Things to Do During Your Child’s Senior Year: Real Tips from Real Parents
My son is heading into his senior year, and I’ve started a graduation folder with saved ideas to get ahead of it. When I posted about it on Instagram, I asked my community what they wished they’d done (or were so glad they did) during their own kid’s senior year. The responses were so good I wanted to collect them all in one place and share them here.
Capture Everything Now
Start a photo file today. One mom said the single best thing she did was start a folder of photos of her son “just him, over the years” well before senior year hit. It saved her so much scrambling when she needed pictures for yearbook pages, slideshows, and social posts.
Write a letter a week. Inspired by scrapbooker Cathy Zielske’s “class letters to my senior” project, one mom used the Project Life app to drop in one photo and write a short letter every single week of senior year. She said it turned out to be one of her favorite things she’s ever made.
Keep a folder ready for “Senior Sunday” posts, and take photos of “lasts” — the last game, last practice, last performance — so you can pair them with the “firsts” from years ago. The year moves fast, and having pictures already organized takes one thing off your plate.
Do a Senior Sunrise. One family’s tradition: on the first day of senior year, the friend group meets up early to watch the sunrise together before school. It’s become something the whole group looks forward to.
Make the Most of Your Time Together
Put a weekly date on the calendar. One mom made a standing weekly dinner just for the two of them. Some weeks it didn’t happen, but she made sure to pick it back up the next week rather than letting it quietly disappear.
Do what they love, not what you’d pick. One mom makes a point of finding new “hole in the wall” restaurants with her son and great matcha spots with her daughter — neither would be her first choice, but she says it’s less about the food and more about seeing how they experience the world.
Take a trip, just the two of you. One mom and her oldest went on a trip together after his first year of college — a NASA launch and tour, plus a stop at Disney for the Star Wars lightsaber-making experience he wanted to do. She said it was a special way to watch him grow into himself while still knowing she’s a safe place to land.
Write It Down and Say It Out Loud
Write a first-day-of-senior-year letter. One mom wrote her son a letter on the first day of his senior year telling him how proud he made her, and being honest that while she was thrilled for him, these “lasts” belonged to her too — so if he caught her holding on a little longer during a hug, that was okay.
Collect letters from the people who shaped him. For her two oldest kids’ 18th birthdays, one mom quietly reached out to teachers, coaches, mentors, and close family friends and asked each to write a short note. She gathered them all and gifted the stack at their family birthday dinner. She called it one of the most special things she’s ever done for her kids.
Let party guests leave a note. Set out a basket of cards at the birthday party and have someone go around asking guests to jot a quick message. Instead of handing them over that day, mail one to him each week afterward along with a small amount of cash, so the celebration stretches out.
Mindset Shifts Worth Making
You’re allowed to feel two things at once. One mom regularly reminds her kids (and herself) that you can be happy/excited and sad/anxious at the same time. Before big “last” moments, she’ll even ask them directly: “How are you feeling right now — Class of ’27, or last first day?”
Hype up turning 18. More than one parent mentioned that their kids felt a little sad about becoming adults. Their advice: lean into the excitement and let your child know how happy you are for them, and how much fun the next chapter is going to be.
Give them space now, on purpose. The hardest part for one mom was resisting the urge to keep her kids close. Her approach: show up to their games, be home when they’re home, watch the dumb YouTube videos, welcome their friends over — and remind herself she’s building the relationship she wants to have once they’re not living under her roof.
Talk about being a good “roommate.” One mom (a single parent) talks openly with her son about what it means to be a considerate roommate — to her now, and to future peers later. Simple things like texting when he’s on his way home, locking up, and asking if she needs anything while he’s out.
Expect to cry at random, unglamorous moments. At the dentist’s office when they ask where he’s going to school. In the Target aisle buying dorm supplies. Driving him to school the very last time. One mom’s advice: all of it is normal, and you’ve earned every tear.
Remind yourself what you actually did. When the pride gets overwhelming, one mom likes to remember: “I birthed them. I did that.”
Practical Planning Tips
Do your “last summer at home” traditions early — the summer before senior year, not after. One family front-loaded their big trips and traditions that summer, because by the summer before college their daughter was already mentally checked out and ready for the next step.
Delegate at the party. Ask a friend or two who know their way around your kitchen to keep the food stocked, and have someone else handle the dishes. It frees you up to actually be present, and gives friends who want to support you (but don’t know many other guests) a role.
Hit Dollar Tree in March or April for graduation decor before it sells out, and check New Year’s Eve clearance sales for banners, cups, and merch printed with the year — it often works for a senior celebration too.
Consider a gift that lasts. Monogrammed towels (LL Bean was the specific recommendation) came up as a surprisingly great gift — one mom still has towels she received back in 2003.
Got a tip that isn’t on this list? I’d love to add it — leave a comment below.