Do you have one or more grads to shop for this season?
You can start by thinking about what you know about their next-step plans, as well as their favorite foods or activities. Fortunately, you don’t have to be on top of teenage trends or spend a mint to come up with a practical and thoughtful gift.
We’ve rounded up a list of gift ideas for high school graduates that won’t break the bank and are sure to elicit a smile.
If you’re buying a gift for a grad with specific plans for the upcoming months or years, consider putting together a gift basket related to their plans. This could mean filling it with:
Your gift basket can certainly include some silly and fun items, but be sure to also consider practical, smaller-cost items that you can pick up from retailers like Target, Walmart, Kohl’s, and HomeGoods.
Whether it’s music, podcasts, or audiobooks, help your grad elevate their audio game with a new pair of headphones from a retailer like Best Buy.
With some research, you can even select the best model based on how they’ll be used—on a running path or couch, in the campus library, or on an airplane seat.
The late teens and early twenties are often a time when travel and new events are a priority. So, rather than choosing products, you might consider gifting experiences that will broaden your grad’s horizons. For instance:
If the grad you’re celebrating is headed to college, you can help them jumpstart their branded gear collection with products from (or a gift card to) Fanatics, which carries branded merchandise for over 576 NCAA schools.
In addition to hats, jerseys, and t-shirts, you can also find a range of gift items that showcase college team spirit, such as:
Whether it’s to meet with a study group, cram for tomorrow’s exam, or get to know a new friend, grads headed to university will likely be spending a good amount of time and money in coffee shops. To that end, consider gifting:
Graduation is often followed by a move to college or a first apartment. In fact, it’s typically a time of streamlined living that can include temporary downsizing of belongings. So, choosing a gift that won’t weigh your grad down can be difficult unless you know their exact preferences.
For this reason, some of the best gifts for high school graduates are gift cards (a single one or a “gift basket” of several smaller cards) for:
Have you ever played the “if I only knew then what I know now” game? According to Business Insider, some of the most important lessons that aren’t taught in high school include:
So, when you plan gifts for high school graduates, consider ways to pass along some of the knowledge you’ve learned over the years. This could be:
Looking for twice the gifting power? Consider giving gift cards purchased through RaiseRight, using your own RaiseRight gift cards to purchase your grad’s gifts, or shopping online through RaiseRight to earn money back.
RaiseRight partners with community, school, and nonprofit organizations to raise funds through gift cards and online shopping. Choose from hundreds of popular brands like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Nike, and more, and your organization will receive earnings of up to 20% with every purchase.
If your favorite cause or organization doesn’t have a RaiseRight program in place, consider:
Looking for more tips on graduation preparation? Jump to these posts on graduation party planning or sending your kid off to college.