It’s that time of the year when many parents of high school seniors are debating the pros and cons of throwing their child a graduation party. For some, it’s a family tradition and a given that you host such a bash to celebrate this happy milestone. For others, the idea of hosting such a party can strike some fear. Not only about the costs, but about all those little details that can eat up a bunch of your time and create needless stress. We’re looking at you, Pinterest!
(Note: We are hopeful that graduation parties will be safe for our teens but we urge you to follow Covid restrictions in your area for this or any other gathering.)
Here’s why you should hop on board:
How Do I Plan a Graduation Party?
1. The Gang’s All Here
Once you’ve survived a single high school graduation party season, you realize that you keep seeing the same kids and families over and over again at multiple parties. Most high school kids hang out in packs. And this means that they are inviting many of the exact same kids to their parties. It only makes sense to consolidate invitation lists and embrace the old “Kill two birds with one stone” approach. In party lingo, this translates to “Stuff sixty kids with one huge sheet cake.”
2. Pool Those Resources
As with most parties, not just graduation celebrations, a singular host wakes up the next morning staring at way too many leftovers, enough soda to swim in, and plastic or paper products to last a year. Oh, and don’t forget the balloons and centerpieces you spent money on as well.
When you have four or five families sharing costs, you can buy products in bulk, spend less money on food and beverages, and have more resources for things like games and party activities. And if there are leftovers, you have more families to distribute them to!
3. Everyone’s an Expert
With a group graduation party, each parent can shine in her or his own way. You’ll find someone who loves to drive all over town and scour stores for the best deals on tablecloths and napkins. One Mom will be the crafty type who lives for sewing beautiful and “extra” pennant banners, one has a killer brownie recipe, and someone’s sister works for a florist.
There’s bound to be at least one Dad who has the skills and tools to make a wood pallet or PVC pipe-based photo backdrop and another who’s co-worker is a DJ or owns a food truck. Let people run with what they do best and take advantage of numerous networks.
4. Strength in Numbers
Whether the party is going to be in someone’s backyard, at a local park, or in a community center, it’s great to have a whole group of parents who are “in charge” and watching out to make sure kids stay safe and the fun doesn’t get out of hand. High school graduation parties seem to be notorious for crashers showing up and sometimes getting disruptive. If your party includes alcohol for the adults, it is very helpful to have lots of eyes on who has access to those drinks.
5. Planning “Meetings”
Party preparation can be just as fun as the event itself when you have an assembly of moms doing the planning. When we were planning a group party for my son and four of his friends, we’d meet up periodically at the neighborhood community center to discuss our progress, create photo posters for our kids, share food and wine and a lot of laughs. Two years later, we still find time to get together and share news about our kids who are off at college.
A few group party logistics to keep in mind:
Your very first task should be coming up with a budget that each family is comfortable with.
Have the kids create an agreed upon “collective friends” invitation list, then let the parents decide how many more invites each kid/family is allowed. Make sure your own private invitees know they do not need to bring a gift for each of the graduates involved.
Have a box designated for each graduate that can hold their cards and any gifts they might receive.
Cut down on costs by purchasing beverages from membership stores like Costco and consider having each family bring a couple homemade desserts. This leaves more money for catering entrée food only. Food does not need to be anything fancy!
Keep kids busy with fun activities. Find friends and neighbors willing to lend board games, ping-pong tables, a karaoke machine, Twister, and corn hole games that you can order with college designs. Photo props like glasses and hats are easily found at any dollar store or on Amazon.
And my favorite party tip of all is to host your event before the kids’ actual graduation day. (The week before high school graduation is usually just busy time at school and the kids are finished studying anyway.) This way, you avoid your party overlapping with others, people have yet to develop party fatigue, and you are then free to thoroughly enjoy your child’s graduation ceremony and others’ celebrations in the following days.
Cheers to the Class of 2021!
You Might Also Want to Read:
Graduation Party Ideas: How to Celebrate Your Senior’s Big Day
Graduation Party Ideas: 10 Things Not to Forget
Source: https://grownandflown.com/group-graduation-party/
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