End of School Activities for Second Graders

By the end of the school year, second graders are excited and can hardly wait for the summer to begin. There may be a few who just now are becoming familiar with having friends around and enjoying the socializing aspect of school. There are various school activities that second graders can participate in for enjoyment with classmates and their teacher. Some of these activities can be a parting gift to those who will be missed the most.

Roll Paper Cards

Create a roll paper card out of construction paper. Instead of drawing a picture or image on to the card, cut several pieces of various colors of construction paper, roll the pieces separately and then glue them onto the construction paper. For example, sketch a design of a sail boat on the ocean onto a card. Cut out strips of blue construction paper for the water. These can vary in length. Roll the paper around a pencil (or not) before gluing onto the card. The rolls can be different circular sizes, tightly rolled or kept loose. Add glue to the bottom of the rolled strip of paper and on the side to prevent the paper from unrolling and attaching to the card. Finish rolling and gluing the paper to create a sail boat. This activity not only supports fine motor skills but encourages creativity in children.

Field Day

Enjoy a day of fun and games to reward the children for a job well done. Second graders would welcome a field day toward the end of the school year. Teachers can participate and encourage those who are timid and shy to participate in the festivities. Create various races, such as leap frog, a crab walk, balloon race or egg toss. Setting up teams for relay races reinforces the need for teamwork among the children. Ask the second graders to come up with ideas regarding making decorations for the big day. Allow extra class time so that the students can work on these decorations, which they will proudly exhibit.

Create a Safety Manual

Have your students work on a safety manual. Second graders are beginning to get into the whole aspect of writing, completing sentence structures and maybe story telling. Give each child a few sheets of red construction paper and two sheets of white card stock for the front and back cover. Explain to the children that they will be writing and designing a safety manual. It can include tips on fire, swimming or meeting strangers. A list of emergency numbers should always be available. The children can include safety tips on looking both ways before crossing the street. Some children may want to compile a list of boating and sunbathing safety rules to follow. This activity helps stimulate creativity as well as keep the second graders current on safety issues. Once the students have finished compiling the manual and creating a design for the front cover, help them staple or tie the pages together to create a booklet.

References

• Make Roll Paper Cards
• Write a Safety Rules Manual