You Can Now Turn Your Kids' Old T-Shirts Into a Custom Quilt

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Of all the school transitions, the one between middle school and high school can sometimes be overshadowed. Eighth grade graduation is not considered as momentous a milestone as a high school or college graduation, and it's not considered as cute as a preschool graduation or kindergarten graduation. But getting through middle school is hard, academically and socially, and these students deserve to be celebrated with all our might!

In order to mark the occasion, these are the best 8th grade graduation gifts in 2024. Some are upgrades to the tech and gear they'll need when they're in high school, transitioning them from backpacks, laptops and headphones for little kids to more adult ones capable of handling their high school workload. Others are personalized, since gifts for teens with that one-of-a-kind touch are sure to make them feel special. Then there are a few that scream "Congratulations, graduate!" with all the requisite caps, gowns and diplomas that go with it. Choose something from the list below, and you'll get their high school journey started off on the right foot.

Looking for more great graduation gifts? Check out these Good Housekeeping guides:

The Best High School Graduation Gifts | The Best College Graduation Gifts | The Best Graduation Gifts for Her | The Best Graduation Gifts for Him

Graduation Bracelet Set

Beaded bracelets: They're not just for Taylor Swift concerts anymore! These celebrate your grad with cute diploma and mortarboard charms and words like "bright future," and grads can mix, match and stack them. It comes in a set of 48 bracelets, so you can split them up and give them to your grad and a few of their best friends.

Initial Travel Makeup Bag

If they're into changing up their looks, this travel makeup kit comes personalized with an initial, has pockets for all their brushes and uses adjustable dividers to keep everything organized. You can even fill it with some of their favorite beauty brands, like Sol De Janiero, Summer Fridays, Rare Beauty or Beauty Bakerie.

Acer Chromebook 315 Laptop

As they move onto high school, they might need to upgrade their tech to handle their bigger assignments. In Good Housekeeping Institute tests, users found Acer Chromebook laptops lightweight and easy to use at a more affordable price point than other laptops, which made it a great option for school.

RELATED: The Best Laptops

Graduation Money Balloon Box

There's nothing wrong with giving cash as a grad gift — they'll be able to use it on exactly what they want. But that doesn't mean you have to stuff bills in an envelope. This gift offers a big "wow," factor: The grad opens the box, and a helium balloon floats up with bills attached to the string. This kit comes with the gift box, two balloons, 36 bill sleeves and the balloon string — you have to supply the bills and the helium.

Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState

Former middle schoolers are not immune to the "Stanley Cup" craze, so give them another 40-ounce tumbler to add to their collections. You can also add in some cute accessories, like a pouch or a charm, to go with it.

Herschel Roy RFID Wallet

They're growing up — time to get them an "adult" wallet. This has slots for cards and IDs plus cash, and it can hold everything they need without getting too bulky. It blocks RFID signals, and it comes in multiple colors and patterns.

Squishmallows Graduation Plush

Somehow, they never get too old for Squishmallows. This Bigfoot, named Zozo, is just right for the occasion, with its rainbow mane and graduation cap. There's also a Squishmallow graduation owl, too.

Custom Name Necklace

Give them an accessory to wear that's uniquely theirs. This custom name necklace comes in three different metals — silver, rose gold or 18K gold-plated — and also several different fonts, including vertical and Old English lettering. An Amazon shopper's favorite, this has more than 8,600 five-star reviews.

Portable Desktop CD Player

Since everything comes full-circle, Gen Zers — especially those obsessed with the "Y2K aesthetic" — have been getting into collecting CDs again. Let them make the most of that collection with this portable CD player, which also comes with a Bluetooth speaker/transmitter, a line-in jack, an FM radio, a flash drive player and a remote control.

"Totally Rad Middle School Grad" Shirt

They can wear this shirt all summer, and proudly declare their graduate status. You can get it in 10 different colors and also in sizes up to adult 6x, so you're almost guaranteed a fit.

