I have taught preschool for over a decade at this point, and I have signed many copies of Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” over the years at the end of the school year. Some families purchase a book to have teachers, assistants, coaches, and more write a little note at the end of a school year or sports season to the child. Usually, it is given as a high school graduation gift, filled with little memories of all the people who have touched the student’s life.
If you are considering doing this for your child, I have some tips, ideas for other books, and alternatives if the idea of juggling one book around for the next 12 + school years does not appeal to you.
First, if you want school adults to sign your student’s book, do not wait until the last week of the school year. More than once, I cleaned my desk the last week of school and realized I had not returned or even signed a book yet, and had to make arrangements to get it back to the family over the summer. The last week of school is a crazy time for teachers and students alike. Plan to get the book into the hands of who you need it about a month before the end of school.
Plan to ask the teacher how they’d like to receive the book – in the student’s backpack or maybe just left at the office. Also, acknowledge if you’d like any other adults to sign the book – perhaps the assistant in the classroom or their specials teacher they had a good connection with.
Buy a hardback book. Not only will a paperback book get flimsy and folded over the years, it is also much easier to write neatly on hardback books. Hardback books also tend to have more “space” to write – larger pages and more end pages. Trust me, by senior year, you will be glad you spent the extra money on a hardback edition!
If you want to stick to the traditional Dr. Seuss book, go for it. But if you’d like a more modern book, here are a few I’d suggest:
- The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin is an ode to the possibilities a child has as they grow up and the parent support they have behind them. The end pages have cute paintings of babies on them, but I think there is plenty of room for some handwritten notes.
- I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. A cute book about all the things adults wish for their children – good days, good luck and good dreams.
- Dare to Dream Big by Lorna Gutierrez. A positive book about encouraging kids to be all they can be!
- Happy Dreamer by Peter H. Reynolds. The prime book about inspiration and staying true to yourself. The end pages on this are not blank, but you could buy little blank stickers to stick along the inside of the book to allow room for notes if you pick this one!
- A Good Day by Kevin Henkes. This book is a reminder that the bad days don’t last, and good ones will come again. The end pages in this book are a dark brown, so you may need to purchase a silver/white marker to have people write inside of this one!
- Pick your kid’s favorite book right now! Would it be a little silly to have their 8th-grade football coach write a note in a Paw Patrol or train book? Maybe, but childhood is whimsical, lean into it! Your kid may just appreciate this more at 18 then you’d ever think they would!
If this feels like too much work to keep track of for your entire child’s schooling career (and believe me, I feel you on that!), here are some alternatives to the traveling book idea:
- Pick a book, and you write a note in it at the end of every school year. Or, have a different family member write in it every year!
- Sign up for an email address and send your child an email at the end of every school year (or the beginning, or whenever you want). Plan to give them access to it when they graduate, and they can go back and read all the emails you’ve sent them over the years.
- Pick a favorite book and have your own kid write in it every year! Make sure you have them sign their own name so you can see how their handwriting changes! They could write a little note about who their friends were that year, their favorite field trips, their favorite teacher, etc. Make it up as you go along — it will be their own little yearbook written in their own words!
At the end of the day (and at the end of your child’s school experience), any of these ideas will make a treasured gift for your eventual graduate.
