Today was EMH's 19th graduation ceremony! It was a fun event, celebrating the achievements of each child in our program, followed by a potluck lunch filled with lots of delicious food.
You may be wondering, what is a preschool graduation ceremony? And, why even have one for children who are so young? These are some common questions that we hope to answer for you.
The graduation ceremony
Each school is different and preschool graduation ceremonies vary greatly between schools. Some preschools order graduation caps and gowns, while other schools, like EMH, are less formal and children wear their normal attire. Almost all schools, follow a similar formula: the graduation begins with a short student performance, then the children are awarded ribbons and certificates, and after families are invited for lunch.
At EMH, the graduation program changes every year, depending on the ages and interests of the children enrolled. Some years, the children sing and dance to songs they enjoy and have special meaning to them. One year, the children dramatically acted one of their favorite songs. This year, each child preformed a song on the piano.
We hold our graduation ceremony on Saturday mornings, to make it more convenient for families attend. Normally, the graduation ceremonies are short, and the length of the potluck lunch depends our families. This year, although our class was small, the families who participated were great. We had a delicious lunch with even better conversation and the children had a great time eating and playing.
Why we have graduation ceremonies
Our students eagerly await graduation day. Some students, if they begin at age two and continue through to Kindergarten, graduate from preschool multiple times. However, each year they are excited for the ceremony: the children are proud of themselves and their work and look forward to receiving recognition for all they have achieved.
When many people think back to their preschool years, all they might remember are fun and games. This is exactly what we want people to remember: that the process of learning is fun. However, because of the increased use of standardized testing at an early age, preschool programs, even play based programs, are more focused on academics. On top of teaching children the basics, many schools also now teach children how to complete school work; some preschools even assign homework.
Personally, as a teacher, I see how much children grow and develop during the preschool years socially, emotionally, cognitively, linguistically and physically. Having a graduation ceremony teaches them to recognize their achievements and to be proud of all they have accomplished. At this morning's ceremony, I saw how proud the children were that they had learned how to play the piano. Playing for their parents was a big accomplishment for them.
For children moving on to kindergarten or first grade, the preschool graduation ceremony can be an important milestone. Many children will soon begin riding a yellow bus to school when they start "big kid" school. These children are always excited a proud to be moving on to the next stage in their academic careers.
At EMH, the graduation ceremony is a fun and laid back event that means a lot to our students. We always have a lot of food and a great time with our parents. Although the children may be too young to grasp what a graduation ceremony really means, they do deserve recognition for the achievements and are proud of what they have accomplished.
