Fun End of Year Activities Celebration Ideas for Upper Elementary Classrooms

The end of the school year is a super busy time for teachers. From managing summer-hungry kiddos to finalizing last-minute grades and report cards to cleaning up the classroom and getting organized, there really is no tired like end of the year teacher tired!

That is why when the end of the year comes around, I am always torn between being too exhausted to do anything, yet wanting to do all the super fun end-of-the-year activities with my kids. #teacherproblems

But over the years, I have found the perfect blend of easy to prep and fun activities that wrap up the year positively, making the end of the year enjoyable! 

I have compiled a quick list of 10 easy and fun celebration ideas for you to use in your upper elementary classroom, perfect for the end of year celebrations, last day activities, or anytime during your countdown to the summer!

1. Make a Memory Slideshow

It sounds like a lot of work to make an end of the year slideshow, I know, but it really isn't! And the best part about end of the year slideshows is the kids will want to watch whatever slideshow you create for them over and over again! #teacherwin

To make your slideshow of the year even easier to create, gather some ideas and pictures from your students, their families, and staff. Just email student families and your staff and ask them to share photos of the class that they may have from the year.

Then enlist the help of your students by having them share favorite activities and memories from the school year. You do not have to do anything fancy here, simply give students a blank piece of paper and ask them some basic questions like:

• What is one activity that you loved and remember doing?
• What was your favorite project of the year?
• What is your favorite memory of the school year?
• Tell me about your favorite recess game.

Limit the questions you ask to about 5 and make sure that the questions you ask do align with the slideshow headers that you use in your presentation.

Personalize the slideshow with student spotlight pages that recognize each student as an individual and add jazzy music to really get celebrating!

2. Community Service Project

Whether you use end-of-the-year class time or your end-of-the-year party time, doing community service activities with your students is a great way to send them off with the message that yes, they can make a difference and kindness counts!

Not sure what type of community service project to do this end of the school year season? These ideas can help you get started!

• Create pictures, crafts, cards, joke books, or anything fun for the local senior center or veteran center
• Write thank you cards for important staff members that are often forgotten like cafeteria staff, custodial staff, and front office staff. Grab these free thank you templates to get started!
• Head down to a younger grade classroom to help younger students clean out their desks and cubbies, or just have your "big kids" read and hang out with the younger kids
• Have students create colorful bookmarks with scraps and odd-shaped construction paper you have leftover from the year to be given out in the local library or school library.
• Go all in and have your students organize a "drive" like can food drive for a local pantry or a pet supply drive for the local animal shelter. Students can plan the event, create colorful posters to put around the school, and then sort the items collected. 

3. Word Cloud Project

This project has been around forever, but honestly, the kids love it so much that is really worth doing every year! It is also super easy and inexpensive which is why it made my top ten list!

Here is how to put this project into action:

1. Make copies of a generic class list for your students. I have a two-column class list that I use throughout the year. One column has student names and the other column is empty.
2. Give each student a class list. Instruct students to write a word or two that comes to mind about each student in the class. Give students examples of positive and acceptable words like helpful, kind, and thoughtful. Other ideas include: good at math, always smiling, love legos, really anything positive!
3. Collect the class lists. Now you will have many words that describe each student.
4. Head over to one of the free websites below to easily make student-specific word clouds.
5. Print.
6. Go one step further and add a photo of the student on their word cloud.
7. Laminate or put in a Dollar Store frame and wrap for students.

The kids love getting these word clouds. It is an easy and inexpensive end-of-year gift that reflects the school year and classroom community that you built!

Try one of these sites to create, save, and then print the word clouds you create for your students! 

• Monkey Learn Word Cloud
• Mentimeter Word Cloud
• ABCya Word Clouds
• Word Art
• Tagul Word Clouds

4. Autograph it all!

Nothing says end of the year like autographs! This can be as easy or elaborate as you want. I have used school yearbooks, beach balls, and just plain paper that had the word "Autographs" and the year on it. No matter what you use, students love giving and getting autographs and messages during the last days of school. 

Here are some ideas of things to autograph during your the end of the school year celebrations:

• Beach balls
• Journals
• Have each student bring in a white t-shirt
• Have each student bring in a white pillowcase
• Type Autographs and the year on a piece of paper, make copies and create 2 or 3-page books for students to collect class autographs. 

Teacher tip: Be sure to have fabric markers for this activity if you use shirts or pillowcases!

5. Hula Hoop Contest

On the last day of school every year, we have a hula hoop contest! It is so much fun, easy and so memorable for the kids! For this, my teacher bestie from across the hall (same grade) and I would head down to the gym and borrow some hula hoops from the PE teachers.  We would head outside with the kids and get started.

