The last day of school is almost here…
I can’t believe that it was a full 8 months ago that I posted these pictures! How does the school year go faster every year? There’s some kind of weird time warp that happens as my kids grow older.
It makes me want to yell out, “Please, someone, make time slow down!”
I love the end of school. It feels like an invitation to freedom and adventure…and a whole new, more relaxed schedule.
Every kid looks forward to the last day of school and it makes it extra exciting, as a parent, to build up the anticipation of school ending and the summer beginning.
Here are 20 ideas to celebrate the last day of school:
1. create a countdown calendar that they can mark off each day as the end of school gets closer
2. create a countdown of 10 items packaged up in little boxes with a surprise inside in anticipation of the last two weeks of school
3. go shopping for vacation or summer items
4. go out for ice cream
5. decorate their lunch bag with a summer picture or note on the outside
6. have an outdoor movie and s’mores
7. have a party (I’ll be sharing the how-to on a last day of school party later this week!)
8. give them a summertime book to read
9. buy a t-shirt for them to wear to school accompanied by a sharpie marker for all of their friends sign
10. surprise all of the kids at your bus stop with cupcakes and balloons when they step off the bus
11. create a ‘welcome to summer banner’ and let the kids run through it
12. build up to the last day of school with a surprise activity when they get home…create suspense and wonder by giving them a clue about the activity every morning before school at breakfast
13. surprise them by jumping out of the house with water guns when they get home from school
14. buy a slip ‘n slide as a surprise for them to play on right when they get home
15. create an end of summer bucket that includes bubbles, movie theatre tickets, hiking trail maps, a summer reading book, sidewalk chalk, movie treats, jump ropes, and other fun stuff
16. if you live in a neighborhood where you know everyone, ambush the kids at the bus stop with silly string or water guns
17. create a ‘walk of fame‘ for your child
18. go bowling or to the movies
19. the morning after the last day of school go out to a special breakfast
20. on the last week of school do one of the above ideas each day as they arrive home
What are some of the things you do to celebrate the last day of school? I want to hear your ideas! Please share with me in the comments below.
[pin this to your summer fun board on pinterest!]
Comment
These are great ideas! We do the summer fun gifts also and have a pizza party with family and friends. Thanks for the inspiration!