End of the Year Activities

The end of the year can be such a hectic time! Sometimes it’s hard to remember that it’s also a very special time for your students. It’s the last time your class family will all be together! Check out these ideas end of the year activities ranging from some prep to no prep!

Have an end of the year class picnic

Students can bring in their favorite snacks or treats to share. Bring out blankets or chairs and let them enjoy! If you have room moms, they can help plan the picnic and prepare snacks. This is a simple way to make the end of the year special. 

Host an end of the year classroom clean out

Ask your students to clean up and organize the classroom for the end of the year. My first graders always loved to do this! You can even create a list of tasks for the class to work on together. This is a fantastic opportunity to discuss responsibility and teamwork with your students.

Write thank you letters to former teachers

After being on the receiving end of one of these notes, I can tell you they truly mean a lot. Ask students to write letters to any teacher or staff member that has made an impact on their learning! You can use my free letter templates that are linked below.

The free community helper templates include teacher, nurse, and janitor, so they are great for end of the year letters! Click the image below to grab them from my TpT store.

Do an end of the year scavenger hunt

Do an end of the year scavenger hunt with your students! This one from Tanya Marshall (The Butterfly Teacher) is great and it’s free! Students will find a classmate who matches each item on their chart.

Or grab this one from Third in Hollywood! Students will search for things around the classroom. Both activities are free and require almost no prep!

Create end of the year memory books

I like to do something a little different than the traditional memory book, although there is nothing wrong with those! My students create a memory page and add a superhero mask and cape to create a sweet poster. I use leftover tissue paper from my gifting box at home and glue it to the back of the page. Click the button below to check it out!

Do and end of the year community countdown

I originally saw this idea from The Chi Town Teacher on Instagram and we’ve been doing it for two years now! It only requires a little bit of prep. Each day, you’ll open an envelop to reveal one student’s name. On their day, their classmates will write kind notes on a poster that they will take home with them!

I created an editable poster template after I received some requests from other teachers on Instagram, so this activity is even more low-prep! Just type in your students’ names and print! Then I glue them onto colored paper and when they are finished, I laminate them for durability! Click the button below to grab the free editable poster template.

Want to see how I use this in my classroom? Watch this reel on Instagram!

I hope this post has given you some fresh end of the year ideas! Try to enjoy the craziness. 🙂