How to Celebrate the End of the Year!

Teachers friends, 

As you know, the end of the year is slowly but surely approaching. You and your students couldn't be MORE READY! 

Real learning has pretty much gone out the window, but what is a classroom to do in the meantime? Learning doesn't have to be completely over, you just have to mask it such a way where it doesn't quite seem like learning to students... but it in fact, still is! 

Here are some activities, resources, and freebies that you can use to survive the end of the year without losing your mind! 

1. Summer is as Sweet as Lemonade! - Simile Craftivity FREEBIE! 
Summer is clearly on the mind so why not indulge your students with some summer creative writing activities? 

Find this FREEBIE here!

2. Fun Fridays! 

You can stick a fork in a student by Friday, but Fridays during the last month of school?! Oh my! If you don't implement Fun Fridays already, you should maybe consider doing so. Set guidelines and time restrictions but let students enjoy the last hour of school before the weekend. Students can participate in free play or the teacher can provide fun centers where students can rotate. It can still be educational, you can use educational games like Brain Quest Board games or World Safari. 

3. End of the Year STEM! 

This resource has science, technology, engineering, and measurement activities to do with your elementary kids that will really get their brains going during the end of the school year!

The STEM Challenges include a Mini Golf Course (Hole in One) Challenge. Students must design a Mini Golf course that can be successfully completed in one stroke (a hole in one!). They must also craft a putter. Certain types of angles and obstacles in the course are required in their design.)

The challenges also include a Balloon Rocket Car Challenge, and a Trampoline Challenge! Check it out here! 

4. Start Creating Classroom Portfolios

Have students begin collecting and organizing their work from the school year. Have them find their favorite assignments from every subject. Have them brainstorm and write about all the goals that they've achieved for the year as well as a list of books they've read. They can reflect on their favorite group project and discuss what made it successful. They can design a "meet the author page". The portfolio can be in a professional binder or simply stapled together in a packet. Parents will love seeing their child's work featured at the end of the year! 

Find this resource here! 

5. Readers Theatre

     Does your class participate in Readers Theatre? This takes creative learning to a whole new level! You can find collections of Readers Theatre online. Read the script with the class several times and model expressive reading. Have students take turns reading aloud. When students are ready, pair them in groups to practice their script! At the end of the day, have students perform their scripts to the rest of the class! 

6. Get Up & Dance!

        Students can learn multicultural dances with Dance Around the World resource!  

Students will learn over 18 different traditional and cultural dances from Italy, Russia, Africa, India, China, and Mexico! There are 20 video links (QR Codes as well as URL Links) included to see dancers in action! 

GET YOUR STUDENTS UP AND DANCING!

There are 7 dance and movement activities for your students!

Find this resource here!

7. Story Starters & Creative Writing FREEBIES - Summer Vacation! 

     Get students to participate in creative writing exercises. Here's a list of fun story starters they can use.. Add questions about their summer vacation to the list!

8. Student Memory Books!

Create an opportunity for students to design their own classroom Memory Books! Click here for a Memory Book resource! 

9. More Read Alouds!

 Some of my favorites include: 

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Because of Winn- Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Holes by Louis Sachar

10. Student Awards! 

Don't forget to hand out student awards the last week of school! Give each student in your class a unique award! Thirty different award titles are included in this resource so no one feels left out! Who will be awarded little miss fashionista? ;) 

Find this resource here! 

11. Sailing into Summer Craftivity FREEBIE! 

Here's another creative writing craftivity where students can find inspiration from summer!! 

Find this resource here! 

12. Learning center activities 

Set up stations or learning centers were students are able to self-run each center. Resources such as "Draw Write Now" by Marie Hablitzel and workbooks containing sight words are fantastic for center activities! You can also cut up  sight words to make puzzles or provide whiteboards for sight word practice. "Search the Room" is another fun game where if students are learning a certain vowel sounds like "oa", they can grab a clipboard and walk around the room finding things that use that specific sound. 

13. End of Year Bundle! 

If your looking for quick, zero prep activities and resources, check out this bundle! You'll find classroom awards, student portfolios, and activities to create a classroom memory book.

Find this resource bundle here!

Enjoy the last few weeks of school, it will be over soon! Keep hanging in there! ;)

Photo Credit - https://www.dollarphotoclub.com/