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End of the School Year Classroom Ideas

Are you looking for some fun end of the year activities and student gift ideas? Then this post is for you. I have included links to free end of the year gift tags, free cards from the teacher, an ice cream sundae hack, a graphing craft, and more!

Let the countdown to the last day of school begin with these adorable print and go Days Left of School Banners. Each student makes a banner and each day, a different student reads their banner and shares their favorite memory of the school year. It really is a sweet way to count down the days.

Days Left of School Countdown Banners

End the year with some of my favorite picture books. Click below to check them out. Which one is your favorite? I am a big fan of Mrs. SaraJane Hartwell and Last Day Blues.

End of the Year Picture Books.

Last Day Blues is a great segue into discussing how the students think they will feel on the last day of school. After reading the book and discussing feelings, you can do this cute graphing activity.

Looking for more math ideas? Check out these math centers. I love centers because they keep the students in a routine and in small groups. Keeping students in a routine helps minimize the end of the year behaviors that may pop up. I love that the students can do the centers independently and are engaged in meaningful learning activities, thus allowing me to pack up the classroom!

End of the Year Math Centers

Another fun activity to do with your students are these Adventure Awaits prompts. The students can complete the prompts for themselves or for you! They are always make me laugh. The prompts work well for retirees, too!

Adventure Awaits Writing Prompts.

Now on to the End of the Year Party! How do you celebrate the end of the year with your students? We always do ice cream because it is fun and a cool treat. For years, I helped scoop the ice cream and my front table ended up a big drippy mess of ice cream! Then about 8 years ago or so, I saw this ice cream sundae hack from my friend Stephanie over at Falling into First! Ever since then, I have never looked back. *As with any food item, check for allergies and preference before hand. I save extra Italian ices for students who don’t like chocolate or cannot tolerate ice cream (myself included). Check out my FB post for what others had as suggestions, too.

*This post contains some affiliate commissionable shopping links.

Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream Sundae Hack

Wondering what to do on the last day of school? I have the whole day planned out for you! Check out these FREE last day of school Google Slides. Click below to make a copy for your drive.

Are you looking for end of the year student gift? Beach pails are always a popular option.

  1. Purchase beach pails in bulk. I order them from Dollar Tree and have them shipped to the store for free.
  2. Fill the beach pail with a coloring book (order in bulk and have shipped to the store) or a summer themed picture book. Scholastic usually has good deals for discounted books to purchase in bulk.
  3. Print my free “Hope Your Summer is Buckets of Fun!” gift tag that I made a few years ago. Click below to grab it.
Hope Your Summer is Buckets of Fun Gift Tags

These sidewalk chalk boxes make a super easy end of the year gift.

  1. Order chalk in bulk from Dollar Tree Online and picked them up at your local store to save on the shipping.
  2. Grab the FREE gift labels below and print them on shipping sized labels.
  3. Affix the labels right to the chalk containers!
  4. Hand out to your students at the end of the year!

Looking to write your students a sweet and personalized end of the year message? Check these End of the Year cards. They have a poem on the cover and the inside can be edited to create a personalized message for each student.

End of the Year Card From the Teacher

If you are looking for a “save your ink” thank you note, check out these free notes. They print four to a page and can be easily edited to write a thank you note after receiving a gift from a student.

I hope you grabbed some ideas for celebrating the end of the school year with your students!

Pinterest images:

End of the Year Thank You Note from the Teacher
Free End of the Year Card from the Teacher
Free Buckets of Summer Fun Gift Tags
Adventure Awaits End of the School Year Writing Prompts
Last Day of School Graphing Craft
End of the Year Ice Cream Sundae Hack
End of the Year Picture Books
End of the Year Math Centers for First Grade
End of the School Year Classroom Ideas, Freebies, and More!
Free Chalk Gift Tags: Hope your summer is Chalkul of fun!
Free Last Day of School Slides

Filed Under: End of The Year

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New Shape Posters for the Classroom! These have r New Shape Posters for the Classroom!  These have real-life examples and come with three versions. 
Want the link?  Comment SHAPES below.
PS- I fixed the spelling error on Louvre but didn’t have it in me to reprint and re-video. I am back to school tired from just setting up the room with no AC. 

#classroomdecor #tptteachers
Teacher Tip: Send your students’ families a photo Teacher Tip: Send your students’ families a photo of your classroom door before the first day of school.  This will help ease some of those first day jitters about not being able to find the classroom. 
I leave the same door decor up all year long! I can’t tell you how many times students will walk into the wrong classroom and this helps my students to go in the right one every time. 
Want the links to the door decor sets?  Comment DOOR DECOR and I will DM you the links :)

#teachertips #backtoschool #classroomdecor #teacherspayteachers
📚 Back-to-school magic starts with the right read- 📚 Back-to-school magic starts with the right read-alouds!
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From Our Class is a Family, All Are Welcome, The Book of Rules, and so many more — these stories never miss.

Which one is a must-read in your classroom? Drop it in the comments and I will send you the links to my follow up activities!

#BackToSchool #ReadAlouds #picturebooks
These play-doh first day gifts are cute and practi These play-doh first day gifts are cute and practical!  The play-doh gives your students something fun to do while you are busy greeting students at the door.  Then once everyone is in, then you can unpack supplies as a class. 

Want the link to the FREE tags and to see what else I do on the first day?  Comment “first day” below and I will DM you the links!

#teacherhack #teacherfreebies #playdoh #teachersfollowteachers #backtoschool
How do you handle this situation? Do you put the How do you handle this situation?  Do you put the new student at the end of the alphabetical list or do you start over with a new one?
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True story: One year on the first day, I had a no show.  Then I was assigned a new student.  That student fit perfectly in the alphabetical order spot that was left.  I should have played the lottery or something.  What were the odds of that?!

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5 things that are worth the money for your classro 5 things that are worth the money for your classroom!

1. A color printer.  We don’t have color printers at school and this has saved me from having to remember to print something at home. I brought in mine from home and then bought a new one for home. 
2. MacBookAir - This is my personal laptop.  I bring it home on weekends and holidays but for the most part I keep it at school.  I did need approval to get it on our district WiFi, which meant my phone could not also be on the WiFi.  There is a one device per teacher rule.
3. A lay-flat binder for my plan book, dismissal binder, and sub binder.  These save so much space and they are flexible. 
4. A laminator at school and a laminator at home.  It took me many years before I caved and bought another one but again, it saves me from remembering to laminate at home and I can also laminate during snack time and preps. Matte laminating is also worth the splurge.
5. My teacher toolbox! This toolbox has been with me for over 10 years, I just change out the labels to go with my decor theme.  Everything has a place and it keeps my desk organized.

Want the links?  Comment “links” below and I will DM you them. 

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✨Center time just got so much better! ✨ These 1st ✨Center time just got so much better! ✨
These 1st grade phonics-based literacy centers keep my students engaged, independent, and actually cheering when I say it’s center time. 🙌
Year-long skills that spiral and build (short vowels → digraphs → blends → vowel teams → multisyllabic words and more), primary lined recording sheets, supportive visuals, and activities that are easy to prep once and reuse all year.

Perfect for Science of Reading classrooms, Fundations® users, Daily 5, or anyone who wants structured, decodable practice while you pull small groups.

My students know exactly what to do… and I get to teach without interruptions. Win-win! 📚💛

Comment LINK if you want a full year of ready-to-go phonics centers and a free sample set!
#PhonicsCenters  #LiteracyCenters #FirstGradeTeacher  #Phonics #WordWork ReadingCenters
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