Graduation isn't just for high school seniors. Many preschool classrooms celebrate graduation to show the milestone of moving to kindergarten. The graduation theme is an option for crafts at the end of the school year. A simple option is a homemade graduation cap. A paper cup or bowl creates the part that sits on the child's head. A square of cardboard covered in paper or painted creates the mortarboard. To attach a yarn tassel, push a metal paper fastener through the mortarboard. Tie the yard around the fastener head. The preschoolers can decorate the caps to personalize them. A class graduation banner is another option. Write a graduation message in bubble letters on a large piece of paper. The kids paint the sign to hang for a classroom graduation celebration.
A homemade keepsake project captures moments from preschool that the parents will enjoy seeing. A memory book is one option. Staple sheets of paper together to create the book. If you take pictures throughout the year, you can make copies for the kids to glue into the book. Add prompts to encourage the kids to draw pictures. An example is "Draw a picture from your favorite book that we read at preschool this year." A signature section allows the kids to practice writing their names.
A handprint craft is another keepsake option for the parents. Painted handprints pressed onto paper remind parents of how small their children's hands were at the end of preschool. Instead of a plain handprint, turn the prints into a picture. For example, the hands can be the wings of a butterfly or a flower.
Self-portraits help the young kids focus on details and the traits that set them apart from others. The kids start by painting a head shape on a large piece of paper. They fill in the details using paint or other materials. You might use yarn or raffia for hair. Facial features cut from construction paper also work well for this project. For a larger version, trace each child's entire body on a large sheet of butcher paper. The kids get to decorate all of the details, including their clothing, in a life-sized self-portrait.
An art portfolio shows each preschooler's progression through the school year. Most preschoolers develop better pencil control and drawing skills. For example, a tree at the beginning of the year might be a line for the trunk and scribbles for the leaves. By the end of the year, the child might draw a thick trunk and individual leaf shapes. A three-ring binder or a piece of card stock works to create the cover of the portfolio. Have the preschoolers decorate the covers as part of the craft project. Each child helps pick out her or his favorite pieces of artwork from the year to include in the portfolio.