Educational Gifts and Games at the End of School
Celebrating the Last Day of the School Year
May 18, 2009
As another school year comes to an end, teachers and students alike are looking forward to a wonderful summer break. Celebrating the strides that the students have made during the school year provides a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to look back and review the year together. Here are some great ideas to bring the school year to a close.
End of School Educational Games
As a celebration of the end of school, designate one day as a games day. The games should be educational in nature and should focus on some of the skills and knowledge that the students gained over the year. Some ideas for game day include:
Jeopardy – Have each category represent a different school subject studied over the course of the year and include major lessons and concepts as the clues. This is a great way to review all the major concepts from the school year while having fun at the same time. Consider having a prize bucket for students to choose from with the points they earn from the game.
Spelling Games – Have a Spelling Bee or play Around the World to review the spelling words students learned over the year. This is a great way to encourage the entire class to participate and review the spelling words from the year. In inclusion classrooms, it may be best to choose the Spelling Bee as the teacher can then pick appropriate spelling words for those students who had modified spelling lists.
Educational End of School Gifts
At the end of the year teachers may opt to give their students a special gift to say "thank you for being in my class and have a wonderful summer". These gifts do not have to break the bank, and can provide more opportunities for learning at the same time. Here are some thoughtful ideas that teachers can give as gifts to their students:
- Give each student a book to read over the summer. If money is too tight for a book, consider a bookmark.
- Take a "Teacher and Me" picture and put the picture on the front of a cheap journal for the student to write in over the summer.
- Give students a personalized pencil, or for a cheaper option, choose a "special" pencil to give. This includes pencils with some sort of design on them.
- Visit the dollar store for cheap puzzle books and coloring books.
Students and teachers will both be ready for the end of the school year and spending some time playing games is a great way to end the year on a high note. While giving gifts is a popular end of school tradition, teachers should consider educational gifts that do not cost much money to encourage continued learning over the summer.
Consider these great summer learning ideas as well!
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