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8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

Graduation season is upon us, and has already completed for some. My kids have been out of school for a week now, but I have plenty of friends who still have kids in school. In case you’re like me and need to help plan the graduation dance, I’m here to help with some 8th grade graduation dance ideas! These ideas would work for any dance really – Homecoming would be awesome!

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

Like I often do when decorating for any holiday or party, I turned to Oriental Trading and their Graduation Party Supplies section. You can shop by category or by color, so you can get all decorations in your school’s colors! Nice and easy shopping!

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

Our 8th grade graduation dance was held in the gym/cafeteria, so the first order of business was to get a backdrop to cover all the walls. We wanted to transform the gym so it wasn’t so obvious the kids were in the gym. We used a cityscape backdrop for three of the walls, and covered the last wall with black paper…and I’ll show you why in a moment. Just this one thing alone made all the difference in the world, in transforming the gym into a decent place for a dance.

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

The 4th wall was covered in black paper, where we had a past student graffiti 2017 in the center. Then we used a bucket of sidewalk chalk to write each of the graduates’ names. We left the chalk out so the students could do a little drawing or writing of their own during the dance. 

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

As a grand entrance for the teens, after the graduation, we set silver & gold fringe in the doorway. Then after walking through the fringe the graduates had a small red carpet type runway, taking them under a lit arch, welcoming them to the dance floor. We placed extra fringe over other doorways in the gym, as well.

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

Instead of just table and chairs (which we did have, with tablecloths and balloons), the decorating committee came up with the idea to bring in some sofas for the kids to lounge on between busting a move. They were covered in black sheets and slipcovers, and covered with a lit pergola. The kids loved these! The sheets may not have stayed in place, but they were still a hit.

8th Grade Graduation Dance Ideas

I didn’t grab a picture, but someone rented a Photo Booth for the kids to hop into and get covered in props. The graduates had a blast! Of course, every celebration needs balloons, which Oriental Trading has a ton of. Get your school colors, or whatever color scheme you want to decorate with!

Our 8th grade graduation dance was a hit, and I hope you have some ideas to use for the next dane you need to put on! Don’t forget to pick up graduation supplies at Oriental Trading.

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Emily Buys

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