Do you have end-of-year activities you try out in your classroom each spring? As the school year comes to a close, you can keep students engaged while also reflecting on the progress they’ve made. It’s also a great time to introduce activities that integrate your favorite EdTech tools you’ve explored as a class this year.
If we’ve connected at a special event, workshop, or webinar, you might have heard me tell the story of the worms. As a classroom teacher, I loved using digital tools with students to capture special moments throughout the year. So whether we snapped pictures of the worms in our compost bin or created movies, there were lots of ways we captured learning with EdTech tools.
In this blog post, we will explore nine creative ways to combine your favorite EdTech tools with engaging end-of-year activities. Although you could tailor these activities to really any time of year, these are perfect for celebrating learning, collaboration, and growth.
9 End of Year Activities
Let’s dive into these favorite end-of-year activities to help you wrap up the school year on a high note!
Classroom Time Capsule
Have students create a time capsule by writing letters to their future selves. This could include goals, favorite memories, and things they’ve learned throughout the year. Instead of collecting the letters and storing them in a sealed container, have students record videos you can email to families to watch at the start of the next school year.
>> Try this out with the video tool in Adobe Express
Virtual Field Trips
Try out a virtual field trip to take students to different places you’ve talked about this school year. For these end-of-year activities, you might ask students to vote on a place to visit or suggest spaces they’d like to explore.
>> Use a summer-themed trip from this list
Memory Book
Encourage students to create a memory book with drawings, photos, and written reflections about their favorite moments from the school year. For example, if they’ve snapped pictures on a field trip or special event, they can add these to each page.
>> Try this out with Book Creator
Theme Day
Although a special dress-up theme day, such as “Crazy Hat Day” or “Pajama Day,” can be plenty of fun, it’s not always easy for every student to participate. To add some extra fun and excitement to the end of the year without this extra pressure, you might have a classroom where students use arts and crafts supplies to make hats, ribbons, or other themed items.
>> Use a prompt in ChatGPT to get ideas for themes
Outdoor Celebration
Take advantage of spring weather and organize a day of outdoor celebrations. This could include a combination of a scavenger hunt, picnic, or other favorite activities.
>> Try out ChatGPT to gather ideas for an outdoor celebration
Gallery Walk
Turn your classroom into a gallery by displaying students’ creations from the year. This could include any type of poster, project, or student artwork. Then, invite other classes, parents, or school staff to visit and admire the creations. For virtual visitors, you might have students use a tool like Flipgrid to talk about their creations.
>> Try this out with MS Flip (formerly Flipgrid)
Class Mural
Collaborate as a class to create a large mural or collage representing the school year’s highlights. You can display the finished product in the school or classroom. To take this one step further, you might have students record videos using a tool like Seesaw and even add QR codes connected to student stories about different parts of the mural.
>> Here’s another QR code idea
Movie Day
Host a movie day where students can share videos they created over the course of the year. Students might pick one short video creation or clip from earlier in the school year and share this as part of a class movie day.
>> Try this out with a favorite movie-making tool like iMovie
Buddy Storytelling Day
Partner with another class and have your students read a favorite book or share a favorite story with their reading buddies. This encourages reading and helps build connections between different grade levels and sharing diverse interests.
>> Try this out with books from this list of websites
Combining EdTech tools with end-of-year activities creates a fun and memorable way to celebrate students’ achievements, foster collaboration, and encourage reflection on their learning journey. These nine ideas can help your students stay engaged and motivated right up until the last day of school.
As you experiment with these activities and tools, don’t forget to tailor them to your student’s needs and interests, making each experience unique and meaningful. And if you have some favorite end-of-year activities, share them with me on social media – you can find me on Instagram!
