Celebrating the End of the School Year

We are always super excited to start the school year. A new year, a fresh start to a lot of doing nothing over Summer break.

Likewise, as we approach the end of the school year, we are barely over-coming homeschool burn-out and we cannot wait to begin everything that summer has to offer us this year! In the bridge between finishing school and full-on summer sun, here are some fun activities to celebrate the end of another successful school year!

1. Take a field trip.

You don’t have to go anywhere fancy – just perhaps an out-of-the-ordinary trip to the zoo, your local fire station, a local park, or a nearby museum!

2. Go out for lunch/dinner.

If you’re like us, we don’t go out to eat much. Celebrate the end of the school year with a lunch at your favorite restaurant! If going out for a meal isn’t in the budget, make something fancy, or something out-of-the-normal on Pinterest!

3. Create a collage, scrapbook or binder with the most prominent things you did in the year.

Our local Goodwill normally has old binders or scrapbooks. This is especially true for high school students!

4. Start an annual end-of-the-year family barbecue.

Invite Grandma, Grandpa and the neighbors over!

5. Take a break, and just watch old family films.

Old family films bring back the sweetest of memories!

6. Have a family game night.

Play an old classic like Uno, or try a new one like Wits and Wagers. (Life, Monopoly, Pay Day, Scattegories, Pictionary and card games are also super fun classics that can be educational.)

7. Organize your records and finish any mandatory testing.

This isn’t fun, but it is necessary! Compile neat records or portfolios of grades, accomplishments, awards, and more. Keep your best reports and your favorite crafts. Throw away (or recycle!) the frivolous papers.

8. Go through your homeschool supplies and clean up a bit.

Perhaps have a garage sale if you have an abundance of stuff you no longer need.

9. Have a family movie night with stove-popped popcorn.

Check out this list of clean, fun, character-building flicks.

10. Think of non-traditional ways to learn. (aka no textbooks!)

Who says learning has to be boring, and just during the typical school year? Here’s a list of 100 ideas to get you started.

11. Create “end of the year” quizzes for each child.

Ask kids questions like “What is your favorite song/movie?” “What is your favorite thing about homeschooling?” “What is your biggest pet peeve?” etc. Do this every year and show at graduation! It is SUPER fun to look back on!

12. Compile a Summer To-Do List.

Whether it be Angry Birds backyard edition or going to a local small concert, decide to have some unique fun this summer.

13. Sign up for your local library’s summer reading program.

Our library gives movie tickets and even has a bike drawing as prizes.

14. Have a campfire.

Put on some nice music, make some s’mores, and sit around a campfire! This is one of those simple things that definitely shouldn’t be ignored in life.

15. Put together an iMovie or PowerPoint of the year’s events!

When I was in my pre-teens, I made PowerPoint slideshows (this was before we became Mac-fans!) all the time – birthday’s, Christmas, Father’s Day. Although those years and hours spent may have seemed frivolous, I now am a full tech-guru – a HUGE benefit in today’s ever-changing technology-driven society.

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate the end of the year?