The end of the school year is fast approaching! Whether you have days or weeks left, I hope that these end of year tips and ideas will help you to have some fun with your students before summer break.
1. Keep learning
After testing is over, we start to daydream about summer break. But the reality is that we still have several weeks of teaching time! What do you do with your students? We want to keep them learning, but we want to have some fun with them, too.
One way to keep learning as the focus while also having fun during the last week of school is to enjoy a carnival in the classroom! Your students will love this fun way to wrap up your year together, and you will love this weeklong, done-for-you resource that keeps kids learning until the last day of school.
Our Carnival Week Resource includes five days of activities in 4 different subjects: math, reading, writing, and science. There’s also a weeklong STEM exploration with kids building their own carnival game and a differentiated math board game.
Click HERE to read even more about fun ways to keep students engaged at the end of the year.
2. Try a theme day
Ending the year with a theme day or an entire week of theme day is super fun! They give students something really special to look forward to. You can sneak in academics if you need to, or you can just make it a celebration. It’s up to you! Click HERE to read about 12 different classroom theme day ideas!
3. Hold a book raffle
The end of the year is a perfect time to hold a book raffle in your classroom! I give students a book as an end of year gift, and the raffle is a fun way to give out the books and be certain that every student has a book they are excited to read over the summer. Click HERE to read more about having a book raffle in your classroom.
4. Get your desks squeaky clean
On the last day of school, my students always scrubbed the desks, tables, and chairs. And they had a blast doing it. I know that sounds crazy, but it is so true. They loved helping to clean the classroom because I made it fun with bubbles! I only wish that I could find a way to make cleaning my house this much fun. Click HERE to read more about cleaning desks with bubbles!
5. Do some prep for next year
Imagine a summer break where you are sipping fruity drinks by the pool and NOT thinking about school. It may sound impossible to some of you. The trick is to get ready for back to school BEFORE summer break. I know that you are crazy tired, but I promise that I have some simple ways that you can get ahead of the game with little to no energy! Click HERE to read about what you should prep before summer break!
6. Try these end of year resources!
I have a few resources that are perfect for the end of the year!
End of Year Awards
I love to have a ceremony and give every student in my class a special award. I always find an award that is perfect for each student in my class. The set includes 80 different awards and it is editable. Click HERE to learn more about my end of year awards.
End of Year Memory Books
The school year has been lots of fun, and my students love to document their favorite memories. My end of year memory book comes in both digital and printable formats. It’s the perfect activity to help kids reflect in their school year. And, this is a low-prep resource so it will save you tons of time (and leave more time to pack up materials or finish report cards!). Click HERE to learn more about my end of year memory book.
End of Year Task Cards
These end of year task cards are a fun way to reminisce about the school year. You can put them in a writing center or use them as discussion starters during those last days of school! Click HERE to learn more about my end of year task cards.
Enjoy those last days of making a huge difference for this group of kiddos!
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