3 Simple And Engaging End Of The Year Activities

The end of the year can be a pretty hectic time in the primary classroom! There is lots to do in a very short amount of time. As a first grade teacher, it's important that I include fun activities while also managing my to-do list! For me, this means planning SIMPLE activities! Today I am sharing 3 simple and engaging end-of-the-year activities your students will love!

These activities are just what you need if you want to plan some fun things for the end of the year without too much fluff! Sure, there are tons of ideas out there, but I find time and time again the ones that my students enjoy the most are the simple, low-prep, and inexpensive ones! So take it easy on yourself and try some of these fun activities for the end of the year! 

1. Student Spelling Bee

Towards the end of the year, I really love to rely on fun and simple games and activities to carry us through! Choosing simple, low-prep activities will help to ensure you maintain teacher sanity during this hectic time and don't end up spending hours getting materials prepared. One of my favorites for the end of the year is to have a student spelling bee. 

This activity couldn't be easier, and uses old spelling lists your class used during the year! Simply have all your kiddos line up at the front of the room and give them a word to spell out loud, one at a time. 

If they misspell their word, they sit down. The last child standing is the "Spelling Bee Champ"! The students love this game and it's a really easy one to work in towards the end of the day or when you have some time to spare. 

When I do this in my classroom, I may (wink, wink) adjust the difficulty of the words I give to the students based on their ability. The point of this game is to be fun and I want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be successful and gets a fair shot based on their spelling skills! 

2. Summer BINGO 

Another super fun end of the activity is BINGO! Everyone loves BINGO, and it's a simple game to facilitate in the classroom. This can be played in small groups or as a whole class and we usually do a little of both towards the end of the year. 

The BINGO set I love to use this time of year features summer words and pictures to get us "in the spirit" of summer break! Typically, I laminate the boards ahead of time and have students use mini erasers to cover each space on their board. 

If I'm in a pinch for time though and didn't have time to prep, I love to use black and white printable BINGO cards instead! Students can use BINGO daubers, crayons, or markers to cover each space on their board. 

I like to tell students to mark each square with a little dot in the corner if it's called and then have them color the pictures when we are done playing.

 This extends the activity a little bit and gives you time to work on something on your to-do list!

For another extension activity, have students write a story using the words on the bingo card.  It's a great way to get them working with new summer vocabulary.

3. Make Memory Lapbooks

Celebrating and reflecting on our year together is an absolute must in my book! I love making memory books or keepsakes of some kind with my students each year. My favorite version is a super simple memory lapbook that can be pulled together quickly and doesn't require you to collect materials all year long! 

These end-of-the-year memory books are brought together with a large piece of construction paper folded to make a little book. Students will then color, cut, and paste pieces into their book to remember special things that happened that year. 

The memory books include details about our school, friends, teacher, things we learned, things that made us proud, and even things students would do if they were the teacher!  These are such a fun keepsake to send home! 

I love working on these as a whole group and circulating the room to check in with each student as they work. It is SO much fun to see what each student found valuable and memorable about the year! Students LOVE this activity and I love seeing what they come up with!

Simple Ways To Keep The Fun Going

These 3 activities are for sure my all-time favorites when it comes to end-of-the-year fun. I just love how easy these activities are to pull together and my students enjoy them every time. But.... the fun doesn't have to stop there! There are so many other great ways to add a little sparkle to your last weeks of school! Over the years I have.....

• Let students swap desks for a morning or afternoon. The kiddos always love this idea!
• Allowed a student to "teach" the class while I sat at their desk and take the role of student. This might be a simple lesson about something meaningful to them, reading a story, or teaching a skill. 
• Asked students to help out with cleaning the classroom. Make it fun by splitting the kiddos into teams and assigning specific tasks to each team. Set a timer and see which group can get the most done before the timer goes off. 
• Made a countdown chain. Have your kiddos help craft a paper chain for the last weeks of school and make it part of your routine to choose one child a day to snip a link off as a countdown to the final day!
• Hosted a PJ & Reading Day. This one might need approval from your school admin, but hosting a PJ & Reading day is always a fun classroom event. Encourage students to bring a stuffed toy, or book of their choice and wear their jammies to school!

There are so many ways to engage your learners this time of year, but just remember - keep it simple! Simple, low-prep activities will keep the fun rolling and help you make it through those final days without adding even more to that teacher to-do list! Enjoy those final days with your kiddos!

You can grab the My School Year Memories Activities on the Chocolate Teacher TPT store today!

Save These Ideas For Later

Don't forget to pin these ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you will be all set for the final days of school!