High school graduation is such a special time. It is both the end of an era for you and, hopefully, the beginning of something wonderful for your child. There is something beautiful about watching your child fly the nest and create a new life for themselves.
That means you want to commemorate this celebration with something special–but without breaking the bank! You want something personal to them. You want to convey your pride and love at their accomplishment. You want them not to roll their eyes…
Picking out a high school graduation gift can be hard. It can be tough to get a big reaction from a teenager who may only want cold hard cash as a present, but money doesn’t feel meaningful enough for such a momentous occasion as graduating high school. Somehow, this particular event inspires us to want to inspire them, to pass along words of wisdom or great advice to help them along in their new adventure, to ensure they know just how loved they are.
So what’s a busy parent to do? (You may also like this post: Graduation Gifts: 20 Of The Best Ever Books To Give High School Graduates)
Don’t worry. We have you covered. Here are three unique and personal graduation gifts that even the surliest teen will love! We’ve given these to our own kids, and we promise their eyes will light up when they see them! We don’t want to get your hopes up, but we’ve even seen one shed a little tear.
Note: This post contains affiliate links to products we love. We earn a small commission from items we sell on our website.
Related: More Than 15 Fun And Unique High School Graduation Party Ideas
Five Awesome High School Graduation Gifts
1. Memory Stitch T-Shirt Blankets
We love these one-of-a-kind blankets made from your loved ones’ favorite t-shirts. Whether it’s high school activity shirts, club sports jerseys, college game day apparel or sorority t-shirts, everyone loves these special blankets. We also love the t-shirt pillows that are great for the kid headed away from home for the first time.
The process is simple. You simply:
- Collect your favorite t-shirts
- Cut and send them over (or they can do it for you.)
- They’ll assemble, stitch, and send it back to you any where in the U.S. for FREE
2. Dear Graduate Gift Set:
Graduation is an exciting day, but the rest—and best—is still to come. Celebrate a high school or college commencement with this trio of presents that arrives in a beautifully packaged gift box (so it’s great if you can’t make it to the actual event or party.)
Compact and keepsake-worthy, the Dear Graduate book is full of thought-provoking questions about what they really want to do with their life (such as Will you make a plan to contribute to a better world, to improve it for others?). A special dedication page on the inside cover sllows you to leave a personal message. It also includes the Adulting Merit Badge Mug to reward them for the everyday successes of being a grown-up, like Made My Bed and Put on Pants. Our favorite is “The Things They Don’t Teach You in School Card Game” which is a fun game that tests on 400 fun facts, random info, and bits of hilariously useless knowledge.
3. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse book
We believe the best gifts are the ones that come from the heart and address the recipient’s wants and needs.
This is one of our all-time favorite books, but it holds extra special meaning for graduates ready to launch out into the world. A New York Times best-seller, the book is chock full of meaningful quotes and life lessons.
The story follows a curious boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox, and a wise horse who find themselves together in sometimes difficult terrain, sharing their greatest fears and biggest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship, and love. The shared adventures and meaningful conversations between the four friends are full of life lessons that connect with readers of all ages. While not a true narrative, the book is great for inspiration, meditation, or celebration.
What makes this gift special is you can paper clip some cash to your favorite parts! It makes them smile, feels personalized, and gives them some extra spending money. A personal inscription from the gift giver makes it a keepsake!
Our favorite quote to highlight from The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse book: “What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said? asked the boy. ‘Help,’ said the horse. ‘Asking for help isn’t giving up,’ said the horse. ‘It’s refusing to give up.
4. I Wrote a Book About You
This gift can make them laugh, it can make them cry, it may even get you a hug!
There’s something special about receiving a gift made just for you. The playful prompts in these heartwarming fill-in books are here to help you create a personalized present for any occasion. You can make them sentimental and sappy or short and sassy, whatever tone you want for your graduate. There’s also spots to include some photos, and yes, you can clip some cash or their favorite gift cards to certain pages you want to highlight!
This awesome keepsake can pick them up when they are away from home and missing mom or dad.
5. Guided Compass Jewelry
This one is our favorite grad gifts, and the one we gave to all three of our high school graduates so they know they can always follow their dreams, but also find their way back home (Spoiler alert, they loved it and even got a little teary!)
This lovely piece of jewelry comes with a card with the Henry David Thoreau quote on it. It also comes as a necklace or a bracelet.
Don’t forget these legal documents before they leave home
I’m a big believer in letting kids figure things out on their own, but sometimes a young adult may become temporarily sidelined by an illness or accident and need help making medical or financial decisions.
As responsible adults, many of us have power of attorney forms and health care directives set up with our spouses or other relatives. It is, in fact, a very grown-up thing to do.
Healthcare power of attorney forms and financial POAs give you as the parent the ability and authority to receive the necessary information to make healthcare and/or financial decisions for or with your child.
If you want a quick and easy way to put these legal documents in place, it takes 15 minutes to create a POA form for your child through Mama Bear Legal Forms; maybe 10 minutes if you type fast and have the necessary documents handy.
Mama Bear offers an all-in-one package of law firm quality, state-specific documents that are easy to create, simple to download, and incredibly affordable. The power of attorney (POA) templates and healthcare POA forms can be customized for your children and state(s) of residence. The Young Adult Power of Attorney Package includes all three documents your college child needs for only $79 – a significantly lower price than the average attorney fee for preparing such documents. (P.S. Use Promo Code PTTCOLLEGE20 and get 20% off!!) And if your child is going to college in another state, a second set for that state is included in the price.
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