Anchors away graduates! It’s time to set sail for a party that celebrates your journeys in the classroom.
1. Invitations
An easy invitation idea for a nautical-themed Kindergarten graduation party is to create a sailor’s chart. Draw the chart by hand, or use image graphics to add a compass, boat and destination points. You can even design the course to sail from kindergarten to first grade. Additional suggestions:- Cardstock cut into the shape of a sailboat or sea creature.
- Notecards decorated with anchors.
- A message in a bottle.
- Postcard photo of your child in sailor’s suit.
2. Decorations
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Your party space can be easily decorated with a blue and white color scheme and some beach party decorations. To emphasize the sailing aspect, combine them with a few of these items:
- Make a sail from an old sheet and write “Set Sail for First Grade” with fabric marker or spray paint. You could also add a congratulatory note and the names of the graduating students. Hang the sail on a wall or from the ceiling as a backdrop to the party space.
- Balloons that are shaped like boats or sea creatures, or simply colored to match a nautical theme, anchored down with toy boats or anchors.
- A combination of nautical decorations, whether purchased from a sporting goods store or homemade,(cut from foam board and decorated by hand), such as life rafts, anchors and ship’s wheels.
- A large toy boat is a simple centerpiece idea for the party table. Place a smaller toy boat at each place setting as complementary decorations that can also serve as party favors.
- Inflatable sea creatures, pool rings and palm trees, scattered around the party space.
- Lighthouses.
3. Games and Crafts
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Since they can’t actually take off on the high seas, your little sailors will need to be entertained. Arrange for some of these nautical-themed games and crafts during the party.
- Race to ring the ship’s bell: Set up an obstacle course and have kids race to see who is first to reach and ring a ship’s bell at the end of the course.
- Sailboat race: Place toy sailboats in a baby pool. Have kids blow on the boats to race them across the pool.
- Purchase or make a kite that resembles a ship’s sail. Use an anchor as the handle. Head outside to “sail” the kite.
- Play hot potato with a toy boat or plush sea creature as the “potato.”
- Boat bottle art (fill plastic bottles with colored sand and miniature boats or sea creatures. Glue the bottle cap on when finished.)
- Make Juice box boats like these from Skip to My Lou.
- Make pinwheels (in nautical colors).
- Make paper sailor hats.
4. Food
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The first thing that springs to mind for a nautical party food is a variety of fish and shellfish. However, since we are catering to Kindergarteners, perhaps the closest acceptable option is fish sticks. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a menu worthy of the sailing theme. Suggestions for pleasing young palates include:
- Fish crackers
- Fish and boat shaped sandwiches, cookies and brownies.
- Pizza life preservers (pizza bagels, in the shape of life rafts).
- Pizza sails (crescent dough pizza, baked in triangle shapes).
- Watermelon or pineapple boats.
- Buckets of pasta (pasta dishes, such as macaroni and cheese, poured into beach pails and served with the shovels).
- Barbecue favorites, such as sliders and hot dogs, decorated with toothpick sails.
- Seafood favorites, such as shrimp cocktail , can be added to the menu for the adults in attendance.
- Sail boat cupcakes.
- Ship cake.
5. Favors
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Crafts made at the party are enough to serve as the parting gift. However, additional suggestions include nautical-themed favors, or items intended for use in the next grade or on summer vacation.
- Toy Sailboats.
- Individual bags of fish crackers.
- Sailors’ caps or captains’ hats.
- Fishing net favor bags, filled with school supplies for first grade.
- Beach pails and shovels.
