Need some fun graduation gift ideas that your high school senior will love?

“About 3.7 million students are expected to graduate from high school during the 2019–20 school year, including 3.3 million students from public schools and 0.3 million from private schools.” And every one of them will well deserve a graduation gift.

Graduating high school is one of the biggest milestones in your teen’s life so far. In between helping your teen prep for graduation and planning out a ceremony at home, you might be left wondering what gifts he or she might really love to receive.

There are hundreds of gifts for high school graduates, but here are 8 graduation gift ideas that you might not have thought of yet.

1. Cover their dental care (and a whitening treatment).

Dental care might be one of the best gifts a graduate can receive. While your teen is still under your insurance and before their schedule is busy with college or work, book any important dental appointments. Maybe they’ve been mentioning a toothache or it’s been a while since their last cleaning. You might also want to get them started on orthodontic care.

Since your teen is going to be meeting a lot of new people, a whitening treatment to polish their smile is a great idea, too.

2. Surprise them with a new laptop.

Between college, work, and personal life, a graduate will really appreciate having a fast new laptop by their side. If you’re not too savvy with technology, consider visiting a store in-person to learn more about what models are available.

As a bonus, some big-name tech stores offer laptop discounts for students. You may have to provide proof of college acceptance or graduation, but the extra effort is usually worth it.

3. Buy graduation gift cards for clothing and home decor.

Gift cards are always welcomed gifts, especially for graduates who are about to be doing quite a bit of shopping. Gift cards to home decor or big box stores will be really useful for graduates heading to college or moving into their first apartment. Gift cards to clothing stores are also great for graduates who need new clothes for school or their new job/job search.

4. Help them get their finances organized.

Your graduate is about to be financially independent. Helping them get organized financially may not be the most exciting gift, but it’s definitely one they will grow to be thankful for as they learn to live on their own.

You can schedule an appointment with a financial advisor who specializes in helping graduates or college students organize, or you can simply provide them with some financial books and set aside an afternoon to help them create a budget. 

5. Replace their old book bag.

By graduation, your teen’s book bag or backpack is probably looking pretty rough. Replace their old bag with something new—and maybe a little fancy.

If your graduate is about to start a new job or internship, a leather shoulder bag will look very professional. You can also find excellent deals on high-end luxury bag brands at department stores. For soon-to-be college students, a sturdy but beautiful canvas or canvas and leather bag with a laptop sleeve will be perfect for hauling books.

6. Sign them up for Amazon Prime.

An Amazon Prime membership makes life so much easier for graduates, regardless of where their life may be taking them after high school. You can either purchase an Amazon Prime membership as a gift or, if they’re going to college, you can offer to cover their Amazon Prime Student membership fees.

7. Put together a new job care kit (a uniquely personalized graduation gift).

Starting a new job or internship is a huge achievement for a graduate. If your teen has already been accepted for a position, a new job care kit is a fun and useful gift. This is a very personalized gift to customize based on your teen’s preferences and their actual type of job. 

Some ideas include a monogrammed travel coffee mug, a pair of fancy dress socks, hand sanitizer and hand cream, a small stick of emergency deodorant, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, gum or breath mints, a notebook, stationery, new pens, and highlighters, etc.

8. Book a weekend for them to relax and connect with friends.

Your graduate is probably feeling equally excited about their new life as they are sad about friends staying behind or leaving. In addition to squeezing in family bonding time, consider booking a local Airbnb for your teen and their friends for the weekend. This will give your teen a way to relax with their fellow graduates, reminisce, and simply have a good time connecting before college, work, and other factors cause everyone to go different ways.

Congratulations to our local Ohio high school students and their families! We look forward to seeing your familiar faces in our office once more.

If you’re interested in giving the gift of dental care to your graduate, you can still give our office a call to schedule an appointment.