We’ve almost reached the end-of-the-year finish line!

Whether you’ve had a wonderful year and are dreading saying goodbye to your students or you’re counting the minutes until you can hit the road, you will need some fun activities that bring closure to the year and keep your students engaged.

The following activities are classroom-tested and will provide much enjoyment for your students!

Autobiography of a Time Traveler

This is one of my very favorite end-of-the-year activities!

How often do students get to pretend they are time travelers? Not often!

I give students a long sheet of construction paper (11 in. x 14 in.) and ask them to draw the following template on their papers.

Then, I ask students to think of four time periods or events that they would like to visit, if they could travel in time.

I give students free reign to visit the age of dinosaurs, cave men, all the way to events that occurred a few years ago.

They use the four boxes on the top of the page to draw pictures of the places/events they visited.

The bottom of the page is where they write about each place/event and why they chose to visit.

I included two amazing examples from my own classroom:

Build a Perfect Summer!

For this engaging activity, students receive a budget of $100 and a price list from which they will build a perfect summer.

Students will prioritize what is most important to them, while staying within the budget.

After creating their perfect summer, students will write a few paragraphs explaining their choices.

To start this project, I write the price list and requirements on the board and students complete the assignment on notebook paper. Feel free to use the example below in your classroom or add to it!

Classroom Awards List

This is such a hit with my students!

I write the first names of all of my students on the board.

Each student uses a sheet of notebook paper to copy the list of names and then they write an award next to each student’s name.

The only guidance I give is on what to do if they can’t think of an award to give to a particular student, perhaps one with whom they have conflict.

I tell students that they can write generic awards, like “Great 5th Grader” or “Good Person Award,” or even just leave that space blank.

We’re only writing kind, uplifting awards.

My students come up with the most amazing awards.

My three favorites over the years have been:

“Most Glamorous Personality” – Awarded to a little girl who dressed, acted, and spoke in a “fancy” way

“Bravest Girl Award” – Awarded to a girl who lost her mom during the school year and handled herself courageously

“Most Likely to be a Ship Captain” – Awarded to a boy who loved boating and talked about boats constantly

You will be surprised at what your students pick up on and notice about their peers.

When the lists have been handed in, I review them and choose a fitting award for each student.

Before our whole-school awards assembly, I present these awards in my classroom using generic store-bought certificates.

Write a Book and Read it to Students in a Younger Grade Level

Tap into your students’ creativity with this activity!

Give students 6-7 sheets of white copy paper and ask them to stack the papers together and fold them in half.

Staple the spines and voila…students have books!

I ask my students to plan out their stories and illustrations on notebook paper before filling in their books.

Once students have written and illustrated their books, take them to a younger class and allow them to choose a student to listen to their story.

I usually trade partners several times so that my students have the opportunity to read their books multiple times and younger students have the opportunity to listen to several stories.

Write a Letter to a Government Official

Our students are very aware of the issues in education and society.

Prepare students to be involved citizens by asking them to write letters to government officials.

To kick start this activity, I write the names of our President, Governor, U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, State Representative, State Senator, and Mayor on the board.

I ask each student to choose the leader to whom they will write a letter.

We discuss some of the issues that students may want to address in their letters, i.e. education funding, environmental issues, local concerns, and etc.

I explain that the President is very important but our state and local leaders have more of an impact on our daily lives.

I truly enjoy reading students’ completed letters.

I provide envelopes and addresses so that students can mail their letters.

In my school district, mail service is provided, so I send students’ letters through school mail.

Many of my students who choose to include return addresses receive nice letters back!

If you’re looking for engaging end-of-the-year print ‘n go activities, you’ll LOVE these!

These resources are available in Grades 3-6. Just click on the following image and scroll down to view the listings on Teachers Pay Teachers! Includes a layer book, spotlight cards, notes to students, and MORE!