The end of the school year is upon us! The excitement for summer vacation is palpable! Excitement for academics … not so much. If you’re looking for some activities to keep your end-of-the-year fun while keeping the learning going, I’ve got some ideas for you! And click here for more end-of-year activities.
engaging ideas for the end of the year
- Write a letter to themselves. Have students write a letter to themselves about the school year. They can include things like their favorite activity during the year, how they’ve improved, their favorite people, etc. Make sure they write about what they think the next school year will bring. Collect them and then mail them to students at the beginning of the next school year!
- Advice for next year. This is similar to the letter, but they’re writing to the next group of students you’ll have. They can give advice about how to do well in your class.
- If you have the space, get your kids outside. It’s so hard to focus on school when the weather turns nice! Take them outside! You can: do a task card scavenger hunt, a regular scavenger hunt, take measurements of things outside (then bring the data inside to use in graphing practice), or silent reading.
- Do projects you don’t have time for during the school year. This is a great time to do some fun science and art projects that you might not have had time for during the year. Make a choice board and let students choose one or two things to work on.
- Theme days. Pick a fun theme for each day of the last week of class. Some fun ideas are Tropical Day, Backwards Day, Funny Hat Day, Western Day … see if your kids can come up with some of their own ideas!
- Color. This is a calm, relaxing activity that is perfect for those days when the classroom is too warm. Print out some bookmarks to color, or color some growth or mindfulness pages.
- Top 10. Let your students make some top 10 Summer Fun lists. Ideas are 10 Books to Read, 10 Trips to Take, 10 Things to Do Outside, or 10 Foods I’d Like to Try.
- Do a Service Project. This is a great way to give back to your community. Kids can plant flowers around the school grounds, pick up trash, write letters to service members, do a bottle drive, or collect food for a local shelter.
try these print-and-go activities!
All of the above ideas are definitely fun. But you might still need to round out some days with some academics.
Your kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd-grade students will love these End of Year Activities for reviewing academic skills while having fun at the end of the year. These engaging activities are perfect for the end of the year when brains are tired and everyone is ready for their summer break! Students will be engaged in reviewing important math and literacy skills through fun activities, game boards, and puzzles. Students will also love the end-of-year memory book as they create a keepsake of their favorite school year memories, friends, and teacher.
The resource includes Brain Breaks, Puzzles, Board Games, Worksheet Puzzles, and a fun Memory Book that your kids will enjoy putting together.
Some of my other end-of-year resources:
Share your favorite end-of-year activity with us!
