5 Creative End of the Year Elementary Activities to Help You Survive the Chaos

end of the year elementary activities

Looking for some creative end of the year elementary activities to do with your class? Testing is over and the end of the year is almost here! We know how exciting this time of the year is for you and your students.

However, it’s also one of the most hectic times of the year. Between the end of the year events, concerts, field trips, assessments, and preparing your room for the summer; there is always so much to be done! As teachers, we still want to create meaningful memories for our students even in the midst of all of the chaos. 

Here are 5 simple but engaging elementary activities you can use to help survive the end of the year, PLUS grab TWO freebies below!

Try Out Themed Activities

Kids love themes and being able to get into character makes doing work so much more fun! This is also a great way to implement room transformations. There are so many options on TPT. Some possible themes are: camping, beach day, boot camp, circus, etc. We created a week-long, cross-curricular Secret-Agent themed unit that is print and go. Check out our printable and digital versions below.

end of the year elementary activities
end of the year elementary activities

“This was a great resource for my students at the end of the school year to keep them engaged and complete fun activities while still reviewing skills from the year.”

Count Down with a Balloon Pop

We all know that the end of the year tends to bring out some of the more…impulsive behaviors in students😉. A balloon pop is a great way to not only count down the number of days of school left, but also encourage good choices.

Implementing this classroom management strategy is easy. We usually do it for the last ten days of school. Put a slip with a reward inside of each balloon. After you have blown them up, tape the balloons somewhere around the room. Each morning you will write a word like POP or BALLOON on the board.

If the students misbehave they can lose a letter. However, if they have at least one letter left by the end of the day, they get to pop the balloon. Then they will get to do the reward the following day. This is super motivating for students and they will be so excited to see what is inside the balloon each day. Grab this balloon pop freebie from Ideas by Jivey.

Use Technology to Reflect

The end of the year is a great time for students to reflect on things they have learned and ways that they have grown. Kids are so comfortable with technology, especially now that many have experienced distance learning.

Using a website platform, such as Flip (previously known as Flipgrid), is a great way for them to be able to share and reflect. This website and app allows your students to easily record videos to one location that can be accessed by the teacher or other students. Have your students fill out these surveys with information about themselves and the school year.

Check out our end of the year Flipgrid surveys by clicking on the button below.

Put on a Talent Show

One of our favorite end of the year elementary activities is to have students put on a talent show. Kids love to be the star of the show. Allow them to showcase their talents and amazing abilities.

This requires no prep on your part. Simply set up a time and have the students sign up with what talent they would like to share. Then enjoy the show! You can even do a digital talent show if you’re doing virtual learning. Use Padlet or Flipgrid for students to record their talent and post for classmates to view. 

Create a Memento

Have students complete a cute scrapbook to record their memories from their school year. When they are finished, students will have a great memento that they can keep for years to come. They will get to share about their friends, their teacher, favorite memories, etc. This is also an easy activity for students to complete digitally.

Click below to grab a FREE copy of our Digital Editable End of the Year Scrapbook.

end of the year elementary activities

We hope that these end of the year elementary activities help you to survive the last few days of the school year. Hang on, you’re almost done!!!

Looking for more fun classroom activities leading up to break? Check out our blog posts below:


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