For many classrooms in the northern hemisphere, the end of the school year is coming near. Is it possible that the first day of school feels like yesterday and forever ago, all at the same time? Yup.
Here’s a collection of terrific end-of-year resources, from memory books to craftivities to certificates and awards. Celebrate your students and the amazing learning that happened this year. And celebrate YOU, because it’s YOU that made that learning possible.
Memory Books and End-of-Year Lapbooks: Create handmade keepsakes about special moments from the year
A few fun options…
- End of Year Memory Book for Grades K-2 from The Tutu Teacher
- Marvelous Me Book – Keepsake Book for Students (grades K-2) from Lucky to Be in First by Molly Lynch
- End of Year Memory Lapbook (grades 1-6) from Jane Feener
- End of the Year Memory Lapbook (grades 2-5) from Two Nuts Teachin’ from the Same Tree
- End of the Year Writing Activities and Memory Book (grades 7-12) from Tracee Orman
Craftivities: Break out the markers, paper, scissors, and fun
Get crafty with…
- A Snapshot of My School Year Craftivity (End of the Year) (grades PreK-3) from Laura Bensley
- My Summer Bucket List Writing and Craft (grades K-3) from Miss Kindergarten Love
- My Future Is So Bright Writing Craftivity {Beginning AND End of the Year} (grades K-3) from Bright Concepts 4 Teachers
- End of Year – Craftivity (grades K-5) from JWDesigns
- End of the Year Beach Ball Activity (grades 3-6) from Renee Shaver
- End of the Year I Am Poem: Make a Poet T – Shirt Craftivity (grades 4-12) from HappyEdugator
End-of-Year Awards: Because every student deserves to be recognized
Celebrate their special accomplishments by presenting them with..
- End Of The Year Awards (grades PreK-3) from Adventures in Kinder and Beyond
- End Of Year Certificate Awards for Teens, #HashtagStyle! (grades 4-12) from Teachers Resource Force
- Certificates (grade 5) from Angelica’s Resources
- 75+ Character Awards to Honor Students – Editable in Publisher (All Grades) from The Colorado Classroom
Activities to Take With Them: Help your learners avoid the summer slide
For active minds all summer long, try…
- Summer Journal {End of Year Gift} (grades K-3) from The Teacher Gene
- Summer Math Send Off: Common Core Math Games for School and Home (grade 1) from Primary Inspiration by Linda Nelson
- Summer (grades 1-3) from Games 4 Learning
- Summer Math Centers & Activities (grades 3-5) from Kelly Anne-Appleslices
- Summer Reading Package: Assignment, Essay Prompts & Optional Reading Lists (grades 8-12) from Carla McLeod
And check out some Teacher-Authors’ terrific blog posts. Find ideas for exciting end-of-year projects and events as well as tips for managing super-high stress levels:
From What I Have Learned: “Here’s a blog post about some fun art projects that we do during the final weeks of school.”
From Get Caught Engineering – STEM for Kids: “When testing seasons is complete, we always plan lots of amazing activities that engage the students and celebrate their year. From the traditional field day to class picnics to concerts and performances to a talent show to a week of ‘messy science’ and special guest speakers, it’s a busy and memorable conclusion to the year. Recently, we’ve added an Engineering Day for the entire school. Last year’s event was a Superhero STEM Day with each class being assigned a superhero and a corresponding engineering activity. We blogged about our event and shared ideas and resources.”
From Kacie Travis: “The end of the year can be stressful! Teachers can make it go smoothly by avoiding common traps! I wrote 8 Mistakes Teachers Make at the End of the School Year to provide teachers with some useful strategies to help them stay sane.”
From Elementary Matters: “Report cards, end-of-year assessments, record keeping, end-of-year reviewing, packing up, squirmy children, lack of sleep, hot days, and more. Welcome to the end of the school year! Here are Five Ways to Survive the Last Two Weeks.”
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