20 Low Prep End-of-Year Activities for Students

The school year is wrapping up, and it’s time to celebrate all the learning that’s happened! Looking for fun and engaging end-of-year activities for your students? This post offers 20 fantastic ideas, from virtual escape rooms to creative reflection projects, to make the last few weeks memorable.

20 End-of-Year Activities to Celebrate Learning

The final stretch of the school year is upon us! You’ve poured your heart and soul into guiding your students, fostering their growth, and sparking their curiosity. Now, as the days grow longer and summer break peeks over the horizon, it’s the perfect time to celebrate all that your students have accomplished.

But how do you make those last few weeks or days of school meaningful, engaging, and yes, even a little bit fun, especially when time is tight or you’re looking for impactful options?

Fear not! We’ve gathered a treasure trove of end of year activities for students that will not only keep them engaged but also provide opportunities for reflection, collaboration, and joyful memories.

♟️End-of-Year Games & Puzzles🧩

1. 🔒Break out of an end-of-year escape room

These no-prep virtual escape rooms are perfect for those last days of the year when you need to keep your students engaged or have students who finish early and need a challenge.

Welcome to Summer Break OUT! In this escape room, you will experience the excitement of summer break as you solve puzzles and challenges to figure out what activities you will be doing this summer. Are you ready to break out and discover what your summer has in store for you? Let’s find out!

Are you ready to conquer the wild and prove yourself as the ultimate camper? With badges waiting to be claimed and the campfire calling your name, Summer Camp Chaos is one adventure you won’t want to miss!

You’re trapped within the familiar walls of your school on the last day of classes, and your summer freedom depends on your ability to solve a series of intricate puzzles. “Locked in the Last Day of School” plunges you into a fully immersive 360-degree virtual escape room experience where every corner holds a potential clue.

2. 📆Countdown to the last day of school with a daily 360° puzzle

Engage your students for the last 10 school days with a daily 360° puzzle using the “Escape to Summer Break Countdown Calendar”!

This resource provides 10 summer-themed virtual escape rooms that build problem-solving skills and anticipation for summer break through daily puzzles. It’s a fun and immersive way to promote teamwork and critical thinking in the classroom. BONUS: Get this 10-day calendar for free with the purchase of the End of School Year Bundle (limited time offer).

3. ♟️Have a board game day

Easily encourage problem-solving and collaboration with this engaging activity! Students bring in their favorite board games and take the lead in teaching their classmates, creating a fun and interactive learning experience.

4. ⏳Play academic "Minute to Win It" games for the last days of school

These “minute to win it” games are perfect for the last day of school when the devices have been turned in and you want to keep your students engaged. These types of activities can work with elementary, middle or high school students. Just choose activities from the list below that fit your class.

⏰ Minute to win it challenge cards

Get ready for some fast-paced fun! These printable game cards contain 16 different “1 Minute to Win It” challenges. Each card lays out a fun one-minute task, with simple instructions and a quick rundown of the materials you’ll need to dive right into the action.

More resources:

How to Play:

Setup: Prepare the materials needed for the chosen “Minute to Win It” challenge at each student’s designated area.
Question Time: Before a student can begin the physical challenge, they must answer a question posed by the game leader (teacher). The question should be age-appropriate and related to a topic you’ve covered in class.
Answering the Question:
- The student has one chance to answer the question.
- If the student answers the question correctly on the first try, they may proceed to the physical challenge.
- If the student answers incorrectly, they must try to answer a new question. This process repeats until they answer a question correctly.
- Important Time Consideration: The time spent answering questions does count against the one-minute time limit for the physical challenge. This means students will have less time to complete the activity if they take longer to answer the question.
The Challenge: Once the student correctly answers a question, the one-minute timer begins (or continues, if you started it when the first question was asked). The student attempts to complete the physical challenge according to the rules of that specific game.
Winning: The student continues with the physical challenge until either:
- The one-minute timer expires.
- They successfully complete the objective of the chosen game.
Variations:
- Difficulty of Questions: Adjust the difficulty of the questions based on the age and ability level of your students.
- Team Play: Have students work in teams. The team must collectively answer the question, and then one team member attempts the physical challenge.

5. 📦Host a cardboard challenge

The Cardboard Challenge, inspired by the film “Caine’s Arcade,” is a global event that encourages children to use cardboard, recycled materials, and their imaginations to build anything they can dream up. Use this Cardboard Challenge Playbook to guide your class as they work together create their own arcade games to share and play with one another.

🤔End-of-Year Reflection Activities💭

6. 😎Recap the year in emojis

With this “My Year in Emojis” template from Ditch That Textbook students will use the visual language of emojis to help students express their feelings and experiences throughout the school year. Students can choose emojis that represent different moments, subjects, or projects, providing a fun and concise way to summarize their emotional journey.

7. 🎙️Record a class memories podcast

Creating a realistic podcast without actually recording anything is so easy with tools like Brisk and Notebook LM.

