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7 Awesome Ideas for Your End of the School Year Celebration
Congratulations! You and your students have made it to the end of the year, and boy, what a year it’s been, indeed! What better way to honor all of the collaborative hard work, effort, and achievements than with an end of school year celebration?
Whether you’re together in person or online, your learners ought to be honored and celebrated. So go ahead and finish the school year strong with a fantastic classroom event. With a bit of creativity, lots of fun, and all the finds from ClassTag Goods, you’re sure to have an awesome end of the school year celebration!
1. Theme it Up
Whether you will celebrate in class or virtually, choosing a theme is always a great way to enjoy your time together! Selecting a theme that caters to the collective interests of the whole group works really well, so invite your students to vote on it. Maybe it’s a beach motif, animal-centric, social media-inspired, or based on the latest movie. Regardless, once everyone has agreed on the celebration theme, you can drum up ideas for things like costumes, games and activities, playlists, and food, accordingly!
2. Make Memories Pop
This is a fantastic way for students to recall their fondest memories from the school year.
Follow these easy steps:
- Each student will write down their best school recollection on a colorful Post-It Note.
- Roll up the notes, sealing them with the sticky side, and place each one inside a balloon before inflating it with helium.
- Tie a ribbon to their balloon and then release it to float to the ceiling.
- Then each student picks a random balloon, pops it, and reads their classmate’s memory aloud. As the author details the event, the whole class can reminisce right along with them.
What a special way to recount the school year as a class family during your end of the school year celebration!
3. Station Rotations
A hands-on way to celebrate is to create activity stations for your students to enjoy. With this, small groups can rotate through various activity/game stations set up throughout the room. For example, at one stop, kids can show off their sweet and creative skills by decorating cookies with a kit filled with colorful icing, rainbow sprinkles, and of course- cookies.
At another station, they can indulge in some friendly competition and play board games such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or I Spy Bingo, or they can test their skills with a Solar System Floor Puzzle. Pair these activity stations with a fun playlist rotating in the background and watch as everyone enjoys their time together.
4. Bucket List Wishes
A great segue into summer is to have your students create “bucket list wishes.” What do they wish to accomplish or enjoy, or where do they wish to travel for summer? Using construction paper and scissors, students cut the shape of a bucket, and with colorful markers, write a list of summer wishes on it.
Then, they can take their creative buckets home on the last day of school to use as checklists for the summer. If all are not fulfilled, such as a travel destination, they can convert them to goals to set and attain later in life!
5. End of the School Year Celebration and Virtual Space Spruce Up
For your end-of-year online celebration, do away with the virtual backgrounds and have everyone physically decorate the space behind them. Make it a competition by creating a few different award categories. Some ideas are “Most Creative,” “Best Use of Color,” “Most Unique,” or even “Blandest Background.”
You’d be surprised at how much time and effort someone can actually put into intentionally creating a “boring” background! As a bonus, you can send home prizes for your top winners, such as a book to enjoy over the summer or even an educational puzzle.
6. Talent Show Off
A fun party idea is to have a talent show in both a physical and virtual classroom setting. It starts with creating a safe space for kids to show off their special gifts to their classmates. Set ground rules for both participating in and observing the showcase so that everyone feels comfortable to share and receive.
Giving a few weeks of preparation time will truly bring out the best in your singers, dancers, joke tellers, magicians, and actors. Lastly, invite parents to the party so that they can witness their kids’ shining moments! Just like the party option above, prizes can be given to your “Best in Show” students.
7. End of the School Year Celebration Photo Booth
Photo booths are always a popular entertainment option, no matter what the celebration. So, for your end-of-year soiree, section off an area of your classroom with a lovely backdrop and allow students to capture fun photos using their cell phones. And if you’re DIY-ing the booth, it doesn’t require breaking the bank. In fact, you can make one with something as simple as a balloon arch and provide props for them to don during their snapshots.
No matter what is used, when you create a photo booth opportunity, you create lasting memories for both you and your students.
