What a challenging year this has been! Educators everywhere have felt it, as I am sure students have too. In fact I just read that 600,000 teachers have left the profession during the pandemic alone. And so with that mindset, I am sure that everyone in the classroom is starting to count down the days ahead until summer break is within their grasp. At my school, we have 8 1/2 more days. Being in the single digits is pretty great. Here's a look at some of the activities I have loved to do at the end of the year to make it a bit more special.
1 . Countdown
I like to have something for students to physically count down. I want them to be able to see it....such as a paper chain that can have one link removed. Another fun one is to decorate a bulletin board with a beach scene that gets one piece removed each day. When we were online we had a countdown poster with activities for each day. But my absolute favorite is to have a balloon for each of the last few days with a special surprise or activity written on a paper and stuffed inside. Students take turn popping a balloon each day to reveal the special activity inside.
2. Special Learning Activities
With curriculum being completed, extra activities are a must if you want to remain sane and keep students busy. One of my most-loved end of the year activities is to host a trial where students must write a persuasive paper to the judge (me) and convince a jury (a panel of older kids) that they deserve to go on to the next grade. The kids take this so seriously and are very nervous about presenting for this real-world cause. It is great because since they are so serious about it, they work hard to use evidence to plead their case. You can find this lesson that I purchased over here.
3. End of the Year Memory Books
Every single year, I have the students create a small book with memories, stories, autographs, etc. that they can take with them when school is over. This year I found a super cute and amazing end of the year book that is a bubblegum machine. Each day the students do one page in it and on the days when they need to write, they have a little piece of candy to go with it to help motivate them. These always turn out cute and are something the students can keep for years to come to help them remember their school year. Here's the one I am using this year.
4. Special Projects
We all have students who are finished with everything earlier than some of the others. It can be hard to manage both groups at the same time, so having special projects that are INDEPENDENT is a game changer (literally). This year, I ran across a game project. The idea is that students create a game with a game board about a topic they have learned throughout the school year. It really can be anything. This is the first year I have used this, and it has been a huge hit for both the students and I. The other day we had a catch up day and I was able to work with students who needed extra guidance while the other students spent the ENTIRE DAY happily creating their game. It was amazing! They were excited. I was excited, and the students who were catching up on their work were able to get more help. Here's a link to the activity I found to TPT.
5. A Room Transformation
We have enjoyed so many classroom transformations throughout the year, but it is fun to celebrate our learning with a final room transformation to end the year. One year, it was STEAM Mania with a Toy Story theme. Last year it was a Super Mario theme. It is a fun way to end the year on a high note. I usually do not do this the last day, but in the days leading up. This year I would really like to do a mad scientist lab transformation. My kids love science and experiments and are always begging for more.
What do you enjoy doing at the end of your school year? Leave a comment below if you have something special or fun that you do each year.
