Graduation Books

Here’s a fun little tradition!  I found the general idea on pinterest years ago and tweaked it for my kiddos!

The general idea:

• Chose a book for each child
• Ask child’s teacher to sign it at the end of each school year
• Present book to your child at a crucial point in their educational career (8th grade/high school graduation)

 

The Details:

Having been a teacher myself, I thought this idea would be so cute to implement when I had my own children. I started when Q was in preschool and so far, I’ve kept up with both her and Ardyn’s books every year.

I recently shared this idea on my Instagram stories and got so many messages and questions about it, I figured I’d do a mini blog post with all the info!

Of course, you can tweak this little project to best suit you & your children!

Here is what I do:

1. I chose to do a different book for each kid. I started with the quintessential Oh, The places You’ll Go with Q. But then I started seeing other amazing books out there and thought- why not mix it up?
2. Find a cute instructional poem online (or on etsy) or write one yourself.
3. I keep these books tucked away in mailing envelopes so the kids don’t see them throughout the year. At the end of the year I send them to school IN the sealed envelope, addressed to the teacher (again, so the kids don’t see). I’m sure one of these years the kids will catch on…but for now I’d like to keep it a secret. (NOTE: Please do not wait until the last day or two of school to ask your child’s teacher to do this. Teachers are super busy at the end of the year and 1. You’ll probably get a rushed messaged 2. it’s annoying)  😉
4. I plan on doing this as long as possible (goal would be through high school) and giving the book to each child at their high school graduation. Again, once I give Q hers- I’m sure the other two kids will figure they are also getting one…if they haven’t figured it out already. I’m not sure-I haven’t let my brain travel down that road yet. Right now, we’re just focusing on Kindergarten graduation! Ha!

Notes/Ideas:

• Add a small school picture from that year next to each teacher’s message. Someone on IG suggested you place the picture on the page you want the teacher to sign! One of Q’s teacher’s did this back in her 4-year-old class and it really is the sweetest touch! You can always go back and add a pic late or provide it with the instructional poem and let the teacher glue it in with their message! It’s really up to you!
• Maybe “reserve” a special page for yourself/the parents to write on. Front cover, perhaps? I just put a post it note on the page saying “reserved for mom & dad”. You can perhaps write a dedication note before you give it. It’d be super sweet to write a note the year you start it, and then a note the year you finish/give it! Ok…I’m not crying, you are!
• If your teacher forgets to write the date, make sure you do so, or add the grade level next to each note!
• It’s never too late to start this fun project so don’t feel like you missed the boat- just start this year!

 

Books That I Like:

Oh, The Places You’ll Go  | The Knowing Book | Reach for the Stars |Wherever You Go | She Believed She Could, So She Did | I Wish You More | Whatever You Are, Be a Good One | Seuss-isms | Oh, The Thinks You Can Think | Dear Girl,

 

Instructional Poem:

I like to print it, laminate it, and paper clip it onto the front of each book! (You Should be able to click and download the links below!)

Downloadable links:

BoyVersion 

GirlVersion

 

I also LOVE this poem I found on My Sister’s Suitcase (via Pinterest) for an older student! I tweaked it a bit so it could be gender neutral…I hope the original author doesn’t mind! If you’d prefer, you can head to their website and download their his/her versions directly!

Downloadable Link:

OlderStudent