Graduating from high school, college, or graduate school is a significant achievement that represents the culmination of years of dedication so it deserves to be recognized. However, with many graduation ceremonies postponed or conducted through Zoom as a result of COVID-19, your new graduates may be disappointed that this significant milestone will not be celebrated as it should. In this article we share 16 virtual graduation party ideas so that you can honor your student’s incredible accomplishments the right way while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
How do you celebrate graduates virtually?
To celebrate graduates virtually, whether you are a family member or a well-intentioned teacher, requires a good Internet connection and a little bit of creativity. There are also professional entertainment companies that can help you plan the perfect virtual party.
1. Use Technology
You can still rejoice with friends and teachers even if you can’t be in the same room with them. Gathering people has never been easier thanks to technology like Google Hangouts and Zoom. These free services have extra features such as a chatroom and the ability to silence others’ microphones, which is useful for party games.
2. Food Critic Gathering
Even if you don’t have any visitors, you may still impress your family and users with a stunning arrangement on the table. Here are 55 easy finger food recipes that you can make, from baked mac-and-cheese bits to buffalo chicken meatballs. Video call participants should also cook so that you can all share a meal together. Alternatively, keep things simple and support local businesses by ordering a variety of delectable dishes.
3. Bring Out the Decorations
Nothing says celebration like a splash of color and glitz, from banners and tablecloths to paper fans and balloons. Although it’s a virtual celebration, you can decorate the background of your webcam so that it’s appropriate for the occasion. We recommend selecting a funny picture of the newly graduated and setting it as a virtual background.
4. Dress the Part
For months, your kid has been living in sweatpants (and, well, so have you—no judgment). It is now the time to put on some proper attire, including the all-important graduation cap and gown. Check with your child’s school to determine if caps and gowns can be picked up or delivered. Alternatively, get one ahead of time online and make sure to double-check delivery dates. Caps and gowns are available in a variety of styles.
The digital invitation to the virtual event should share the dress code that is required to adequately show up to the virtual celebration. If you would like to have a goofy video conference, you could give different dress code themes to those invited to the virtual party.
5. Movie Party
Why not take it a step further and organize a watch party if you’re going to dress up and cook some tasty food? Through a site like Scener, which allows you to stream all of your favorite shows from Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max, you can host a virtual movie night. You can vote by show of hands which movie should be watched to make this virtual event as lively as possible.
To truly make this a graduation celebration, those invited to the virtual event could send food to the home of the graduate throughout the movie without them knowing. Not only will this fill their fridge with delicious leftovers, but it will also be a funny running joke throughout the night.
6. Nominate a Guest Speaker
A commencement address will almost certainly be given during your child’s virtual graduation ceremony, but make it more personal by nominating someone (you, your partner, a grandparent, or a sibling) to offer their own, unique speech for your new graduate. Consider this individual the virtual event’s emcee, someone who will offer a few motivational words and perhaps even invite other visitors to do the same.
7. Ask Guests to Send Cards
At a graduation party, attendees are usually asked to sign a guest book. If that isn’t possible right now, ask friends and family to send cards to the graduate instead (make sure to include your home address in the virtual invitation). This way you will be able to surprise your graduate with a keepsake collection of good wishes. This might require some preparation and discretion before the virtual graduation ceremony, but having a physical souvenir will be a consolation for not being able to see one another in person.
8. Digitized Traditional Ceremony
It is rather uncertain whether the class of 2022 will be able to have a proper graduation ceremony in person, therefore beginning the virtual graduation party with a digital ceremony is a nice touch. Cliché ceremonial music should be in the back as high school graduates make their entrance in the video conference. Although this alternative is the last resort solution, it can quickly be put together if health and safety measures change again.
9. Play Some Games
Virtual get-togethers can quickly become snoozy. Play some entertaining games with your guests, such as Pictionary, Charades, or a classic game of bingo, to keep things moving. Play “Two Truths and a Lie” using memories of the graduates. Let attendees know what they’ll need to participate ahead of time, and make sure they know where the mute-all button is so the meeting doesn’t devolve into mayhem.
10. Congratulation Video
Given that not everyone who received a digital invitation might be able to show up to the virtual graduation party, it could be a nice touch to make a video with everyone the newly graduated person appreciates. It may sound easy to achieve, but it requires a lot of back and forward communication, as well as some video editing skills.
The great thing is that there are plenty of video tutorials on YouTube to assist you to become a moderate video editor. This digital souvenir will certainly age to be a testament of the pandemic years and how it did not stop you from being there for one another.
11. Get Them an Awesome Gift
What do you get a graduate who is starting adulthood at such a turbulent time? Try one of these 51 gifts that they’ll surely love, no matter what life throws at them this summer. These presents, which range from a stylish leather purse to a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, will be appreciated by your child.
12. Virtual Tour of Their Future College
If your teen is starting college in the autumn, take a virtual tour of their new campus! Imagining what potential adventures are around the corner and focusing on the future will be beneficial to your child during these strange pandemic times. By simply sharing your screen during a video conference, all participants will be on board for the tour. This activity is a lovely ice breaker as well.
If previous members of the family attended the same college or university, they’ll be able to share some of their personal adventures in the surrounding areas, and which bars were the ones worth going to.
13. Celebrity Shout Out
This year’s commencement ceremony will be a little different, but you can still make it memorable, even if you’re watching it from your living room. Surprise the new grad with their own, personalized Cameo shout-out from their favorite star after the virtual graduation ceremony is over. From famous chess grandmasters to screen actors, a variety of celebrities offer personalized clips for moderate prices. Cameo is the main online platform for these shouts out.
14. Send Money
When all else fails, offering cash is a surefire way to show a new graduate that you care. Perhaps you were unable to see them due to travel limitations, or perhaps you forgot the time of the Zoom ceremony. You won’t have to worry because a message that “someone just sent you money” will put a grin on their face. It is the perfect gift for anyone who is beginning a new chapter in their life.
15. Bring Your Class Together With a Virtual Party
A virtual graduation party is a great way to bring friends together to celebrate this amazing achievement through fun, collaborative, and unifying party activities. The team behind KRONOS Experience has created virtual experiences so that your high school graduates will not have to hide behind their computer screens and passively assist their virtual graduation ceremony.
Using a combination of different technologies, our team will organize a virtual graduation-themed adventure for your class that will get you connected while living an immersive, collaborative, and active experience. Using both Zoom and an exclusive remote app, participants will have the chance to cooperate while being physically active, both indoors and outdoors, ensuring a memorable experience.
16. Kronos Experience Games
Given that sanitary health restrictions are slowly being lifted across Canada, at-school graduation activities may be a possibility! This is where Kronos’ game The Missing Player becomes a possibility for your high school graduates. This team-building experience is a cooperative game where the goal is to rescue a valuable member of your class or a teacher who has been kidnapped.
Students will have 1h30, in teams of 3 to 6 players, to succeed in various physical, cognitive, and social challenges. All activities are performed directly on the players’ smartphones through our mobile application. Therefore, if remote schooling becomes a reality anew, this hybrid game can quickly be adapted to take place solely online.
Two weeks before the main event, Kronos will help create mystery and excitement amongst students. Our team will create a web page that visually takes the form of a digital newspaper with a few videos and the main article about your high school and a mystery investigation. This spooky adventure is perfect to finish the school year on a strong note.