Fjällräven Kånken Backpack

After the rough-and-tumble middle school years, it might be time to retire their backpack. The sturdy Fjällräven Kånken comes in a lot of fun colors and prints, and also has room for everything they need with small pockets on the side, a zipper pocket in the front and a roomy main compartment.

X Rocker Flash Floor Rocker Gaming Chair

If they're video-game fans, enhance their gaming experience with this sweet setup. The X Rocker has two speakers in the headrest and a subwoofer at the bottom, so they can really feel the sound of their favorite games. When it's not in use, they can fold it up so it's not in the way.

Dear Ava Graduation Necklace

This compass necklace charm will let them know that they can choose their own direction in life, starting in high school. You can get it in gold, rose gold or silver, or choose other graduation-ready charms, like interlocking circles, linked circles or a tree of life, all with the same inspirational quote on the card. Or, if you're Dr. Seuss fans, you can get the interlocking circles with a quote from Oh! The Places You'll Go.

Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag

Versatile, cute and sleek, everyone from tweens to grandparents are clamoring for Lululemon's Everywhere Belt Bag. And we can see why: It's just the right size to hold the essentials, it comes in tons of colors and has an adjustable strap — reasons why it was named the best fanny pack by the Good Housekeeping Institute. You can also get a fleece version that has a fun, fuzzy texture to it.

Sky Viper Vector Stunt Plane

Good Housekeeping Institute testers were truly impressed with how fast and how far this drone plane could fly. And yet, it was still highly rated for is ease of controls, and takeoffs were pretty seamless.

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards

Graduation Bear

If you just need a little something to mark the occasion, this bear is the perfect fit, looking adorable on a desk or shelf. The bear sits seven inches tall, and you can get a couple styles of bear, a could different cap/gown colors or an owl instead of a bear.

Custom Name Neon Sign

If they're looking to transition their room from a middle-schooler's room to a high-schooler's, they might get a thrill out of seeing their name in lights! The size, color, font, symbol and backplate shape are all customizable, but no matter what they choose, it'll be a conversation starter.

Project Repat Used T-Shirt Quilt

Throughout the years of middle school, they've probably amassed a ton of t-shirts from sports teams, field days, concerts or other events, camps and other giveaways. They can be put to use, even if they're too small to be worn, by being transformed into a fleece-backed shirt quilt that preserves their favorite middle-school memories. They start at $75 for a lap size (16 shirts, or fewer if you want to use the fronts and the backs) and goes up to $250 for a king-size (64 shirt sides), plus you can add upgrades like embroidery or photo panels.

"Then and Now" Graduation Picture Frame

How time flies! They'll get a kick out of seeing themselves on the first day of middle school and the last, so they can see how much they've grown. (Note: This is also a good gift for grandparents.)

HP Sprocket Instant Photo Printer

This little printer takes photos from their smartphones or social media and prints them onto 2”x 3” sticker paper, which they can use to decorate lockers, notebooks and laptops. (No separate instant camera needed!) They can also use editing software to add touches like borders and emojis.

MYNT3D Super 3D Pen

They can make new art projects and learn the basics of 3D printing with this high-tech pen. It melts filament that kids can use to layer into different three-dimensional sculptures, turning what's into their imaginations into real-world objects.

Beaded Graduation Bracelet

Let them wear a little memento that shows them how proud you are. You can personalize it with their first initial, and then the rest of the bracelet is made with black agate and tiger-eye stones. It also has an adjustable size, so they can keep wearing it as they grow.

D.I.Y. Journaling Set

They have lots of plans, lots of goals and lots of hopes for the future — give them a place to write them all down. This kit starts with a 70-page, spiral-bound journal, but then gives them tons of stationery supplies they can use to make it their own, including die-cut shapes, stickers, glitter tape, frames, and other fun art supplies.