Here’s how to do it:

Ask students to share their favorite class memories from the year in a shared document. Remind them to be descriptive and keep it positive and fun.
Using Google Notebook LM create a new notebook and upload a source choosing Google Docs.
Using the Brisk Chrome extension open the Brisk icon inside of the Google Doc and click on create and choose podcast*.

*With the free version of Brisk you can create a podcast up to 2 minutes long. If you have the Brisk Premium version (which you get for free for 14 days when you first install Brisk) you can record a podcast up to 10 minutes long.

8. 🔢Count the year "By the Numbers"

This reflection template from Ditch That Textbook uses numbers to help students think about their year. It asks them to count things like subjects taken, projects done, days in school, and books read to reflect on what they’ve accomplished. There are two template options one for reflection in elementary school and the other for reflection in middle and high school.

9. 🎶"Wrap" up the end of the year

For a creative end-of-year reflection, try this Spotify Wrapped-inspired template from Ditch That Textbook! Just like the music platform’s year-end review, students can look back at their learning journey and highlight key “tracks” (memorable experiences), “artists” (influential people), and “genres” (important subjects) from the past academic year.

10. ✏️Write a six-word memoir

This six-word memoir activity challenges students to distill their entire school year into a concise narrative of just six words. It forces them to think critically about the most impactful moments, feelings, and lessons learned.

11. 📝Summarize the year in one page

A “one-pager” is a creative way for students to visually and textually represent their learning and experiences from the entire school year on a single sheet of paper (or a digital equivalent). Use this end-of-year one-pager template to encourage students to synthesize information and express their understanding in a unique and engaging format.

👏Collaborative End-of-School Activities🤝

12. 🖍️Creative collaborative coloring

This is a simple but fun idea that can be done anytime throughout the year. Print out a copy of this collaborative design template for each student. This is a great last day of school activity because all you need is crayons and a copy for each student!

Students will choose an empty spot to color and add their initials to that space on their own paper. After they are done they will leave the paper on their desk and move on to another design and do the same on the next classmate’s paper. Students will keep going around the room until they have added a colored space and their initials to every paper.

13. 📖Design a digital class yearbook

This Book Creator digital yearbook template lets students collaboratively design a digital yearbook, where they can each create pages showcasing their favorite memories, achievements, and classmates from the year. It’s a fantastic way to build community and encourage reflection as the school year concludes.

14. 👨🏽‍🎨Create a graffiti wall

A graffiti wall provides a communal space for students to spontaneously share their thoughts, feelings, memories, and well wishes related to the end of the school year. It’s an informal and interactive way to capture the collective experience of the class. A fun way to send your students off on their way as they leave on the last day of school.

You can set up a large sheet of paper on a wall (physical graffiti wall) or use a collaborative digital tool like Padlet or a shared document (digital graffiti wall). Provide prompts if needed, such as “My favorite memory from this year was…”, “Something I learned…”, “I’m looking forward to…”, or simply leave it open for any end-of-year reflections.

🎉Celebrations & Transition Activities ⬆️

15. 👕"Have each other's backs" compliment t-shirts

Print out this t-shirt template on card stock for each student. Ask students to help each other tape the shirt on their back. Students will walk around the room writing nice messages to each other inside the shirt. Ask students to make the compliments as personal as possible to show how much they have gotten to know each other throughout the year.

16. ✅End-of-year class surveys

Asking your class for feedback at the end of the year can be scary! However, the responses can really help you prepare for the year ahead. You can use an end-of-year survey like this one from Education World or you can take a look at this student survey form shared by Pernille Ripp and adapt it for your class. There are student and parent survey templates like these ones on Canva that can be adapted or used right away.

17. 📬Write letters to future students

Use this template to have your students plan and write letters for your next class on the last day of school. A great activity to end the year and a fun way to start the next school year.

18. 🤣Create class expectation memes

Ask your students to create clever memes that showcase what is expected in the class. Think “I don’t always use the bathroom during class, but when I do I always wait for independent work time”. You can use this safe for school meme generator from Meredith Akers or use Canva to create memes.

Share them with your class next year as you are introducing your class expectations. Challenge your next group to make even more creative ones!

🎉Other Fun Ideas for the Last Days of School🥳

19. 🏖️Host an immersive end-of-year experience

Virtual field trips offer us the opportunity to go visit places far away or those we could never really see otherwise. So why not host a fun end-of-the-year field trip combined with a theme day to make it extra special?

Here are a few ideas you might try:

🏖️ Have students bring in beach towels or beach chairs to sit on and take a trip to one of the world’s 15 best beaches.
🐒 Invite your class to bring in their favorite stuffed animal and go visit one, or more, of these 30 best zoo virtual field trips, tours, and cams.
🪐Decorate your classroom with glow in the dark stars and take a trip to the National Air and Space Museum!

20. ✨Let them try something new on the last days of school

This interactive free time choice board is a perfect end-of-year activity for elementary, middle, or high school students who have some extra time on their hands and need something to do at the end of the year.