40 end-of-year activities for the last weeks of school
The last weeks of school go best with a plan: a little looking back, a little celebrating, real learning to the last day, a bridge to next year and a room that gets packed without chaos. Forty activities across those five jobs, each with what to do, what you need and the grades it suits, plus free memory pages, countdowns and certificates.
Looking back
1. Memory page
Each student fills in a memory page: favorite day, something learned, a friend made, a drawing of the class. Send it home on the last day.
Grades K–5You need The end of year memory pageUse End of year memory page
2. Class memory book
Each student makes one page about a favorite class memory. Photocopy the set, bind a copy for each student, and add a cover the class designs.
Grades K–5You need One memory page per student and a stapler or binder
3. Top ten moments of the year
The class lists favorite moments of the year, votes, and ranks the top ten on a chart. Counting down from ten to one makes a good last-week opener.
Grades 2–8You need Chart paper
4. Letter to next year's class
Students write a letter to the students who will be in this room next year: what to expect, what's fun, and one piece of advice. Read a few to the new class in the fall.
Grades 2–8You need Lined paper
5. Letter to your future self
Students write a letter to themselves to open at the end of next year: what they hope to learn, what they're good at now. They seal it and take it home.
Grades 3–8You need Paper and envelopes
6. Then and now writing
Hand back a writing sample from September. Students write on the same prompt again, put the two side by side, and list three things that improved.
Grades 1–5You need A writing sample from the first weeks of school
7. Year timeline
Mark the months along a strip of paper. Small groups add drawings and captions for what happened each month: units, trips, events.
Grades 2–5You need A long strip of paper on the wall
8. Memory ball
Sit in a circle and toss a soft ball. Whoever catches it shares one memory from the year, then tosses it to someone who hasn't had a turn.
Grades K–5You need A soft ball
9. Best work gallery
Each student picks their best piece of work from the year, writes a card about why they chose it, and displays it for a gallery walk.
Grades 2–8You need Students' portfolios or folders
Celebrating
10. Class awards
Make one award for every student naming something specific and positive, like "Most Helpful Reading Buddy". Avoid awards that compare students or could embarrass.
Grades K–8You need The certificate makerUse Certificate maker
11. Summer countdown chain
Make a paper chain with one link for each day left. A different student removes a link each morning and reads the date on it.
Grades K–3You need The summer countdown chainUse Summer countdown chain
12. Countdown on the board
Put the days left until the last day of school on the projector so nobody has to ask.
Grades K–8You need The countdown to the last dayUse Days until the last day of school
13. Compliment pages
Each student puts their first name on a sheet. Sheets pass around the room and everyone writes one kind, specific sentence on each. Read them before they go home.
Grades 2–8You need One sheet per student
14. Autograph page
Students sign each other's autograph pages with first names and a short message. Keep it on paper, never online.
Grades 1–5You need A page with boxes for signatures
15. Talent show
Students sign up for a two-minute act: a song, a joke, a skill or a reading. Participation is optional; others can be the audience or the announcers.
Grades 2–8You need Sign-up sheet and a short time per act
16. Year in photos
Show a slideshow of the year's photos on the last day. Use only photos your school allows you to share and check for students whose families opted out.
Grades K–8You need Class photos taken this year
17. Thank-you notes
Students write thank-you notes to the people who helped all year: custodians, cafeteria staff, the librarian, the office staff.
Grades K–8You need Thank-you note cardsUse Thank you notes
18. End-of-year bingo
Play a round of bingo with end-of-year words on the last Friday. Let the winner choose the next caller.
Grades K–5You need End of the school year bingo cardsUse End of the School Year bingo cards
Learning to the last day
19. Summer word search
Use the summer word search as a warm-up, then have students write three sentences using words from the list.
Grades 1–5You need The summer word searchUse Summer word search
20. End-of-year crossword
Students solve the end-of-year crossword in pairs, then write two new clues for words from the year.
Grades 3–8You need The end of the school year crosswordUse End of the school year crossword
21. Students teach a lesson
Pairs plan and teach a ten-minute lesson on something they learned this year, with one practice question for the class.
Grades 3–8You need Ten minutes per pair
22. Whole-year review game
Build a review board with a category for each big unit of the year and play in teams.
