The 20th of September is Preschoolers’ Day in the Polish calendar — a holiday written into Polish pedagogical tradition since 2013, established by the Sejm as an expression of recognition for early education. For many Polish preschools, it is simply an occasion for a party, for play, for group photos. For us — one of the most important days of the whole year. Because it is the day on which our new Krasnoludki are officially inducted into the ranks of Skrzaty, Elfy or Mędrki — depending on age group. It is a moment that will stay with them for years.
In this article we want to tell you what our Preschoolers’ Day looks like, how exactly we induct children as Skrzaty, Elfy and Mędrki, and why this seemingly playful ritual is one of the deepest pedagogical decisions we make every year.
Preschoolers’ Day — what kind of holiday is it
Polish Preschoolers’ Day (20th September) was established by the Sejm in 2013. The idea was simple: to give early education the standing it deserves. Preschool is not “childcare” while parents are at work. Preschool is the place in which the child builds the foundations of all later life — emotional, cognitive, social. It deserves a celebration.
In our preschool we always celebrate this day with the whole community — from the youngest Skrzaty to the oldest Mędrki. Earlier, in the first week of September, every new Krasnoludek arriving at preschool is welcomed, but still informally. Only on Preschoolers’ Day — after two weeks already lived in the group — does the official induction take place.
What actually happens on 20 September
Our Preschoolers’ Day is a full-day game with a thin but important storyline. This year the theme was “Wizard Squirrel” — a character invented by Miss Justyna based on Polish stories of forest dwarves.
The day began with a letter that lay in the middle of every classroom. A letter from Wizard Squirrel — in careful, calligraphic style, on yellowed paper, with an authentic acorn shell as its seal. “Dear Krasnoludki, I cast a spell on you. To prove that you are worthy of being called real Skrzaty, Elfy or Mędrki, you must defeat my tasks”. And a list of challenges.
First challenge — the obstacle course. In each group different, adapted to the age. The Skrzaty crawled under the table, balanced on the edge of a mattress, climbed a small ladder. The Elfy had a more demanding course — passing between spread-out chairs with a sack of grain in hand, holding up a balloon only with the legs, a relay with a neighbour. The Mędrki had to solve logical tasks between course stages. Each stage was an opportunity to test motor skills, coordination, cooperation.
Second challenge — solving riddles. “What creature has long ears, likes carrots, jumps?”. “What grows in the forest? It is square, green, likes shade”. (Moss!). Each riddle the Krasnoludki solved gave them one letter of the final password.
Third challenge — teamwork. Here the children had to put together pictures from pieces, find hidden objects by cooperating, pass information to each other without words. This element is particularly important to us — because Preschoolers’ Day is also the first day on which newly joined Krasnoludki really have to start cooperating with peers.
Fourth challenge — creating a magical mixture. This was the favourite part of the day. Each child got a plastic bowl. They poured into it the ingredients the teacher provided — a spoon of coloured sand, a spoon of dyed salt, a drop of oil, a handful of confetti. Mixed, kneaded, added water. The result was a fragrant, colourful sensory mass — completely different in each bowl, because each child added their own way. This was the magical mixture of each individual.
After completing all the challenges came the climax — the induction. In each group a teacher-inducter, with a sword-stick-wand in hand, called each child by name. The child stepped forward. The teacher gently touched the wand to the shoulder. “I induct you, Hanna, as a Skrzat of the Skrzaty Room”. Or: “I induct you, Marek, as a Mędrek of the Oldest Group”. And each newly inducted child received a medal with the name of their group. Some Krasnoludki were so moved that a tear appeared in the eye. Others smiled so widely that their face looked as if it might split. All were happy.
What is built in a child during the induction
Group identity. A child who is inducted is formally included in a community. “I am a Skrzat”. “I belong to this group”. “I have a kind to which I belong”. For a five-year-old this is extraordinarily important — to be part of a group, to have a label, to be recognized. Our induction gives this child’s longing a concrete, ceremonial form. And forms, as we know, work strongly even when they are small.
