The end of the school year brings excitement! Students and teachers are looking forward to summer vacation! The last weeks of school can be enriching and fun at the same time. Since you have spent a school year together, it is fun to celebrate all of the learning that has taken place. Here are a few fun activities that can be used in your classroom to reinforce the concepts that you have been working on throughout the school year.
One thing you may want to consider is reviewing the addition and subtraction strategies that you have been working on in your classroom throughout the year. A classroom transformation is fun and engaging way to practice strategies at the end of the school. You and your students will love this fun math activity! You can use all of the games for a one day activity or use the games throughout a week during your math centers. The best thing is that this engaging activity is simple to prep, and so you will want this FREE Zoo Classroom Transformation. Practicing addition and subtraction within 20 is easy to practice with this classroom transformation. Since you are busy with so many things at the end of the school year, this classroom transformation does not take you hours to prepare. Type your name and email in the boxes, and I will send it to you right away!
End of School Year Activities #1: Math Mania
Math is fun! Depending on your time, you can enjoy a morning, an afternoon, or a whole day focused on math and call it “Math Mania.” It can be simple to prep because your students are reviewing concepts they have already learned. Here is a list of other ideas you may want to try.
- You can work on special math projects. A graphing project is a fantastic end of school year activity for your class. You could also go on a scavenger hunt outside to find different shapes you have been discussing in math.
- You can work on writing math stories. Have the students work with a partner or in a small group to write math stories. Then put them into a book and students can solve the different word problems.
- You can get out favorite math games that you have played throughout the school year. I love to see my class do this because they look at the game like it is an old friend. You may want to try Bingo or these PowerPoint Spinning Wheels for addition or subtraction.
End of School Year Activities #2: Camp Read-a-Lot
I have done this every single year that I have been teaching. It can be simple or elaborate. The best part is you get to decide according to the time and energy that you have. We all know the end of the year is exhausting. The beauty of this activity is that you can make it precisely what you need and want and exactly what your class needs and wants.
Here are some examples of how I have made this tailored to my different classes. One year the only thing I could do was write “Camp Read-a-Lot” on the whiteboard with Expo marker. I had sent a note home for my students to bring some books to read, and then I let them spread around the room and read. They thought it was great!
Another year I had more time and energy. I brought blankets from home, and we draped them over desks for a camp tent. Then I decided to get smarter, and the next time I did it, I had the students bring their own blanket from home. Whatever method I used, the students loved it. I think that one year I made some smores by mixing teddy grahams, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips together in a bag. Most years I have not done this. My point is that my students have loved whatever I have done. The best part is that they are reading!
End of School Year Activities #3: Art Camp
Art camp is another activity that you can choose to either be low prep or intensive prep. At the end of the year, I have done both. I think that my favorite way is the simple way because there is always so much going on at the end of year!
How to Make a Mural
My students have loved making murals with sidewalk chalk outside on the playground. Other classes have enjoyed seeing their work also. I divide my class into groups of four to five children. Sometimes I have done it as partners, but I like a slightly bigger group because it takes everyone working together to complete a big job. Fewer students mean the project may take more time and will keep their interest on the last days of school.
Before I begin, I show them some ideas of murals. This is helpful so they can see and understand that a mural is made up of many images that work together to make a picture. We come up with a list of a few ideas such as “Under the Sea,” “On the Farm,” “In the Jungle,” or “At the Zoo.” We also discuss that we are trying to make our mural about the size of one square of the four-square game lines on the playground. This gives them some boundaries, but you can use what you have available at your playground.
Then the fun and excitement begins. I love watching their imaginations at work as they think of what needs to be included. They take it seriously, and they work hard to make it something they are proud of completing. This is a project that everyone can see when they come outside to the playground.
Another Idea for Art Camp
If you want to do something more labor intensive, I found a batik idea on Pinterest that I wanted to try. It was an amazing project, but I did the activity only once. I found that it was too much for me to do at the end of the year, but I will say that my students absolutely loved it! We used a small piece of muslin fabric that I had in my sewing room. (Since I love to sew, I have plenty of scrap fabric). I cut the fabric into rectangles that were about the size of a piece of white copy paper. We used our glue bottles that had been used all year to draw a design on the fabric. We discussed that this part would resist the paint. After it dried, we painted the designs with acrylic paint. The exhausting part was washing all of the glue out. This is why I did this activity only once, but I will say it was one of the most amazing art projects that I ever had a class complete. If this is something you want to try, I would search on Pinterest for some instructions.
The end of the school year is an exciting time to celebrate learning. I like to make each activity count. These ideas are engaging, interactive, and memorable! I hope you will give them a try as you finish out your end of school activities.
Here are some other articles you might find helpful at the end of the school year.
7 Perfect Classroom Activities to Survive the End of the Yearl