Here is how it worked:

1. Each class lines up and then sits down, with the two lines facing each other. In between the two lines of students are two hula hoops on the ground.
2. Each student is given a number.
3. Pick a number. The student who is that number gets up and has a hula hoop face-off with the student in the other class with that number. The winner goes to the winner's circle. (Just a spot off to the side with a fancy name.)
4. Once each student has a turn, the winners from the winner circle all face off. The last student hula hooping is crowned the winner.
5. Get in on the fun by having a hula hoop face off with your teacher bestie, too! The kids love to cheer for their teacher!

Don't have another class to compete against? That is ok! Just divide your class in half and have the two groups face off!

6. Make a Photo Booth 

Photo booths are so much fun to use any time of the school year, but especially to capture the memories of the end of the school year season!

I suggest creating your end-of-the-year photo booth during the last week of school, that way you have enough time to print and share the pictures you take before the kids say goodbye for the summer.

Create a fun backdrop by having kids decorate butcher size paper or just shine a fun background on your smartboard.

These Print and Go Photo Booth Props are easy to use and colorful! Photobooth done!

7. Game Time

Are your kids buggin' out for summer, too? Harness that excitement and energy by having them create bug-themed math games. I love having the kids use their creativity and the math skills they learned all year to come up with their own math games. Two heads are better than one for this project, so pair your students up and set them off to create math games.

When all students are done, create a math game day! Set up the games around the room and have students rotate through to play each game. Grab a timer and bell to make the time at each game equitable.  The kids LOVE this project and I always enjoy seeing what creative ideas they come up with, too!

Grab the FREE Math Game Activity Project below and put it into action this end of the year season!

8. You Rock, Friend

I love doing community-building activities all year long! And since it is commonplace to celebrate students in my classroom, writing appreciation and positive letters to students during the last week of school is a great way to wrap up the year! 

Send your students off for the summer feeling good about themselves with a community-building activity like this one! 

This You Rock, Friend activity is simple yet powerful and oh so memorable!

Here is how we write our community building letters:

1. Have students write their names with a pencil on a small piece of paper and fold it into fourths. Place all the names in a bucket or bowl.
2. Have students one at a time randomly draw a name from the bucket or bowl, making sure that they did not pick themselves. If they pick themselves, have them show you before selecting a new name.
3. Students then write a letter to the student whose name they picket. Their letters should be positive, and upbeat with specific examples of why they are happy to be that person's friend and classmate. I also encourage students to include favorite memories of their friend throughout the year since we are celebrating the end of the school year!
4. For the end of the year we use the theme...You Rock, Friend! The kids love it! They write a letter for their classmate AND decorate the rock page with positive words about their classmate.
5. When all students are all done creating the cards for their classmates, they deliver them. They really love both giving letters and receiving them!

9. Yes, you are the expert!

Kids love to show what they learned, so countdown the school year with an activity that helps students show everything they learned this school year!

Instead of creating memory books, I have my students create expert books, and they are always a hit year after year, with the kids and their families!

The concept is simple, students create scrapbook pages of memories of what they learned throughout the year. This makes a great ten-day/two-week countdown to the last day of school because students complete one scrapbook page a day. At the end of the two weeks, compile them in a book and the kids have a memory book with a unique twist!

10. Welcome to the Real World

When it comes to the craziness of the end of the year, there is nothing better than a project to keep students engaged, working hard, and independent! During those last few crazy days, having students work on projects keeps the class managed, under control, and allows you time to organize the classroom.

My favorite projects are ones that engage students in real-world problem solving, like this Save the Waterpark Math Project.  Think performance-based learning meets the Apprentice TV show. Students must work together as a team to come up with a way to save the waterpark financially while promoting it and getting it back on its feet with new attractions. The kids LOVE these types of projects and I truly enjoy seeing them work hard, show teamwork, and get creative. 

This project definitely celebrates the end of the year as kids put all of the skills you taught them to work!

I hope you can use some of these ideas to help make the end of the year, the best of the year! You are amazing, teacher friend, you got this! Happy {almost} summer!

You would also love to read:

7 Ways to Celebrate the End of the School Year

MUST-Do End of the Year Activity

End of the Year Tips for Writing Thank You Cards

Countdown to the Last Week of School with These Books

End of the Year Project Tips

Kicking off Summer Reading in the Classroom

Field Day Management Hacks Every Teacher Needs

Looking for more end-of-the-school-year activities that kids love? See more HERE.

