Kindergarten Graduation Program Ideas, Songs, and Poems
Celebrate the end of kindergarten with a graduation program featuring songs, poems, awards, and a special reception for families.
Our kindergarten graduation begins with a poem called Kindergarten. One or two children hold up each letter and recite a line. Then we sing several songs, including an Addams Family song, First Grade, First Grade, and America to Me by Jack Hartmann.
Kindergarten Graduation Poem
KINDERGARTEN
Each child or pair of children holds a large letter and recites one line. I send the lines home ahead of time so parents can help their children memorize them.
K is for Kindergarten—hip, hip, hooray!
I is for imagination we use every day.
N is for numbers—we know one, two, three.
D is for drawing, the best you can see!
E is for exercise to keep our bodies strong.
R is for reading books all day long.
G is for good friends. We made more each day.
A is for the alphabet we know how to say.
R is for remembering everything we learned.
T is for treats every Friday we earned.
E is for excitement. This year we’ve had some.
N is for next year. First grade, here we come!
Kindergarten Graduation Songs
Addams Family Kindergarten Song
Tune: “The Addams Family” — Snap fingers on the clicks.
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
Duh-duh-duh-duh,
Duh-duh-duh-duh,
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
We learned our ABCs
And counting 1, 2, 3s.
And now we know all these,
The kindergarten class.
And we learned how to share.
And we learned how to care.
Just ask us if you dare,
The kindergarten class.
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
Duh-duh-duh-duh,
Duh-duh-duh-duh,
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
It seems we’ve just begun
And now we’re almost done.
This year’s been so much fun!
The kindergarten class.
But we must say so long.
With this our little song.
But we’ll be back ‘fore long.
The kindergarten class.
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
Duh-duh-duh-duh,
Duh-duh-duh-duh,
Duh-duh-duh-duh, click, click
First Grade, First Grade
Tune: “New York, New York” — End with a kickline.
Start spreading the news.
We’re leaving today.
We want to be a part of it,
First Grade, First Grade.
We’re ready to go.
We’ve worked very hard.
We want to be a part of it,
First Grade, First Grade.
We know our ABCs and 123s so well.
We’ve worked at sounding out words
And stories to tell.
Just ask us to rhyme.
We’ll say “tens” and “pens”.
We’ve learned to share and get along
With all our friends.
So now we’ve made it here,
We’ll make it anywhere.
We’re on our way,
First Grade, First Grade.
Our Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony
We usually perform the songs first. Then the children leave the room, put on their mortarboards, and parade back in to the graduation song.
We wait until after the performances to put on the graduation caps because they would fall off during the kickline!
I present each child with an award and a kindergarten diploma.
I end the ceremony by announcing:
“I’d like to present the Class of 2016!”
That usually gets a big laugh from the audience.
Graduation Reception
After the ceremony, we have a small reception with refreshments.
I provide the drinks and cookies, and I ask parents to help by bringing snacks.
Graduation Program Planning Tips
Our graduation program typically lasts 20–30 minutes, followed by approximately 15 minutes for refreshments.
I schedule the celebration at the end of the school day so children can leave with their parents whenever they’re ready.
Keeping the program short also makes it easier for working parents to attend during their lunch breaks without missing too much work.
I also schedule graduation one or two weeks before the last day of school. There is already so much happening at the end of the year, and this makes the event much easier to organize.
Graduation Hat Cookies
Make edible graduation caps to serve at your kindergarten celebration.
Ingredients:
- Chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies
- Chocolate-covered graham crackers (square-shaped, if available)
- Chocolate frosting
- String licorice
Instructions:
- Place a chocolate-covered marshmallow cookie on a plate to form the base of the graduation cap.
- Use a small amount of chocolate frosting to attach a square chocolate-covered graham cracker on top.
- Cut string licorice into short pieces to create tassels.
- Use additional frosting to attach the licorice tassels to the graduation caps.
- Allow the frosting to set before serving.
More Kindergarten Graduation Ideas
Additional ideas shared by teachers in the A to Z Teacher Stuff Forums.
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
Tune: “Toys R Us” jingle — Substitute your school’s name.
I don’t want to grow up,
I’m a Walnut Hill kid.
I’ve learned so many things at school that I can grow with.
Like reading books and making friends
At the best darn school there is.
And if you ask me when I’m grown, I’ll say,
I’ll always be a Walnut Hill kid.
Teacher’s Note:
We also played a video set to What a Wonderful World and Friends. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room!
Favorite Songs and Family Memories
One teacher shared this graduation program idea for a class of three- and four-year-olds.
We are singing some of our favorite songs from the school year, including:
- ABC from a Greg & Steve CD
- The Cool Bear Hunt by Dr. Jean
- Macarena Months by Dr. Jean
- The Shape Song by Dr. Jean
- The Little Red Box by Dr. Jean
- You Are My Sunshine
We sing along with the CDs because our three- and four-year-olds do better with the recorded music.
You Are My Sunshine Family Gift
Each child brought in a family photograph. We attached the pictures to paper suns that the children had colored.
After singing You Are My Sunshine, the children presented their sunshine pictures to their parents.
A Day in Our Classroom Video
We also made a video showing a typical day in our classroom.
We interviewed each child and asked:
- What is your name?
- What are your parents’ names?
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
The parents always seem to love these special memories.
The Kindergarteners Go Marching
Tune: “The Ants Go Marching”
One kindergarten teacher shared how her class created a personalized version of The Ants Go Marching using students’ names.
Example Verse:
The Kindergarteners go marching one by one,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The Kindergarteners go marching one by one,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The Kindergarteners go marching one by one,
Jacqueline stops to enjoy the sun.
And they all go marching down to the school
To go into first grade.
Other Verse Ideas:
Four by four…
Sandy stops to sweep the floor.
Eleven by eleven…
Kevin stops to shout, “We’re done… Thank heaven!”
Create additional verses using students’ names and rhyming phrases.
Kindergarten Is Over
When we started kindergarten,
We couldn’t have felt smaller.
But we’ve been growing, growing,
And not just growing taller.
We’ve learned to read and learned to write,
And learned our numbers too.
There are many other things
That we have learned to do.
Kindergarten is over now,
But we’re not afraid,
Because we know
We are ready for first grade!