A small graduation can contain some very large feelings. One child is eager to stand at the front, another wants a familiar adult close by, and a third is mostly interested in the paper hat. A poem can give the gathering a shared moment without asking every child to enjoy it in the same way.
These preschool and kindergarten graduation poems include short group readings, a cheerful cap poem, thanks for the people who helped, and two longer messages for adults to read. All seven poems are original. The preschool and kindergarten selections are labeled separately so you can choose the words that belong to your group.
I like a celebration that notices participation, friendship, questions, and effort. Children do not all arrive at the same milestones together. A shared goodbye can welcome every child without claiming that everyone reads independently, writes their name, or feels ready for the next classroom.
There is a free printable program pack below. One page is ready for a short group reading; the other is a blank planner for your own order of events. The speaker cues are suggestions, not a requirement to perform. A child may join the last line, stand beside a friend, or simply be present. For an older student's departure, the poems for graduation and leaving home offer a different perspective.
Free Printable Graduation Program Pack
Download the two page graduation program PDF.
The first US Letter page has spaces for your school or group, date, and class, followed by “Our Preschool Goodbye” with adult and group cues. A kindergarten group can use the second page to plan its own reading instead. The blank planner has room for a welcome, poem, names or celebration, thanks, and closing.
Print the page you need. Write in the details before copying it for families, and check that the words and order fit your setting. Please use these poems and pages freely for family and classroom celebrations, keeping the Valerie Ward credit. Estimated reading times below exclude introductions, pauses, and applause.
| Poem | Suggested reader | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Our Preschool Goodbye | Preschool group with adult support | 15 seconds |
| Our Kindergarten Song | Kindergarten group or adult and group | 25 seconds |
| One More Little Step | Adult, child, or shared closing | 10 seconds |
| The Graduation Cap | An adult or confident child | 15 seconds |
| To the People Who Helped | Child with support or adult reader | 20 seconds |
| The Names Beside the Door | Teacher or another adult | 50 seconds |
| Room to Begin Again | Family member or another adult | 50 seconds |
A Short Preschool Group Reading
Our Preschool Goodbye
The bag gives this goodbye a concrete starting place. I like that the children can thank the people who helped without having to list achievements. An adult can read each line first, or the group can join only the final sentence.
Speaker cue: Adult introduces, “Here are a few words from our preschool group.” Children may say the four lines together, with an adult alongside.
We came with small bags.
We found a place here.
Today we wave goodbye.
Thank you for helping us grow.
A Kindergarten Graduation Reading
Our Kindergarten Song
Questions and play belong in a kindergarten celebration as much as finished work does. I appreciate a goodbye that carries curiosity into the next room. The repeating feeling of thanks makes this a comfortable reading for an adult and children to share.
Speaker cue: Adult reads the first two lines of each stanza. The group may join the last two lines, or everyone may read together.
Our kindergarten room has held
Our questions and our play.
We thank the people helping us
And wave goodbye today.We take our wondering with us,
New things to ask and try.
We leave a thank you in this room
As we all say goodbye.
Other Short Choices for the Celebration
One More Little Step
The questions in this tiny poem are welcome traveling companions. I like the idea that a child can move forward without leaving their wondering behind. It works as an adult's closing line of thought or as a very short shared reading.
Speaker cue: One reader says the first two lines; anyone who wishes can join the last line.
One step through the door.
We bring all our questions too.
New rooms wait for us.
The Graduation Cap
The hat has an important job and is trying to cooperate. I enjoy letting the joke stay with the prop instead of making a nervous child the joke. An adult can read this before the group settles, especially if a few paper caps are already leaning sideways.
Speaker cue: One adult or willing child reads. No hat or action is required.
My cap had a tilt to the right
And slipped when I held it too tight.
I gave it a pat,
Said, Stay there, dear hat,
You've a very big job here tonight.
To the People Who Helped
Finding a place for a bag can be a meaningful beginning in a new room. The quiet help behind that moment is what I wanted to thank. These lines can be spoken to teachers, family, assistants, or other people who helped the child feel included.
Speaker cue: A child and adult can alternate lines, or an adult can read on the group's behalf.
You helped me find a place to put my bag.
You heard the things I found so hard to say.
I take your kindness with me when I leave
And thank you for the time you gave to me.
Two Longer Readings for Adults
The next two poems are fourteen lines each. They are intended for an adult message, not for a young group to memorize.
The Names Beside the Door
The imagined teacher notices that even a small classroom can hold many different beginnings. I am fond of the unnamed helpful moments that do not appear on a certificate. This reading is a teacher's farewell to the children as people, rather than a list of skills they must have mastered.
The paper names are curling by the door.
The room has held the questions that you brought.
We leave a little glitter on the floor,
And more than we can measure has been taught.A chair was moved to let a friend sit near.
A fallen block was lifted from the ground.
A quiet thought was given time to clear,
A place for one more person could be found.I cannot name the roads that you will take,
Or tell the kind of work your hands will do.
I hope the room we shared has helped to make
A little space for all that grows in you.Go gently, with the questions you hold dear.
You have been welcome, and you mattered here.
Room to Begin Again
Graduation speeches sometimes ask a small child to be brave before they have had a chance to feel unsure. I wanted this adult reading to offer a more patient kind of encouragement. A new beginning can include help, rest, and trying something more than once.
You do not have to know the way ahead
To take a little step beyond this place.
There will be words that you have never read,
And time enough to meet them at your pace.You need not hide the questions in your mind,
Or make a smile when you would like to cry.
I hope the people waiting will be kind
And give you room to stop, and room to try.The world is not a race you have to win,
Nor is a day a mark upon a chart.
There will be doors that let the daylight in,
And those who see the person at your heart.We send you with a wish both plain and true:
May each new place make room for all of you.
Keep the Goodbye Comfortable
Choose one short reading rather than asking the children to learn the whole collection. Practice in the place where it will be spoken if you can, and let them know who will stand beside them. A familiar adult voice can carry any line that needs carrying.
Keep the celebration flexible. Children may join with speech, a wave, a picture, or their presence. A poem should help the group feel together, not become another test before leaving.
For a note to the adults who supported the class, these poems for teachers offer additional choices. I hope the day leaves each child with the simple knowledge that there was a place for them here, and that they can bring their whole selves to the next beginning.
Send a little poetry to someone you love.
