Finally, your graduate has come to the point where they are about to throw their hats in the air, and shout hooray because they have finally finished their studies.

Graduation is what everyone strives for and with graduation comes many responsibilities such as picking the perfect outfit, making sure everything is ready to go for the graduation party; including food, drinks, games, and everything in between.

But what most people forget at a graduation party is a graduation poster board! If you want to give your graduate a gift they will appreciate and remember, then a graduation poster needs to be a staple.

A graduation poster board is necessary for every new graduate’s party as a way to display successes over the years.

If you are unfamiliar with what the graduation board is, have no fear because I will walk you through the steps of how to make a graduation board, what it entails and why you need one.

If you are ready to put your graduation party on the best list of graduation parties that ever existed then stick around!

What is a graduation poster board?

A graduation poster board is a poster made up of sentimental items such as photos memories accomplishments and achievements and everything in between over the years that highlights their successes.

Graduation posters can also include inspirational, funny, and sentimental quotes.

Where to buy poster board

Poster board can typically be purchased at office supply stores such as colored poster boards, art supply stores, and some craft stores such as dollar tree poster board. You can also check out your local Walmart for a poster board.

Poster boards can also be purchased online from retailers such as Amazon, Staples, and Office Depot.

When shopping for poster board, you may want to consider the size, thickness, and color of the board. Poster board is usually available in standard sizes such as 22×28 poster board, 36×48 inches, and 40×60 inches, but other sizes may also be available.

The thickness of the board can vary, with thicker boards being more durable but also more expensive.

Poster board is also available in a variety of colors, including white, black, and various shades of gray, blue, green, and red.

You may also want to consider the type of project you are working on when choosing poster board.

Some poster board is specifically designed for use with markers or paint, while others may be more suitable for use with glue or other adhesives.

It’s generally a good idea to shop around and compare prices to find the best deal on poster board.

You may also want to consider purchasing poster board in bulk if you have a large project or will be using the poster board frequently, as this can save you money in the long run.

You will also want to purchase a poster board stand if you choose to show it off.

What type of quotes should I include on my graduation board?

Many quotes surface around this time of year as parents and grandparents scour the web for some of the best quotes to utilize.

Some may stick to a standard sentimental quote that holds depth in their hearts such as:

“Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.”… doesn’t that just give you the feels?

Not everyone is a fan of sentimental quotes so some may opt for a lighter more humorous and cliche quote such as:

“The tassel is worth the hassle”

Or

“A year to forget, an achievement to remember.”

There are many different types of quotes that you can choose from to display on your poster board but what good is doing all this research on what’s the best quote to write if no one is even going to see it?

So this poses the question; where should you place your poster board?

Where to put a graduation poster board

A graduation poster board should be placed in an area that is neutral to the venue whether it’s at the entrance or it’s right next to the buffet or in the living room where everyone plans to gather.

It needs to be in a central location so that everyone can see and admire the success of the Graduate.

Poster board ideas

Now that you have a better understanding of what a graduation poster board is and where to position it at the party, we should move on to how to create the poster boards as well as display the different types of boards that can be created.

It is important to note that the graduation poster boards can be used for many different grade-level graduations.

You can make a 5th-grade graduation poster board an eighth-grade graduation poster board, a high school graduation poster board, and even a college graduation poster board.

Graduation posters can be used for many of the graduation ceremonies from kindergarten through college.

Photo corkboard

A photo corkboard is a great way to showcase your graduates’ life. I mean everyone loves looking back at those embarrassing baby pictures anyway!

Supplies needed:

• 25-35 printed photos (depending on the size of the prints and the size of the corkboard)
• Tacks
• Framed Corkboard

If you’re interested in making the Corkboard yourself, here’s a great video showing how to make a basic DIY corkboard:

Steps to create the Photo Corkboard: 1. After getting all the supplies, place your corkboard on a flat surface. 2. Grab one of your printed photos and place the photo on the desired area of the corkboard. 3. Once it’s in place, grab one of your tacks and puncture the photo at the top so that it stays in place. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all photos are on the corkboard.

Jenna’s Pro Tip: If you want your DIY Photo Corkboard to stand out at the graduation party, add some ribbon, paper, and other materials to the corkboard.

To tailor it to your graduate specifically, use some items from their childhood and tack them into place on the corkboard.

Here are some examples of photo corkboards for graduation parties:

Trifold Graduation poster board

We are most certainly taking it back to the old school with the tri-fold poster board.

This poster board is an oldie but a goodie because it allows for each panel to contain different parts of your graduates’ life in a sequence or allows for the board to be more organized and have a consistent flow on each panel.

Supplies needed:

• Tri-fold display board any size
• Photographs
• Scrapbook paper
• Scissors
• Scrapbook lettering
• Foam cut-outs
• Stickers
• Glue

Step 1: Identify your layout.

