I know it seems a bit premature but graduation season is quickly approaching. One of the conversations I encountered with many moms last spring was the conversation of graduation gifts for our high school seniors. All of us had children that were traveling miles away from home to begin their college careers and we wanted them to be more than prepared. We took into account the idea of them not having their own transportation, new living arrangements, spacing in the dorm rooms/apartments and even the grocery stores and retail shops close to the campus. Keeping all of these factors in mind, we were able to give our babies graduation gifts that would help them navigate in the world of the unknown. Below are some of the items we gifted to our seniors.

1. Money – Cash is always a bonus for seniors. It gives them the option of saving or using it to purchase any additional items they might want or need for campus life.
2. Grocery Store Gift Cards – We researched the areas near the campuses and found the local grocery stores and purchased gift cards to the stores closest to the campus. Surprisingly, there were some students that did not have a Walmart close to their new home.
3. Uber Eats/Door Dash Gift Cards – Because most freshman can’t have a car on campus, this gave them the option to purchase food off campus without needing a ride. It also gave them the option to pay for a ride somewhere if needed.
4. Amazon Gift Cards – Because Amazon has everything you need, right?
5. Self Care Packages – We created packages that had every hygiene product they could think of. This included soap, deodorant, washing powder, fabric softener, toothpaste, wipes, cologne, mouthwash, floss, body wash, shampoo, etc. Can you imagine how much we saved them by purchasing products they would need daily? We not only saved them money but a trip to the store. Oh, and as a bonus, my sister in law added a container of quarters so my son didn’t have to find quarters for laundry.
6. Sweet Treat Care Packages – This was the same as the self care packages except it had all of their favorite snacks. This was a hit!
7. Luggage – Most of our boys are athletes so they have to travel. The suitcase they packed their things in to move in is not sufficient for a team trip. Having suitcases of multiple sizes helped a great deal as some of their events can last up to three days and some as few as one day.
8. School Paraphernalia – You know as freshman, we’re excited to wear our school apparel. So many students rush in the bookstore spending all of their coins on tee shirts and other gear to wear when the upperclassmen arrive. Save them the trip and buy them a few items before they hit the yard.
9. Sheets with a high thread count – Ha! It matters. It’s bad enough you have to sleep in the twin size bed as a full grown adult. At least have quality sheets on it.
10. Chargers, cables, extension cords – I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many plugs and gadgets in one place. The number of trips to the store to buy cords and chargers and I don’t even know what some of the stuff was, but it helped get all of my son’s mess connected.

Of course we bought the other essentials but those items were purchased throughout their entire senior year. We found our student athletes were able to save time, money and resources by having these things available to them. My son, in particular, was able to get through the entire first semester without having to go to the grocery store. Well, part of that was also because he was too lax and sometimes lethargic. The point is there was no dire need to run to the store because he had enough to accommodate his needs using the items gifted to him. What are some items you’ve found beneficial for high school graduates?