As the end of the year approaches you’re probably starting to think about how you’ll spend the last few days with your class. Students are excited, testing is over, and at this point in the year, you may be fresh out of ideas. Here are 10 end of the year activities you can do with your class that will make your last week of school both meaningful and memorable, but most of all, fun!
Create a Theme for the Last Week of School
Celebrating your year together is important to your students. Make the end of the year special by giving it a theme with fun things for students to look forward to each day. My favorite way to end the year is with a Superhero theme. It’s such a fun one for students and an easy theme to pull off. I call it our Superhero Send-Off!
Have Your Students Wear Capes
Purchase plastic table cloths from the dollar store and then cut them in half. Students can wear them while they’re inside the classroom, but we take them off for lunch and recess. With Memorial Day coming up red and blue are easy to find but you could use any color.
Hold an Award Ceremony
Both you and your students have worked hard this year and it means a lot to them to receive an award from their teacher. Acknowledge them with an awards ceremony and unique awards that celebrate them, their learning, and their accomplishments.
Pass out fun water bottle trophies along with your awards! As the temperatures rise this time of year, it’s a good way to keep everybody hydrated and your students will get such a kick out of them!
Highlight the Year in Memory Books
You’ve made a year’s worth of memories with your students and they love remembering and talking about them at the end of the year. Provide time for students to make memory books with their classmates. (This gives you time to cross a few things off of your to do list too!)
Make A Last Week of School Photo Booth
Turn a corner of your room into a backdrop to take end of the year photos in a Superhero themed photo booth. Students love to get their picture taken and parents are so appreciative when the photo comes home.
I made our backdrop by putting up a large sheet of cloud patterned bulletin board paper available at the teaching supply store. To make the city buildings I used black butcher paper and a yard stick to draw the shapes before cutting them out. The windows are yellow construction paper glued onto the buildings. The title lettering, signs and stars are part of this photo booth kit.
Send Home Keepsake Cards
Use the photos to make keepsake cards for your class. Write a special note inside for each child and send it home the last day of school. Parents treasure these photos and it means the world to your students to get a special note from you.
Induct Your Students Into the Knighthood of Kindness
Start a yearly tradition by “knighting” your students! I began this tradition a few years ago and my students took it so seriously and were so solemn as the kindness oath was read that I have done it every year since.
The purpose of this community building ceremony (which can be done any time of the year) is to reinforce and remind students of the importance of being kind in all they say and do.
Kindness is a pillar of our classroom culture. I want my students to carry this with them as they leave my classroom and enter the next grade. Students receive medals and certificates after they are knighted, then write in their Kindness Knights handbook describing how they Know words are powerful, Include others, Never forget they have a choice, and Demonstrate kindness in their words and deeds. KIND.
See the Kindness Knights resource I use.
Make Kindness Mailboxes
Have students write notes to each other too! Close out the year on positive note by having students send kind mail to their classmates and deliver them into Superhero mailboxes. The smiles are always priceless as students read kind words from their friends during the last week of school.
Reflect on End of the Year Achievements
Students grow so much during the year. Why not give them a way to write about the goals, accomplishments, and talents or abilities they are most proud of?
We actually made these Superhero crafts at the beginning of the year. They hung in our classroom all year then students revisit their goals the last week of school.
Thank Your Volunteers and Staff Superhero-Style
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t make it a minute without volunteers and school staff. One important addition to our end of the year activities is to make class thank you cards and gifts for our volunteers. For all those who helped and supported us during the year we make cards with our class photo on the front. One of the ways I keep behavior in check is to let my students know that I’ll be watching before I pick which students get to deliver the cards.
These staff awards are a fun way to let your school staff know just how much you appreciate them. Every teacher knows that the front office staff is the glue that holds the universe together and the end of the year wouldn’t be complete without thanking them!
Send Students Home With Some Swag!
I’m a big fan of swag…for every occasion! During the last week of school I like to send everybody home with a little something at dismissal that goes with our theme and the activities we’ve done that day. I pass out student gifts like brag tags and bookmarks throughout the week.
In keeping with our Superhero theme, on sharing kindness day, everybody goes home with Kryptonite on a stick!
My kids flipped over these and they’re so simple to make! I purchased green apple rock candy sticks and added the gift tag. If you’d like to make them for your class the candy is available on Amazon with this (affiliate) link and you can download the gift tags for FREE!
The end of the year is a stressful time for teachers. As you wind up the school year and pack up your classroom, take some time to have fun with your kids. Give them a Superhero send-off they won’t soon forget!
Happy teaching!
~Linda
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