Looking for a special graduation gift? Look no further. We’re sharing 11 of the best meaningful graduation gift ideas.
Are you a sentimental person?
Do you like giving the perfect gift to special people in your life?
Yes?
Oh, good us too!
You’re definitely going to appreciate this awesome list of meaningful graduation gift ideas.
Between both Anne & I…we’ve had three children graduate high school.
I have three kids…my oldest two have graduated high school and my firstborn finished college too.
My youngest has another year of high school.
And then I’m looking at an empty nest!
I’m not ready for that!
Are you?
Anne also has three children.
Her oldest graduated high school and her twins will graduate this year.
If you’re feeling like your not ready either go read Anne’s personal essay about dealing with her emotions of letting go.
It makes me tear up just thinking about it.
Even though we may be feeling sad about their next milestone.
Graduation is a happy occasion for our kids and we want to celebrate them!
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Why Should You Give a Sentimental Graduation Gift
Our boys graduated in 2016, 2018, & 2020.
And our girls in 2021 & 2022!
Wow!
We sure have had a busy few years…with lots to celebrate!
It’s safe to say that we’ve really thought a lot about graduation gifts in the past several years.
And being the sappy moms that we are…it’s always important to us to give gifts that are thoughtful.
Sure they appreciate those laptops and cash they get when they cross that stage and receive their diploma for all that hard work.
But the sentimental gifts…well, I think those are the ones they’ll always remember.
I know the presents that are more personal are the ones I treasure the most.
Don’t you think so too?
So why not give your graduate a gift they’ll treasure?
Here’s a list of our favorite meaningful gift ideas in no particular order.
Just click the title to get more details about each gift idea.
Memory Photobook
As you may know Anne and I love family photos!
Anne is a family photographer.
And we both have family photo gallery walls all over our homes.
So it’s no surprise that a photo book made our list of meaningful graduation gift ideas.
Creating a photo book is a bit time-consuming but believe us it’s so worth the work!
I made a photo book of my son’s childhood from birth through 18.
Just a few pages of each stage of his life in chronological order.
Of course, being a super sentimental mom I love a good quote!
So I included lots of great inspirational quotes throughout his photo book.
Check out all the details of how I organized all those years of memories in pictures and created his photo book here.
And the bonus of this giving this gift is that it’s a gift for me too.
Because of course, I ordered two copies.
Now I have a photo book of his childhood all organized and bound in a beautiful hard-covered book on my family room shelf.
I plan to do the same thing for both of my other kids too.
Some other ideas for a meaningful photo book:
- Short on time? Choose one photo for each year along with a quote or note about that time period. Short and sweet! But full of heart!!
- Did the graduate have a senior photo session? Usually, you choose just a couple of pictures from the session. Why not create a book with all the images from their photo shoot?
- Favorites – Pull out your phone and scroll through the pictures. Create a book with photos of the graduate’s most recent favorite times. This would be a memory keeper for sure!
Wanderer Bracelet
Both Anne and I gave these Wanderer bracelets to our sons when they went away to college.
A Wanderer bracelet with the coordinates of the graduate’s homes is the perfect gift for graduation.
I wrote Jake a letter and put the bracelet with our home coordinates in the envelope then left it under his pillow after making his bed when we moved him to his dorm.
He texted me later that night and thanked me for both the letter and the bracelet.
He told us that he really loved finding them when things settled down that night after moving in.
Anne also did something similar when she gave Ryan his bracelet.
It’s a budget-friendly but really special gift that will remind your student of home!
Personalized Journal
A journal is a great meaningful graduation gift idea for either a high school or college grad.
Give them a place to write down all their thoughts, dreams, or even struggles.
And a leather-bound journal engraved with the graduate’s initials makes this gift even more meaningful.
T-Shirt Quilt
Do you have a bunch of old outgrown t-shirts your child is ready to donate or trash?
Wait…don’t toss them yet!
Save those old t-shirts to create a wonderful sentimental graduation gift.
Take all those old t-shirts and get them sewn into an amazing one-of-a-kind quilt.
