End of the Year

Countdown to Summer Paper Rings

Copy this template onto color paper and cut to make paper rings that will count down the last school days of the year.

You can also write dates onto balloons. Punch holes through a cardboard backing with a sharp pencil and pull the balloons through, fastening them with tape, if desired. Children will love getting to pop a balloon at the end of each day.

Or, write the names of each subject onto the balloons and pop one each time students have taken their final test or completed their final project in a given subject. This works especially well if subjects are staggered to end only one or two each day.

Another fun thing to do with balloons is to write the name of each subject that will have a test. Once students have completed the last spelling test of the year, pull a name from a bucket to have a student pop the spelling balloon. Do this with each subject. You’ll find students are much more excited to be done with tests than with school days (the last of which are usually pretty fun, anyway).

End of Year Books

End of Year Books Download

Use this template to create special memory books for your class.

End of Year Student Awards

Use these 20 printable end-of-year awards for a more personal acknowledgement of students’ abilities.

end-of-year-student-awards Download

Last Day of School Portraits

Print these pages for students to draw a self-portrait on the last day of school.

Last Day of School Portraits Download

Letters to Next Year’s Students

A fun assignment for the last week of school is to have your students write a letter to the incoming class. Use this template to help them get started.

Letter to Next Year’s Students Download

Diplomas

Print these certificates to acknowledge children as they hit important milestones in school.

Diplomas Download

Farewell Cards

Hand these to students on their way out the door or attach them to an end-of-year gift. Here are some ideas:

“This year blew by!” attached to a balloon.
“This year flew by!” printed onto full-sheet label paper and placed on a frisbee the whole class signs OR attached to a Balsa wood airplane glider packet.
“I hope your summer is buckets of fun!” attached to a beach bucket.
“This year was a blast!” attached to a water balloon.
“Have a sweet summer!” attached to candy.

Happy Summer Cards Download

End of Year Gift Bags

Looking for ideas for small gifts to add to an end-of-year goody bag? Check out these fun tags & suggestions. Includes printable bookmarks, postcard, and labels.

End of Year Bag Download

Fun Days

One of the best ways to keep up morale during the last week of school is with special days. Here are some ideas:

Plan a field trip since many subjects will be completed.
Celebrate all summer birthdays with a group party.
Have a picnic, either on school grounds or at a nearby park.
Have a board game day: request parents send in extra games and puzzles; you can even make brackets to ensure each student gets to play each game and hand out awards to the top player from each board game.
Make tie-dye shirts, splatter-paint shirts (flick paint on with a small brushes or coffee stirrers), or class shirts where each child writes their name in fabric marker.
Have a luau day: wear your Hawaiian shirts, flip-flops, sunglasses, and hand out leis.
Have a movie day: students can dress up in the theme of the movie.
Have a pirate-themed day: bring out the eye patches, bandanas, and have students make their own paper hats, shoulder parrots and swords.
Pop into summer with PJs, popcorn, popsicles & Pop-tarts.
Have a camping day: students dress for the woods, bring camping chairs for outdoor lessons, set up a tent on the field (or even in the classroom), and make s’mores with tin baking trays and solar power. Students can bring a blanket & stuffed toy, then make forts with tables and chairs. Give them flashlights to read in their makeshift tents.
Have a glow-stick day: cover the windows with black paper and use highlighters to do schoolwork.
Airplane Challenge day: watch different videos on how to make different types of planes, talk about why some might fly farther and decorate them. You can make certificates for the plane that flies the farthest, the plane with the best trick, the plane with the best decoration and teacher choice.
Minute to Win It Day
Put on a Play in a Day: find several readers theater scripts and have students vote from among them. Give them recyclables to create their own props, scenery, and costumes. This one is especially fun if several classes do it and then watch each others’ plays.
Student-As-A-Teacher Day: each student must prepare a lesson to teach in a different subject. Have all the specials (PE, music, art, etc) included. Younger students can be given a checklist ahead of time (read-aloud, craft, activity sheet), while older students can prepare a slideshow in the days leading up to it. To give each student a turn, assign each of the topics you learned in social studies, science, math, etc.