Phew! The school year is winding down, and you're probably feeling a whirlwind of emotions. Excitement for summer vacation is battling with the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to your amazing students. Never fear, fellow educators! I'm here to share some of my favorite end-of-year blog posts to help you finish strong and enjoy the final weeks.
In this roundup, you'll find ideas for engaging activities to keep your students motivated, including a fun end-of-year memory book, creative Mother's Day and Father's Day projects, and a captivating “Last Day Blues” book study. We'll also explore how to recognize your students' hard work with meaningful end-of-year awards. Plus, I've included some practical resources like a county fair budget activity and a summer review packet to help your students retain their learning over the break.
So grab a cup of coffee (or your favorite summer beverage!), relax, and get ready to finish the year strong!
Mother's Day and Father's Day Activities
Forgetting about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day or spending hours on a craft can be the worst! This is your one stop shop for NO PREP activities in a variety of forms.
Some years you may remember to plan Mother’s Day and Father’s Day activities with PLENTY of time for full writing projects. Other years, you may have students draw a picture on a blank piece of paper…
but not anymore!
I’ve created a variety of activities to meet all of your Mother’s Day and Father’s Day needs:
Writing, Drawing, Cards and more!
All activities are click and print which means NO PREP for you!
Most activities offer different options to meet your needs (lower or increase difficulty, short on time, etc.).
Ink saving pages allow students to add uniqueness with coloring or you can print them on colored paper!
What’s Included for both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day:
-Cover page to create a booklet
-Writing web
-Interview form (shorter-5 questions)
-Interview form (longer-10 questions)
-3 Reasons Why I love You Writing Page
-Memories Page (draw only)
-Memories Page (draw and write)
-5 half page cards (blank inside)
-Photo frame: sized for a 4×6 photo or students can draw a picture inside
Last Day Blues Book Study
Beat the end of year craziness with this unit on the adorable book Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg! Keep students engaged with a week long unit of book activities that review vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing!
✏️ This product includes:
●Vocabulary activities, such as vocabulary cards and worksheets
●Retell activities, including retell cards and interactive journal strips
●Reading comprehension worksheets covering main idea, book summary, predictions, story sequencing, and comparing First Day Jitters & Last Day Blues
●Individual writing activities, such as “My Favorite Memory” and “My Teacher's Summer”
●A retell writing project that walks students through the writing process from writing web, to single sentence steps, and then to booklet writing
●Low prep writing and craft activity: School's Out for Summer
●Interactive journal pages
●Bonus activities such as Last Day of School hats and wristbands
●7 answer keys that make this great to leave for a substitute!
✏️ This resource will benefit you by:
●Saving you time with no-prep activities
●Simplifying planning
●Providing a variety of engaging activities to keep students learning at the end of the year
●Offering a solid plan for a week-long unit
●Being easy for a substitute to use
End of Year Memory Book
End of the Year Memory Books are the perfect ending to a memorable school year! Capture and record end of year memories in a fun and easy way!
This end-of-the-year memory book is a wonderful keepsake for first-grade students. Filled with a variety of engaging pages, it allows them to reflect on their year and capture cherished memories. The “All About Me” page encourages self-reflection, while the “Map of My Classroom” and “Map of My School” help them navigate and understand their school environment. Pages dedicated to their teachers, both current and others they encountered, foster appreciation for the educators who guided them.
The book also delves into their academic experiences, exploring their favorite subjects, classes, and activities. Students can express their thoughts on math, reading, social studies, science, and physical education, as well as share their favorite books, part of the day, and school events. Pages dedicated to field trips, recess, and field day capture the excitement and fun of school life.
This memory book encourages students to look ahead to the future. They can share their summer plans, express their hopes for next year, and dream about their future aspirations in the “When I Grow Up, I Want…” section. The inclusion of autograph pages, including autograph wristbands, allows students to collect signatures and messages from their classmates and teachers, creating lasting connections and memories. This memory book serves as a valuable keepsake, reminding students of their first-grade year and the important people and experiences that shaped it.