A sense of having earned it. Crucial in our induction is that it is not “free”. You have to earn it — by completing the challenges, by cooperating, by effort. A child who receives the medal really earned it. This builds a strong sense of efficacy and self-esteem — “I made it, I am brave”.
Drama as a pedagogical tool. The Wizard Squirrel, whom no one has ever seen but whose letters and tasks are real — is a classic technique of dramatic pedagogy. The child lives in a narrative in which they play the role of the hero. The Wizard’s character is here like an invisible teacher — gives the challenges, but not by presence, only by narrative. The child feels like a real participant in a fairy tale.
Inter-generational community. The Skrzaty observe the Mędrki being inducted. The Mędrki observe how we induct the Skrzaty. Each child sees not only themselves — they also see their future self (how I will be inducted as an Elf when I grow up?). Or their past self (last year I too was inducted like that). From such observations a sense of continuity, of stages, of long-term development is built.
Emotional experience. Every strong emotion in a five-year-old stays in memory particularly deeply. The induction is a day on which the child experiences: excitement (the challenges), anxiety (will I make it?), joy (I made it!), pride (I am officially a Skrzat!), being moved (the wand touches my shoulder). Six weeks later, when we ask the Krasnoludki what they remember best from September — most say: “the induction”.
Why three groups: Skrzaty, Elfy, Mędrki
In our preschool there is a tradition of three age groups with mythical names. Skrzaty (“imps”) are the youngest (2-3 years). Elfy (“elves”) are the middle group (4-5 years). Mędrki (“little wise ones”) are the oldest (5-6 years) — preschoolers in the “zerówka” preparatory year, who go to school the following year.
Why mythical names, and not simply “youngest group”, “middle group”? Because for a five-year-old “Skrzat”, “Elf” or “Mędrek” is not just a name — it is an identity the child can feel in the heart. “I am a Skrzat”. This is a character from a fairy tale the child knows and loves. It is a label that adds strength. It is also a foreshadowing of the path — because the Skrzaty know that next year they will become Elfy, and the Elfy know that next year they will be Mędrki.
Each group has its own colour (Skrzaty orange, Elfy purple, Mędrki green), its own guiding character, its own songs, its own traditions. When we meet in the hallway or on the playground, the children recognize each other — “and you are a Skrzat, and we are Mędrki!”. This building of mutual recognition is as valuable for a child of this age as learning letters.
What a parent can do to support this moment
The induction has the greatest weight when it is also celebrated at home. A few ideas:
— A festive dinner. That evening, make something special — the child’s favourite dish, dessert, candles. Let it be a different evening from any other.
— Show that this is important. “You were inducted today as a Skrzat. This is really important. I am proud of you”. These words, said directly, work strongly. The child feels that what they experienced has weight also for those closest to them.
— Keep the medal. Don’t let the medal go to a shelf in a month. Let it hang in a visible place — on the wall above the desk, on the door of the room, in a visible drawer. Every glance the child casts at the medal is a re-experience of an important moment.
— Tell the story afterwards. “Do you remember how they inducted you as a Skrzat?”. Such memories, to which you return together over the years, build a family history.
— Don’t compare to siblings. “Your brother was inducted as an Elf last year”. Every child deserves their own experience, their own story, their own pride. Comparisons dilute them.
What stays after Preschoolers’ Day
For weeks after our Preschoolers’ Day, a poster of medals still hangs in the Skrzaty room. Another year, another induction, another group of Skrzaty. In my work — because I write this as a long-time educator — the day most often recalled by graduates who come back to greet us as first-graders is precisely Preschoolers’ Day. “I remember when they inducted me as a Mędrek. I held the medal in my hand and felt I mattered”.
And this is exactly the meaning of the ritual. It is not about the medal. It is not about the obstacle course. It is not even about Wizard Squirrel. It is about the fact that the child, on one specific day, gets a clear signal from the adults: “we see you, you matter, you belong with us, congratulations”. From such signals adult self-worth is built.
And that is why every year, on the 20th of September, we put in enormous effort to make this day truly exceptional. Because we know that it pays back to the children for the next thirty, forty, fifty years of their lives.