5 Practical Tips for Wrapping up the School Year
When summer is on the horizon, you know what that means… time to get started wrapping up the school year! I know this is a busy, hectic, and often a little crazy time of year. But the good news is that, with these practical tips, you’ll be ready to tackle it like the teacher-boss you are! Ready? Let’s do this!
The Right Mindset for Wrapping Up the School Year
First things first. . . Teachers, get your mind right! We all know that this time of year is a little bit crazy. We’re juggling all.the.things as we’re wrapping up the school year. From testing and cleaning, to award ceremonies and report cards, you name it – we’re doing it! This can feel overwhelming and maybe even impossible if you’re not in the right headspace. So, before we dive into those practical tips, let’s take a deep breath together. You CAN do this with your sanity intact, I promise!
A positive mindset is going to be your key ally in getting through. Even on those days when you’re ready to throw in the towel, just remember that mindset matters. How you view your circumstances will impact your outcome. Let those stressful moments roll off your back, embrace flexibility when things don’t go as planned, and remember to have fun with your kids! The end of the year doesn’t have to be the worst. You deserve to enjoy and have fun too. And trust me, you’ve got this! Now, let’s walk through some of the ways you can make wrapping up the school year a little easier.
1. Wrapping Up the School Year with Review
Every teacher’s worst nightmare is that over the summer vacation, students forget every single lesson taught. We all know that some “summer slide” is inevitable, but I think we can all agree that we’d like to avoid it as much as possible! So with this in mind, review should be at the top of your list as you’re focused on wrapping up the school year.
I’m a big fan of making review easy to work into the regular schedule and fun for students. One way to do this is by making your daily “exit ticket” focused on reviewing math and ELA concepts. You can do this easily by giving each student a task card to complete before they go home for the day. Use task cards from prior lessons and activities to repurpose and review a new topic each day. This will allow you to reuse materials and sneak in review along the way. Win-win, right?!
No-Prep Review Activities
Another great option for low-stress review is no-prep printables. These are easy to weave into your routine as morning work, desk work, or center time options. For example, these No-Prep Printables for May and June are a great option to cover a variety of topics quickly and easily. Included in this resource, you’ll find 60 pages of math and ELA practice that students will love. Topics include:
- fractions review
- skip counting
- place value
- word problems
- ABC order
- parts of speech
- opinion writing and so much more!
The wide variety of pages will allow you to pick and choose what to include and ensure your students get plenty of practice before school is out for summer. In the past, I also used some of these pages to make summer review packets for students to work on over break. Even if they just do a page or two per week, they’ll be better off than if they do nothing at all! Encourage students to complete the pages by offering a surprise reward to anyone who returns the packet to you on the first day of school the following year.
Pro-tip: Set aside a few of these rewards before you leave for the summer so those eager beaver students who complete their pages don’t catch you totally off guard in August when they ask for their surprise!
2. Weave Engaging Activities in Your Day
The end of the year should be fun for students! Even though it’s a busy time of year, there are ways to ensure our kids still get some super-engaging activities to focus on. One of my favorite ways to do this when I was in the classroom was to choose low-prep center activities. Everyone loves center time and the hands-on learning that comes with it. Some center activities require a lot of work to prep, though, which felt overwhelming to me while wrapping up the school year. So, I created these End of the Year Centers that require minimal prep and come together in a flash!
Included are 5 low-prep ELA centers and 5 low-prep math centers perfect for first-grade students. They focus on topics that should be reviewed before dismissing for the summer through fun games and activities. Inside you’ll find board games, task cards, word searches, mystery puzzles, and more! This resource takes the guesswork out of planning your center activities for the end of the year and will free up brain space for other things. Many of the activities are print-and-go, making them great for this busy time of year. But best of all, they’re fun for students and will help ensure they stay engaged through the final days!
3. Make Wrapping Up the School Year a Team Effort
I think we can all agree that there is a lot that goes into wrapping up the school year! There’s no reason why you should be the one doing all the work. Those students of yours are willing and eager helpers, so why not make it a group effort? When I was still in the classroom, I loved enlisting the help of students to clean, organize, and prep for summer break. It was a welcome break from all that review, and honestly, first graders are usually excited to help! That’s one of my favorite things about this age group. So, as you’re wrapping up the school year and closing down your room, ask the kiddos for help! You can spend half an hour or so at the end of each day for the last few weeks to tackle a task together.