The end of the year is CRAZY, so I like to stick to VERY low prep memory books.
I usually print the booklet and start it with two weeks left in school. We work on 1-2 pages a day together as a class and then when students have extra time in the day they can work on coloring pictures, etc.
Ultimately, the end of year memory book becomes my early finisher/morning work activity for the last two weeks of school!
Available in two sizes: full page and half page booklet!
End of Year Student Awards
Find the right award for every student with these editable End of Year awards! 115 design types available in color and ink saving options. Categories include traditional, academic/subject, character traits, future __ awards and a fun twist on object/idiom style awards!
Use these awards to highlight your students’ brightest character traits and celebrate the school year that you have spent together!
Bonus Happy Birthday certificate included!
Design Types:
- 20 Traditional Awards
- 15 Subject Awards
- 19 Character Awards
- 30 Future __ Awards
- 30 Object Awards
*For a full list of awards, please download the PREVIEW!
ALL designs are included in color and an ink-saving black white that can be printed on bright colored paper!
Why should you give custom student awards?
End-of-year awards also create lasting positive memories and a sense of pride, serving as a tangible reminder of their achievements and the supportive learning environment they experienced.
By celebrating individual successes, these awards foster a positive classroom culture that emphasizes effort, perseverance, and individual growth.
Ultimately, this personalized approach demonstrates that the teacher values each child's unique qualities and contributions, making the recognition even more meaningful and impactful.
County Fair Budget Activities
Wrap up the school year with a County Fair Budget Activity that is designed to help students understand financial literacy, while also strengthening their coin counting and addition and subtraction skills.
Teaching all of the aspects of financial literacy can be overwhelming…
But it doesn’t have to be!!
What’s Included
- County Fair Budget Worksheet
- County Fair Income Planning Worksheet
- County Fair Menu (3 levels)
- County Fair Activity Cards (3 levels)
How it Works:
START: Students are given a budget (set amount of money) to spend at a county fair.
Step 1: Students choose 3 items (one from each fair category) to spend their budget money on and add the three items to create a total.
Step 2: Students must subtract the total from their budgeted amount to find out the “remainder” (how much money they have left).
Step 3: Students must decide what they will do with the remainder of the money- buy an additional fair item, save their money for __, borrow or lend money to another student in exchange for __.
Step 4: Students must plan how they will earn income for the fair by providing a good or service. Students must illustrate and describe their choice.
3 Levels of Difficulty:
Level One: Students given 50 cents.
Level Two: Students given one dollar.
Level Three: Students given two dollars.
Extra support:
For students who need additional support, use the activity cards for students to choose from and use pretend coins to set out and count their money.
ABC End of Year Countdown
Countdown the final days of school with this fun, easy and editable template for an ABC Countdown! It's the perfect way to celebrate the end of the year and it is completely customizable to fit your needs!
Why should you try an ABC countdown?
- Builds Excitement and Anticipation:
- The countdown itself creates a fun and engaging way to mark the passage of time.
- Each day of the countdown becomes a mini-celebration, building excitement for the upcoming summer break.
- Reinforces Learning in a Fun Way:
By connecting each letter to a learning activity, it reinforces concepts learned throughout the year. For example:
- A for Animals: Research a specific animal, draw a picture.
- B for Books: Read a favorite book, write a book report.
- C for Colors: Create a colorful artwork, learn about color theory.
The calendar template is pre-filled with 26 ABC countdown ideas that are easy, manageable and completely free to parents! BUT, you can easily change any of the activities to fit your own students and classroom families.
Includes:
-Color Calendar Template
-Black and White Calendar Template
-175+ variations of ABC countdown days to choose from
Make it your own!
This product is provided through a Canva template link which means ALL items are completely customizable to fit YOUR needs!
The Canva template is easy to edit and results in professional, put together materials for your end of year activities and celebrations!
Summer Review Activities
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