By Serene Leong
When babies develop, we celebrate the littlest milestones, from revealing a voluntary smile for the first time to clapping their hands and taking their first steps. Each one, however small or big is significant is forming strong memories that can motivate them well in the future.
K2 graduation is an important milestone in a child’s preschool years. It is an occasion for children and their parents to celebrate everything they have accomplished and reflect how much they’ve grown before stepping into formal education.
“There’s much to be celebrated as our preschoolers only turn 6 once in their life. Making memories through their preschool years and documenting these moments can touch the hearts of our children in unspoken ways,” Cara Lee, deputy pillar head of the early childhood development centres at Anglican Preschool Services says.
“During K2 graduation, our children share many words from their hearts that give us insight to the difference we have made. A child once said to me, ‘I love my school, I’m so sad to leave, but I’m also excited to go to Primary One! I will share about all the happy times in our school!'”
In December last year, our K2 children finally had their Graduation Ceremony onsite with parents celebrating this proud moment with their children.
Here’s why we think the graduation process makes this milestone so meaningful:
- It brings them through a journey of self discovery
Knowing that it was going to be the first physical graduation concert in three years, our K2 teachers and staff at St. James’ Church Kindergarten (Leedon) placed their hearts, mind, and soul into preparing the K2 children for this big day.
Based on the theme of the graduation concert “Our Journey”, the children heartedly shared that they wanted to present their best talents and fondest memories in SJCK through drama, dance, and music!
As we believe in nurturing our children’s unique strengths to help them reach their fullest potential, our teachers worked diligently with the children to find out their strengths and interests to allocate the respective role to the children.
During the concert performance, the more eloquent children made their spotlight as emcees for the drama item. They rehearsed their lines many times to remember them and spoke confidently to the audience.
Our K2 children also showcased their muscle strength through the Motor Skills Development (MSD) drama using Styrofoam and wooden blocks. The blocks were not light, but the children rose to the challenge of putting up a performance with them. Kudos to them!
To remind us of the goodness of God through our ups and downs in life, the children danced to the song, “God is Good” and “不动摇的信心 (Unshakeable Faith)”, which encourages them to have faith and a prayerful attitude amidst life’s challenges.
They also performed “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” to reminisce about the days when they first joined SJCK and the friendships they made over the years.
Lastly, the finale song “让爱飞翔 (Let Love Arise)” was chosen for all staff in SJCK to give thanks for all the love we have received in the preschool and encourage the children to continue to spread joy and love with the people they will meet in future.
Little Seeds Preschool also marked their K2 graduation with centres having their own special graduation ceremony.
At Little Seeds Preschool (TSA – Ang Mo Kio), the children chose two dance performances: “This little light of mine” and “爱是”.
The K2 children practiced diligently to ensure that they put up a good performance for their proud parents and thoroughly enjoyed the experience together with them!
Little Seeds Preschool (St Andrew’s) had their graduation ceremony in their newly renovated space. It was a cosy and heartwarming event for the K2 children and their parents.
Parents witnessed the receiving of certificates and got the chance to put on the mortar board for their children!
The graduation ceremonies allowed the children to bond over learning how to coordinate and work together and reminding each other of the steps during the rehearsals. More importantly, they made memories together as a class, overcoming their fears, and experiencing joy and a deep sense of accomplishment.
Through this journey of self-discovery, our children learnt that while they can grow up to accomplish great things, they must not forget to go through life’s journey with God our Creator, and to be the salt and light to others (Matthew 5: 13-16).
- It helps them prepare for primary school
Graduation is not just a one-off event but an entire learning experience before the children don their gowns and mortar boards.
While we celebrate everything our children have accomplished in their preschool years, we also prepare them for the transition to a new environment and school year – primary school. Primary school is where our children will spend the next 6 years of their lives and it will be a very different experience to what they are used to in preschool. Hence, equipping them with the necessary skills can help to make the transition smoother.
As Julius Caesar once said, “Experience is the teacher of all things.”
This year, St. James’ Church Kindergarten (Gilstead) organized a “Primary School Day” for the K2s where children were shuffled into different classes with a different teacher. They went through a virtual tour, played games to simulate a physical education lesson and experienced a silent reading programme. They even had a feel of how the morning assembly would be like!
In addition, SJCK (Gilstead) organised a two-day camp on the last two days of school for the children to experience primary school. They were empowered to choose and purchase their own food from the “canteen” and thoroughly enjoyed this sense of independence!
The children at Little Seeds Preschool (St. John’s – St. Margaret’s) were also given the opportunity to experience a school canteen.
To teach the children about money, each child brought their own wallets to school and were given paper coins to purchase food. They practised ordering and paying the correct amount before independently carrying their food back to their tables.
In addition, a lost and found corner was created to remind the children to be responsible for their items. They were also taught how to label their items with their names to prevent them from going missing.
To help mentally prepare our K2 children for primary school, Little Seeds Preschool (St. John’s – St. Margaret’s) created a countdown calendar.
Our teachers introduced the topic of primary school and gave the children paper to draw and write what they envisioned their dream primary school to be.
The children showed their curiosity by asking questions such as: “What are the teachers like in primary school?”,“What kind of food are there in the canteen?’” and “What kind of lessons do we have in primary school?”
The children were also taught what they should do if they encounter bullying, as they will meet children of different ages in school.
By putting themselves in other’s shoes, they understood that bullying is wrong, and they should not say unkind words, push others or laugh at others. They also learnt that if they were to encounter a bully, they should tell a teacher and tell the bully to stop as they do not like it.
- Parents can share in their childrens’ learning journey
How can parents make milestones like K2 graduation significant for children?
Cara says: “Parents can create a board of pictures taken through their child’s preschool years and have conversations around it over the months leading up to graduation. Or pen down a letter to your children about what you are proud of them for, revisiting the wonderful lessons and developmental milestones to celebrate the preschool success!”
On preparing them for P1, Cara adds: “Consider sharing about our school life when we (parents) were in primary school.”
Show your children a picture of yourself in school and share something you remember from your Primary school years – it creates a connection that we are sharing in that transition too!
Cara Lee, deputy pillar head of Anglican Preschool Services
It was truly a busy term for the children making memories that they will bring with them into their new chapter.
Each child has grown and blossomed beautifully in their own unique way. We are heartened to see each class come together, learning to love and care for one another, and deepening these relationships right to the very last day of their kindergarten journey.
We wish all children and their parents the best as they embark on this new primary school journey together!
To find out more about our preschools, visit https://littleseeds.edu.sg/ and https://sjck.org.sg/