Casio G-Shock Sport Watch

In high school, they're going to have to get to their classes on time. Give them a way to keep track of the hours without relying on their smartphones. This watch is rugged, water-resistant, keeps track of the date and also looks cool.

Personalized Autograph Graduation Dog

Here's a cute gift that doubles as a fun activity: Kids can take this plush pup and ask their eighth-grade friends and teachers to sign it and leave a message for posterity. You can also personalize this one, adding a name to the ear.

DIY Wall Collage

If they're ready to give their room aesthetic a change, they can use this voluminous, 1,100-plus-piece set to jazz up their walls. It comes with pictures, die-cuts, shapes and quotes that they can assemble into a collage on their walls. There are even lists like "Favorite Places to Visit" that they can fill out.

Create Your Own Video Game Set

Playing video games? So middle school. Programming your own? That's the next big thing. Kids can take this unit and head to the web to program games for it using JavaScript and Python. (There's a tutorial they can follow.) It also has an internal gyroscope that can sense motion, or it can be used as a smartwatch or pedometer.

Personalized Class Ring

Chances are, they probably didn't offer the option to buy a class ring in middle school. If they're just dying for one, and love the preppy look it inspires, you can get one anyway — and it's very customizable. They can choose the metal, birthstone, ring head, inside inscription, and both sides of the ring to be just how they like it.

Razor A5 Lux Kick Scooter

The Good Housekeeping Institute named this the best scooter for older kids because of its adjustable height and smooth ride. Testers also liked how it folded up small — better for fitting in tight spaces like garages and lockers.

'I Wrote a Book about You' Journal

This journal makes it easy to send on your true thoughts and emotions to your graduate. It offers fun, sentimental, or helpful fill-in-the-blank prompts like, "If I created a sandwich for you, here's what would be on it..." or, "I probably don't tell you this enough, but one thing I want you to always, always know is..."

Go Greek Embroidered Alphabet Patch

They may not have earned a high school varsity letter yet, but that doesn't mean they can't get the look of one. You can get these embroidered, stick-on patches in a variety of Greek letters and stick them on backpacks, on jackets, or on lockers. Or, if they don't like the Greek look, they can go for the chenille varsity letters in white with gold trim.

Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones

Whether they're listening to music, watching videos or playing games, wouldn't everybody in the family be happier if they could do it through headphones? These connect wirelessly using Bluetooth, charge quickly and come in four colors (though the red is definitely a standout).

'Oh, the Places You'll Go!'

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." If that doesn't describe an incoming freshman, with all their high school choices before then, then nothing does! Giving them Dr. Seuss's book, which celebrates all their future possibilities, along with a gift card to the nearest bookstore is a great way to honor their literary journey, past and present.

Glossier You Perfume Solid

Solid fragrance is so handy to keep in a backpack, since you don't have to worry about it spilling and making everything pungent. (And, during the hormonal teenage years, maybe it comes in handy, too.) Glossier's You Perfume Solid has a wax base that dissolves into skin when needed, and the company says it smells of ambrox, ambrette, musk, iris root and pink pepper.

Good Man Brand Jetset Jogger Pants

They might take the summer to lounge around in their sweats — give them an upgrade from their ratty old sports clothes. Good Man Brand Men's Jetset Jogger have a tapered look that you wouldn't be embarrassed to see them sporting in public.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

For more than a century, the Good Housekeeping Institute has provided expert reviews and advice on everything parents and children love, including laptops, video game consoles, board games and backpacks. While not all of the selects on this list have been specifically tested in our Labs, Marisa LaScala, Good Housekeeping's senior parenting and relationships editor, has spoken with both experts and real families for our top picks, in addition to looking for best-sellers from trusted brands with stellar reviews. Marisa has covered all aspects of the world of parenting, from the postpartum years through the empty nests, since 2015, and she's been with Good Housekeeping's since 2018. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter, and remembers getting her first cd player for her own eighth grade graduation in the '90s.

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