I have been inundated over the last couple of weeks with messages and emails asking for online graduation ideas to do with students. So, today I’m going to pile some ideas into one blog post for you to have quick and easy access to.
Some of these ideas can be all online, while others can contain ideas for you to print and send home too. It’s all about what works best for you and your students.
Invitations
First of all – who doesn’t love getting mail? Design and print to send home, or email invitations inviting your students to their online graduation. This will help add some excitement to the day, as well as providing parents with enough notice to ensure that the students (and family if you want) are able to attend the online graduation. You can also include instructions here – how to access the graduation etc.
Design a Cap
You can either have students wear a cap and gown if that’s what they have available – or you can set a challenge for everyone to design their own cap. Send home an email with some different image examples that you can find online (especially Pinterest!). You can have a competition on the day for who has the best graduation hat / craziest graduation hat. It’s something extra for students to do at home, while also letting them have a bit of fun.
You can also use these free graduation crowns for Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade.
Themes
Decide on a theme – and decorate your side of the Zoom screen – or use the change background filter. I’ve seen a bunch of teachers change their background to the Hollywood sign or the Walk of Fame and then done a Hollywood themed ceremony – it adds something extra to the day.
Movie
I love putting together photos that we have taken throughout the year and putting them into a movie with a song playing. This is the perfect way to start the Zoom lesson. It also allows students the chance to look back at all the memories – and for family members to see everything that they have been doing together in your classroom this year.
Song
We love signing along to songs – and now is a perfect time to use it! You can start working on the signs of the song with students in your Zoom lessons during the lead up to the ceremony – and record yourself doing it and send it to them – so that they can work on it whenever they want. Then, on the day, have everyone sign along to the song on Zoom. I personally love ‘Reach for the Stars’ by S Club 7 for this.
Certificates
Certificates can be done in a number of ways. You can email them home – or print them out and have parents hand them to students. Personally, I would pre-record myself presenting to the certificate to each child and then play it on the day. I’ll have mailed the certificates home to parents and they can then hand it to their child – or print out 2 certificates – one that you present to them and ‘pass through’ the screen to their parent who then passes it to them.
You can also just have the certificates up on the screen like a presentation and present them to the students that way. Check out these editable Kindergarten graduation certificates or these editable end of year awards.
Snacks
There are so many fun graduation treats that you can make these days – and this is really up to you. For me, our recent PJ Party Zoom lesson was a huge hit where we made cookies with milk – or a cup of tea in my case. So, this would probably work nicely again with everyone making cookies beforehand, and then eating them together at the end of the graduation ceremony to have a sort of ‘party’ together.
Disco
To end the graduation, you can throw a mini disco. You can send home some glow sticks – or give parents an advance warning of the disco and they can join in. Play music through your speakers, and dance away, encouraging students to do the same.
Slideshow
If you want something a little more set up, you can also put together a PowerPoint presentation / slideshow and use this for the graduation. You can have all the slides set up in order, ready to go. Each student can have their own slide for their certificate, and some photos of themselves and it gives everyone a chance to cheer for them too.
Alternative Ideas
If you’re looking for alternative ideas that you can do in person while maintaining distance, I’ve seen some of the following ideas;
- Drop off memory books – or any end of year gifts that you put together – to your students homes. Have them dress up for graduation and take a photo of them with their family members.
- Do a drive-by for your students. Have them stand outside their houses at certain times in their graduation outfits while you drive past, beeping your horn.
- Have a drive-thru graduation at your school. Parents can fetch their children and drive through a part of the school where teachers/staff members can all design their own signs and hold them up for the children to see.
I hope you found this online graduation ideas blog post helpful. If so, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues on social media.
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