Even for the most experienced teachers, the end of the school year can be challenging. Today I’m sharing some teacher tips to make the end of year a bit less exhausting.
For students, knowing they will be leaving the security and comfort of their safe classroom environment. They may be anxious about leaving for a new class where they don’t know the routings, the teacher, or if their best friends will be with them.
End of Year Visits
Many students may be sad or unsettled at the end of the year. Help students relax with extra hugs and reassurances. Tell them about the teachers they may have next year. If possible, have the teachers from the next grade pop in to say hello to the class so positive associations can be created. This will relieve so much stress!
End of Year Writing
If visits aren’t possible, instead have students write a letter to their future teacher. Students can introduce themselves and their family, and ask questions that may be worrying them. This can be important insight and I definitely pass these on to the future teacher.
End of Year Celebrations
Have an end of year party along with your “graduation” ceremony. Students should feel proud of themselves for all of their hard work through the year!
End of Year Certificates
Create some end of year certificates to hand out to students. I have two recommendations for this. First, I choose awards that are based on character and growth mindset rather than academics. Second, I ask students to choose their own certificates. They are given the choices, and then they write a journal entry about which ones they feel most proud of and why. Later they are presented with those certificates and these are very meaningful since you are confirming their confidence in themselves.
End of Year Memory Books
Review the past year together by completing memory books! These are wonderful keepsakes for all the fun events of the past year that would otherwise be forgotten. There are so many things to write about and these topics are always highly engaging!
Here is the memory book we use in my classroom. You can see more pages by clicking HERE.
End of Year Countdown
Another fun activity for students is an end of year countdown where there's a fun thing to look forward to for the last ten days. I like to write the activity and put one inside an inflated balloon. Each time a balloon is popped we all get to read what our activity will be the next day. It's so fun! If you don't have balloons, you could simply ask a student to pull a paper out of a bag to choose.
Here are the activity choices I put inside the balloons:
If you'd like a free copy of the activities (pictured above) that I use inside the balloons, you can download them for free! Click HERE to grab them!
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