As we mentioned earlier, because it is trifold you have the option to separate the board and make it more sequential such as having childhood photos and quotes on the left side, in the middle, you could include middle-aged photos from middle school, and on the right end, High School or College memorabilia, things of that nature.

I would suggest taking full advantage of the fact that there are three sections to utilize.

Step 2: Glue the scrapbook paper to the board.

You are going to want to either use a solid backdrop of scrapbook paper or you can mix it up and get different colors, shapes, and sizes it just depends on who you’re making the poster board for or if it’s for yourself and you’re going to want to incorporate some of your styles into the backdrop.

Step 3: Mount your photos.

Your photos are going to want to be matted onto scrapbook paper, it could be the same that you use for the background of the board or different just depending on your taste you’re going to want to make sure that the mats are one half an inch to 1 inch larger than the photos and once you’ve got that situated you are going to want to glue the photos to the mat.

Step 4: Arrange your photos.

You are going to want to map out where you would like to place your photos before you glue them onto your board because the photos are the most important aspect of your board you want to make sure that the layout is exactly what you would imagine before you make it a permanent action.

Step 5: Add Lettering.

By adding lettering to your board it can give it a pop of pizzazz.

You can add lettering by using the Scrapbook material stickers or a plain marker if you would like.

You can add red lettering into different categories such as childhood memories, senior memories, special occasions, special events, and things of such nature.

You can also be simplistic and just simply add the graduates named to the board because there are plenty of other ways to make the board more creative aside from just lettering alone.

Step 6: Get fancy.

Now’s the time when you can go crazy with all the extra decorations that you have.

You can add foam lettering, stickers, and more photos.

You can even take extra supplies and go with a theme for the decoration. If your child had a favorite sport or if they were in Orchestra or band then you would include different themed stickers and memorabilia to go onto your board.

Step 7: Take a break.

Now is the easy part you’ve done all the hard work and now all that’s left to do is to allow the glue to dry completely on the board and then display your finished product.

See below for some examples of trifold graduation posters:

Directional Roadmap – Arrow Signs

A directional roadmap is a whimsical and non-traditional form of a graduation poster board.

This artistic piece comes alive with only a few supplies but has the potential to be filled with tons of significance.

Supplies needed:

• Colorful Cardstock
• Balsa Wood Pole

Step one: Choose the size of the balsa wooden pole that you would like to use.

After determining the size, you can paint the wooden pole in your graduates’ favorite colors or maybe even the school colors.

Step 2: While the paint dries you can cut out large arrows from the cardstock.

Step 3: Write on each arrow one of your favorite poems or inspirational quotes.

Step 4: Attach the arrows to the wooden pole and viola your whimsical directional roadmap for your graduate is completed.

Here are some examples of arrows signs:

Faux Chalkboard Sign

Supplies needed:

• Faux Chalkboard
• Chalkboard markers
• Photos (optional)

Step 1: Fill in the blanks.

Chances are with the faux chalkboard that you have purchased it is likely that there are fill-in-the-blank spaces.

Many faux chalkboards have spaces to fill in such as name, age, favorite food, favorite color, career aspirations, and more.

So take this time to reflect deeply about your graduate and what they enjoy and then use the chalkboard markers to fill in the blanks.

If you would like your Graduate poster to be more uniform I would suggest only using one color of marker, however, if you or your graduate are into a variety of colors then you should go ahead and choose a vast array of contrasting colors.

Step 2: Attach the photos.

After you have filled in the blanks on your chalkboard about your graduate, now would be the time to add any photos.

Depending on the style of Faux chalkboard there will be spaces for you to add photos of your graduate.

See below for some examples of a chalkboard graduation poster board:

Framed Photo For Guests To Sign

Another great graduation poster board idea is having an item for guests to sign when they appear at the graduation party.

Supplies needed:

• Easel (to display the item)
• Photo of graduate
• White canvas
• Frame for canvas
• Sharpies (variety of colors)

Step 1: Place the photo on the canvas

Grab your printed photo of the graduate and glue or tape the photo to the canvas board.

Step 2: Attach the canvas onto the frame

The next step is to place the canvas into a frame.

Step 3: Place the framed canvas on an easel

Placing the canvas on an easel makes it easier for guests to see and sign the board.

Step 4: Place different colored sharpies on the easel

Set the sharpies on the easel or another option is to attach the sharpies onto the frame.

To attach the sharpies – use a small string to tie around the sharpie cap and tape the string to the frame so it dangles off and it’s easy for people to grab and sign.

Here are some examples of a framed welcome sign:

Senior night poster ideas

There are lots of ideas that can be created for senior poster ideas but here are some easy DIY senior night poster board ideas you can make for a unique experience:

There are many different ways to showcase your graduate to let them know just how proud of them you are.

I truly hope that you enjoyed this list of suggestions and give them a try!

Please comment down below with any other ideas!

Until next time…

Cheers Lovelies!