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*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)

Tips and Ideas for Teaching Students to Write Thank You Notes in the Classroom

I once read that one handwritten letter is equal to getting 100 emails. They are that powerful! 

Thank you notes take time and truly show that you care and are grateful for something that someone else did. And why wouldn't a handwritten thank you note hold so much power? Good manners go a long way, and after all, writing thank you notes is one way that kids can show not just good manners, but gratitude, too!

I love using thank you notes in my upper elementary classroom. Over the years, I have found that there are three major benefits of writing thank you notes. Writing thank you notes throughout the year helps to:

• build classroom community
• spread kindness
• express gratitude

I make writing thank you notes a part of our classroom community common practice right from the start of the school year. We write thank you notes throughout the year for different reasons. Read on to find out why we use thank you cards, different ways we use thank you cards, and some must use tips to helping your students write powerful thank you notes!

The art of writing thank you notes is not loston me! Call me old school, but it is very important to me to teach my upper elementary students how to write thank you notes.

Why?

One reason I like to use thank you notes in the classroom is to help students understand and practice gratitude. Gratitude is one of the many positive emotions that we can express. It helps us to focus on what is good in our lives and be thankful for what we have. When students learn that expressing gratitude shows appreciate for others and their kindness, they want to do it all the time. Students learn that by expressing gratitude they can help strengthen the positive relationships that they have in their lives. Showing gratitude also feels good. Evidence shows that expressing gratitude helps both the giver and receiver feel happy. And let's face it, we can all use a little more happiness in our lives!

Teaching students how to write thank you notes not only reinforces important classroom concepts like gratitude and letter writing, but writing thank you notes is a life long skill and habit that I want my students to develop at a young age.

The best part about writing thank you notes is that it is contagious! Once we get into the habit of writing thank you notes and cards in the classroom, the kids are always looking for new ways to express their gratitude.

We write thank you notes for many reasons in the classroom. We express gratitude for both big and small things, to all of the important people in our lives. 

At the beginning of the year we have our first lesson on how to write a thank you note and what should be included in a thank you note. (See the list of tips below for ideas.) After the first few times of writing thank you notes, the kids understand quickly when a thank you note should be written, and how to write them.

Here are some times throughout the year that we write thank you notes:

✏️ Guest speaker or presenter

✏️ Teacher/Nurse appreciation

✏️ Special staff member days like: custodian, secretary, volunteer, bus drivers, or any special day that takes place at school

✏️ After special school events, we thank the organizers

✏️ To family members for special days like: Grandparents' Day, Mother's and Father's Day, Thanksgiving, holiday season

✏️ To each other in class: We like to thank each other for being helpful, good friends, and an important part of our classroom community

✏️ Student ideas: The kids come up with the best ideas for sending thank you notes, ask them to share their ideas.

Try these free thank you note shoutouts, perfect for students to give staff. 

Remind your students of the following tips when writing thank you notes to help the recipient feel special:

✅Handwrite or use cursive writing in your notes to make them personal.

✅Use eye-catching paper and neat handwriting.

✅Personalize each thank you with specific information: refer to people by name, state specifically what you are thanking them for, and include specific information about the event or item you are thanking them for

✅Try to send thank you notes right away, but sending anytime, even late, is better than not sending at all!

✅Take your time and make your thank you note special: try using the recipient’s favorite colors or draw a picture that they would love.

✅Send thank you notes as often as possible to develop good habits, even for small, kind gestures. They make both the giver and receiver feel good!

✅Have fun and take pride in the thank you notes that you write!

TEACHING TIP: Model how important it is to you to show gratitude through thank you note writing by sending your students thank you notes. You do not have to send students thank you notes just for gifts. Send thank you notes to students as a way to show gratitude and appreciation.

You can send thank you notes to students for many reasons like:

👍being organized

👍working hard

👍being a classroom model

👍showing kindness

👍helping an adult like a substitute

👍or any other reason, big or small, that you want to celebrate!

The more you spread gratitude, the more students will, too!

Own this set of thank you notes? Try this teaching tip: Print just the covers so that you have thank you cards with a blank inside.Now the cards can be cards kindness, gratitude, and be used for students to give to each other!

Dive in when it comes to showing gratitude and expressing thanks in the classroom! 

Teach students how to write thank you notes and why expressing gratitude is important. You will not only be teaching your students important skills for the moment but you will be helping them to develop important life skills that will last them a lifetime.

Want to get started sending thank you notes in your upper elementary classroom? Grab these free thank you note templates and make sending thank yous a practice in your classroom, too!