Grades 2–8You need A review game boardUse Review game board maker
23. ABC countdown
Count down the last 26 school days with a letter a day: A for art day, B for board games, C for chalk. Post the plan so everyone can look forward to it.
Grades K–5You need A list of 26 days with a letter each
24. Read-aloud marathon
Spend an afternoon reading aloud favorite books from the year, with students voting on the order.
Grades K–5You need Picture books or the read-aloud pageUse Read-aloud books for the projector
25. Plan a pretend summer trip
Give teams a pretend budget and price lists for travel, food and activities. They plan a three-day trip and present the costs.
Grades 4–8You need Price lists you make up, paper and calculators
26. Last-week STEM challenge
Run a team building challenge such as the tallest cup tower. Use random teams so students work with someone new.
Grades 2–8You need Paper cups, tape and stringUse Random group maker
27. Summer animal research
Each student researches one summer animal, an ocean animal or an insect, and makes a fact card for a class display.
Grades 2–5You need Books or articles about ocean animals or insectsUse Ocean Animals bingo cards
Getting ready for next year
28. Summer reading log
Send home a monthly reading log for each summer month, with a note suggesting the public library's free summer programs.
Grades 1–8You need A monthly reading logUse Monthly reading log
29. Summer learning calendar
Fill a calendar with one small activity a day: count the steps to the mailbox, read a recipe, write a postcard. Send it home.
Grades K–5You need A monthly calendar gridUse Monthly calendar grid
30. Ask the next grade
Invite students from the next grade up to answer your class's questions about next year: homework, lockers, recess, the teachers.
Grades 2–8You need Questions written in advance
31. Goals for next year
Students write one goal for next year in an "I can" sentence and one step they'll take to get there.
Grades 2–8You need An I can goal sheetUse I can goal sheet
32. Visit the next classroom
Walk the class to their next-year classroom for ten minutes, so the first day in the fall feels familiar.
Grades K–5You need A time arranged with next year's teachers
33. Free summer ideas list
As a class, list free summer things to do near school: the library, the park, a nature walk, a backyard science experiment. Send the list home.
Grades K–5You need A half sheet to send home
34. Letter to next year's teacher
Students write a short letter to their next teacher about how they learn best and what they enjoy. They choose what to share; pass the letters on through your school.
Grades 2–8You need Lined paper
Packing up the room
35. Cleaning crew jobs
Give each student one packing job for the last week: wipe desks, stack books, sort markers, take down a display. Post the list with names.
Grades 1–8You need A list of packing jobsUse Classroom jobs chart
36. Library return
Students check every book in the class library against the basket labels and collect any school library books for return.
Grades 1–5You need The class library baskets and their labels
37. Desk clean-out
Students empty their desks into three piles: take home, recycle, return to the class supply. Do it over two days, not on the last afternoon.
Grades K–8You need Bags for take-home and a recycling bin
38. Supply sort
Students test every marker and glue stick and sort them into keep and toss bins, so you start next year knowing what you have.
Grades K–5You need Bins labeled keep and toss
39. Take down the walls
Students help take down displays and file each student's work into their own folder to go home.
Grades 2–8You need Folders for each student
40. Your own reflection
Before you pack your own things, write down what worked this year, what to change and what to keep. Next August you will be glad you did.
Grades K–8You need A weekly teacher reflection sheetUse Weekly teacher reflection
Making it work
- Keep the routine going. A predictable morning makes the last weeks calmer than a string of special days.
- Plan the celebrations for the very end and the learning for before them, so the last week isn't all parties.
- Spread packing over two weeks so the last day is for goodbyes, not cleaning.
- Check your school's rules before sharing photos or students' names in anything that leaves the room.
- Make sure every student gets a specific, positive goodbye from you: an award, a note or a word at the door.
Questions teachers ask
- What can I do in the last week of school?
- Mix a short learning block each morning (a review game, a crossword, a read-aloud) with an end-of-year activity each afternoon: memory pages, awards, letters to next year's class, and packing up the room.
- How do I make class awards fair?
- Give every student one award, name something specific and positive, and avoid anything that compares students or could embarrass, such as "Most Talkative". Write them a week early so you aren't rushing.
- How do I keep students engaged in the last weeks?
- Keep the daily routine, set short visible goals with a countdown, and use activities that need students to do something: teach a lesson, build, write a letter, play a review game.
Written for teachers by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.