Choosing a Commencement Speaker for Preschool Graduation

It might seem a little too serious to have commencement speakers for preschool and kindergarten, but there’s nothing wrong with delivering a few inspirational words on graduation day. Of course, preschool teachers can’t give the same speech as a high school or college commencement, because they’re speaking to a much younger audience. In this handy guide, we’ve shared a few preschool and kindergarten speech ideas that will light up your students and thrill the parents in attendance.

With the typical commencement speech, you might lose a few preschool students along the way, so it’s important to bring a ton of energy to the stage. Thank the parents and staff, but make sure that the students are the true stars of the show. You can address the parents in your speech by describing their children’s journey through preschool and kindergarten — how they built trust as a classroom, made new friends, and learned so much together. Perhaps you can find a short poem or song that sums up your feelings about the graduating class.

Next, this is a popular approach for preschool and kindergarten teachers who want to keep their kids engaged throughout the ceremony. You can announce a final Story Time for the year, and gather the graduating students and parents in a circle together. Then, we recommend reading an uplifting story like Oh the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. This iconic tale has plenty of wordplay and fun illustrations, but the positive life message will stay with students. In a way, you could say Dr. Seuss was one of the best commencement speakers for preschool and kindergarten students.

In the weeks leading up to graduation day, you can ask students about their favorite memories and lessons during the school year. Write these moments down, so you can share them with parents and faculty at commencement. You can ask the students to stand up and share their personal experiences, or simply mention the students’ names as you mention the best moments. Make sure to share your favorite school memory with the class as well!

Finally, you can ask a few outgoing students to give a short speech in front of the class. Some students will be terrified to stand up in front of their peers and parents, but others will relish the moment and say some adorable things. To help students narrow down their speech, you can give them a prompt like “What is your dream job?” or “How do you want to help the world?” Trust your students, and give them a moment to shine. You may be pleasantly surprised with what they say.

At GraduationSource, we love it when parents and teachers come together to help children succeed. Visit our blog for more educational resources and teaching tips.