 times or an iPad 2/5 times.
• Six: Basket of Snacks – Snacks, snacks, snacks, lots of snacks for them to take to college for late-night study sessions.
• Seven: jewelry – Gift your graduate a nice piece of jewelry that they will wear for many years. Go with a classic such as a pendant chain, simple ring, or bracelet. Jewelry works for boys too.
• Eight: Wallet – A nice leather wallet makes a nice and appreciated graduation gift. Once they’re away at school, they’ll have money, cards, and ID to carry with them. Something more grownup than the superhero wallet they’ve had since they were a kid or maybe they’ve just been stuffing their money in their cell phone case like my kid.
• Nine: Watch – traditional or smartwatch.
• Ten: Luggage set – A nice luggage set to use to pack their things to go off to college and to use for return trips home. We’re huge fans of Away Luggage – classic style, quality, and amazing warranty.
• Eleven: Laptop for taking notes in class and writing papers.
• Twelve: Cell phone – A new cell phone so they don’t miss your calls
• Thirteen: Noise-canceling headphones – Headphones to block out noises in the dorms or the library while studying
• Fourteen: A scrapbook of high school memories – Feeling creative and want to put together a sentimental gift? A scrapbook is a perfect choice. Something they can take with them and flip through when they’re feeling nostalgic.
• Fifteen: cozy blanket
• Sixteen: small appliance for the door room (make sure to check regulations to see what’s allowed)
• Seventeen: Yeti Tumbler – Always important to stay hydrated to stay healthy. Good quality tumblers are an investment but worth the quality to keep drinks cold and last for years. Pick one in a favorite color or even with the sports team logo for their chosen college.
• Eighteen: Backpack
• Nineteen: Memory quilt made from high school t-shirts
• Twenty: Pandora bracelet and graduation charm
