As the school year draws to a close, teachers are often looking for fun and engaging ways to celebrate their students’ hard work and accomplishments. From classroom parties to field trips, there are plenty of options for end-of-year activities that will leave your students feeling celebrated and excited for the summer ahead. In this post, we’ll explore some of my favorite end of the school year activities for elementary teachers to consider.
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Why We Need Fun End of the School Year Activities!
With summer right around the corner, so many of us are counting down the days in the classroom with fun activities. Fun end of the year activities are an essential component of any elementary school classroom because they provide a chance to build community, celebrate achievements, and bring joy and laughter to the final days of the school year. So as you begin planning your end-of-year activities, remember to prioritize fun and celebration and give your students and yourself the gift of a memorable end to the school year.
Build Community
One of the key reasons why we need fun end of year activities is to help foster a positive classroom community. Throughout the year, students have been working hard to build relationships with one another, and end-of-year activities offer an opportunity to strengthen those bonds. In addition, by engaging in shared experiences and celebrating their achievements, students can develop a sense of camaraderie and support that will carry over into the next school year.
Celebrate Achievements
Another important reason for end of year activities is to help students feel a sense of accomplishment and closure. As they reflect on the year that has passed, students can take pride in all that they have learned and accomplished. Additionally, celebratory activities provide a tangible way for students to acknowledge their hard work and growth and feel closure as they transition to the next grade level.
Bring Joy and Laughter
In addition to benefiting students, fun end-of-year activities can also be a source of joy and satisfaction for teachers. After a long and challenging school year, teachers need to take a moment to celebrate their own hard work and achievements. By planning engaging activities that bring joy and laughter to the classroom, you can feel a sense of fulfillment and pride in your positive impact on your students’ lives.
6 Fun End of the School Year Activities
These end of the school year activities will bring joy and laughter to your classroom as the school year comes to a close. They will help you celebrate students’ achievements and reflect on the incredible memories you made throughout the school year.
#1 End of the Year Digital Activity Maze
The first fun way to wrap up the school year is to offer digital end of the year activities in a game-like format for your students.
Surprise your students with a fun activity that takes them through a maze of different end of the year challenges. Not only will it pique their interest, but they will love the extra chance to use technology in the classroom. Plus, the emojis and gifs add an extra element of fun for kids. π π π
#2 Create an End of the Year Learning Video
One of the amazing digital learning tools I’ve recommended to so many people is Flipgrid. I’m not being paid to sponsor or endorse their site; I just love using Flipgrid for learning!
Flipgrid is a site that allows students and teachers to create video content for storytelling. You can use it for these end of the year learning ideas:
- Have all your students make a “Happy Birthday” shout-out video to kids who have birthdays during the summer.
- Ask students to record a 60-second video naming their favorite memory from this school year. Put all the “video–grids” together to make an end of the year video collage.
- Blur or pixelate students faces and create a “Guess Who” grid where students get to use clues to find out whose image it is.
If you are new to this service, you can begin with this step-by-step guide. Flipgrid is free to all educators, whether your school is closed due to COVID-19 or not.
#3 Complete an End of Year Memory Wheel Craftivity
Who doesn’t love a good craft-activity aka craftivity? My next fun end of the school year learning idea is to complete an End of the Year Memory Wheel craft.
Your students will LOVE completing this activity because they will follow the easy-to-read details to create a “wheel” with their favorite memories from this school year. Allowing your students to reflect on the good times they’ve had encourages them to keep a positive outlook on school as they head into the summer. Plus, it’s easy enough to assemble so that kids can complete it without needing too much guidance.
#4 Set Up an Indoor Phonics Scavenger Hunt
Make the end of the school year memorable with this phonics indoor scavenger hunt for younger kiddos to enjoy! This activity encourages kids to complete “phonics challenges” by finding items around the classroom that match each phonics rule.
Keep the learning going with something fun that doesn’t require worksheets! Your students will gain independence as they complete this self-guided activity with a learning focus. This end of the year learning idea allows kids to enjoy learning right up until the last day of school.
#5 Create an End of The School Year Memory Book
This Memory Book Set will help you and your students reflect back over the school year and record all the highlights of your year in a fun way. The end of the school year is a great time to reflect on memories made together as a class, but that does not mean you can’t make a few new memories on the way out! That’s why I included fun photo props in this memory book set.
#6 End of The School Year Puzzles & Riddles
These fun and fresh puzzles and riddles are great to use with 3rd-5th grade students during the last weeks of school. They will keep students entertained and having fun as they gear up for the summer.
Need more help with the end of the school year?
It’s tempting to try everything at once. We want to go out with a bang. Just remember that less is often more. I encourage you to choose ONE special way you want to wrap up the year.
You can also check out my top tips on how to keep kids from going crazy in the classroom!
More Ideas to End the Year Well
Here are some books, resources, and ideas to make the best of these last days:
- Amazing End of the Year Read Aloud Books
- Summer Reading Bookmark Challenges–keep kids engaged with reading this summer
- End of the Year Teacher Gift Ideas
- 10 Best Summer Experiences for Teachers
You’re almost to the finish line, beautiful butterfly!
2 Responses
Thank you for these great ideas! My team and I have been working on ways to celebrate the end of the year with our students.
Can you explain how you would create the Guess Who grid with blurred faces? Would you have the students create the videos and blur their own faces? Or is this something you would create for the students to do?
Katie,
I would take a screenshot of each student’s face and use an online photo editor like Canva or PicMonkey to make the picture more pixelated. You can use any photo editing app or service to make their images slightly blurred for the “Guess Who” grid idea.
OR, you can have students submit a screenshot of themselves with something covering their faces to make the grid. Any idea that would help hide their faces would allow you to play the online Guess Who game.
I hope this answered your question clearly. Thanks for asking! π