7 Things to Do at the End of the School Year

This is my kids’ last week of elementary school, so I have been doing all the end of the school year things!

It feels like the end of the year kind of snuck up on us. If you are feeling the same way, here are a few ideas of things to do at the end of the year. Some links are affiliate links.

Have Your Child’s Teacher Sign a Book

Each year, we have our kids’ teachers sign Oh, The Places You’ll Go. My plan is to give this book to them when they graduated high school. The notes are so precious and I know this will be a treasured keepsake for my kids when they are adults.

We have had a lot of parents tell us that they are buying When God Made You for the same reason.

Say Thank You to Teachers

Have your kids write thank you cards for all the specialty teachers they have during the year, and consider putting together a small gift for them. (Check out my list of 5 simple, affordable teacher gift ideas and head to Pinterest for even more ideas.)

Make or Buy a Special Gift for Your Child’s Homeroom Teacher

Your child’s homeroom teacher is the one who spends the most time with your child, so be as generous as you can to thank them for all their hard work and love shown to your child. One year, I started shopping well in advance to put together amazing picnic totes for Elias and Adeline’s teachers. I want to keep them myself!

The totes are from thirty-one (bought 75% off), and on the inside I included melamine plates, cups and a pitcher from Draper James (bought 90% off), GH Cretors popcorn, lemonade mix, a book (bought 50% off) and a card.

Photograph Your Child’s Last Day of School

Take a last day of school photo of your child. These photos are so precious to me because you can see how much they have grown! I always print these signs to document the year.

Have Your Child Fill Out a Year-in-Review Sheet or Book

Capturing your child’s handwriting, friends and special school memories on one sheet (like this printable) or in a book to create a treasured keepsake for the years to come. My mom had a school years book that she used for documenting our school milestones, and I love looking at it.

You can find lots of school memory books here.

School Years: Record Book: Capture and Organize Memories from Preschool through 12th Grade: This book is my favorite and the one that I ordered for my kids. It has a sturdy cover, oversized pockets and clean design. I love it!

School Years: A Family Keepsake of School Memories: This is the most affordable option (about $8) and definitely will get the job done. It has a simple design and its pockets fit 8.5×11 papers folded in half with ease. I love this one too!

School Years Personalized 24 Pocketful of Memories Book Album: Off to School Dena Designs: This is the most expensive option ($24.50), but you can’t beat the large 12×12 format and that it can hold 8.5×11 papers with ease.

These simple Q&As are another great way to document your child right now.

Here is a video of me showing the insides of each of these book options.

Organize End of the School Year Art and Papers

If your kids’ school is like mine, their backpacks are likely full of artwork and papers completed during the year. Get the papers organized, photographed or tossed immediately. Don’t let them pile up. This weekend I’m planning to make these file boxes for my kids. They are cute, easy and so simple! No more stacks for me.

Do Something Fun for the Last Day of School

Make a special memory with your family to commemorate the last day of school. Make smores, have a water balloon fight, order pizza — anything to make the day special.

What would you add to this list?