7 Non-Cheesy Graduation Gifts That Teach Practical Life Skills

Instead of buying the recent grad in your life yet another copy of “Oh, the Places You'll Go!”, treat them to cooking classes, financial guidance, language apps, and more.

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Graduation season is fast approaching, which means that the high schooler or college student in your life will be getting ready for their next step in life. As they celebrate their scholarly achievements and prepare for the new challenges ahead, a thoughtful—and, more importantly, useful—gift could make the transition a bit smoother.

Whether they’re getting ready to move into a dorm or embark on their post-college career, here are some fun and creative graduation gifts that teach practical life skills.

graduation gift guide
Babbel

Whether for traveling, forging deeper connections, or boosting career options, learning a foreign language is a valuable life skill. Babbel offers a series of short online courses and live classes covering grammar, conversation (including proper pronunciation), comprehension, listening, and writing skills across 14 languages: English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. The learning experience is also supplemented with podcasts, games, stories, and interactive challenges. Live classes are limited to a maximum of six students to make sure there can be plenty of personal interactions with the instructors.

graduation gift guide
Sur La Table

Sharpen their knife skills and develop kitchen confidence with an online cooking class from specialty cookware retailer Sur La Table, which lets you learn from experienced chefs and teachers from the comfort of your kitchen. During the 90- to 120-minute sessions (available in single classes or multi-session series), students can dive into the foundations of delicious, global dishes like South American steaks, Pad Thai, paella, shrimp tacos, and croissants. For a more personalized culinary adventure, consider one of Sur La Table’s in-store classes at locations all over the country. (Tip: Sign up for emails and receive $15 off your order of $75 or more.)

graduation gift guide
Amazon

Staying organized is a major key to productivity, and The Simple Elephant’s planner will help introduce your grad to the art of efficiency. The beginner-friendly planner includes 12 monthly view spreads, 52 weekly view spreads, and a journaling section. Color-coded event and productivity stickers make it easy to keep track of your schedule at a glance. The “My Focus” pages encourage goal visualization and affirmations, supported by blank pages for mind maps and mini vision boards. The weekly planner is also undated, which means it won’t suddenly go out of style as the months/years progress.

graduation gift guide
Raising The Bar

New college grads are likely eager to host guests in their new space, so help them bring the bar to the house while showing off their newfound mixology skills with this sophisticated alcohol-free kit. Raising The Bar offers a selection of elevated zero-proof cocktail options, and each box contains fresh ingredients to create delicious drinks for your next gathering. There are several themed boxes available (with options for both subscriptions and one-time purchases), but we’re particular fans of the Strawberry Fields box, which features drinks with floral notes aided by All The Bitter’s alcohol-free, New Orleans-style bitters, flavored with anise, tart cherry, hibiscus, and rose hip. It’s the perfect vibe for a spring or summer soirèe in a new post-grad apartment.

graduation gift guide
Amazon

Impulsive spending and excessive credit card use are just two of the most common money mistakes college students make. In Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together, author Erin Lowry uses a conversational and at times humorous approach to help young people navigate the road to financial independence. Topics include budgeting, credit reports, consumer debt, student loans, investing, and retirement. And even though the book is billed as a millennial money guide, the information is simple enough for a middle schooler and relevant to anyone looking to plan for their financial future.

graduation gift guide
Birchbox

Becoming a more responsible individual includes nailing down a good skincare routine. Birchbox can help simplify that process with its affordable monthly subscription box of skin, hair, and makeup products. Each product in the box also comes with a how-to guide that takes the guesswork out of the application, and the variety provides an excellent opportunity to sample a range of products. But if the goal is strictly glowing skin, Birchbox recently introduced the At-Home Skin Lab featuring skincare tests, eight full-sized skincare products, and tutorials developed by a team of researchers; all delivered to the front door.

graduation gift guide
BāKIT Box

This box of baking essentials makes whipping up sweet and savory treats a breeze. Each kit contains pre-measured ingredients, including perishables like milk and butter—this means no grocery shopping, no leftover items to stash in the back of your pantry, and an easy clean-up process. Recipes are available for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced home bakers, and include everything from salted chocolate chip cookies to jalapeno cheddar cornbread and even churros. Gift your new grad an individual recipe kit or sign them up for a subscription.

Nasha Smith is a Thrillist contributor.
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