You might be interested in reading:

7 Ways to Celebrate the End of the School Year

MUST-Do End of the Year Activity

Countdown the Last Week of School with These Books

End of Year Read Alouds

Kicking off Summer Reading in the Classroom

Looking for easy-to-use Thank You Card and Note Templates?  See more HERE.

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End of the Year Last Week of School Picture Book Read Aloud

 

The end of the year is always so bittersweet! You are ready for the summer, but saying goodbye to your students after a year of being together is never easy! 

I love to countdown the last few days of school with fun and memorable picture books to wish students well as they leave my classroom and begin new adventures. Make the last week of school memorable and wish your students well with these read alouds perfect for the last week of school. 

All of these books follow the same theme and message, dream big, do good in the world, and be yourself! What a wonderful way to send off the kids for summer! (The summer read alouds can be found HERE.)

Play up the idea of having a countdown the last week or two of the year with picture books by trying one of these ideas:

• Wrap each of the books that you plan to read aloud to countdown the year with wrapping paper or plain brown paper bags and clearly label them with a large number. Unwrap the books right before reading for a little extra suspense!
• Create a paper chain with each link including the title and author of the book you plan on reading. Each day have a different student rip off a link and read the title and author.

Be sure to grab some fun and FREE activities at the end of this post, perfect to accompany these end-of-year read alouds!

Memory Jars written by Vera Brosgol

Memory Jars is a story that truly illustrates just how sweet good memories really are! This story follows the main character Freda as she bottles up everything she loves in jars so that she does not ever lose them, including her best friend who was moving. After almost everything in her life is in a jar, she begins to feel lonely. Freda learns that enjoying the moment and loved ones is the best way to make memories. This book is perfect to kick off a walk down memory lane with your students and remember all of the memories of the school year!

Scribble Stones written by Diane Alber

Painting rocks for others is one act of kindness I love doing at home with my children and in the classroom with students. This book is the perfect way to kick off a kindness-themed rock painting end-of-year activity! Have students paint rocks for their friends and write meaningful class letters about why each student rocks! This book sends the message that all art is beautiful and that one simple act can bring happiness to others. 

What Would You Do In a Book About You? written by Jean Reidy

Don't you just love those picture books that come full circle that you can read on the first day AND the last day of school? What Would You Do in a Book About You? is one of those books. This book encourages kids to dream big! I love the message it sends to kids that they can really do anything they dream and put their mind too, and of course reminds them to spread a little kindness along the way!

This book is perfect to read on the first day of school, when the whole school year is ahead of them, and then again on the last day of school, as you say goodbye and remind them that the whole world is ahead of them!

What Will You Be? written by Yamile Saied Mendez

Listen to heart and dream big! What Will You Be? follows a young girl as she thinks and dreams about what her future holds. I love the message of following your inner voice and heart to help you make choices in your life. The young girl dreams of changing the future, impacting others in positive ways, and laughing along the way. Her dreams will inspire your students to change the world, one dream at a time, all while staying true to themselves. Bonus, the illustrations by Kate Alizadeh are so colorful and eye-catching you will want to stare at each and every page!

 Happy Dreamer written by Peter H Reynolds

Carve your own path...and just be you! These words from the Happy Dreamer are just about the best message I could send my students before they leave our classroom community. All of Peter H. Reynolds' books are filled with encouragement and wisdom, and this is no different. Each and every one of your students will be encouraged to dream big dreams and go out into the world and reach them, in their own way! I love that!

Songbird written by Jenn Larson

Songbird, written by Jenn Larson is a sweet story of big dreams and determination. This book follows the main character, Sydney Sparrow as she takes her dreams into her own hands (or wings). After telling her family and teacher that she wants to be a conductor, she is told time and time again, no bird can be a conductor. She refused to take no for an answer and day after day puts a plan into place to one day lead a symphony herself. Your students will love to cheer Sydney on and then share their own big dreams, too! Have students share what their BIG dreams are in a class conversation circle or by having them write their own DREAM BIG poems!

Wrapping up the school year with picture books that welcome new adventures is the perfect way to say goodbye to your students. These read alouds are filled with love and good wishes. You will surely want to add these books to your end of year routine and celebrations.

Happy summer, teacher friends!

Connect with me on Instagram for more picture book recommendations!

You might be interested in reading:

End of Year Project Tips

7 Ways to Celebrate the End of the School Year

End of Year Activities: For In Class and Remote Learning

End of Year Read Alouds

Must-Do End of the Year Activity

Kick-off Summer Reading in Your Classroom

Check out my favorite end of year activities
right HERE. 

Like this no-prep one!

LOVE these ideas? Pin to save!

*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)