Classroom Clean-Out Tasks:
- clean out cubbies, desks, and work folders
- take manipulatives outside to scrub in water and dish soap (allow to dry in the sun on towels)
- organize the classroom library, repair books, and pack them up by theme
- toss out used-up writing supplies and organize ones that can be used again next year
- sort paperwork, artwork, and decorations – send home with the kiddos
- wipe down tables, chairs, and desks with wet washcloths
The kids LOVE to help, and it’s fun to watch the classroom transform from full to bare. It’s a great send-off as you’re wrapping up the year, and allows students to take ownership in the classroom that was their “home” for a whole year! I also find this to be therapeutic and calming amidst the chaos that comes along with the end of the year. You can even pop on a beach ambiance video like this one for some calming summer vibes as you work!
4. Embrace Flexibility
I know I mentioned this tip above in the mindset paragraph, but over the years, I discovered that this is SO important when it comes to wrapping up the school year on a positive note. In my many years of teaching, I found that there was one thing I could always count on when it came to the end of the school year: change. No matter how beautifully I laid out my plans, things never quite panned out that way. And you know what? That’s OK!
The more easy-breezy you can be about this, the less mental drama you’re going to encounter! Kids will come back from assemblies early, testing will take longer than expected, and last-minute events will be announced. It’s 100% expected during this hectic time of year! So, my best advice is to be flexible and willing to move things around in your schedule. Don’t worry if things don’t go as planned. Instead, embrace this and let it roll off your back.
My Go-To Resource for Schedule Changes
When it comes to flexibility, having some ready-to-go activities on hand for your students is a lifesaver. These are things that you can pull out at a moment’s notice to fill a block of time and keep them engaged in learning.
My favorite activities to fill this need are Color by Code Pages. They are fun for students, feel like a “break” from more rigorous activity, and can be started and stopped easily. You don’t have to worry about kids losing their place with these pages, as they can just pick right up later. I love using these Summer Color by Code Pages that target math facts. My kids always needed more practice with this topic, and the summer theme is fun for everyone. Print them off and save them for when the need for flexibility or a change in plans arises. Trust me, you’ll be so happy you did!
5. Wrapping Up the School Year with Student Celebrations
Last but certainly not least. . . make sure to celebrate as you’re wrapping up the school year! You and the students have worked so hard all year long! You deserve to celebrate, reflect on accomplishments, and have some fun, too. So, as you’re planning your end-of-the-year activities, make sure to work in some fun things to round out your review and cleaning tasks. Here are some ways to do that:
Plan Special “Fun Friday” Activities
Once a week, during the last month of school, I liked to plan something a little out of the ordinary to close out the day. These don’t have to be fancy or time-consuming, just extra FUN! In the past, we did things like blow bubbles on the playground, make a special no-cook treat, have show-and-tell time, or eat popsicles in the grass. The idea is to choose something that will allow you to bond with your students and take a break from a long week of review.
Try Theme Days
At my school, we had special theme days towards the end of the year that were a lot of fun. If your school doesn’t already do this, consider suggesting it to your team. The themes can be things like pajama day, crazy hair day, silly sock day, and favorite book day. The kids love this, and it really does feel like a celebration!
Celebrate Students with Awards
Another one of my favorite ways to reflect and celebrate another successful year in the classroom was with student awards. In my room, I chose specific awards for each student tailored to their personality and accomplishments. I used this resource to make the process simple and easy.
In this resource, you’ll find 35 end-of-the-year awards with editable options. Here are some of the choices:
- Amazing Artist
- Best Actor/ Actress
- Best Personality
- Best Smile
- Best Writer
- Class Comedian
- Future Scientist
These fun awards will make your students smile and feel special! I liked to fill and print these out, sign my name to them, and then choose a time to pass them out. The last week of school is a great time to do this and recognize each one of your amazing kiddos! It will make them feel valued and appreciated and allow you to celebrate accomplishments together!
Have Fun Wrapping Up the School Year in Your Room
All in all, I hope this post inspired you to approach the end of the year with confidence. It doesn’t have to be something that you dread, and in fact, I think it can be really enjoyable! So, get your mindset right, plan some great review activities, and have FUN with your kids! You can find all of the activities mentioned here, along with many more, in my TPT Shop. Have a great time wrapping up the school year, friend!
Looking for More Support?
Be sure to check out these posts for more ideas on how to make wrapping up the school year a breeze!
- Surviving The End Of The School Year
- Review Games for the End of the School Year
- 7 Low-Prep May Activities for First Grade
- 5 Fun and Engaging June Activities for First Grade
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