| How do you fill those last few weeks of school with fun, motivating, but still meaningful activities? It's a challenge, I know. The 3 activities in this blog post are activities that I've used with my infant classes (the last activity can easily be used with older children also). I especially like these activities, as all 3 of them help your class capture some of the memories they've made with you and each other in the year that is ending. Activity One: Alphabet Memories. Just what it says on the tin - children come up with one memory from their school year that starts with each letter of the alphabet. You can have children do this individually, but you can also do this as a whole class. I always encourage collaboration, and there is usually lots of laughter as kids try to shoehorn different memories into the letter they need next! Activity Two: Stage/Grade Acrostic Poems. There are 2 versions of this file - one for the US (with 'Kindergarten', 'First Grade' and 'Second Grade') and one for the UK (Primary One, Two, Three). Again, a very straightforward task, and most children in the early stages have already been introduced to simple acrostic poems. In the file, I've included an example poem |  |
for each grade/stage, as well as 'Word Idea' grids. I project the Word Ideas onto my SMART board and let the kids loose. It's a great way to encourage them to think back over their school year, and what they want to remember. I've also found that parents appreciate these little 'memory maker' activities...something to keep and put away for the future.
Activity Three: Letter to my Next Teacher. My classes are always the most excited about this task. They love the idea of telling their next teacher about themselves, what they are good at and what they want to learn about next year. These letters also give their next teacher some insights into their incoming class, as well as a mini-writing/handwriting sample. I always liked to read the letters as well. They told me what children remembered and took away the most from their year with me. So this one activity encourages kids to think positively about themselves and school, gives their new teacher a tiny bit of a headstart, and provides a good reflective activity for you as well. Highly recommended!
To get the UK version of this file, click on the picture above. For the US version, click here.
Happy Teaching - we are almost there!
Activity Three: Letter to my Next Teacher. My classes are always the most excited about this task. They love the idea of telling their next teacher about themselves, what they are good at and what they want to learn about next year. These letters also give their next teacher some insights into their incoming class, as well as a mini-writing/handwriting sample. I always liked to read the letters as well. They told me what children remembered and took away the most from their year with me. So this one activity encourages kids to think positively about themselves and school, gives their new teacher a tiny bit of a headstart, and provides a good reflective activity for you as well. Highly recommended!
To get the UK version of this file, click on the picture above. For the US version, click here.
Happy Teaching - we are almost there!