The end of the school year is such a special and stressful time for kids and teachers. I know you feel it! I have rounded up some fun, engaging, reflective activities that will be accessible for your learners. Let’s go!
Write the Room
These activities can be really fun for your students that respond well to reflection. Learning how to reflect on what activities and skills actually worked for them is a super important skill! I love that these questions are simple and can elicit really thoughtful responses and discussions. The responses can also be shared with a student’s future teacher and paraprofessional. This can tremendously help any transitions!
Focus on Gratitude
After reflecting, it’s a great time for students to focus on who helped them get where they are. I love using thank you notes to hand out to staff and teachers who supported students. I believe this really is best when it’s student driven! This activity is a great time to work on core vocabulary, pulling out choice boards to make independent decisions, and work on social skills. Passing out the thank you crafts is another great way to work on generalizing greetings, compliments, and general communication and social skills!
Arts & Crafts
The end of the school year is BUSY. There’s field day, awards assemblies, cleaning up the room, and end of the year assessments. Sometimes we hit the end of our curriculum and it makes the last few weeks really drag. Activities like this monster glyph are so, so fun for those days! This activity is super meaningful. It allows students to read for meaning, reflect on the year, engage creatively, and practice fine motor skills. The final product is perfect for a bulletin board or door decoration!
End of the School Year Books
One of my favorite books to read with kids at the end of the school year is The Invisible String. End of the year is exciting, with so many fun activities like field trips, field day, projects, and yearbooks. It’s also bittersweet! Some students are moving, some kids are graduating and headed off to new schools, some kids love the security and structure of school and are nervous for summer. Leaving your teacher and your classroom community can be hard! This book (and the provided activities in this companion pack) is really sweet and grounding for kids to remember that they CAN, and will, stay connected to those that they have formed relationships with. It’s a great way to end the school year!
How do you plan to spend the last few days of school? Do you have any tried and true activities you always do? SHARE in the comments!
