Teacher’s Brain

5 Fun and Engaging End of The Year Activities


Looking for some fun end-of-the-year activities for elementary? You’re in the right place! 

As the school year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to celebrate all the hard work, growth, and friendships that have blossomed throughout the year! 

end of the year activities

What can we do on the last day of school? 

Look no further! I’m sharing five exciting and meaningful ways to mark the end of the school year in your elementary classroom. 

Here are five fun and engaging end-of-year activities that you can do with your elementary school students to celebrate the end of the school year:

Classroom Awards Ceremony

  1. Host a special awards ceremony to celebrate the unique qualities of each student. Create personalized certificates for various categories like “Most Improved Reader,” “Kindest Classmate,” “Future Scientist,” or “Best Team Player.” You can also let students nominate classmates for awards to encourage peer recognition and positivity.
Try this!  End of the Year Awards | Editable Awards 

Field Day Extravaganza

  1. Organize a field day with a variety of outdoor games and activities. You could set up stations for relay races, tug-of-war, sack races, and more. This is a great way for students to burn off energy, work in teams, and have fun together. Don’t forget to provide plenty of water and sun protection!

Classroom Talent Show

  1. Host a talent show where students can showcase their unique skills and interests. This could include singing, dancing, magic tricks, storytelling, or even sharing artwork. Encourage students to cheer each other on, and end the show with a group performance or class sing-along for a grand finale.

Theme Day Celebration

  1. Choose a fun theme for a day-long classroom celebration. Some popular themes could be “Superhero Day,” where everyone dresses as their favorite superhero; “Decades Day,” where students come dressed from a specific decade like the ’80s or ’90s; or “Around the World,” where students explore different cultures through food, music, and crafts. Make sure to include activities and games that align with the chosen theme.
Try this! End of the Year Theme Days BUNDLED | Activities

Memory Book Creation

  1. Dedicate a day to creating memory books. Provide each student with a scrapbook or a set of pages to decorate and fill with memories from the school year. Include prompts like “My Favorite School Activity,” “Best Friends,” or “What I Learned This Year.” Encourage students to write notes to each other or add photos, drawings, and mementos. This activity helps them reflect on the year and creates a keepsake they can cherish.
Try this! End of the Year Memory Book | Google Slides™ Option EDITABLE 

These activities should help you create a memorable and enjoyable end to the school year, allowing students to celebrate their achievements and enjoy time with their classmates and teachers.

Senior Memory Books

For seniors, the end of the year is so bittersweet. A huge stage of their life is coming to a close and a new chapter is beginning. They are stepping into a new phase of life where they are becoming adults and starting to make their own decisions about their future. Needless to say, this is huge! 

The high school years are unforgettable. It shapes who we all become and for most, the memories we had there will be cherished forever. If you are looking for great memory book ideas or even high school senior gift ideas for the end of the year, you’re in the right place. 

A senior year memory book is my favorite way to capture these memories in a fun and creative way. Seniors love having a book that they can come back to reminisce on the good times with their friends.  

senior memory books pin image

What is a senior year memory book? 

A high school senior memory book is a place to put photos and memories from the last year of high school. Think of it as a senior year scrapbook. 

What goes in a memory book? 

Anything you want! You can include photos, notes, memories, hobbies, goals, plans, accomplishments, etc. You name it, you can add it to your memory book. 

Ready to get started on creating memory books with your seniors? Check out this digital memory book resource! 

I love this resource because it is so easy for students to make their own memory books digitally. 

This end-of-the-year senior memory book is a great way to help students feel connected to each other and produce a great keepsake for years to come! This editable digital Google Classroom™ option and PDF make it easy for you to make paper copies for students or updates for the future.

Students who are participating in the digital option will have easy-to-identify text boxes to edit with directions. They can insert images, text, and even video if they want to save their memories digitally. They can add school colors, senior pictures, write their feelings about the end of the year, anything they may have missed from being out of school, and so much more! Students can print them out as a keepsake or just keep them digitally.

What is included?

