With the end of the year fast approaching it’s time to start planning fun and engaging end of year classroom activities to close off the year with delight for your students. Perhaps with a goodbye teacher to student note, a student reflective journal/memory book. Maybe it’s playing games such as charades or summer bingo games. Countdown to the last day of school or arts and crafts are also fantastic end of year classroom activities to end yet another academic year.
End of the Year Activities
Fun and engaging classroom activities are fantastic for celebrating achievements, reflecting on the year gone by, and fostering a sense of community among your students.
Here are 10+ fun and engaging end of year classroom activities you can consider as you wrap up another academic year:
End of Year Classroom Games
After a week of exams and state testing, I’m sure you will agree that your students just want to relax and engage in mellow activities.
Playing games are perfect to do so! It’s also a nice way to reward your whole class and yourself for a long year of schooling.
A summer bingo game will be such a blast and fun way to kick off summer in your classroom. It’s an ideal way to make memories that will last well beyond the classroom walls bringing your whole class together.
Playing charades will result in much laughter the moment one of your students begins acting out their card. This is always a great and fun way to encourage teamwork.
Summer this or that – will get your students in the summer spirit with all the fun and excitement ahead. Whether it’s choosing between hiking or going to the beach. Or deciding on ice cream or a popsicle.
End of the Year Reflection Activities
Reflecting on the academic year is a wonderful way to reflect on personal growth. As well as, celebrate the good times, friendships made and goals achieved.
Create a student reflection journal or memory book for your students to reflect and journal on their favorite memories from the school year. Lessons learned, and goals achieved.
Encourage your students to share bits of pieces from their reflective journaling activity with the class if they feel comfortable.
Grab one of these no-prep, grab-and-go printable end of year reflection journals from my TpT store to save yourself the hassle of creating your own.
✏️ Student end of year reflection for 2nd & 3rd grade
✏️2nd grade end of year writing
✏️3rd grade end of year writing
✏️4th grade end of year writing
Future vision – help your students dream big and manifest their future with future vision boarding. Dim the lights, turn some calming music on, and have your students create a vision board or scrapbook. They can doodle or write about the things they would like to achieve over the summer and in their next academic school year.
Future scrapbooking or vision boarding helps promote creativity, self-expression, and forward thinking.
Year End Gratitude
You can host an end of year gratitude circle in your classroom. This is a loving, welcoming, and fostering friendship way to wrap up the school year.
You can choose to do a gratitude activity as part of morning work during the last few days of school.
Encourage your students to share acts of kindness and support they’ve received throughout the school year from classmates, teachers, admin, and other school staff members.
Class Awards Ceremony
Reflect on each of your students’ growth, accomplishments, team playing, cheerleading, community building, etc. Create awards so that each of your students receives a personalized award where you recognize their unique abilities, strengths, and contributions.
Ideas for class awards:
- Most creative thinkers,
- Best team player,
- Most improved,
- Outstanding owls,
- Most friendly,
- Golden star awards,
- Best reader,
- Best supporter,
- Most helpful.
These awards will boost your students’ morale and reinforce positive behavior among students.
Teacher students goodbye cards and gifts – students love receiving gifts regardless of how small or big it is. Whether it’s a cookie, play-doh, straw, water bottle, or a simple yet thoughtful letter from their teacher.
Classroom Clean-up and Organization
Spend an afternoon cleaning and organizing your classroom with your students. Put some music on, divide the class into small groups or everyone work as a team and let the cleaning party begin!
Classroom clean-up promotes teamwork as well as responsibilities.
Fun Summer Worksheets
Use fun and engaging summer worksheets such as I spy, word searches, word scramble, etc for morning work and bell ringers.
This 2nd grade bundle and save packet may also be a great addition for the last week of school.
Summer Games In Paris
With the Summer Olympics taking place, I bet your students will want to learn more or share their favorite sports with their classmates.
This 2024 Summer Games in Paris activity packet is ideal for the last few days of school. It’s fun, and engaging and will help your students build their knowledge on the 2024 games in France, Paris.
You can also organize games and challenges such as relay races, egg on a spoon for outdoor activities, trivia quizzes, and charades for indoor.
Divide your class into teams and award small prizes for participation and sportsmanship.
Summer Writing Prompts
These summer writing prompts are ideal for your 2nd or 3rd graders. This writing packet includes opinion writing, narrative writing, and free writing.
You can use these writing prompts to help your students (even your reluctant writers) express themselves through their writing by sharing their favorite summer treats, writing a letter inviting their cousin over for a summer BBQ, or writing a poem on why they love summer.
Alternatively, you can send these writing prompts home as an option for students to get extra writing practice over the summer.
Conclusion
As you and your students wind down the school year, I hope these end of year classroom activities can help foster a sense of community, celebration, and anticipation for the future.
Incorporating these opportunities in your lesson plan during the last few days of school will result in reflection, expression, and fun. Creating lasting memories and valuable learning experiences for your students (and you.)
Other Posts You Might Love
- 30 fun summer ideas for kids
- fun would you rather writing prompts
- Erin Condren back to school planners
Pin For Later
Head to your teaching resource Pinterest Board and save these end of year classroom activities.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. I’m also an Amazon Affiliate and will occasionally link to some of my favorite Amazon products. I will receive a small percentage back if you purchase through my link. You won’t be charged a penny more if you shop through my links. That said, I do NOT recommend anything I do not use and love! Thank you for helping support my blog!
