We know how hard it is to keep our students’ attention at the end of the year. It’s basically like herding cats. As an elementary school teacher, I was always trying to think of engaging end-of-the-year activities that also kept my students learning. During the last week of school, I always coordinated an entire week of themed days. But during the weeks leading up to that, I had to think of end-of-the-year activities that were more simple and easy to implement.
Check out these seven end-of-the-year activities that you can do with your students that will keep them engaged and learning.
1. Literature Circles
Choose a short book, like Freckle Juice, and assign literature circle roles. You can even do this with picture books! I always liked to take five days and teach a mini-lesson outlining each of the literature circle roles before having students jump into the activities. Grab these free literature circle printables in my store and get your students reading and engaging with each other.
2. Board Games
This one just requires poster board, butcher paper, or just plain ol’ computer paper. Tell students they have to create a board game to review a skill they’ve learned from the year, to teach next year’s students behavior expectations or just something fun they’d like to share. Don’t forget to mention that they have to make up the rule, the actual board design, and all of the cards and board game pieces. This project is fun because it’s open-ended and gives students the freedom to be creative.
3. Math Talk
Here’s a quick 20-minute routine you can do with your students daily. Put a math word (or story) problem up on the board and have students work it out on their own first. Tell them the room has to be silent while they work on it independently. Even if it’s something they don’t know, they should still try to work it out. Then after about a few minutes, tell students to turn to their A/B partner to talk about how they solved the problem. Encourage students to use words like:
- I solved this by _
- I was able to get the answer because _
- I am not sure how to do this but I think _
- Can you explain how you _
- I can justify my answer by _
Finally, bring students together and have a whole group discussion about the problem.
4. Art Projects
Who doesn’t love art? I always try to save art lessons for the afternoons, and I play music while we’re crafting. My two favorite end-of-the-year projects are Proportion Art and Roy Lichtenstein Art. I also really love making Bloom Balls (or dodecahedrons) about a novel we just finished or other concepts from the school year.
5. Future is So Bright
This is a classic writing assignment that will get your students thinking about their future. They can draw a little image of what they think their future will hold. It can be about the summer, the next grade level, or way into the future when they’re an adult. After they draw, they can write a short paragraph to explain what their future holds. Find the templates in my shop.
6. Autobiography Poem
Have students write a poem about themselves. It can be a haiku, “I am” poem or an acrostic. Then have students use construction paper and make a fun face mask that represents them. You can find the templates here.
7. Summer Doodles
We all need to practice some mindfulness, especially at the end of the year. Let your students choose one of these summer doodles to show their creativity and practice being in the moment. They can also write a little something to go along with their finished doodle. Find all of the doodles here.
8. Newspaper Articles
Students can write a newspaper article about their year for future students to read. You can even have students interview each other for writing ideas, and then they can write about the person they interviewed. Find the newspaper templates here.
No matter what you choose to do, remember your students are most likely just as tired as you are and ready for a break. Have fun and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Want more end-of-the-year ideas? Check out these themed days to celebrate your students!