Celebrating Graduation

Graduations are one of my favorite events to attend. When I look at the young graduate ready to embark on a new stage of their life, I get very emotional in a good way. They may not realize it, but their whole life is waiting for them to embrace. So whether it be a preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school or college graduation, I believe it is important to mark a child’s accomplishment along with celebrating the next phase of their life.

Now, not all graduation celebrations need to be big “blow-out” parties. The important thing is to acknowledge and celebrate the event with your child in a special way. That may mean an intimate dinner with your immediate family or a big party with family and friends. If you are open to options, ask the graduate how they would like to celebrate.

My family has made it a tradition to mark the end of the school year with a special celebratory dinner - we consider it a graduation from the current school year. At the dinner, we recap the year and all the hard work that went into their achievements.  Of course, we also talk about where they are headed in the coming year(s). 

So as the school year comes to a close, celebrate in a way that feels good for you and your child. If you want to have a party, then by all means have a party. If you want to celebrate in a more intimate way plan a special family dinner. Just remember, this is a perfect opportunity to celebrate life!

Regardless of the type of celebration you plan, here are a few fun ideas you can incorporate.

1. Make a collage containing your child’s school pictures over the years – it’s truly amazing to see how much they’ve grown.
2. Create a movie of all the special events of the school year. There are so many opportunities in preschool and elementary school to get into the classroom and capture a presentation, celebration or parade. What a great recap of the school year this is to enjoy, now and for years to come.
3. Finally, every celebration deserves a treat, prepare a special one like these Graduation Cap Cupcakes. See recipe >