How Do I Make the Last Day of School Fun? 10 Best Closing Ideas

As I think about the last day of school, I wonder how can I make it fun and memorable.

So how can we make the last day of school thrilling enough in itself? As the school year comes to a close, I always enjoy having my students reflect on their experiences.

Although there’s a lot to leave behind, celebrating the last day of school should be a great way of finishing the year.

ways to make the end of school fun

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How Do I Make the Last Day of School Fun?

The end of the school year is a celebration of success. Hence, it should be made meaningful and memorable through super fun activities.

It’s the final bonding of the year.  As such, wrapping up the school year has been made unforgettable.

So, here’s a good list of fun activities to make a leap to a fantastic time with your students and help summon wonderful memories. These fun activities work with my students and they’ll work with you too. Let’s hop in.

1. Planning a family picnic

Go on a picnic because it’s a fantastic escape from the school year. Picnics are an excellent opportunity to show your students that they are absolutely adored and heard.

Plan the activity and involve the parents to make the family picnic a collaborative effort. Playing picnic games with the parents and children is a delightful idea.  This can establish your bond with the parents.

Take advantage of the picnic activity because it’s not just enjoyable, but also a perfect way for self-reflection and improving mental health.

2. Playing Outdoor Games

playing outdoor games

The benefits of nature for your students’ health are immeasurable. It has been demonstrated that being outside can reduce stress and anxiety. Certainly, playing outdoor games can enliven the mood of the entire class.

Most importantly, this activity fosters meaningful relationships with your students before they part ways as the school year ends. The fun activities can be the most memorable for your children.

Get your students outside to play and create memories with their classmates. Have a list of a variety of nice games that most fit the weather as the school year ends. And make sure you never forget the traditional tag game.  Facilitate the fun and enjoy the yard games with your students.

3. Dance Party

A fun party dance is cool. You can have it as a themed dance party and instruct the children to wear their respective costumes. Great moves can make the classroom dismissal so fun and memorable.

Celebrate the last day of school by making students feel like staying in the classroom for another year. Indeed, having a dance party in the classroom can be relaxing to our children that they tend to forget the pressures and stress.

And because your students work incredibly hard, they deserve the fun and excitement. You should give it to them. Let them dance and sing along.  Turn up the music all the way! Transform your classroom into a dance club and have a dancing party. Your students should be rocking as you speak!  Significantly, packing up is made less stressful and everyone goes home happy.

4. Closing Program

When everyone else around is conscious of the school break, initiate a closing program to gather all your students and reminisce about the good and bad times of the school year.

The closing program is an ideal activity to award students who are on the top roll and recognize the efforts of everyone. However, this closing program is done in the classroom and should be made informal. It’s not like having a graduation ceremony in the school gym. Of course, it’s more intimate than that.

Establish connections by assigning students to lead the program and involve everyone. Assign a host and those who play important roles in the program. Then, if your budget permits, you can give tokens of appreciation to your students as a symbol of your love. Pens, cute stickers, and the like will do.

5. Classroom Movie Marathon

As your students move through the last day of school, make it remarkable by watching movies with magical creations. It’s an incredible way to tour around the world besides reading.

The whole group can watch movies they like. Family movies, sci-fi movies, adventures, and so on can make the last day spectacular.  A feel-good movie is always something students look forward to.

Also, it’s lovely when you can spend valuable bonding time with your students. Plus, if you have interactions with the movie characters, the activity is made more remarkable. Take advantage of binge-worthy movies on Netflix and enjoy the good laughs and amazement of iconic cartoons.

6. Take a Class Memento

Students always love to treasure memories. There are significant activities to achieve it. You can ask your students to write about their unforgettable learning experiences in a time capsule. It’s a great wrap-up activity that involves everyone.

Another way is by signing a shirt or filling out a memory book or journal. These are some memorable ways to create class mementos to send off your students with a big happy smile and plentiful memories to cherish.

Equally, saying goodbye to your students should always be made momentous. Tears of sadness may fall, but tears of happiness for the great successful school year always prevail.

7. Schoolyard Campout

Camping always excites kids. It’s a remarkable year-end activity.  Children love the moments of independence and the taste of responsibility. The sharing of good memories by the campfire is very exciting. Or you can design interactive and fun activities like singing, cooking, hiking, and so on.

You can have it as an engaging 3-day or weeklong classroom camp out. In my view, having a schoolyard camping is an extraordinary way of sending off your students. It’s so much fun if you plan it well and introduce plenty of activities.

Undoubtedly, organizing a schoolyard camp is a blast for your students. It’s a fantastic end-of-the-year activity. It’s a charming way of creating memories with your students.

8. Cooking Competition

What about a year-end cooking contest? It will be fun having the students come together to share their best recipes. Have it as a group cook-off activity and witness how they magnify teamwork and collaboration.

It’s a fun competition with the best ingredients for confidence and competition. Your students will surely enjoy the activity and the parents will get excited too. It will be bonding time as well.

This year-end friendly competition should be organized and planned well and you can also invite stakeholders aside from the parents to witness the activity.

9. Create a DIY Photo Booth

Make the end of the school year a cheerful celebration by creating your DIY classroom photo booth. It’s a fun way of capturing special moments with your children as you they go through the last day of the school year.

While you remember those unforgettable experiences with your students through their time capsules, you can take pictures in your photo booth. It’s the best way to capture the best smiles and giggles.

It’s quite likely that having a classroom photo booth is an easy way to remember that your students are having fun with you. At the bottom of the board, you can add hashtags and best quotes of success. Certainly, it can be a hit in the classroom before pack-up time.

10. Deliver Impromptu Speeches

Check your students’ confidence by asking them to deliver impromptu speeches before the class. I know it can be a big challenge for the students, but you can make it fun by injecting humor.

You begin the series by giving out your speech. Express your deepest appreciation for your students’ effort and cooperation for a successful school year. Tell them to continue spreading their enthusiasm in the years to come.

To make it more organized even though it’s just an informal presentation of thoughts, prepare fun topics to talk about to help students, especially those who break out in sweat when speaking in front of their classmates.

Try these topics:

  • My Best Learning Experience Ever
  • The Day that Makes a Difference
  • My Favorite Day of the Year
  • My First Impression

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Why Do I Make the Last Day of the Year Special?

The end of the school year is something to celebrate. It’s a time to recognize students’ efforts and achievements. Handing out awards and surprises can make students happy and excited.

The super fun ways mentioned in this post can make the last day a special event to remember. I decided that this year, it would be fun to make a big deal out of the last day of school, which could end up being a custom for my kids.

Marking the last day of school will be more meaningful if you just don’t end it in an ordinary way.  Amidst all the challenges and disruptions, our students deserve a blast!

Surviving the year and making it a successful one despite these trying times is something to lionize. So, as teachers, we should help them in this transition. The range of opportunities we offer will create fond remembrances and reflections that students will always hold dear.

<<<Watch this video and catch exciting ideas from Pocketful of Primary.

At the end of the day…

School is a melting pot of experiences and emotions. There will be memories of trying times, challenging lessons, relationships, and conflicts.

Hence, the last day of the school year should be spent well with our students. It’s a parting act as students move to the next level in education. The last day should not just simply vanish.

The warp-up day is no longer a time for the completion of lengthy projects and assignments. But it’s meant for fun and enjoyment. It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone to share memories and discuss what they had enjoyed about the past months.