Roots and Wings

Roots and Wings

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The Slide Ceremony: A Kindergarten Graduation Alternative

Inside: Looking for alternative ideas for your kindergarten graduation? Try marking the transition to the next grade with a slide ceremony!  

Bloom Time Vs. Kindergarten Graduation

Spring is the perfect time to end the school year as children’s growth mirrors all that is happening in nature outside your classroom window.  
 
Every June, our kindergarten team celebrates the many ways our kindergarten kids have “bloomed” with a slide ceremony and fun day.  The slide ceremony, was shared by a colleague (thank you Sara!) in a neighboring school, and we loved the idea of “sliding” into the next grade, rather than crossing a bridge or walking across a stage, as you might do with a traditional kindergarten graduation.

And since all four kindergarten classes, cannot be on the slide at the same time, we added 3 more fun stations for families to rotate through as they wait for their turn on the slide.

This 1 1/2 hour event, has become a simple, yet meaningful, rite of passage, that helps us celebrate children’s growth and mark the transition from one grade to the next.  

Planning for the Event

We begin by sending out a “mark the date” flyer, followed by an RSVP.  We do not limit the number of people that can attend (grandmas and grandpas love to come too!), but ask that they do not bring siblings.  We want parents and caregivers to be able to devote their full attention to their kindergartner on this special day.  
We reach out to any families who have not sent in an RSVP, and make arrangements for a staff member to fill in, if there is a family who is not able to attend.

The Four Stations

Each class begins at a different station and we move to the next one when the class that is at the slide completes their ceremony.
Here are the four stations we set up for families to enjoy together with their children.

Make and Take

One station includes a simple craft that kids can make together with their families.  We’ve tried different things over the years – here are a few of these ideas:

Bubble Wands: Kids are invited to explore the question, Are all bubbles round?” while making pipe cleaner wands.



Motto Rocks: Families work together to decorate a rock with our school motto and invited to take the rock home or leave it somewhere in our community for another person to find.

Squish Balls: This “squish” toy is made by adding pony beads to a balloon. Families can then play catch with it when it is complete.

We also make chalk available at this station so kids can draw together with their families or play tic tac toe.

Show How You Grow

This next station gives kids the chance to “show off” all they have learned in kindergarten.
Before the event begins, we bring blankets to school and place them in a wooded area near our playground.  Each family chooses a blanket and is given a book bag that contains a book they can read and each child’s Show How You Grow book.
This is our favorite station! It is so touching to see the children nestled among their families, at the center of their attention, sharing the story of their growth.

Pinwheel Garden

Prior to the event, we sit with each child and help them write something they have learned how to do in kindergarten on the petals of a pinwheel.

We then stick the pinwheels into the ground, creating our own “kinder garden.”


When families visit this station, children find their pinwheel (we have them separated by class) and then share what they have written on each petal with their families.

Since, this doesn’t take much time, we also invite kids to use the nearby playground, when they are done sharing.

Slide Ceremony

At the beginning of the year, we tell the kids that they are not allowed to use the twisty slide until the end of kindergarten, when they are ready to become first graders. So, they are super excited to use this slide for the first time!

With parents gathered around the slide, each child takes a turn sharing what they want to be when they grow up from the top of the slide, and then sliding down.  

At the bottom, the child is then presented with a certificate from his/her teacher.
 
 

Saying Goodbye

Once we have visited all four stations, it is time to say goodbye to our families. Many children have so loved having their families full attention throughout the morning and find it difficult to say goodbye.  We usually tell them about something fun we are doing that afternoon, to ease this transition.

I usually devote the afternoon to learning about first grade via a Moving-Up Day Plan, taking a first grade field trip, and writing in our We Are (Almost) in First Grade Journals.


My Favorite Kindergarten Graduation Alternative

When it comes to closing the year, I’ve done kindergarten graduations, class plays, and song fests, but this is by far is my favorite way of honoring the end of the school year.  We didn’t have to spend weeks practicing for a performance, it was kindergarten casual, and it was truly a celebration of their growth! 

For more ideas, check out the Growing Traditions page in the Roots & Wings Resource library. 

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Comments

  1. Nichole says

    I absolutely adore this end of year celebration idea!!! I WISH we could have parents in our building to be able to pull this off, but unfortunately we can’t this year 🙁 I’ve been racking my brain and Pinterest trying to come up with a fun, memorable, yet special and sweet end of year celebration for parents to view from a distance using Zoom or Teams…do you mind sharing your plan for “Moving Up Day”.

    Thank you!!!

    • Jackie says

      Hi Nichole! We are not able to have parents in the building this year either. We are still doing the slide ceremony, but videoing it and sharing it with parents that way. I also plan to send home a bag with their Show How You Grow Books and some books they can read and invite parents to set aside a special evening to celebrate all their child’s growth and learning.

  2. Liz says

    I love this idea!!! Just curious, what did you do for the kids who bed to be held back another year?

    • Jackie says

      Hi Liz! Great question, but in my district we do not retain children so it is never an issue. I do think if that was the case, and every year we had kids who were not moving on, I would do more of an end-of-year celebration of learning, rather than a moving on up to the next grade ceremony.

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