  • 33 Google Slides (with text boxes and directions and 4 slides at the end to personalize and edit for future years) to push out easily to students to edit on their own. 4 pages are decorative but blank to easily personalize with editing. Each slide has directions on the right side and edit boxes to add text.
  • 38 PDF (same images, but easy to print file)
  • 4 Pages PDF, with directions, terms, and credits
digital senior memory book sample image

Topics Included on the pages:

  • Favorites
  • Accomplishments
  • Hobbies
  • Friends
  • Things They Miss
  • Next Year’s Goals
  • Next Year’s Plans
  • Vacation Wish List
  • I am Grateful
  • Quarantine Writing Pages
  • Top 3 Senior Moments
  • If I Could Change the World
  • One Word from friends and family to Describe You 
  • All About Me
  • Homecoming
  • Prom ( Pages have directions on the side. If they missed prom, they can write about how the plans were changed or delete the page.)
  • I Feel Special
  • Graduation (add pictures of how they celebrated this important moment)
  • Autograph Page (digitally get Autographs from friends)
senior memory book

It’s so easy to get creative with these senior memory books. For more ideas, check out this blog post here! 

What are your favorite senior activities? Let me know in the comments!

End of The Year Student Awards Ideas

One of the best parts of the end of the year is handing out those end of the year class awards. After a long year, it is so refreshing to reward students for all of their hard work throughout the year and all of their improvements. You go through a lot together! Handing out end of the year awards for students is such a fun way to put a smile on their faces and end the school year on a high note. 

end of the year student award ideas

If you’re looking for end of the year award ideas, you’re in the right place! 

What awards can be given to students? 

The sky is the limit! Here is a list of special awards for students to use in your awards ceremony. 

  • MANNERS
  • ARTIST
  • ATHLETE
  • HAIRSTYLIST
  • CEO
  • BOOKWORM
  • MOST UNIQUES
  • MOST CARING
  • BRAVE HEART
  • DEPENDABLE
  • DANCER
  • SINGER
  • FRIENDLIEST
  • ENERGETIC
  • BEST LAUGH
  • SWEETHEART
  • HELPER 
  • FUNNY
  • SCIENTIST
  • MATH
  • WRITING
  • MOST IMPROVED
  • SPELLING
  • QUESTIONS
  • LISTENING
  • KINDNESS
  • SMILE
  • BEHAVIOR
  • GROWTH
  • CLEVER
  • MENTAL MATH
  • LEADER
  • AUTHOR
  • HELPFUL
  • PEACEMAKER
  • HUGGER
  • PERSONALITY
  • SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

I created a resource to make handing out these end of the year student awards easy and as low-prep as possible. 

end of the year student awards

These awards are created with Google Slides so they are easy for virtual award ceremonies or in person. If you are in person, you can print and hand them out. If you are conducting a virtual award ceremony, you can present it in a slideshow for students and parents and email them to students individually afterwards. 

These Google Slides™ come with directions, a planning sheet, and a tutorial video. Just add student’s pictures and use edit boxes that are ready for you to insert names and dates!

end of the year student awards ideas

Add images, videos, names, dates, and your signature. Delete the slides you don’t want in the show. Practice first by pushing present and when you are ready for your virtual award ceremony invite students and families. Of course you can use this in the classroom for your future students too. Just easily edit the slides to meet your needs.

Check out the demo video! 

If you are looking for funny end of the year awards for students or something a little more unique, check out these Candy Bar Awards! 

funny end of the year student awards

This resource comes with 61 class superlatives, 21 of them are candy themed! Here are the candy awards included: 

  • 3 Musketeers – works well with others 
  • 100 Grand – works hard 
  • Almond Joy – joy to be around 
  • Babe Ruth – hits a homerun with good grades 
  • Bit-O-Honey – sweet
  • Bubble Yum – fun and bubbly personality 
  • Butterfinger – smooth and easy-going attitude 
  • Caramello –sweet and easy going 
  • Dove – peacemaker 
  • Extra –always working extra hard 
  • Fun Dip – eager to learn with fun and loving attitude
  • Gobstopper – having gobs of great work and ideas 
  • Good and Plenty – always having plenty of good grades
  • Mr. Goodbar – always being a good friend
  • Gummy Bears – caring and loveable
  • Gummy Worms – class wiggle worm 
  • Hugs and Kisses – sweet and caring 
  • Hugs – considerate and caring 
  • Jolly Rancher – always telling the best jokes 
  • Jr. Mints – you were “mint” to be in my classroom 
  • Kit Kat – always being at the teacher’s side

Your kiddos will love these end of the year student awards! They are also made with Google Slides so they are easy to adapt to in person or virtual teaching.

end of the year awards for students

What are your favorite end of the year awards ideas? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more end of the year ideas? Check out this end of the year Spy Themed Day!