Kids will remember their teacher, friends, and special projects before they will remember a ceremony. We can make it a special day for kids with creative projects and keepsakes, without a ceremony for completing each grade level.

We can find other ways celebrate in the classroom without putting an extra burden on parents. But marking the occasion can help kids feel more comfortable with leaving the classroom and teacher that has nurtured them, possibly the only school experience they've ever known. So is an actual graduation ceremony necessary? Maybe not. All of those things require that parents contribute time or funds, that many just don’t have.

Kids have time to sign yearbooks of their friends, but I keep things simple and never require parents to pay additional fees for yearbooks, cap and gown, or party foods. I send home special scrapbooks for families as keepsakes, but I don’t expect working families to take a day off of work to celebrate with us. We have a celebration on the last day of school and we spend time reflecting on the accomplishments we’ve made throughout the year. In my own kindergarten classroom, we don’t have a kindergarten graduation. It feels like a huge step! But when we note every step as a remarkable one, do the really important ones become a bit less special for the child? Kids are moving onto a school they will be attending for many years. And it's true, finishing preschool and moving to kindergarten is a big deal. It seems that these days, our childrens lives are filled with pomp-and-circumstance to mark every milestone. While, I value these graduation ceremonies I still fully agree with my children’s kindergarten teacher’s decision NOT to have a kindergarten graduation. Now, my own children have experienced preschool graduations, 6 th grade graduation, and my son is about to celebrate his 8 th grade graduation. My very first graduation ceremony was when I graduated from high school.

I do remember, however, the transition from elementary school to junior high and from junior high to high school. I’m guessing there was not, because it really wasn’t a trend yet. I’m not even sure if I had a preschool graduation. I don’t remember much about my own preschool experience or the transition to kindergarten.

Graduation kindergarten