End of the Year Activities for Elementary School

Alleviate boredom at the end of the school year with fun activities.

At the end of the school year, students and teachers are ready to welcome summer break. State testing is usually over, so students feel there's no reason to continue giving 100%. They often get annoyed or lazy with school assignments, and teachers are ready to stop planning for so many activities every day. Help rejuvenate your students--and yourself--with some end-of-the-year activities.

Buddy-Up Week

Most students look forward to moving up a grade level. However, if your students are apprehensive about this big change, it's likely because they have some unresolved fears. You can help put their minds at ease by implementing Buddy-Up Week in your school. For an entire week, students take turns spending half of the school day with a "buddy" in the next grade level, sitting by their buddy and participating in the next grade level's work for the day. For example, on Monday, half of the kindgergarteners will get to sit in on a first grade class for a few hours in the morning. During this time, they'll sit next to a "buddy" in the classroom, who will explain the classroom procedures and how to do some of their work. The other half of the kindergarteners get to do the same thing in the afternoon. On Tuesday, it's the first graders' turn to visit students in the next grade level, and so forth. Kindergarten students won't get to mentor anyone and fifth graders won't have anyone in the next grade level to visit (unless your school goes through eighth grade), but they'll still all be able to participate in Buddy-Up Week, which is always a big hit with students.

School Memory Book

With summer break approaching, memories of the past school year may be the last thing on students' minds. However, after they've had a few weeks off from school, they'll likely start reminiscing about the year. School memory books are a great way to help them remember their favorite parts of the school year. You can provide students with some pages that will encourage them to write and draw about specific memories. For instance, you may want to provide a page titled, "My Funniest Memory" and another titled "Best Cafeteria Lunch." Encourage students to think back to the entire school year, even back to the first day of school, when completing their pages. You can also let them have one or two pages for "autographs." When they've finished their pages, use a three-ring hole punch to put holes in each page, then tie each hole together with ribbon to bind the book. (see references 1)

Back to School Letters

Your students may enjoy writing letters to incoming students for next year. This is also a useful activity for working on letter-writing skills. Instruct students to write letters to the students who will be in your class next year. Tell them to include any pointers about getting along with the teacher (these could potentially be very funny), tips on how to get through daily classroom procedures without any fuss or suggestions for taking certain types of routine tests. Let them know that their letters should be very descriptive and something that will make the new students feel comfortable about being in your class. You can read these letters to your new class on the first day of school the following school year. (see references 2)

References

• Enchanted Learning: School Memory Book
• All The Daze: End of School Daze