I had saved special t-shirts from my kid’s childhoods, so I included some from when they were little and some from their later years.
I even stole Gavin’s newer t-shirt from his part-time job to include in his quilt.
You can check out how I had the t-shirt quilts made here...it’s a super easy process and really pretty affordable.
But what if you didn’t save t-shirts over the years…no worries… just get a little creative!
- Did your graduate play a sport? Create a quilt out of all their track t-shirts or whatever activity they participated in.
- Are they graduating from college? Use their fraternity or sorority t-shirts. Or old college tees.
- Do they have a favorite sports team? Gather t-shirts that represent that team. Or maybe they have several teams and sports they love. Put them all together in one fun sports fan quilt.
- Are they attending college this fall? Collect t-shirts from that university.
And this list goes on…so many possibilities!
Grab those old t-shirts and create a one-of-a-kind super thoughtful gift for your graduate this year!
Memory Book of Letters
When searching Pinterest for graduation gift ideas when my oldest was a senior in high school I came across the perfect idea.
A memory book filled with letters for my son.
I reached out to family, friends, teachers, and mentors to ask them to contribute a letter, short note, quote, or memory.
Then I typed every one of those messages we received and created a book filled with love for him.
I’ve done this twice for my sons and will do it again for my daughter.
This was by far one of their absolute favorite gifts!
To read the letters from our family and friends and even favorite teachers was so special to them as they graduated and started the next phase of their lives.
Click here for all the details to make a graduation memory letter book.
I’ve even included an example of the letter we sent requesting everyone to participate in this incredible sentimental gift.
The book of letters will take a little bit of planning but I promise it will be such a special present for your son or daughter.
Mapiful
A map of a special location is a heartfelt graduation gift.
When Jake was finishing college we were working with Mapiful and they gifted us this amazing map of his university.
Creating a map of the graduate’s hometown or even their college town makes a special gift they can hang anywhere they go.
A personal map is also a super affordable gift option.
Sentimental or Personalized Jewelry
You usually can’t go wrong with jewelry.
And personalized pieces make a wonderfully meaningful graduation gift for sure.
Emma has a little while until graduation but we modeled these pretty matching Mother & Daughter double circle necklaces from Dear Ava.
How beautiful would it be for a mom to give this necklace set to her daughter for this milestone occasion?
Other options for your son or daughter:
- A handsome wood watch engraved with your personal message on the back.
- Pretty initial birthstone necklace.
- Not jewelry but still sentimental…leather wallet with a personalized message for the graduate
Family Vacation
A family vacation after graduation is definitely something your graduate will always remember.
How amazing would it be to take a cross-country road trip?
Or a trip to Europe?
Or even a Caribbean cruise?
Family vacations are filled with memory-making moments that your graduate will treasure forever.
Jake loves Disney so we surprised our family with a vacation to the happiest place on earth.
Vacations are gifts that the entire family can enjoy!
Engravable Compass
Wherever your graduate travels after graduation a personalized compass is a special gift idea.
Have the back engraved with a message or favorite quote and it makes it even more thoughtful.
One of my favorite quotes would be perfect for engraving on the back of a compass.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
– Henry David Thoreau
Do you need more graduation quote ideas? Click here!
Memorable Experiences
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Buy experiences, not things“.
What better way to celebrate your graduate than with a memorable experience?
Like a vacation, the memories created by a special experience will last a lifetime.
Have they always wanted to go skydiving?
Or maybe get a tattoo?
Has your graduate always dreamed of driving a race car around the track?
The options are endless when it comes to giving an unforgettable experience as a gift!
You have the opportunity to make their dream come true!
The Night Sky Star Map
Another sentimental gift idea is a night sky star map.
Customize the map for the date your child was born.
And boom…you’ve got yourself a personalized meaningful graduation present!
We hope you found a sentimental idea that would work for your graduate and your budget.
Do you have another gift idea?
We’d love to hear about it because we’re always searching for new memorable ideas to give!
More Ideas for Your Graduate
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!
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