
5 fun summer end of term activities for teachers
Planning fun summer end of term activities is often left until the last minute, and understandably so! Teachers are overburdened with otherย tasks towards the end of the school year.
ย
It can be a challenge for children (and adults!) to remain focused towards the end of the term. Knowing that the long summer holidays are right around the corner can make keepingย childrenย focused even more difficult towards the end of term.
ย
ย
The end of the school year is a great time to reflect on theย time you and your class have spent together.
ย
Givingย childrenย timeย to reflect on their progress and development throughout the year is a great learning opportunity โ and a chance to celebrate all the happy memories you share.
ย
Additionally, it's alsoย an ideal time to gather some valuable feedback for yourself and for the next teacher of your class.ย
ย
Remember, some children, and adults too, find endings harder than others. The end of the school year can be a time of big emotions โ so make sure you keep an eye out for those that might need a bit of extra support.
ย
Make it memorable with these fun summer end of term activities
ย
1. Hold an end of year awards ceremony
ย
Holding a classroom awards ceremony gives the entire class an opportunity to celebrate the positive and joyful things about both themselves and their classmates. Youย could make little certificates to hand out to each child to commemorate what makes them unique and special.
ย
It's essential thatย all the awards are positive, and that you donโt miss anyone out!
ย
We have loads of free certificates to choose from,ย including thisย Golden Star Award Certificateย and thisย Congratulations Certificate.
ย
2. Get some feedback
ย
Show your class you value their opinions.ย Find out what they enjoyed the most, and what they found the most challenging.
Remembering and talking about past events is great for children'sย brains and mental health.
Not only will it be useful for you to know so it can inform next year's planning, but neuroscience proves that spending time remembering and talking about past events is great for the brain and mental health.
ย
Dr Dan Siegal says that remembering to remember helps the brain integrate implicit and explicit memories.ย Weย foundย the article by Verywell Mindย about howย Implicit and Explicit memoryย influence learning and behaviour particularly interesting.
ย
3. Who am I?
ย
Get your class to record information they think their new teacher should know about them.ย For example, they could write a letter of introduction to their new class teacher.
ย
This information can help inform your handover meetings. What better way to introduce a child than starting from how they see themselves?
ย
Give your students guidance on what to include in their letter of introduction.ย They might includeย their favourite subjects, what they struggle with, what they like to do in their spare time, or how they would describe their behaviour.ย
ย
These freeย Knowing Me, Knowing You Cardsย are perfect for this activity. If you prefer you can make the activity open ended and can give your class free reign.
ย
When we have doneย thisย summer end of term activities like theseย in class,ย we have seen how honest and accurate the children are. It's a useful, and rather lovely, thing to pass on to your successor.
ย
4. Give some advice
ย
Get your pupils toย share their new-found wisdomย with next yearโs class.ย Ask them to write down pieces of advice pass on to your new intake of learners.
ย
You could askย your departing class to go through the alphabet and think of a piece of advice starting with each letter!
ย
5. End on a high
ย
A lovely way to celebrate the end of the year is to get your pupils, and the adults that work with your class, to write down (or say) one nice thing about each other which they can then read later.
ย
Hand out notecards for the children fill in. Place each childโs in an envelope they have personalised. Alternatively, if you are feeling especially creative, bind them to make a little book for each child.ย A quicker option is to use a website toย create a word cloud for each pupil.
ย
This is a lovely way to end the term.ย It gets pupils toย consider not only how they feel about their friends, but also how to find goodness and positivity in every one of their class members.
ย
You can even ask them to do it for you โ itโs always nice to hear the good things your class thinks about you, too!
ย
Not only are theseย summer end of term activities are fun, but they're also a great way to ensure you end the school year on a positive note.
ย
Download a FREE End of Term Activity Pack
This activity pack contains loads of fun activities suitable for primary aged children. Including fun questions to ask, instructions for making a memory box, an A to Z of the year's learning sheet, reflections cards, summer bucket lists and a letter challenge. Download your FREE End of Term Activity Pack from PlanBee.
ย
ย
Now, it's your turn! What activities do you have up your sleeve to help you get through the last few weeks of the school year?ย Twitter educators, please do share your brilliant summer end of term activities with our members:
#Reward your class at the end of term with these #free downloadable certificates!http://t.co/iHd8jlSSxi
#summer #teachingโ PlanBee (@PlanBeeTeaching) July 16, 2015
ย
Leave a comment