As students countdown the final days of the ’21-‘22 school year (as you are probably doing too), it’s time to think about fun end-of-the-year activities to do with your students. Many teachers have great ideas they’ve already used in prior years, however newer teachers might be curious to discover tried-and-true activities used by colleagues.
ThinkFives was impressed with the creativity in the activities we reviewed and it was tough to narrow it down to a Top 5 List. But we have! And as an added bonus, we have included Honorable Mentions at the end of the post with an additional 5 activities.
Photo Booth
Courtesy of Minds-in-Bloom
Create and record the best memories for your students! All you need is a big piece of paper, or fabric, as the background. Prepare some props such as hats, scarves, and signs. (You can make the props with students too! Make something that is meaningful to the students – maybe make a sign of the class or something about a funny inside joke of the class?) After that, all you need is a camera
People of the Year
Courtesy of We Are Teachers
Select the “People of the Year” for different topics with the class! They can be students from your class, teachers, school staff, or even the historical figures they learned in history classes or their favorite celebrities! Ask the students to elect the people of the year, then draw portraits and write a summary about why they’re selected as the people of the year.
Time Capsule
Courtesy of We Are Teachers
Have students write a letter to their future self. You can set up a time with the class when they gather back and open the letters together. Ask students to write about their aspirations and dreams, write about who they want to become someday. Most importantly, write something to support, encourage, and motivate their future selves!
Make a Keepsake
Courtesy of Minds-in-Bloom
A keepsake is one of the best ways to record the memories! It can be a simple craft, such as a friendship bracelet or a tie-dye t-shirts that will remind students of their memories with friends in school when they see the keepsakes. Another option is to make a keepsake for the summer, such as a DIY umbrella or frisbee. Students can also make keepsakes as gifts for their friends and family.
Oscar Red Carpet
Courtesy of edutopia
Have students organize an “Oscar” event. Give awards such as “best classroom moments of the year,” “best book of the year,” etc. Make students give Oscar-style speeches where they share anything they learned this year, their favorite classroom moments, and show appreciation to the teachers and the class. You can even let the students dress up! (You can also hold a celebration after this – prepare food, drinks, and snacks to celebrate the end of the year!)
Honorable Mentions
- Thank You Notes (From Minds-in-Bloom)
Every kid should learn to thank their parents, teachers, school staff, and class for the wonderful school year! Have the students write thank you notes or letters to whoever they want to – writing about how they made their school year special and unforgettable. (Teachers can also write thank you notes to students too! It would be a heartwarming moment for both of you!) - End-of-year Reflections (From Minds-in-Bloom)
There are many ways to achieve “end of year reflections.” Some examples include having an end-of-year graffiti wall, making an end-of-year book as a class, writing end-of-year notes individually and pasting them into a wall, etc. You can have students write about anything – their favorite moments of the year, meaningful lessons they learned this year and more. It’s also great to have pictures or paintings on your end-of-year project! - Plan a Vacation (From We Are Teachers)
Summer break is coming! Students must be so excited to travel with their family and friends during the break. Have students design their dream vacation with an assigned budget. Ask them to plan out the places they want to visit, and keep track of every fare, including airfare, gas money, food, hotel, etc. - Create a Graffiti Wall
From Minds-in-Bloom
Put up some light-colored butcher paper on the wall and have markers available for students to write about their favorite memories of the year, shout-outs for their classmates, and summer plans. This is a quick and easy way to temporarily decorate walls you have stripped for the last few days of school. - Sidewalk Chalk-O-Rama
From Minds-in-Bloom
Get a large bucket of sidewalk chalk and hit the playground. Students could draw memories from the past year, write shout-outs for friends and staff members, or just draw for the pure joy of creating something.
Links
Exciting!!!
End of year is so fun, I am able to bring in activities that we didn’t have time for throughout the year. Also, we make memory books, and they write notes to teachers outside of our class. ❤️
I love thank you notes and the “Oscars!”