Ideas for the End of the Year in Kindergarten

Completing kindergarten is the first academic milestone for these young minds - celebrate it.

Send kindergarten students off to first grade with an assortment of events celebrating the completion of this educational achievement; plan an assortment of events and remember to engage parents and guardians as well as other teachers within your school. Set the tone that learning is fun in kindergarten and create lifelong learners.

Graduation Ceremony

Host a kindergarten graduation ceremony. Have kids walk across a stage, wearing cap and gown, in front of family and friends. Provide diplomas and show pictures of the children's progress during the year via a slide show. Provide cupcakes and punch after the ceremony.

Yearbook

Designate a teacher or parent as the Yearbook chairperson. Ask for parent volunteers. Kindergarten students are too young to organize a yearbook themselves but this is a memento parents and guardians can build for them. Include pictures of field trips, the first day of school and snapshots of candid class moments. Profile each child through a kid-friendly profile listing his favorite subject, activities and day of school.

Time Capsule

Making a class time capsule is another idea for kindergarten students. Ask each parent to send an item from home, including a photograph, for inclusion in the capsule. Designate a day, such as sixth-grade graduation, when kids will open the capsule together. Have teachers package together newspaper clips and snapshots of class life as part of the capsule. Kids will enjoy burying the capsule (especially digging the hole) and having their pictures taken with the capsule.

Display

Make a year-end display for members of your kindergarten class. This is an ideal way of showcasing the academic progress of these young minds. Have a portion of the board devoted to kids writing their name or a few words they learned that year. Show off math skills with a bullet-style summary of core skills gained during the year. Attach a list of members of the class with a congratulations banner across the top.

References

• Florida Department of State: Making Time Capsules