Ways to Count Down to the End of the School Year

It’s a little shocking to me how little time in school my daughter has left for this school year. It feels like seventh grade has flown by and we’ll be done and into summer in no time.

If you want to mark the remaining days — in the classroom or at home — this collection of end of the school year countdown ideas is a fun way to do it.

If you have enough days left to do this for everyone in your classroom, this idea from Sparkling in Second Grade is super sweet. Each child gets to be the student of the day one day and the other kids say or write a nice thing about that student. Then the child can keep those nice words, and it serves as a classroom countdown to the end of the year as the number of pictures dwindles.

The Sassy Apple Teaching has a fun list of 16 end of year activities you can make into a chain and have a different child break the chain to see what the activity is each day. You can of course alter this one if there are things you can’t do or you don’t have that many days left. Or just make your own list and write the ideas on paper looped to make a chain.

Around the Kampfire has a nice list of end of year traditions including a countdown that lasts five days. Each idea includes a simple snack and printable activities you can grab from Teachers Pay Teachers. (Other fun ideas include kindness notes, end of year awards and a printable memory book.)

Another fun set of end of year activities you can add to your chain or just do on their own comes from Amy Lemons. There are art projects, solar smores, even a pickle day to make the end of the year super memorable.

Last month I shared a collection of beach crafts that used items from the beach like seashells and sand. This month’s collection is all about beach animals and things you might see at the beach that don’t require beachy materials to make. In fact you’ve probably got what you need to make most of these beach crafts in your house already.

How about paper plates? With a paper plate you can make this cute watercolor seashell from The Educator’s Spin on It, or an adorable seagull like this one from Glued to My Crafts.

Add some white beans and you can make paper plate sand dollars like Crafts by Amanda. Or use a paper plate as a frame for a sweet beach scene like this crab and turtle one from Artsy Craftsy Mom, which includes a downloadable template and instructions to make it super easy.

Or grab a paper plate and some bubble wrap to make a jellyfish like this one from Happy Toddler Playtime. If you have paper bowls instead of plates, you can also make a jellyfish from one of those, like Natural Beach Living did.

Use your stash of craft sticks and googly eyes to make crabs, fish, sharks and more with this craft idea from The Keeper of the Cheerios.

I love this little crab made with a cardboard tube from Hunny I’m Home. With this same idea I’ll bet you could make lots of different creatures.

Grab some construction paper to make the loopy tentacles on this watercolor jellyfish from Craftsy Hacks. Or make a stained glass jellyfish like this one from Life Anchored.

Make easy puffy paint to make these fun fluffy starfish from I Heart Crafty Things, or use cupcake liners to make cute little crabs (also from I Heart Crafty Things).

Turn an old pool noodle into some super cute fish with this tutorial from Happy Toddler Playtime.

And if you’ve got some leftover yarn lying around, make pompoms and turn them into turtles like these from Craftsy Hacks. (And check out my post on different ways to make pompoms if you need a refresher!)

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