5 Things To Do On The Last Day of School




The last day of school is just around the corner. It is a bittersweet time for most teachers. Many of us are worn down, tired and ready for a blissful summer break away from our classrooms and school responsibilities. But we also know we will miss our students more than most people realize. We will miss the smiling young faces we are used to seeing each day. We spend so much time with them during the year, it is sad to know we will not be seeing them in our classes next year. They will have moved on to a new grade level and a new teacher. If they are in the same building, we will most likely see them in the halls or cafeteria, but it is not the same as our day to day interaction. Yes, we will miss them.


On the last day of school, it is important to have something that will keep kids engaged and that they will enjoy doing. Here are some ideas:


1. Autograph T-Shirt: Students always love to have autograph T-shirts on the last day. Have students bring or wear a solid color or white T-shirt on the last day of school. They can have their friends sign the T-shirts with permanent fabric markers as a special keepsake of the year.

2. Memory and Autograph Books: Have students reflect on the past year and create posters or booklets with important events and information. Booklets can be as simple as copy paper folded in half and stapled with a construction paper cover. They can add pictures or illustrations to the pages of their many favorite memories throughout the year. They could also include lists of favorite things, current event highlights and pop culture references. Allow a time for students to sign autograph pages in the books as well.

3. End of Year Awards Ceremony: The last day of school is a perfect time to give students certificates and awards that reflect their achievements for the entire year. I think it is important to find something special about each of the students and make sure they all get some kind of award. Awards can be academic like All A Honor Roll, or Best Reader Award. Or they can be because of a special trait the student has, such as Most Cheerful, or Best Attitude. A Certificate of Appreciation can be given to students for almost any act of a positive nature, such as helping others, keeping the classroom clean or always completing homework. You can easily make awards on your computer in PowerPoint or Google Slides so you can customize them to each student. If you like the Classroom Awards shown below, click on the picture for the link.




4. Next Year Student Advice Booklet: You students would love to give advice to the upcoming students in your grade level. On that last day of school, you could have them write letters or create an advice booklet. Whether it is a booklet or a letter, your students can let the upcoming class know all the details about life in your grade level. They can tell them about your expectations, fun projects, field trips and their favorite things about your grade. Sharing this information would give them a sense of pride to know they will be helping out your future students. If you want any easy to use printable for this activity, this Last Day of School Packet includes an advice booklet as well as other puzzle and activity pages.

 







5. Fun and Games: Games are another great way to spend the last day of school. You can use online games such as Kahoot, Quizlet Live or Quiziz. These sites allow students to have fun, friendly competitions on computers or mobile devices. You can create questions based on academic content or other fun topics. If you do not have access to mobile devices, board games are another alternative. On weekends, when I visit estate sales and yard sales, I am always on the lookout for board games that are still in good condition. I have found Monopoly, Sorry, Jenga and Clue. These type of games can be kept in your classroom to use for indoor recess and on days like the last day of school. Another alternative is to create your own board games and use task cards or flash cards in your classroom. The following Games product contains 12 different printable games you can use. Click the picture below to see more information.






I hope your kids have a great last day of school by trying out some of these ideas.


Until Next Time....