18 Special Last Day of School Ideas To End The Year Right!
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Check out these awesome last day of school ideas to celebrate the end of a great school year and kick off summer!
Hi friends,
Happy last day of school! ?
Time to celebrate the end of another great school year and say hello to summer!
The early school years are a great time to start a few fun last day of school traditions. These traditions don’t have to be anything huge, just something fun that they know they can always look forward to at the end of year.
We’re here to give you the best last day of school ideas!
Last Day of School Ideas
1. Last day of school breakfast
So Proud of You Cake (pancake) Topper
Start off the last day right with a special breakfast!
This can be something like pancakes stacked high with whipped cream, sprinkles and a “so proud of you” cake topper or something more simple but still fun.
Swinging by your local donut shop for a yummy breakfast treat is always a no-fail option too!
2. Summer basket
Fill up a basket with a bunch of summer goodies to kick off summer!
Throw together a goodie basket full of things like bubbles, chalk, new sandals, a swimsuit, candy, water gun, etc. Add a cute sign like “you did it” or “goodbye Kindergarten!” and have it ready for them when they get home!
3. Last day of school questionnaire
Download this free printable here!
Our kids grow and change so much in a single school year, its absolutely insane!
This is a great first and last day tradition to start if you haven’t already. Have them fill out a questionnaire answering small different questions to capture how they’re feeling before and after their school year!
This makes such a sweet keepsake to look back on in the years to come!
4. Decorate the car
Decorate the car up right for school pick up!
Kid’s will totally get a kick out of this and will feel so special! Heck, let them draw something on the car too!
If your kiddo loves attention add something like “honk! I graduated kindergarten!” or something along those lines. My daughter absolutely loved when we did this for her birthday at school pick up!
{Related Post:Â How To Make Your Kids Birthday Special At School | School Birthday Ideas!}
5. Set up a water balloon fight
Bunch O Balloons, 420 Water Balloons
Nothing quite says summer like a good old fashioned water balloon fight!
Set up a basket full of water balloons for your kid as soon as they get home and start the fight in the drive way! Don’t even bother to change clothes, let them get soaking wet. The spontaneousness of it really just makes it a hundred times better!
Side note, we personally love the bunch-o-balloons water balloons! They’re 1000% worth the little bit of extra money!
6. Take last day of school photos
Last day of school photos are an absolute must!
If you took first day of school photos, try to take your last day of school photos in the same spot. The difference is always super crazy and fun to look at!
Your kid will love seeing how much they’ve grown and changed since the very first day of school!
7. Get an after school treat
On the way home, stop by your local ice cream shop and pick up a nice cold after school treat!
If you wanted to be extra, you could even set up a mini ice cream bar at home. Grab a few different types of ice cream, some yummy toppings and lay them out. Let you kids make their own ice cream creations and go wild!
8. Decorate the lawn
If your little one is graduating from kindergarten or 5th grade, set up a “congrats” sign in your yard!
Heck, even if they aren’t technically graduating, they still deserve a congrats for all the hard work they’ve done this year and moving up a grade!
Another fun idea is to set up more just simple summer yard signs to make it festive!
9. Give the teacher a gift
Make it a tradition to have your child say thank you to their teacher at the end of year for everything they’ve done all year!
You can send in a gift or even have your child write a simple thank you note! These small gestures go a long way and are something your child’s teacher will appreciate!
10. Go out to eat for dinner
Have a celebratory dinner!
Let your kid pick a spot to eat at or even just make their favorite homemade meal! McDonalds? Sure!
11. Shred old school papers
In high school our school would allow us to dump our backpacks in the hall on the last day of school!
While I’m sure that’s not the norm for most school, I do fondly remember it so well. Even though most schools probably don’t allow that, you can still allow it at home!
If you have a shredder, let your kids shred papers in their backpack and throw it like confetti!
12. Have a bonfire
Kick off summer with a giant bonfire!
Another school papers idea to let your kids burn them in a big old bonfire! Enjoy some s’mores and welcome summer. Grab some sparklers and make a mini bonfire party!
13. Pack a special last day of school lunch
I’m alllll about making fun, festive lunches!
A last day of school lunch is such a cute idea! If you’ve been on SchoolRunMessyBun before, you probably already own all the cute lunch box essentials and can easily throw together something like the photo above!
{Related Post:Â 7 Kids School Lunch Essentials To Make The CUTEST Lunches!}
14. Send a camera to school
This might seem a little old school but hear me out!
Chances are your kid doesn’t have a phone yet and if they do, they’re likely not allowed to use it at school anyway. Send in a single use camera or even a Instax mini if you trust your kid enough!
Your kid can capture all the selfies with friends, a last photo with their teacher and best of all – they’re tangible! They can hang these photos in their room all summer long and keep them as fun keepsakes!
**NOTE: Don’t forget to give your kid a run down on how these cameras work before sending them in!
15. Have friends sign an autograph book
Class Autographs: Cute Keepsake Memory Book
Let’s be real, class year books can be super expensive!
If a yearbook is not something you’re interested in buying this year, consider sending in a class autograph book! All of your kids friends can still sign it and write fun messages.
Better yet, with an autograph book you can paste in all the selfies you kid took with their camera you sent in too! Way more personal than a yearbook and a fun activity they can do!
16. Make a summer bucket list
It’s the first day of summer!
Okay, technically it might not be summer yet but still! The last day of summer is the perfect time to go day dreaming about all the fun summer days that lay ahead.
Make it an activity by brainstorming ideas and painting popsicle sticks with those ideas like above!
17. Set up a summer piñata
Piñata’s are not just for birthdays!
Fill a piñata with bubbles, chalk and candy for a fun mini summer celebration!
18. Send in last day treats for their classmates
This is so extra but I absolutely love it!
Send in last day of school treat for kids class to help wish all of their friends a happy summer!
19. Make them a summer “coupon” book
Lastly, a little gift for your kid!
Create a small summer coupon book to give your kid on their last day of school. Fill it with ideas like trip to the movies, water balloon fight, make homemade popsicles, etc.
Your kids will really appreciate this one and are going to be so excited for a long summer full of fun!
This post was all about last day of school ideas to celebrate the end of a great school year!
Other posts you may like:
- 7+ Free Lunch Box Notes Printable For Kids To Make Them Smile!
- 20+ DIY Teacher Appreciation Gifts They Will Be Obsessed With!
- How To Make Your Kids Birthday Special At School | School Birthday Ideas!
