End of the Year Ideas

Good Morning!  As we near the final few days of school, I wanted to share some of my favorite End of the Year activities with you!  I'm down to 3.5 days left, but I know others have longer.  Hopefully you can pick up some ideas here for this year or pin/save them for future years! 

End of the Year Countdown

I started this end of the year countdown chain many years ago and the kids absolutely LOVE it!  The anticipation is so cute.  Every morning, they come in eager to find out what special activity we'll be doing!  This set comes with both pre-made and editable chain links.  It also comes with an ABC countdown if you want to make your countdown longer.  So far this year, we've blown bubbles, buddy read with another class, watched a movie, had a guest reader, and read with flashlights.  As the chain shortens, the activities become more involved.  Grab the countdown chain HERE.

Memory Book

Such a fun keepsake and GREAT time-filler the last week of school!  With several editable pages, you can add a photo of yourself, the class, and individual students.  Some years I laminate the front and back and bind the books.  Some years, I slam a few staples down the side.  Can you guess what I'll be doing this year?  Hint: We have 3.5 days left and have not started our memory books yet.  Hahaha!  Grab the book HERE.  Covers included for grades k-2.  Check out the listing for pages included.

Crafts

It's great filling time with art projects the last week of school.  Yes, it requires some prep on your end, but the kids are happy and you don't have to entertain them.  This "Cruising to 2nd Grade" craft and writing from First and Kinder Blue Skies is easy and cute.  Grab it HERE.  

I love making suns with my class as the final hallway art display.  Usually we make full suns, but this year I tried the project shown below.  I will definitely be adding it to my list of favorites in the future!  

Picture Books

Who doesn't love a good read-aloud?  Below are some of my favorites for the final week(s) of school.  You can check out all of my favorite picture books on Amazon by clicking HERE.  *affiliate link*

Mini Book

A mini-book is a great way to build vocabulary.  My students hunt for sight words to color within their books prior to reading.  Grab this summer mini-book HERE.   *It's also part of my mini-book bundle.

Games

There are definitely more games happening the last week of school!  Some favorites are: "Heads Up, Seven Up," "I Have, Who Has," "Who's Missing," and "Switcharoo."  Grab the "I Have, Who Has" game by clicking HERE.  *It's also part of my "I Have, Who Has" bundle.

End of Year Assessments

The end of the year is always busy with assessments and testing.  I use my "Beginning of the Year Assessment" pack throughout the year to check progress.  I check letter names, phonemes, number ID, number writing, and much more.  I also use my "Level 1 Trick Word Tracker" to check their trick words.  Grab the assessment pack HERE and grab the trick word tracker HERE.  

Cleaning, Purging, and Prep for the Next Year

It's such a great feeling to clean and purge each spring!  How do teachers accumulate so much stuff!?!?!  I try to be particular about what I bring into my room, but there is ALWAYS stuff to pitch and give away.

I like to get as many things ready for the fall as possible during the springtime.  It's extremely stressful, but having small things ready save time in the fall and allow more time for classroom setup, planning. and meetings.

Things I try to prep in the spring/summer months: take-home folders, Fundations folders, birthday gifts, forms, and spacer sticks.

Have a fantastic end of your school year!  Cheers to summer!!!!!

xo

Megan